Watercolor in the Village

Painting # 22: Painting in the Style of Z.L.Feng

2012-02-11T17:48:00.000-05:00

Today I decided to do a study from one of my favorite artists, Z.L. Feng. This is loosly based on one of his paintings - I changed some things, but still wanted to paint in his style so I left many elements of his in the painting. This painting is 1/8 sheet of Fabriano Artistico cold-pressed watercolor paper and is painted with Ocaldo Academy watercolors, which I purchased many years ago. Doing this painting this was lots of fun.

Painting #21: Abandoned on Logan Co. 13 from the Back

2012-02-10T22:32:00.000-05:00

This is another scene of the property on Logan Co. 13. It is from a photograph taken by my friend, Pamela Baker, one day last summer when we were on a photo outing. The painting is 9" x 9" and is painted on 140 lb. Canson cold-pressed watercolor paper - the last sheet - thank goodness. I thought I had already used the last one, but alas, found this one in my studio. I used both watercolor pencils and watercolor on this painting.

"Quite a Pear"

2012-02-09T13:08:00.000-05:00

Knowing that I love to eat and paint pears, a very creative and accomplished painter, and good friend, Michelle Walker, gave me this lovely oil painting! How lucky am I to have to have an original "Walker!"

I truly, will love and treasure this forever. Thank you, Michelle!

Painting #20: "In the Fog"

2012-02-08T23:08:00.000-05:00

This was my not so valiant attempt at painting the "all paint from one photo" from the Watercolor Workshop. I never imagined that fog could be so difficult to paint, and this painting is definitely overworked. It was a learning opportunity and I learned that I don't want to paint fog again!

The painting is on 1/8 sheet of Fabriano Artistico cold-pressed watercolor paper and is painted with some very old paints I have had since 1980's, Ocaldo Academy WaterColours - now I know why I never used them up!

2012-02-06T23:26:00.000-05:00

My daughter Marilyn gave me a lovely poinsettia at Christmas and it has given me much pleasure ever since. It has been sitting on the coffee table next to the recliner which has been my bed at night and my nest during the day due to the fact that my back has kept me pretty much imobile. I have watched this beautiful flower gradually lose its leaves and decided I had to capture a part of it before it left me entirely.

Last night I drew it on a small piece of watercolor paper and painted it this evening with watercolor pencils. It was approximately 4" x 6" before I cropped it in photoshop, and is painted on 140 lb. Fabriano Artistico cold-pressed watercolor paper. I thought it looked better cropped without so much of the blue background showing. Below is a portion of the real poinsettia.

Painting #18: Michelle's Still Life

2012-02-02T20:26:00.000-05:00

I went to Michelle's studio on Tuesday evening where she set up a still life that we painted from. I included the ugly vase and then discovered that Michelle and Julie didn't even include it in their paintings!!! Now - I ask you..."What was the vase there for in the first place?" I was an obedient student and put it in my composition. Oh well! The painting is 11" x 14" and is painted on 140 lb. FabrianoArtistico cold-pressed watercolor paper.

Picture #17: Abandoned

2012-01-27T21:22:00.001-05:00

I finished this today - it is the January project for Watercolor Workshop - All paint from one photo!

This painting is 11" x 14" and is painted on 140 lb. cold-pressed Fabriano Artistico watercolor paper. It is watercolor and watercolor pencil.

Painting #16: All of Life's a Stage

2012-01-22T22:13:00.000-05:00

This is a playful piece, postcard size, painted in watercolor and watercolor pencil. It will eventually be sent in the U.S. Postal Service to someone in the swap group. During this year we are exchanging postcards...everyone will receive one from each member.

Painting #15: Blue Poppy

2012-01-20T23:20:00.000-05:00

I did this little painting (6"x8") this evening. I was working on lost and found edges, something that I often fail doing in a painting. I am challenging myself to learn in this recovery period of my life.

The painting is painted on FabrianoArtistico cold-pressed watercolor paper.

2012-01-19T23:13:00.000-05:00

Well, I have encountered a "bump in the road" on my way to a painting a day for 90 days...I just spent 4 days in the hospital where I discovered that I had had a very small stroke. I am in pretty good shape - I do have some visual problems, but it could be much worse.

Now - instead of numbering my daily paintings from days 1 to 90, I will now be numbering the paintings. Period! This painting of trees, branches and briars, is #14 and is a watercolor - 8" x 10" and it is painted on 140 lb. cold-pressed Fabriano Artistico watercolor paper.

Day #13: Cyber Bouquet

2012-01-13T18:01:00.001-05:00

I decided to do something different for Day #13...I did an original painting on the computer using the GIMP software. I used mostly the paintbrush and airbrush applications. This computer painting can be printed out if I want a solid copy that one can hold, etc. GIMP is an image software that can be downloaded to your computer free.

Day #12: Heather's Bamboo with Brass Crocodile

2012-01-12T23:10:00.000-05:00

Well - this has been a busy day...I spent most of the morning at the epidural clinic at the Orthopedic Institute of Ohio where I received a steroid epidural in the lower lumbar area of my back to help eliminate some pain. It wasn't very painful - just a little nerve wracking ...worrying about the unknown.

When I finally got around to doing my work for day 12, it was already 9:00 p.m., so I looked for the easiest thing around that I could do quickly. My eyes fell on the bamboo which was a gift from the wedding of my niece, Heather in June. Amazingly, it has thrived - grown pretty well considering the fact that I do not really have a green thumb.

