Saturday, December 22 - Happy Solstice

Merry Solstice to all!

This morning I was up early to see Mother Nature painting - and she was doing a fantastic job on that sky!!! Bright oranges and reds and golds against stripes of pure, cerulean blue - so completely awesome (and I mean that word in the sense it should be used).

Yesterday, I was listening to to our local university (WNKU) radio station. They played New Orleans' style holiday music and I actually got in the mood to wrap presents! So I'm over 1/2 way done now.

If you want to take a break from the shopping and wrapping and baking, stop and see Rebecca Weller's newest show in Norwood. It's a series of paintings and drawings called "Coming and Going," and I know it will be worth your while. The pieces will put you in a meditative mood and slow down your heart rate and calm you. Her show is at the Speckled Bird Cafe, 1766 Mills Avenue, Norwood (check the hours online). Get a cup of something warm and sweet, view the paintings, take a breather from shopping. Or plan this after the holidays - it will be up until February 1.

And for those who wonder - what's the next 3-color challenge? I've chosen the colors from the hat and they are:

Quinacridone Red

Cobalt Teal Blue

Phthalo Blue (Green Shade)

And I can make a pretty good purple dark with these so no extra color to make my darks on this one. I'm revisiting a painting I did months ago - from a photo at Wet Canvas taken by yabby. I'm also going to work on a piece of Multimedia Art Board from Cheap Joe's (http://www.cheapjoes.com/art-supplies/5674_multimedia-artboard.asp) that Gina Hall told me about. It is a fun and loose as yupo and Tygerag but easier to control. Before it dries, you can wipe it back to white but after it dries, I've found there is no going back. There are 2 sides - one side rougher and more textured than the other.

Friday, December 21, 2007 - LightStruck Hollyhock Finale

Everything is as it is. It has no name other than the name we give it. It is we who call it something; we give it a value. We say this thing is good or it's bad, but in itself, the thing is only as it is. It's not absolute; it's just as it is. People are just as they are.--- Ajahn Sumedho

Sometimes it's hard to remember this. To live it.

And sometimes it's easy and things are so funny because none of it means that much in the long long long run!

Enough philosophy - on to my LightStruck Hollyhocks - more glazing and 2 pics = it's done (unless you see something that needs more work).

Thursday, December 20, 2007 - Free Rice + Hollyhocks Update

I just found this site from another blogger's site (http://bloglily.com)

It not only challenges and improves your vocabulary, it gives free rice through the United Nations to hungry people around the world. Go there. Play. Do it. It's fun and it's for a good cause and it doesn't cost you a thing but a few minutes of your time. And Snopes.com says it's true - they get the donations due to advertising at the bottom of the site (which I didn't even see while "playing.")

http://www.freerice.com/

I was going to glaze more color on the painting of hollyhocks today. But I worked out and after that, got a horrific migraine - took a pill - feel slightly better but still pretty awful so no painting today. And I shouldn't be online browsing blogs and sites but I refuse to lie down in a dark room (besides, my neighbor is blowing leaves with a loud, buzzing, annoying leaf blower - those things should really be outlawed!!).

Anyway, the plan was to make the shadows of the flower petals with Cobalt Violet Deep glazed over the Rhodonite Genuine and the shadows of the stem and leaves with Cobalt Violet Deep glazed over the Permanent Green Light. That's my three colors this time. So check back tomorrow and see if I'm able to do anything but whine about how bad I feel and how loud that leaf blower is right now......grrrr.....ouch....

Wednesday, December 19, 2007 - Sketching And...

My big old fat cat, Smudge, is an excellent model - he rarely moves and sleeps all over the house in various positions. He is a "Cadillac Cat" or a "Tuxedo Cat" - and I think that means he's black and white and has a lot of room in the back end (which is true).

Have you ever heard of horror vacui (vack' wee)? Apparently, it is a condition where you have a fear of empty spaces or emptiness of any kind. In art, it refers to the compulsion to make marks in any and all available space. Playing with that below - doodles filling space.

Missing color, I've begun my next 3-color challenge painting but it's going to be slow because I'm going to glaze the colors, letting each layer dry before going back to it. (If you have not purchased Daniel Smith's Rhodonite Genuine, you should. It is a gorgeous pink and can be as pale and soft as a baby's cheek or as deep and snazzy as a flamingo's feathers. The photo I took of the 3 colors didn't really do it justice - but I think this first glaze of color is closer to the real look of the pink.

Tuesday, December 18, 2007 - Change

More Blind Contour Drawings, SquiggleDoos and Sketches today...

It must be the time of year but I'm in the mood to change things...like this blog and how it looks. I will hold off the temptation until the end of this year and next year I'll have something that looks a bit different.

