Rose's Wine with Grapes.

My good friend, Rose, recently brought me a small photo of grapes with wine which she found in the "life" section of the newspaper.  She, and I both thought it would make a great subject for a painting for my class.  This painting is approximately 9"x 12" and is painted on Fluid 100 140 lb. cold-pressed watercolor paper.  This is basically a limited palette painting in 99% greens  and yellow with a little red added to the green to get the dark green of the leaf and the shadows in the grapes.  I don't know who the photographer is, so I can't give credits.  I made some changes when I drew it and added some things that weren't originally in the photo.

We like to drink wine while we paint in class, so this painting is very appropriate for us!!!

30 Paintings in 30 Days: Day 18: "Decorative Indian Corn"

I prepared the lesson for Monday night this afternoon while visiting and painting with our Thursday group, The Muses! It was a great afternoon. 

This painting comes from a tutorial I found on The Frugal Crafter's blog.  She has the most wonderful ideas and I thought this would be perfect for a lesson.

This painting is approximately 7 1/2 " x 6" and is painted on 140 lb. Fabriano Artistico cold-pressed watercolor paper.

30 Paintings in 30 Days: Day 2...Anyone for Tea?

Since I was gone all day, I had to come up with a quick painting for my challenge for day 2.  This painting is 6" x 6" and is painted on hot pressed 140 lb. watercolor paper - this is mostly a study in shadows using a white teacup and saucer.

"Let's Make Lemonade"

This still life is the new lesson for my students at Riverside Art Center in Wapakoneta, Ohio.  I finished it over the weekend.  It is from a source photo by Ellen in Ont which I found in the reference image file in Wet Canvas. 

 

The painting is painted on 140 lb. cold-pressed Arches watercolor paper with mostly Holbein watercolors.

This painting tested my patience - I did not enjoy painting the lemons - and the slice of lemon in the front with the back-lighting was difficult for me. 

The background was also challenging since it was a patchwork of different textures and colors.

I am still not happy with the lemons and I know that my students will do much better on them than I!!!  I hope they enjoy it!

Christmas Still Life

I painted this watercolor this afternoon as a lesson for the painting I am teaching this coming Monday evening.  One of the painters, Dave, requested a Christmas theme painting, so this is what I came up with.  I used several pictures and borrowed different objects from them to form my composition.  

The painting is done on 140 lb. cold-pressed Strathmore Windpower watercolor paper - not one of my favorites, but this was better than some I have used recently.  I had not used Strathmore papers in many years, and was pleasantly surprised that this paper is much easier to work with than what I remembered from the Strathmore papers from years past.

I tried, also, to loosen up some of the washes in this in my futile attempt to become a "looser" woman.  I don't know why I try..."I yam what I yam," as Popeye would have said.