The painting was done in Prismacolor watercolor pencils on 140 lb. Canson cold-pressedd watercolor paper. Why I am using Canson w/c paper? Well, I mistakenly bought some last year and have been trying to get rid of it. I am finally on the last sheet! Yeah!

Day #11: Designing Koi

2012-01-11T23:00:00.002-05:00

Designing Koi is the painting for Day #11. It is entirely done with Prismacolor Watercolor Pencils on 140 lb. cold-pressed watercolor paper. I decided to do this composition stylistically - more graphic design than a fine arts painting.

Day #10: Pamela's Window

2012-01-10T22:51:00.000-05:00

This was day #10 in my quest to post a work of art every day for 90 days - sooooo - 80 to go!!! This painting was taken from a photograph taken by my friend Pamela Baker - a wonderful photographer. We spent a great afternoon drawing together and looking at the pictures on her website - www.bakercreekdesigns - the source of this photo is one of the pictures on the website. This is watercolor and is painted on 140 lb.Canson cold-pressed watercolor paper.

Day #9: Urban Memories

2012-01-09T23:15:00.000-05:00

Well - this is day 9 in my quest for 90...I decided to work abstractly for a change. I did a quick sketch of some neighborhood houses - wet the paper and dropped in some color wet-in-wet and then added some brighter color in some different areas and houses. While the paper was still wet, I added some abstract directional lines in black watercolor pencil. I have always loved to draw on wet paper with watercolor pencil. I particularly enjoyed using the technique in life drawing classes in college.

Day #8: The Haitian Woman

2012-01-08T21:29:00.000-05:00

Well - I have arrived at day #8 - only 82 to go! Todays painting was created completely from Prismacolor Watercolor Pencils on 140 lb. Canson cold-pressed watercolor paper. I loosely used a royalty free photograph for the inspiration. What fun!

2012-01-07T22:27:00.000-05:00

I needed something simple to get my piece for day #7 finished this evening. I looked through my saved pictures and found the photo for this painting. It is one that I had saved from pictures posted by David Richman, a member of Watercolor Workshop. He has been posting such interesting pictures of the southwestern U.S. and Mexico. I loved this picture when I first saw it and thought it would make a nice painting. Once again, I drew this directly by looking at the picture on my laptop computer because I am still unable to get to my studio in the basement to print off a photo to work from. My printer is in the basement studio and my back will still not let me do the stairs. This painting is a watercolor/watercolor pencil composition. I did the watercolor first and then finished it with strokes of watercolor pencil - sort of the frosting on the cake. This is small - 4" x 6" and is painted on 140 lb. cold-pressed watercolor paper. It will eventually be sent to another member of the SWAP group this year in the postcard swap.

Day #6: Changes

2012-01-06T22:39:00.000-05:00

I have been wanting to paint these changing leaves ever since this fall when I saw them hanging on the tree - the colorful leaves overlapping the green underneath...one of natures most beautiful art works.

I created this painting by soaking the watercolor paper and then dropping in the colors wet-into-wet - dragons blood,indian red, sap green, indian yellow and pthalo blue to create various greens and fall colors. After it dried well, I drew the leaves in with a #2 pencil and then painted in the background leaves with darker greens and dragon blood and indian red using negative painting techniques.

Day #5: Old and Falling Apart

2012-01-05T23:07:00.000-05:00

As I started this piece, it was going to be a watercolor. The more I worked on it, the more I desired getting out the watercolor pencils - I am spoiled! I LOVE them! I lightly drew this with a #2 pencil and then wet the entire surface of the paper and dropped in burnt sienna, paynes grey, davey's grey, naples yellow and pthalo blue, wet-in-wet. At this point the watercolor pencils started calling to me and before I knew it, there they were - sitting on the table. Soooo - this is a combination watercolor/watercolor pencil painting for day #5 in my quest for 90 works in 90 days!

2012-01-04T17:38:00.000-05:00

Today's art work is a pencil sketch of my grand daughter, Rachel. I took some photos of her a couple days ago, and I did this drawing by looking at her photo on my laptop computer (below) while I sketched her on a drawing paper book in my lap with #2 and HB drawing pencils.

Dockside: Day #3 of 90 days of art.

2012-01-03T20:32:00.000-05:00

This is the painting for day 3, a watercolor 4" x 6" painted on Canson cold-pressed watercolor paper. I used analagous colors in a limited palette of blue-violet, violet, red-violet and a little ultra-marine blue

The painting was done basically all wet-in-wet, with just some details being added wet-on-dry to finish.

Waiting for Spring

2012-01-02T16:13:00.000-05:00

This is a small watercolor painting, 4" x 5 1/2" and it is painted on 140 lb. Canson cold-pressed watercolor paper. In this painting I tried to set a mood with color and worked basically wet-into-wet for the most part. I drew the trees into it using the sharpened wooden end of a paint brush dipped in watercolor - I created my browns with yellow ocre and violet.The colors in this palette were blue violet, ultramarine blue, violet and yellow ochre. I used a burnt umber watercolor pencil for some of the reflections in the water.

The Blue Bowl: Day #1

2012-01-01T20:46:00.000-05:00

This is day 1 of 90 days of creating a work of art. It may not always be a painting - it may be a drawing, a sketch, colored pencil, watercolor or even oil.

This watercolor pencil painting is 4" x 6" and is a postcard that I have created for the SWAP website where we are sending hand painted postcards to 24 different members during the year. It is painted on 140 lb. cold-pressed watercolor paper with Prismacolor Watercolor Pencils - my favorite brand.

