OVER THE EDGE

Another small (fourth sheet) to have matted and framed for a show.  

For the non-juried shows, you just tell them what you want to enter, pay your fee, and take them in on the due date for drop off.  

I've always liked this one because of the glow but I did darken and lighten some areas - now I consider it finished.  

11 x 15 inches
Over the Edge

FINISHING, REWORKING, ETC.

Pulled a painting out that was unfinished and have been working on it a little at a time.  It's not a painting that flows quickly.

So a little work at a time and then walking away to do something else, otherwise I'd overwork it and lose the freshness.  I want it to have a nice glow and be beautiful.

A bit more done...



Pitcher plants hanging down,
beautiful but deadly!

And another hydrangea painting, this one more light and airy.  

15  x 22 inches
Rhythm and Blues






Today is Thursday but it definitely feels like Friday to me.  It's been a long week and not because I've gotten a lot done.

BLUES DESCRIBED BY AN ARTIST

One night I went for a walk by the sea along the empty shore.

It was not gay, but neither was it sad -- it was -- beautiful.

The deep blue sky was flecked with clouds of a blue deeper than

the fundamental blue of intense cobalt, and others of a clearer

blue, like the blue whiteness of the Milky Way.  In the blue 

depth the stars were sparkling, greenish, yellow, white, pink,

more brilliant, more emeralds, lapis lazuli, rubies, sapphires.

The sea was very deep ultramarine -- the shore a sort of violet

and faint russet as I saw it, and on the dunes (they are about

seventeen feet high) some bushes Prussian blue.

--- Vincent Van Gogh, from a letter to his brother, Theo, June 1888




I'm working on full sheet paintings for possible Viewpoint entries.  I have quite a few small paintings (fourth sheets) for the non-juried shows coming up.  Now to choose just 4 of the best and get them matted and framed and send in my entry forms.  Why does everything happen at the same time?  

Here is 
The Littlest Bird Sings the Prettiest Song, 
matted and framed and hanging on the wall right now, waiting to be included in one of the non-juried shows.







The frame is a rough, rustic looking wood - looks good with the colors and the nature aspect of the painting.

What are you working on this week?

HYDRANGEA + CROW

Finished? 
I think.

Hydrangea Happiness

Reworked an older one, lifting some color from his body, adding a bit of orange into the rocks and stuff behind.

Watch Crow

HYDRANGEA ALMOST FINISHED

This one, on a full sheet of Arches 140# cold press watercolor paper, is almost done. 

I need to work the centers and check the darks and lights in the petals.  

Then on to the next full sheet and see what happens.  

DO IT

I have 3 paintings I'm working on - all full size sheets of Arches 140# cold press.  None of them are finished.  I have also been looking through older paintings (for me, that means earlier this year or last fall and winter), trying to choose a few for the shows coming up.  I'm procrastinating on finishing things.

As Roger Miller said in 
You Can't Rollerskate in a Buffalo Herd:

"All you gotta do it put your mind to it.
Knuckle down.
Buckle down.
Do it!  Do it!  Do it!"

In an art magazine a while back, I got an address to send a request for the new Golden watercolors they've come up with.  They are called QOR Modern Watercolors and are supposed to have more pigment than other brands.  This is what I got in the mail:

Front of the little card I got of a few samples from Golden.

Inside - the samples on the right.  I used them to paint the strips on the left.  Bright colors, but they sure don't give you much for free - not enough to paint anything with but swatches.  The dabs of paint didn't even bead up = flat and hardly anything there.  (I've heard on a few art blogs that people got samples and painted with them - maybe they got better samples because they are more well known?)

I don't know how much these cost or what sizes the tubes come in, but if you're interested, you can probably check them out online.

Happy painting!

MORE GELLI PRINTS

Two more prints using the gelli plate and Strathmore blank watercolor cards.  I like these two. 


The first is the original print and 
the second is the ghost print with a bit of extra added color after the print was pulled.

GELLI PRINTING ON STRATHMORE WATERCOLOR CARDS

Got out my Gelli plate and some acrylic paints - using the Open Acrylics I have.  


And made some prints on the Strathmore watercolor blank cards.

We have a lot of family birthdays this summer, so I'm making cards and having fun, using Open acrylics, regular Acrylics, stamps, direct painting, etc.

The Open Acrylics dry slowly, allowing you time to lift off paint and create designs without rushing.  




Hope you are having a good weekend.

CALLING OUT THE CROW

This one began as a poured watercolor ink abstract on a small art board.  It's been sitting around for months.

I think I see a bird...and, of course, it may turn into a crow.

The crow needs to be darker and the background less light and bright.

At this point, I've put more watercolor ink and some acrylics on and some white and black gouache.

Black gesso, charcoal, white gesso, pastels...and here it is - nothing like how it began but I like it.  

YOUNG ARTIST NO. 2

Another arty day with my oldest granddaughter, Jocelyn!  Here are some things she created...

1)  She loves Skittles candy so did this on watercolor paper with the markers that bleed when wet.  We sprayed it a bit and let it bleed and flow.  Then we framed it in a white frame.

2) A painting (on All Media Art Board using acrylic paints and markers and stickers) for Father's Day.

Having fun making art at Gma Rhonda's.











And here is the peacock painting Alaina made Monday when she was here, using the markers that bleed when wet...pretty darned cool!

(New photo after figuring out how to use Picasa editing to make this silly bird stand on her own two feet and not on her side.)

