Small Studies With Two Colors

A set of four paintings in ultramarine blue and quinacridone burnt orange (Daniel Smith).  All approximately 3 x 3 inches (ish) on Lanquerelle 140 lb cold press paper.  Done just to paint on a beautiful day.  

I find that I need my reading glasses more and more to use the computer, and then I'm torn about whether or not to paint with them.  I started these paintings without my glasses (bottom two) and finished with them.  I just can't decide.

Limited Palette Tulips

You Know It's Spring When....  Watercolor and Crayon
Approximately 21 x 29 inches

I've been trying to work much larger than I normally do--it's a challenge.  I had a request for a large painting on spec, and that's fine--I'd be painting anyways.  Part of the request was landscape versus portrait for size, and that's part of the challenge.   When I have my paint set out, I have to walk around the table to get to parts of the paper.  It's not especially efficient.

I also usually have a little (at least a little) control of my water and paint, and with the large size, it seems like this flies out the door.  Sections of the paper dry before I'm ready.   All of this leads me to think I should paint large more often.

I bought these tulips from Costco--they were bulbs is a large glass jar, and they helped when there was still snow on the ground.  Now things are starting to come up outside--yay!

The painting is on Fabriano 300 lb Rough, in ultramarine blue, indian yellow, permanent yellow deep, and quinacridone violet.  There is a touch of a peach caran d'ache crayon in the tulip bulbs.

And Back Again

Pink House (revised).  Mixed Media.
Slightly smaller than a full sheet!

I finally got my house where I'd like it to be.  It took three or four loop backs and major changes for the entire thing to hang together in an interesting manner.  Call out to  RH Carpenter for her feed back on an earlier version of this painting.

What did I change?  The house grew, the sky went dark.   The foreground went pinker and then darker.  I'm hoping I didn't get the caran d'ache crayon mixed into my paints.  There's a lot more crayon.  I put watercolor over acrylic, which hopefully will not peel or otherwise flake off.  In between, I tried more buildings, trees, a path......)

Part of my issue may be that I am fiscally conservative (you can interpret that as cheap--my kids say the cheapest mom in town), and when I paint so large, in the back of my mind is a chant--you're wasting a sheet, you're wasting a sheet.  I have to let that go.  It ruins the joy of the process.

Huh. The trials of working on a larger size....

Pink House.  Mixed Media.  In progress.
Approximately 20 x 32 inches.

I've been trying to get a full sheet painting organized, and it's a struggle.  I'm putting this up, but it's still a work in progress, and it's already on its third iteration.  It's watercolor, crayon, and acrylic.

I'm not sure it can be saved, but it can't hurt to try.  I think I'm going to back with some warmer colors in the foreground and maybe just over the horizon line.  I only own one acrylic brush, and about three colors, so that's not a huge option....but, I'll see what i can do with crayon.

Tulips to Abstract

Some Assembly Required.  Watercolor and Crayon.
About 12 x 20 inches.

I'm falling behind on my blogging. I have paintings, but I haven't gotten them up online. And, I find that if I don't do an entry right away, my memory is not fantastic for the colors I used. I need more hours in the day, or to waste less time, or both.

I was thinking about tulips when I started this. I have a bouquet of tulips from a friend, and am growing some bulbs that I picked up in costco. They're lovely. (Well, the bulbs have only put out green leaves, but still, lovely.) You can see, though, that the end result is not tulips. A friend said she thought it looked like a Robert Delaunay.   had to look him up, and think some of his work looks like Paul Klee's. Steal like an artist, and all that. I'm taking any similarities as a compliment.

Colors used are Daniel Smith Prussian Blue, Permanent Yellow Deep, and Quinacridone Violet. It's overlaid with three colors of crayon, a medium gray, a very light gray (almost white), and an orange. There's very little crayon compared to the amount of watercolor. It's on Fabriano 300 lb Rough Paper.