When I designed this card, I was more interested in design and shapes than in realism so as you look at this, think "shapes"!

My news for this week is that my surgery for spinal stenosis has been cancelled at least for 3 months because there is some concern about the blood clots I had in my left lung in September. I can respect the doctors decision and will make the best of a bad situation - go to therapy and take pain pills!

"Bountiful" - A Postcard

2011-12-20T22:30:00.000-05:00

Bountiful is a painting from my imagination...we all know that there are no bunches of grapes this colorful but it sure was fun painting it!!! Maybe it's the pain meds... The painting is postcard size - 4" x 6" and is on 140 lb. cold-pressed watercolor paper. I used the Prismacolor Watercolor Pencils again on this one - I have no room by my recliner for my usual watercolor supplies. I am captive in my recliner or wheel chair,painting is the only thing that is keeping me sane while I wait for back surgery in January.

Memories of Autumn

2011-12-17T20:54:00.000-05:00

Well, I managed to complete another post card for the SWAP. It is 4" x 6" and is watercolor pencil on watercolor paper. This one is mostly out of my head from what I remember from a watercolor painting I saw on a calendar once and had in my art room sometime in the 1970's. I loved the artist's work - he(?) painted landscapes of New England - usually with a lot of field stone fences and stark barns and buildings. If anyone remembers who this artist might be - please comment.

2011-12-08T21:31:00.000-05:00

I have not been posting for a while due to the fact that I have been confined to a wheelchair for a couple of weeks. I have been diagnosed with a sacro fracture and spinal stenosis of the lumbar spine. It has been pretty difficult to post or paint!'

I was able to finish this painting for my Christmas Card. It is a painting of the Cafe Verandah in my home town of Jackson Center, Ohio. The painting is 8" x 10" and it is painted on 140 lb. cold-pressed watercolor paper.

Bird Sanctuary

2011-11-18T23:56:00.000-05:00

I finished this painting last night ... it is from the "all paint from one photo" November project for Watercolor Workshop. This painting is approx. 8" x 10" and is painted on 140 lb. cold-pressed watercolor paper.

McCullough Lake, North Woods, Wisconsin

2011-11-15T21:14:00.000-05:00

I included the photograph for this painting so you all can see that the colors were really as intense as I have been painting them. This is a photo I took this autumn in the north woods of Wisconsin - awesome beauty up there this year. The painting is 12" x 8" and is painted on 140 lb. cold-pressed watercolor paper.

View from the Bridge (painting in the style of Z.L. Feng

2011-11-14T23:30:00.000-05:00

I painted this today from a photo I took in the Wisconsin northwoods in October. I tried to paint in the style of Z.L. Feng but I feel that it is more in the style of Barbara Sailor! :)

Autumn Study in the Style of Z.L. Feng

2011-11-13T22:14:00.000-05:00

One of the best things a painting student can do is study other artists and even copy or duplicate their styles of painting - not to sell or for profit, but to LEARN! When I received the August copy of Watercolor Artist magazine, I immediately loved the work of the artist, Z.L. Feng. In this painting, I changed her composition, but basically tried to paint in her style, which is riveting! I was not fantastically sucessful, but did learn a lot. Now I am going to use a photo I took in Wisconsin in October, and try my own original painting in the style of Z.L. Feng.

Left to Rust

2011-10-23T19:13:00.000-04:00

This is my daily painting - an old, vintage truck left to rust in a remote field somewhere. The painting is 5" x 7" and is painted on 140 lb. cold-pressed Fabriano-Artistico watercolor paper. This is from a small picture I saw on the internet - I don't have rights to this, so I will not attempt to show this or sell it - you might say it was painted out of my love of vintage trucks and, of course, for experience.

McCullough Lake in the Northwoods, Wisconsin

2011-10-22T19:50:00.000-04:00

This is a painting I did from a photograph I took from the overlook of McCullough Lake in the northwoods of Wisconsin. It is one of my favorite places. I took the photo when I was there at the end of September. The painting is 9" x 12" and is painted on 140 lb. cold-pressed Fabriano-Artistico watercolor paper.

Best of Show...Wow!

2011-10-17T23:06:00.000-04:00

I was elated to learn recently that I had been awarded "Best of Show" at the juried Fall Show of the Riverside Arts Center at Wapakoneta, Ohio. I was also elated to learn that the award winning painting was one of my beloved vintage truck paintings - those who know me, know I adore doing paintings of vintage trucks! This one was the most recent. Ya-hoo!

Macdragon's Magnolia

2011-10-13T21:43:00.000-04:00

This is the painting I have prepared for the class Monday night at Riverside Arts Center in Wapakoneta. It is from a photograph by Macdragon which I found on WetCanvas.com - a great website for artists. The photos are in a reference library and are there for artists to use, royalty-free. The painting is 9" x 12" and is painted on 140 lb. Fabriano-Artistico cold-pressed watercolor paper.

The Old Buzzard House on County 13

2011-10-08T22:06:00.000-04:00

I finished this painting this evening - it is the painting we will be doing at our Monday evening class this week at Riverside Arts Center in Wapakoneta, Ohio. The source of this painting is a photograph which I took this summer. I previously painted a different view of this old house earlier this fall for the September project of Watercolor Workshop. The painting is 11" x 14" and is painted on 140 lb. cold-pressed Fabriano-Artistico watercolor paper.