Also, I have plans to have a birthday give-away (in January) of some paintings. (I just read several blogs that have done a Pay It Forward type of thing, offering freebies to the first 3 people to post a comment on their blog and then asking those 3 people to do the same thing on their blog and so on = Pay It Forward!) Doesn't that sound like a great idea and fun? It also rewards those steadfast "watchers" who post comments to your blog and let you know you're not alone! On the blogs I've seen, the items are small (most are ATCs) but I guess they can be any size - just something easy to slip into a padded envelope and send out. So...look for that in late January.

See what happens when I'm not painting? All these ideas come to me. I even got out the Moleskine sketchbook that's been sitting in my art room in a box for the whole year - clean, pristine, and ready to go. I was surprised to feel how sturdy and slick the paper is and also what a warm tone it is - not pure white at all. I'm determined to see what all the fuss is about with these, though - have you checked out the Moleskinerie blog? http://www.moleskinerie.com/ Those folks are crazy for Moleskines of all sorts, sizes, and colors.

Here is my new, pristine Moleskine sketchbook - haven't even written my name in the front yet! And the pens/pencils I intend to use in it...no more plain graphite sketches for me!

Would you like to join me for a New Year's Eve draw and paint out?? Hmmm....another idea...

So many ideas! So little time!

Monday, December 17, 2007 - Drawings + Doodles

This morning I spent some time deleting old blogs and sites where the owners have stopped posting regularly. When you have so many blogs you check every week, you don't have time to view those who post only once a month or so...so cleaned out about a handful. Then read Nancy Standlee's blog and saw that she tagged several folks I hadn't discovered yet, plus Nicholas Simmons (yep, he has joined us in the online insanity!) - so added a few new blogs to my checklist! ha-ha There is just so much talent out there!

No painting today - I decided this morning I'm not going to paint today. Taking a short break - for me, that means probably 1 or 2 days, tops :) Have to go out in the cold today for an appt. and errands and will doodle or sketch instead.

I'm reading and studying Experimental Drawing by Robert Kaupelis. Which means I'm back to using my sketchbook and doodling, drawing, creating lines while watching tv.

Here are just a few rough pages I've done over the past few days of blind contour drawings (you draw without looking at your paper but look intently at the subject matter and draw slowly) and SquiggleDoos (what I call just doodling things while watching tv so sometimes people, sometimes what's on tv - and usually moving so you get what you get. The first 2 are blind contour drawings - the second 2 are SquiggleDoos.

I've also decided to get out one of my Moleskine sketchbooks and watercolor sketchbooks for the new year = a present to me to help my art grow :) In fact, I'm thinking about starting this on New Year's Eve day - sort of usher in the New Year with the Moleskine? I've got to see what all the fuss is about with these things...

I rather like my little Buddha meditator...

And the last is a 3 hour drawing (from a 5-hour drawing challenge by Myrna Wacknov).

Sunday, December 16, 2007 - Red Boat in Wales

The fourth 3-color challenge painting. This one is on yupo and it was quick and easy. I hope you like it! Since this one was so quickly done, I've picked 3 more colors for another painting! I sure hope I'm not getting addicted to this?!?!

Anyway, the 3 colors this time are: 1) Rhodonite Genuine

2) Cobalt Violet Deep and 3) Permanent Green Light

It didn't take me long to pick a photo for this one - hollyhocks. The photo is by CharM at WetCanvas (http://www.wetcanvas.com) and is copyright free in their Image Resource Library. Since these 3 colors won't darken much at all, I may have to use Lunar Black mixed with the other colors to get a good dark. I won't do that unless I need it, though.

This bottom color is the Rhodonite Genuine again - the top color looks too red and it's not red - it's a beautiful girly pink.

Saturday, December 15, 2007 - Snowed In

Weather today: huge, fluffy snowflakes falling at a rapid rate covered the ground to about 1 1/2 inches. Then a bit of sleet turning to rain and warmer temperatures - rain rain rain until evening when temperatures fall again and rain turns again to sleet and then to snow snow snow! Look out for tomorrow!!
So basically, I'm staying inside and painting or reading or burrowing under the covers.

Georgie is finished - actually, he's overdone :( sorry about that. Hotpress only takes so much and then it's muddy and ugly which this is...I could do it over but...well, maybe I'll try again on rough or coldpress...or maybe I'll just chalk this one up to impatience and not knowing when to quit and move on to
The 4th painting - colors are:
1) Quinacridone Rose
2) Permanent Red Deep and
3) Verditer Blue -
these won't make a good dark, so I'll use Lunar Black mixed with the red and blue to get a mix of darks. From Jerry's photos, I've chosen this pic of a ship in a Welsh harbour. And Jerry suggested this one be done on yupo = good idea!

Myrna Wacknov posted the Friday slide show of works done - my Highland Laddie is there but it's a earlier version so it's not as well done. The one I posted in here in yesterday's blog is the better version.

