No. 5--The Demo

No. 5--The Demo.  Watercolor.
Matted to 20 x 24 inches

Last month, and that probably gives it away that I'm way, way, way behind on my administrative type tasks, I visited the Colerain Art Club to give a demo.  This was my first ever talk while painting in front of a knowledgeable crowd, and they were incredibly kind since I was so nervous and panicked. I used to paint and talk when I painted with a group, but now I typically paint by myself.

You can see some iterations of this piece in my practice painting, and then my first final version. Then I decided to go back with some opaque watercolors and lighten things up in the background.

Two days later I went and did a show, and then collapsed in a heap and didn't paint for a while.

Anyhow, because I took this painting along with me, it's already matted.  It's fairly large.

Three Trees and the end of 2016

Three Trees.  Watercolor.
About 5.5 x 8 inches.

This is my 43rd blog post of 2016 and, I believe, my 184 post all together since October 2012.  I aim for about a post a week, but some months there are more and some months there are less.  This month and the last, I've only manage about one post a month.  If you're interested, you can go back and check out my first post ever, which was a plein air painting of sycamore trees.    I'm maybe a better painter now....maybe.  I do happen to like today's painting better.....

I'm going to do the painting a day in January 2017, just because it's so much fun.  I don't know what I'll paint yet, or maybe I'll go in with no particular plan at all just to see what happens.

Here's to 2017.

Phthalo Blue RS, Quin Gold, and Quin Red on Kilamanjaro 300 lb cold press paper.

This Too; A Gift

This Too; A Gift.  Watercolor and Crayon
About 25 x 17 inches.

Blue Dreams--Returning from painter's block

Blue Dreams.  Watercolor.
Approx. 12 x 8 inches.

Sky/Tree/Hill. Another glimpse into process....

Sky/Tree/Hill.  Mixed Media.
About 14 x 11 inches.

Can you save a painting? Maybe.

Upside Down Creamer.  Mixed Media.
Approximately 8 x 8 inches. 

Day 30--30 Paintings In 30 Days. Calm Again.

Calm Again.  Mixed Media.
Approximately 22 x 30 inches.

Blue Barn and Silo

Blue Barn and Silo.  Watercolor.
Approximately 12 x 9 inches

I'm still on buildings. I've been thinking about joining the 30 paintings in 30 days challenge that starts on Jan. 1, 2016.  Formally joining.  Last year, I did a series of paintings informally. If you're interested in what it involves, you can get more information HERE.

This painting, in my opinion, is better than my last post, just because it's significantly better organized.  Planning and practice count for a lot more than I'd like to think.  In this case, because it can be a struggle for me to get what I want, I drew out my plan on the paper before I started painting. I did have one major change:  the original painting included a fence in the background.  It didn't work, so I adjusted as I went.

This is phthalo blue rs, cobalt teal blue, and quin gold on 300 lb kilamanjaro cold press paper.

Let Me In

Let Me In.  Watercolor.
Approximately 6 x 9 inches.

I must be feeling extra messy.  Might be the stress of December.

Cobalt Blue and Quinacridone Burnt Orange on Kilamanjaro 300 lb cold press paper.

I must also be feeling brief!

Kitchen Window.

Kitchen Window.  Mixed Media.
Approximately 9.5 x 7 inches.

This devolved into an everything but the kitchen sink painting.  My inspiration was the dwarf oak leaf hydrangeas, which are looking quire lovely outside my kitchen window (below), but I totally lost the shape when I tried to translate my memory into a painting.  You can see some of the hints of leaf shapes in the quin burt orange above.

I think, that in this case, I might have to look at the photo to get the shapes I want.

The final product, is watercolor, opaque watercolor, caran d'ache crayon, and pencil.  Whew.

Evolution of a Painting

Sycamore and Storm Front.  Watercolor and Crayon.
12 x 11 inches.

A while back, I started a tree, that was a combination of watercolor and crayon. You can read about it here.  I didn't throw it away, but didn't think it was even a remotely successful painting. I snapped a picture with my phone yesterday, so you can see where I was when I left it to sit on a pile of art in my basement (below).