Beaver Lake from the Bridge

2011-10-04T13:03:00.000-04:00

I painted this last Wednesday from the bridge that crosses the opening into Beaver Lake, in Natural Lakes, Wisconsin, in the Northwoods! Wow! What a beautiful place! This watercolor is 14 1/2 " x 11" and is painted on 140 lb. Fabriano/Artistico cold-pressed watercolor paper. How I love this place!!!

Dunn Lake

2011-10-03T22:19:00.000-04:00

This is a painting I did last week in the northwoods of Wisconsin. This is a painting of Dunn Lake which is in Natural Lakes, north of Boulder Junction. Dunn Lake is in a very remote, secluded area and absolutely beautiful. I thought that the areas of glassy, mirror-like reflections in the lake contrasted with the rippled water which was reflecting the sky made this scene fascinating.

Abandoned on County 35

2011-09-21T14:42:00.000-04:00

This painting is for the Watercolor Workshop September project - paint something abandoned...so I had a photo I took one evening of a house that has been abandoned which is located on a remote county road in Logan County and decided to paint that. The painting is 9" x 12" and is painted on Canson 140 lb. cold-pressed watercolor paper.

Arizona Poppy

2011-09-18T18:25:00.000-04:00

This is a painting I just finished from a photo by David Richmond, a WatercolorWorkshop member.Actually, he informed us that this flower is not technically a poppy, but it certainly looks like one! This is going to be the first lesson for my intermediate watercolor class at Riverside Arts Center in Wapakoneta, OH. This painting is 9" x 9" and is painted on 140 lb. Canson cold-pressed watercolor paper.

This Little Piggy Stayed Home

2011-09-15T22:36:00.000-04:00

I did this painting today for The Daily Paintworks weekly challenge. This painting is 6" x 10" and is painted on 140 lb. cold-pressed Fabriano-Artistico watercolor paper.

I'm Baaaack! "Rusting Through Retirement" (Final)

2011-09-12T22:43:00.000-04:00

Well, after 6 days in the hospital and several here at home recouperating from 2 blood clots in my left lung, I am finally back to painting...it has been WAY too long for my taste. I am doing okay - taking a lot of meds and trying to regain my strength and my breath.

I worked on this painting yesterday and finished it this evening - finally. Now I want to frame it tomorrow so I can enter it in a show on Thursday - I'm pushing it pretty close, I know! Wish me luck!

WIP #2: Rusting Through Retirement

2011-08-30T22:32:00.000-04:00

Well - this is the second installment of the WIP of the truck. As you can see, I have many hours of painting ahead of me. This painting verges on the illustrative...I like to push this type of painting to the point of illustration, but periodically redeem it through passages of expressionistic watercolor. Time will tell on this one. I am challenging myself to use only mixed color in this one - no color is directly from the tube!

WIP: Rusting Through Retirement

2011-08-29T14:50:00.000-04:00

Due to some health issues, my art has taken a hit lately! But -I started this one and am back painting. This is 15" x 22" and is on 140 lb. Fabriano/Artistico cold-pressed watercolor paper. I enlarged the photo in the drawing phase by using the grid method. I plan to paint it one area at a time and then go back in and add darks/shadows, details where they are needed. This is from a photograph by my friend Pamela Baker.

Collagraph: "Evil Woman"

2011-08-25T21:30:00.000-04:00

The Muses worked on a collagraph project this afternoon. I got the idea from the blog of artist, Belinda Del Pesco, who has been experimenting in different printmaking methods. This particular project is done by creating a glue print, hand coloring and printing it with various colors of printmaking ink, and then by inking the glue print with black ink. After it is dry, we embellished the print with colored pencils. I often taught glue printing when I was teaching jr. high and high school art, but never with the added hand coloring which is printed in stages like a monoprint. The Muses took theirs home today to finish and will bring back next week so I can photograph them.

After the Morning Rain

2011-08-18T20:34:00.000-04:00

I finished this experimental painting today. This is my stylized version of a peony after a morning rain. It is 9" x 12" and is painted in watercolor on 140 lb. cold-pressed watercolor paper

Abandoned on Logan County Road 13

2011-08-17T17:34:00.000-04:00

Michelle and I painted this afternoon en Plein Air! I love this old, rickety house and it was so much fun painting this today -also fun painting with Michelle! This is watercolor on 9" x 12" Canson 140 lb. cold-pressed watercolor paper.

WIP: After the Rain

2011-08-16T20:17:00.002-04:00

This is a poured experimental piece I started during the weekend. I introduced this technique to my intermediate watercolor class last evening...I think they enjoyed it but it was also difficult to embrace the concept of masking edges and highlights before pouring. We poured with acrylic inks. This painting is about 8 1/2 " x 12" and is on Fabriano Artistico 140 lb. cold-pressed watercolor paper. Hopefully it will be finished tonight or tomorrow.

Cool Maine

2011-08-10T22:25:00.000-04:00

This afternoon, I painted this scene for the August Watercolor Workshop project where everyone paints from the same photo. This photo was provided by a member, Jane James, who named the theme for August to paint "Cool!" because of the hot, hot weather!

This painting is 9" x 12" and is painted on 140 lb. Canson cold-pressed watercolor paper.

The Old Shed Truck

2011-08-08T22:35:00.000-04:00

This was the painting I prepared for this week's lesson at Riverside Arts Center. The painting is 9" x 12" and is painted on 140 lb. Canson cold-pressed watercolor paper. The painters did very well with it tonight - still have to finish - all different - all very nicely painted. I will post them next week after they are finished.

