Angela Abstracted

Angela Abstracted.  Watercolor.
6 x 7.5 inches.

Every once in a while, I get a chance to stop by +Manifest Creative Research Gallery and Drawing Center for their open sessions.  It's a nominal cost, and it's good practice for forcing myself to paint what's actually in front of me.  (I don't typically do that, but the mental exercise, I think, makes me a better painter....)  I met Nancy Gamon there--she's got some of her current work up in her Etsy shop--go check her out. It's nice to go with a friendly face since I don't know anyone, and although, everyone's very nice, they're very good artists and it gets a wee bit intimidating.

Anyhow, I take three watercolors (in this case phthalo blue rs, quin pink, and nickel azo yellow), a brush, a towel, and a traveling palette--about the material I'd have if I was painting plein air.

The power was out!  If you live in Cincinnati, you've probably noticed the rain and storms....and, well, the power was out.  They relocated the model so there was a lot of natural light, and then rolled right into long poses.

For me, a long pose, is an excruciatingly long time to paint one piece.  Whew.  Have to work on that.

Here's my favorite of the two pieces I did that visit.

And A Few Painterly Resolutions For 2015

Three Oranges.  Watercolor.
Approximately 8 x 11 inches.

As 2014 closed, I looked back.  Today, it's the first day of 2015.  Since it's a clean slate, this post is about looking forward and setting a few goals.

Starting to Plan for 2015

SOLD:  Pear I, Watercolor and Crayon.
A 5x7 inch greeting card.

I have just over 2 years worth of posts on this blog, and this will be my 82 post. If you're a reader, you've probably noticed that I primarily write about what I've been working on (and why).  I'd really like to start mixing it up a little bit more by devoting a post or two a month to other things.

Some of the things I'd like to talk about? First--other artists! There are people doing some incredible, inspiring work all around the world; I get bored talking about myself (honestly, I don't like to talk about myself, period.); and, it can be fun to learn about other artists' processes and work.

Secondly--stuff around the web--useful tools, things that I'm doing, and things that I've learned. Why? Well, partly because this blog serves as a record for me (admittedly, it's kind of public). But also because I think readers may be interested. Maybe not... Your eyes may be glazing.

I'm going to start with a change I just made to my blog. I added a blog list. I owe a huge thank-you to Laura, over at Laura's Watercolors--she listed me as part of her blog list, which has led to a lot of visitors for me.  Go look--her animal paintings are especially lovely.  You'll also see Jane Blundell, who does some very interesting color studies, and Carol Marine, who is a daily painter. I'll add more over the next few months..

Anyhow, stay tuned.  I'll see what I can get organized.  In the mean time, here's a little work by me that's gone off to a new home.