AHA!  Thanks, Katherine for showing me how to get the silly photo to be upright and not on its side!!  It worked!  I did have to go into Picasa through Blogger and find it - and then fix it - and then export it, etc. but it worked.

YOUNG ARTIST NO. 1

Monday was art day here at my house with Alaina (youngest granddaughter) spending the day creatively.  We even went to Michael's to get a nice watercolor journal and some frames for the 2 paintings she completed during the day.  

The first painting was for Father's Day and included words in the final painting.

The second painting was a peacock with a very neat technique because the markers we used were not waterproof (I am definitely going to try that with something I do in the future because it was pretty cool and no painting - just a spritz of water over the markers and you get instant watercolor!).  Unfortunately, I did not get a photo of that one.  She was going to give it to her Mom and had a place picked out to hang it in the livingroom because she "wants everyone to see it!" 


Today = watercolor class and I had 4 students.

Tomorrow = another Young Artist day with the oldest granddaughter :) 

REWORKING OR THROWING AWAY

One of these reworked paintings is worth saving, one is not.  So I will probably wash off the paint or gesso over the paper and play with it (or let the granddaughters play with it when they come for an art day:  
Alaina today, and 
Jocelyn on Wednesday!)

With class on Tuesday, that makes for a very artful start to the week :)

Hope your week is also artful and creative.

PRETTY LITTLE THINGS

When Carol Carter visited this week, she left behind some pretty little things for me, as a thank you for helping her set up the program and pack up after - and for spending the night at our house.

I was thrilled to get one of her silk scarves from her "Bubbles" show - she brought several and sold them all here - the women loved them and bought one for themselves and one for a friend or daughter after the program.

Love the puffer and seahorse, two of my all time favorite sea critters!  

A friend of Carol's made these necklace bobs featuring her critters from the "Bubbles" show - and I put a silver chain on mine.  Isn't she gorgeous?

And lastly, Carol gave me one of her bubble wands (also made for her show).  It has a small image of her's on the paper at the top and is a pretty little bubble wand.  Will be fun to try it out this summer.




Sweetie treated us to a visit at the Newport Aquarium the day Carol drove in (and then she treated us to a Dewey's Pizza - YUM).  We even walked over to Art on the Levee to see some of the artwork hanging.  Not a single watercolor painting in the gallery but Carol did get to see some of Jerry's cards and magnets he sells there.

I am reworking a couple of small paintings I was unhappy with - birds.  Will show when they dry.  And I am almost done with the full sheet Roseates Rising painting, but have another in mind (that way I can choose which one I like the most for the July 1 entry into the Viewpoint Show).  

Shows coming up:

July 1 entry deadline = Cincinnati Art Club annual Viewpoint show (juried)
July 8 entry deadline = Southeastern Indiana Art Guild show (open entry but prizes awarded)
August 1 entry deadline = Greater Cincinnati Watercolor Society show (open entry but prizes awarded)

I think I'll put birds in every one.  Afterall, they seem to resonate with me and I should probably sit down and think about why...freedom, lightness, beauty, fragility, etc?

IN SPITE OF THE RAIN...

In spite of the dark skies, thunder and sheets of rain at times, a good time was had by all the members and guests who attended the watercolor society meeting Wednesday morning.  I had titled this program, A Watercolor Life, because Carol didn't demo her painting style, she talked about her life and her painting series and her work to get her paintings seen by the world.  She is a powerhouse of energy and information and getting to see her paintings (some as large as 30 x 40) was a real eye-opener for many of our members who did not get to take the April workshop she gave.

Thank you, Carol, for making the trip and for sharing your process and creative thinking behind the brush!


(This little puffer, hot as a firecracker, graced the cover of a little flip book Carol had made for her recent show of 50 paintings called "Bubbles."  LOVE IT!

This very large iris was painted by Carol but inspired by Vincent Van Gogh after a recent trip to Arles. Carol's colors are just so personal to her style - I describe them as hot, bold, energized, even the blues!











Another large painting.  Carol said this one was not quite finished but it looks pretty finished - and beautifully so - to me.  WOW!



After the meeting, Carol packed up her truck and headed back to St. Louis.  This busy working artist has appointments and possible sales to discuss with people Friday and Monday (although I wish she could have stayed an extra day, I understand that she has to keep moving).

If these paintings have you wishing for more, just pop over to her blog - or maybe sign up for a workshop from her (you won't be sorry and you will energized to paint bigger and bolder and wetter).

CAROL CARTER COMING FOR A VISIT AND A GCWS PROGRAM

Sorry, no painting to show now.  I'm getting the house ready for a visitor.

Carol Carter is coming to spend the day and night Tuesday.  Then she will give the program to the Greater Cincinnati Watercolor Society (GCWS) on Wednesday from 10 am - noon.  If you are in the area, come by because you'll get to see many many many of Carol's paintings up close and personal during her talk about her life and art.



The GCWS meets every first Wednesday of the month in the Cincinnati Art Club building in Mt. Adams on Parkside (right on the corner of Parkside and Martin off Columbia Parkway).


If you can't make it, perhaps you'd like to take a workshop from Carol?  She's offering one in her St. Louis studio this month!!  Go to her blog to check out the details.

Here is the painting I purchased during Carol's recent workshop in April - matted and framed at Bowman's Framing in Ft. Thomas (they do such a great job and are such friendly people).  It's now on my kitchen wall, looking bright and happy and making me smile each time I see it.