Wetlands Sunset

2011-08-03T18:03:00.000-04:00

This is another project from Joe Garcia's book "Mastering the Watercolor Wash." I used it as a class demonstration last night to demo wet-in-wet painting by saturating the paper first with water. I also demonstrated how to create the rushes by incising the wet paper with lines created by using the handle end of a small paintbrush, allowing the pigment to fill in. I finished it tonight. This painting is 8" x 10" and is painted on 140 lb. cold-pressed watercolor paper.

The Dakota Badlands

2011-07-31T21:32:00.002-04:00

This weeks watercolor lesson at Riverside Arts Center tomorrow night is going to be a lesson in the gradated wash. This painting, which I finished today, was inspired by a lesson in Joe Garcia's book "Mastering the Watercolor Wash." First I did a painting exactly as he teaches in his book to learn the process - and then - because of royalty concerns, I painted my own version of his painting using the principles in his book, but doing my own composition and painting instead of copying his but using his principles.

Boudoir Baby!

2011-07-28T21:07:00.001-04:00

Today was Collage Thursday with the Muses again. I did a collage on a piece of matboard 10" x 9" from an assortment of materials - papers, lace, screen, doilies, and newspaer + paint, Sharpie marker and Prismacolor colored pencils. This is LOTS of fun!

Abandoned

2011-07-20T22:59:00.000-04:00

We have been on-the-go all day today - doctor appointment first for hubby then opposite direction to deliver paintings for judging into a show- then lunch - then pick up prescription at Wally world and then company for dinner - good friends so it was okay to serve them sloppy joes and they brought the potato salad. So - tonight I painted this little watercolor sketch of my favorite subject - a vintage truck. This is small - 4" x 6" and is painted on 140 lb. cold-pressed watercolor paper! Oh - how I love to paint old trucks!!! It makes me happy!

July Sunset in Shelby County

2011-07-19T22:02:00.000-04:00

I painted this today from a photo I took last night on my way home from Riverside Art Center along I-75. The sky was awesome - storm clouds moving through from west to east and the sun managing to peak through occasionally. It is painted on 140 lb. Arches cold-pressed watercolor paper.

Corner in German Village

2011-07-16T18:49:00.002-04:00

I started this watercolor sketch on Thursday afternoon and am just now getting back to it this afternoon. I did the drawing with brown acrylic ink and a nib pen and finished with watercolor wash. This painting is 1/4 sheet of watercolor paper - 15" x 11"...is painted on 140 lb. cold-pressed Arches paper. This painting is from a photograph I took late this spring in Columbus.

Guardian of the Riverfront

2011-07-13T20:30:00.000-04:00

This is the scene I could see from my seat at the Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati when our family went to the Reds/Indians baseball game 2 weeks ago. I decided to paint it in the style of John Lovett because I love his work - especially the callographic linear work. This painting is 11" x 15" and is painted on Canson 100 cold-pressed watercolor paper. Below is the original photograph I took and enlarged and then cropped so I could better see the church and buildings.

Throwing Shadows...

2011-07-10T23:04:00.000-04:00

This is a painting of a photograph provided by Watercolor Workshop for it's July project. It was taken by Sue Drennan. There were 3 to choose from and I chose this one because I love the deceivingly simple appearance. Take it from me - it is not so simple to paint. This was painted on 1/8 sheet of Canson cold-pressed 140 lb. watercolor paper.

A Painting For Jenny

2011-07-06T16:01:00.000-04:00

Well - to make this painting meaningful, I must explain that I collect elephants - not the real ones! :) I have hundreds of them! My dear granddaughter, Jenny, created a wonderful little elephant mug for me in her ceramic's class in college this year. I treasure it! So - I wanted to share this little gem with everyone so yesterday I painted a picture of it. The painting is small - and is painted on 140 lb. cold-pressed watercolor paper.

Thanks, Jenny - this is for you and I will treasure the elephant forever! Love you!

A Village in Scandinavia

2011-07-05T17:42:00.000-04:00

This is perhaps, my favorite of the projects involving the collaging of old paintings. The painting is 7 1/2 " x 11" and is painted on 140 lb. Arches cold-pressed watercolor paper. As in the previous collaged paintings, I applied dark brown acrylic ink with a nib pen on top of the collaged tissue paper. I guess I like this one best because I like these colors so well. I have one more old painting that I collaged with the tissue and I am handling the ink line with a much different approach - I will post it when it is finished...I have mixed emotions about the final one.

Holmes County Farm

2011-07-03T22:21:00.000-04:00

This is a very old painting I had around - I did it about 10 years ago in a class and have used the theme several times. I used the same process as I have for the last two posts - this one appears to be a little more illustrative, but I am happy with the soft colors in this one.

Iris in Mixed Media

2011-07-02T23:12:00.000-04:00

I took another old watercolor today and used the same process as yesterday - watercolor plus collaged tissue paper plus acrylic ink line! I wanted to see if it would work on a different subject - so here is a floral in the same process! This painting is 15" X 11" and is painted on 140 lb. Arches cold-pressed watercolor paper.

Fingerlakes Farm Revisited

2011-07-01T22:40:00.001-04:00

Today I took an old painting out of the "archives" and collaged white tissue paper over the surface. Then I did an ink drawing over the painting using a nib pen and dark brown acrylic ink. The collaged tissue paper gives the painting a misty effect which I like. The painting is 11" x 15" and is on 140 lb. Arches cold-pressed watercolor paper.

