Multiflora!

"Multiflora"

This is a painting which I started out by pouring the paint on the soaked watercolor paper. You wet the paper on both sides and then lay it on a piece of plexiglass. The wet paper sticks to the plexiglass and remains pretty wet until you are finished pouring and blending the colors you want. When your first layer of color is poured, and you are satisfied with the colors, you peel the paper off of the plexiglass and lay it on a newspaper to dry. When dry, you draw your design with pencil and finish the composition mostly using negative painting techniques. I like to do cards like this because I like lots of color and particularly the spontaneous mixes you can get only in this manner!

Our family is taking off for Cleveland tomorrow for the annual Hart Family Clambake at my brother Tony's house. We always have a wonderful time and it is great visiting with cousins and other relatives that you only see once a year.

Tolliver Falls

Tolliver Falls, Swallow Falls State Park, Maryland

I finally finished the August waterfall project painting for the Watercolor Workshop! - just in time for the end of August! - I was pushing it! :) This is a painting of one of my favorite places - Tolliver Falls - in the western Maryland panhandle in the Laurel Highlands. This smaller falls is in a very secluded location and it is necessary to do a little hiking in order to see it. I was surprised recently how much the area around it had changed in the 45 years since I had last seen it. The trees are so big, I know that I'm not smaller! :) I did this usingIndian red, Indigo, Viridian Green, Burnt Sienna, Violet and Indian Yellow on a 1/2 sheet of 140 lb. Strathmore Watercolor paper which I wanted to use up. I have nothing against the Strathmore, but I just really prefer Arches cold pressed, 140 lb. paper.

Watercolor Workshop Projects

Someone brought this fact to my attention - the legs of the herons and egrets do not bend forward - they bend backwards! Soooooooooo - I reworked that area and here is the reworked painting. I promise that this is the last rework for this painting. I am TIRED of it!

"Cool Water"(15"x11") I had finished this painting last week but the more I looked at it the more it bothered me so this week I reworked it. I added the egret and bumped up the colors of the water around it so that it would show up. I put several glazes of watercolor over it until I thought it was deep enough. This painting was done for the Watercolor Workshop August project where everyone paints from the same photograph. This was a WetCanvas photo provided by Gina Hall. The other August project is "waterfalls" and you can do a painting of any waterfall. I have been working on it and hope to have it finished soon.

The Watercolor Painting Class at Riverside Arts Center, Wapakoneta, Ohio

(Bottom row from left: Cindy, Linda and Bev: top row: Rose, Jan, Dave and Jane)

This is one fantastic group of painters! These are my students at the Riverside Arts Center who were taking Intermediate Watercolor this summer. They are fast learners and did a wonderful job on their paintings! We met for 3 hours on Wednesday afternoons for 6 weeks and painted up a storm! What fun!

Ryan at the Beach

"Come On In, The Water's Great!"

15" X 11" I finished this painting of Ryan yesterday evening. I did it for the summer project for the Watercolor Passion website - the theme for this quarter is "Summer." This summer Rock and I have taken our 2 youngest grandchildren, Rachel and Ryan to the Fox Island beach at Indian Lake on Fridays. We would arrive around 10:00 a.m. and then around noon, Rock would go to McDonald's and pick up lunch for all of us. When he returned we would picnic at one of the picnic tables. Although the beach looks deserted in this painting, there were usually a number of families swimming and the children would make new friends every Friday. It was always easy to pick Ryan out of the crowd because he was instantly recognizable in his bright red life-jacket. Rock and I totally enjoyed our outings with the children.

Watercolor in the Village

Rock and I went to the Artists' Reception at the St. Mary's Summer Artfest Art Show on Sunday afternoon. It was nice to catch up with fellow artists I haven't seen for a while and of course, the food was delicious. The representative from Wright State University presented my award and Rock took pictures of me with my three paintings. The painting of the old Chevy Suburban, "The Old Crow", is the one that won the Best Watercolor award; the pumpkins, "Bountiful" was awarded an honorable mention and the third painting was "Color Your World."(No award - mustn't be greedy!)

Watercolor in the Village

These are pictures taken when we set up my show in the new gallery at the Shawnee Alliance Church in Lima, Ohio on Wednesday of this week. A total of 25 of my paintings were hung. My neighbor girl, Hayley Wagner was a great help carrying paintings and helping to hang. The show will continue for 6 weeks. The Creative Arts Director, Bethany Swickrath was so valuable and helpful. Everyone was so nice.