A Painting for Ginny...

2011-06-29T20:40:00.000-04:00

My painting friend, Ginny Stiles, in the northwoods of Wisconsin, attended a John Lovett workshop this summer. I have fallen in love with his work and have asked her to sort of pass on some of the knowledge that she gained during the workshop - in other words she is allowing me to "pick her brain!" Using the information she has given me so far, I did a painting today using some of his techniques. It is obvious that I have a lot to learn about his painting style, but I really enjoyed doing this today and look forward to painting more in this style. Thank you so much, Ginny!

Collage With Torn Black Paper Shapes

2011-06-28T23:01:00.000-04:00

I have been experimenting with some collage techniques from a book my friend Rosie brought to our Thursday afternoon painting session last week. This particular project uses torn black paper shapes, torn white tissue, and torn shapes from the inner lining of a sheet of Bounty paper towels all collaged to a piece of mat board with acrylic matte medium. After it dried, I painted with watercolors - yellow ochre and burnt sienna with accents of white gesso. I found this to be an interesting process.

Forget Me Not!

2011-06-26T21:51:00.000-04:00

Since I was gone this weekend attending my niece's wedding in Cleveland, I have not had a lot of time to paint...so...I did this little piece this afternoon - 5" x 6". It is painted on 140 lb. cold-pressed Canson 100 watercolor paper. The background of the flowers was done wet into wet and you can see that the colors of the flowers are not confined to the flower shapes themselves. The area between the flowers was done as negative painting and the shadows and leaves were added last.

Cornflower

2011-06-24T19:55:00.000-04:00

I painted some flowers for greeting cards today. This painting of a cornflower is approximately 6" x 4 1/2" and is painted on 140 lb. cold-pressed Canson watercolor paper.

Outbuildings on Washington Pike

2011-06-21T18:13:00.000-04:00

This is my painting for the 3rd day of the Chris Leeper Plein Air Workshop in Wapakoneta. This scene is located on Washington Pike in Auglaize County and I was sitting in the Sommerville's garage. I added the parts of the fence today because I thought it needed some interest in the corner.

This workshop was so much fun! I learned so much and I am so glad I took it! If you ever have the chance to take a Christopher Leeper workshop, do it!!!

"Angles Reflected in the Auglaize"

2011-06-18T22:08:00.000-04:00

I have been participating in a 3 day plein air workshop in Wapakoneta, Ohio, at the Riverside Art Center. It is being led by Chris Leeper, a wonderful artist from the Youngstown, Ohio area. I have been learning so much about painting in plein air. We started yesterday morning and after a wonderful Christopher Leeper demonstration of trees and reflections in the river, we painted on the banks of the Auglaize River. I will post that painting tomorrow. Today, we watched Chris do a demo painting of the "Farmer's Market" beside the river. Afterwards, Chris took some pictures and because bad weather was threatening, he projected one of the pictures he had just taken on the wall inside Riverside Art Center and we all painted from the same scene - in the dry, air-conditioned arts center. Tomorrow we go out in the country to paint.

This is the painting I did this afternoon - it is 8"x8" and is painted on a canvas panel.

The Indian Mill on the Sandusky River

2011-06-14T11:45:00.000-04:00

Friday afternoon I finished the plein air painting I did Thursday at the Indian Mill at Upper Sandusky, Ohio. This painting is 12"x 9" and is painted on a canvas panel in oil paint. What a wonderful experience it is painting out doors and listening to the falling water and the birds... spiritual!

The Anchor Chain

2011-06-07T13:57:00.000-04:00

This painting, like the previous one, was also done in response to a Watercolor Workshop June project challenge. The project was to paint something to do with the seashore, ocean, coast, etc. It did not necessarily have to include the shore, water, etc. I happened to run across the source photograph on the Paint My Picture website and was fascinated by it - voila! My mind ran with it and this is the result...it is something connected with the seashore...right?

This is painted on Canson's 140 lb. cold-pressed watercolor paper and is basically a limited palette painting - I used blue-violet, ultramarine blue, indian red with a small amount of payne's gray and van dyke brown in the rocks. The underpainting was wet-in-wet wash with salt texture using the three main colors.

Two Pair

2011-06-05T20:42:00.000-04:00

This painting is my work for yesterday and today - yesterday I did the drawing and today the painting. This is painted from the source photo provided by Watercolor Workshop - it is the "all paint from one photo" project for June. This painting is 9" x 12" and is painted on 140 lb. Canson cold-pressed watercolor paper.

The Secret Garden

2011-06-03T22:29:00.000-04:00

This is a small fantasy piece I did this afternoon on YUPO paper. I call it "The Secret Garden!" It is approximately 4" x 5" and will probably become a greeting card. It is amazing how many colors you can get from the three primaries - I used pthalo blue, cadmium yellow medium and quinacridone red - and all these colors are mixtures of those three. Although I know that you can get all colors from the primaries, I still find these many colors totally amazing when it happens!

Forest Dweller

2011-05-28T22:57:00.000-04:00

I finished this painting Thursday evening. This is the third painting in my collaboration with my friend, Pamela Baker, who is the photographer. Thank you, Pamela, for sharing your beautiful photograph with me. This painting is painted on Fabriano Artistico 140 lb. cold-pressed watercolor paper and is entirely transparent watercolor. The painting is 16" x 22".

My Garden

2011-05-24T21:30:00.000-04:00

I decided to do some plein air painting Sunday and painted our front garden. This time of the year we have a multitude of blues, violets and pinks and I wanted to capture some of the feeling of this place. This is not a great painting, but it does sort of look like our garden. This painting is 11" x 8" and is painted on 140 lb. cold-pressed watercolor paper.

Vortex

2011-05-21T14:00:00.000-04:00

I painted early today since I have plans later in the evening, when I usually paint. This is another YUPO piece - probably the last for a while. I call it Vortex because it looks like a whirlpool. I used a combination of ultramarine blue, pthalo blue, and indigo for the water and red-orange for the koi. This painting is small - 5" x 8" and will make a nice greeting card sometime, I think!

Nebulae

2011-05-20T19:07:00.000-04:00

Today, I experimented some more on YUPO paper...like I have mentioned before, it is addicting. I tried the addition of salt and droplets of rubbing alcohol, which has a drastic effect on the paint. Wow! For a while they looked like barnacles and then craters on the moon and finally , to me, outer space...sort of like the photos from the Hubble telescope. I just had to add a little whirlygig for interest! :)

Somewhere in Space and Time

2011-05-18T14:52:00.000-04:00

This is my latest experiment in painting on YUPO paper. The explorations go on...it is so much fun painting on this paper and it is also difficult and a great challenge. I look forward to working with it in the future.

Crashing Waves

2011-05-17T14:59:00.000-04:00

I am continuing my exporation of painting on YUPO paper. This painting is done in watercolor and is 5" x 9". I did it for the latest project on the Watercolor Passion website - the challenge this quarter is "moving water!" I have discovered that I have MUCH to learn about painting on this YUPO paper, but it is so enjoyable!

Running Hot and Cold

2011-05-14T17:34:00.000-04:00

This is my offering to the daily blog gods - a small piece on YUPO paper titled "Running Hot and Cold!" This is transparent watercolor on Yupo paper and is strictly a fantasy piece from my head. If I were still teaching public school art - it would be a good example for warm and cool colors during a color theory lesson! :) Always the teacher................

Basket of Veggies

2011-05-13T14:37:00.000-04:00

This painting was done for the May project of Watercolor Workshop - "all paint from one picture" and is 10"x10" and painted on 140 lb. cold-pressed Fabriano Artistico watercolor paper.

Monument Valley on YUPO Paper

2011-05-10T23:02:00.002-04:00

I had some YUPO Paper cut so I decided to do my daily painting on YUPO. This painting is 6" x 9" and is done in watercolor. The subject is perfect for YUPO paper because the colors stay intense and you are able to get strong value contrast.

Tulips on YUPO Paper

2011-05-09T22:47:00.002-04:00

I did this painting today and it was the lesson for tonight's class at Riverside Art's Center. It is a watercolor painted on YUPO paper. My students had never painted on YUPO paper before so this was a new experience for all of them. They did very well and I think they enjoyed the class. It is 7" x 5".

WIP: House in German Village, Columbus, Ohio

2011-05-05T22:58:00.001-04:00

Several weeks ago I was planning to paint in plein air after the Ohio Plein Air Society's annual meeting in Columbus. Because it was so windy, I stayed in the car and did two drawings on canvas to paint later in the studio. Today I started one of them. Obviously it is a work in progress, but this is my creation for the day. :) The painting is 9" x 12" and is on a canvas panel.

Budding Artists at Riverside Arts Center in Wapakoneta, Ohio

2011-05-04T20:32:00.000-04:00

Brenda

Cindy

Dianne

Jan

Patricia

Monday night I had my intermediate art class doing the watercolor on stamped gesso paintings of pears. We only completed 2 of the 3, so they took home some homework! :) They did so well and I think they really did enjoy the project. I know I did! It was a lot of fun. I have the BEST students - and talented too!

Self-Portrait on Gesso Covered Board

2011-05-03T23:05:00.002-04:00

I did this self-portrait this evening for the Daily Paintworks self-portrait challenge. This is painted on a gesso covered illustration board which I covered with a wash of various browns and red browns and then painted the portrait on top of the washes. This painting is 12" x 7".

Delicious Quartet

2011-05-02T15:31:00.000-04:00

I am truly in my "Pear" period! I just finished this a few minutes ago - a small watercolor painted on a piece of 300 lb. Arches cold-pressed watercolor paper. It is 6" x 9" in size.

I call it "Quartet" because it is definitely 4 different "voices" - all different types of pears. Such fun! I am certain they will make delicious harmony!

The Twins

2011-04-30T22:07:00.000-04:00

I have been busy preparing the lesson for my Monday evening watercolor class today. As you can see - we are going to paint pears. These pears are painted on gesso which has been stamped with a texture - rubber shelf liners. The support is a mat board chip which is 5" x 8". It is a whole different experience painting on gesso - very similar to YUPO paper. It is easy to lift the paint back to the white surface and the paint pools on the surface of the gesso. It is fun and creative! Try it!!!

Signs of Spring

2011-04-29T16:30:00.000-04:00

Today's painting is a watercolor of springy azaleas in a floral arrangement. This painting is 9" x 9" and is painted on 140 lb. cold-pressed watercolor paper. I love azaleas - they are so delicate and beautiful and I tried to capture that delicate quality. I surely am in my "purple" period recently! Well - I am getting older and you know what they say about older women liking purple!!!

Hinton, West Virginia

2011-04-28T16:51:00.000-04:00

We took some great photos when we were in West Virginia last fall - this scene was one of my favorites. This picture was taken from the other side of the New River and I zeroed in on the town which is situated between the edge of the river and the sides of the mountains. It is a beautiful spot. This watercolor is 12" x 9" and is painted on 140 lb. cold-pressed watercolor paper.

Ryan and Rachel's Eggs

2011-04-26T22:12:00.000-04:00

My grandchildren colored beautiful eggs this year - so I just had to paint some of them before they become egg salad tomorrow! This painting is 9" x 12" and is painted on 140 lb. cold-pressed watercolor paper. It was a fun time with and kids and fun doing the painting this evening! Thanks to Uncle Tim and Aunt Peg for their help coloring eggs Saturday night!

Value Study

2011-04-25T14:07:00.000-04:00

After taking a break from painting over the Easter weekend, I got back to painting this morning. I worked from a photo I took in West Virginia last October and concentrated on the value pattern - I thought the shadows were interesting in this one. Another building is casting a deep shadow on this structure. The building was originally a log structure and I changed it to frame for greater contrast in the cast shadows. This painting is 9" x 11" and is painted on 140 lb. cold-pressed watercolor paper.

"Nature's Debris" - Discovering Your Connections in Nature

2011-04-21T16:20:00.000-04:00

The Beam book states that one of the functions of the artist is to create chaos, and then to find order and resolve that chaos. In this project, you create chaos and add order by painting and lifting. I wet my paper and layed down earth-toned washes and covered it all with plastic wrap. The plastic wrap naturally prints patterns into the paper, and when the paint is dry, you remove the wrap and reveal the designs left behind on the paper. Then you lift paint here and there and create new organic shapes with paint.

We have had a lot of storms and tornados recently in our state and this reminded me of storm damage which I call "Nature's Debris." This painting is 9" x 12" and is painted on 140 lb. cold-pressed watercolor paper.

The Second Hydrangeas!

2011-04-20T20:44:00.001-04:00

I finished the second painting of the hydrangeas for my watercolor class this week. I actually like the 2nd one better than the first - it isn't as tight. This is painted on 11" x 7 1/2" 140 lb. cold-pressed watercolor paper.

Rooster at Riverside Art Center

2011-04-19T17:28:00.000-04:00

This rooster is my project for today. I have prepared this as part of next Monday's project for the watercolor class I am teaching on Monday nights! This painting is 9" x 12" and is painted on 140 lb. cold-pressed watercolor paper.

Gifts for the Gods

2011-04-18T23:27:00.002-04:00

This, today's project, is a painting using the "triangular" format - another project from the Mary Todd Beam book, Celebrate Your Creative Self. I decided to do some research on Sumerian art - using some of their icons and some of their cuneiform symbols. This is a mixed media piece in which I used both watercolor and acrylics on watercolor paper. This piece is 9" x 12".

Using a Grid as a Compositional Element

2011-04-16T23:26:00.000-04:00

Back to the book, again...Celebrate Your Creative Self... and the compositional styles. This one uses a grid - which I combined with realistic fruit in a vertical format. I used a 12" x 7" piece of matboard and oil pastels with watercolor for this quick composition. In spite of the fact that I created this in an hour, I think it has a certain charm!!! I was busy tonight cleaning out my oil painting plein air palette - taking out the crusty paint and squeezing in new fresh paint. I use 2 small 7 day pill boxes - one for warm colors and one for cool and the paint tends to get crusty even when I store it in the freezer between painting expeditions. Some day I will post my plein air set up! It is fascinating!

Rainy Afternoon at Provico

2011-04-15T22:28:00.002-04:00

Tonight I finished this plein air painting that I started last Friday while plein air painting with Michelle Walker and Chris Leeper at Provico in Botkins, Ohio. It was a misty, cold, rainy day and I tried to capture that feeling in this painting. The painting is 9" x 12" and is painted on a canvas panel. It was such a privilige painting with Chris Leeper. What a wonderful teacher!

Arizona Dreams

2011-04-14T16:43:00.002-04:00

Well - back to the Mary Todd Beam book, Celebrate Your Creative Self. Today I worked with the compositional format "strata." The source of this painting comes from my memories of Lake Mead with the sun shining on the cliffs and intensifying the browns, oranges and golds in the rocks - contrasting against the blue, blue intensity of Lake Mead. Although I visited Lake Mead, my first vision of it came as my plane banked over the lake the morning of my arrival as we prepared to land in Las Vegas - the morning sun lighting the cliffs and making the water all that much bluer. It was stunning! This painting is done in acrylic and is painted on a chip of mat board 12" x 6". It is abstract, and from my imagination - we all know that I didn't see cliff dwellers at Hoover Dam! :)

Shape Study in Watercolor

2011-04-13T22:02:00.000-04:00

In our Chris Leeper workshop last week, he taught us to paint positive and negative shapes directly on the paper - one at a time - eventually pulling the painting together. I selected a photo I had taken some time ago because it has strong darks and lights. It did come together and at one place in the process, I questioned that it would. This was an excellent exercise and I plan to do this often. This painting is done on 1/8 of a sheet of Fabriano Artistico 140 lb. cold-pressed watercolor paper.

Celestial Dreams

2011-04-12T22:38:00.000-04:00

I revisited the Mary Todd Beam book, Celebrate Your Creative Self, tonight and worked on composition. This painting uses the concept of "circles" in composition. I painted it in watercolor on a piece of mat board and then manipulated the image with photoshop so that I have both the original and the adjusted posted here.