Today's News:

Korean cats that glow - for better health we're told. Too much ice and snow - causing trees to bow.

Ten more days to go - before Santa starts his show. And news across the globe - of another Presidential veto.

Friday, December 14, 2007 - Froggie 3-color Done - Highland Laddie Revised

I darkened some of the Highland steer painting - the horns look more rounded, the nose has more depth and I added some shading in places more - thanks Susan S. and Donna E. for those critiques that said it needed those touches.

And here's George (our red-eyed tree frog) so far. I thought I would finish today but just got to the point where I added the leaf, removed the misket, and now I need to add some shadows and soften the whites and maybe tomorrow. Today I am feeling like reading a good book and think I will start Michael Ondaatje's newest, Divisadero. MO wrote The English Patient, and everything I've read of his has been like a slow savoring of a really creamy caramel.

Thursday, December 13, 2007 - 3-Color Challenge, Next Painting

I started my third 3-color challenge painting for Myrna Wacknov's December challenge (I'm hoping to do one a week).

As a reminder, the 3 colors this time are:Hansa Yellow Deep + Pyrrol Orange + Phthalo Blue (Red Shade)

All are Daniel Smith colors.

I was going to use a mix of Lunar Black + the blue and orange for my blacks in this one but I think I can get dark enough with just the blue + orange this time.

This is the photo (taken by Jerry) of our pet, a little red-eyed tree frog we "adopted" from one of Jerry's past photography students who is now in medical school in Seattle.

And this is the beginning glaze of yellow I used. This is on a 1/8 sheet (7 1/2" x 11") of Arches 140# hotpress paper. I put some oxgall in my water tub to help the colors stay wetter and slide over the hotpress paper. You'll see the effects of that more when I start adding the blues to get the greens (with the colors I'm using, I won't get those bright greens but that's the luck of the draw).

Wednesday, December 12, 2007 - Class Party + Cheng Khee Chee Saturated Technique

Last Tuesday, the watercolor class tried Cheng Khee Chee's saturated watercolor technique. I think all of us agreed that we didn't succeed! I even left my painting there at Sandy's, which I never do, because I didn't want to look at it and wasn't going to post it. I thought I might like it more the following week but it was just as hideous yesterday when I saw it again.

So we tried again yesterday, amidst our holiday party and gifts we had for Sandy and gifts to us from Sandy (a tube of Daniel Smith paint, a small paintbrush, and a Go Fish art game :) and gifts from Kathy (a pretty blue mug and cookies + Hershey kisses in a reindeer bag). I used a print of Chee's and tried to do a similar iris. I'm fairly pleased but I think it is going to take more practice for this technique! And my iris looks nothing like his - so that's a good thing!

This technique lifts color from very creamy colors laid down on very saturated paper. We used 140# Fabriano Artistico and put down Cobalt Blue and Cerulean Blue first as a base - and we were more able to lift back to whites than last week when we used Arches #300 and didn't use the blues as a base color. Chee does all his koi paintings this way and they are wonderful. You don't get hard edges unless you keep lifting and lifting and I stopped and since everyone said it was finished, I didn't lift anymore on it. I think it needs some hard edges, though...

Tuesday, December 11, 2007 - I've Been Tagged

Myrna Wacknov (http://myrnawacknov.blogspot.com) has tagged me - which means I need to share 5 things about me plus tag 5 other artists/blogs/websites. First, you've got to see Myrna's work - her portraits blow me away! She is inventive, creative, and, I suspect, just a little bit crazy in a very good way :) Someday I hope we'll meet in "real" life :)

So...

1. My husband and I just joined a health club and intend to get fit sometime next year :)

2. We just learned we are going to be grandparents again - this time a boy to add to the two granddaughters.

3. I am a practicing Buddhist leaning towards Zen.

4. I was named Rhonda by my father who loved the actress, Rhonda Fleming.

5. I am tremendously lucky to be married to a wonderful man who is smarter and kinder than I - which gives me the best possible challenges to better myself all the time :)

Now go check out these wonderfully creative artists:

http://janefranart.blogspot.com/

http://wcbysusanroper.blogspot.com/

http://artbydabs.blogspot.com/

http://suzannemcdermott.blogspot.com/

http://annbucknerpaintings.blogspot.com/

Monday, December 10, 2007 - My Highland Laddie Finished + the Next 3 Colors!

Here he is - finished. Again, used only 1) Raw Sienna 2) Burgandy Red Ochre and 3) Sedona Genuine (colors that are very close in value and hue - with Paynes Gray for the black.

And the next 3 color challenge will be done with:

Hansa Yellow Deep, Pyrrol Orange + Phthalo Blue (Red Shade). I'll probably use Lunar Black mixed with the orange and blue for the black. I haven't decided what to paint with these colors yet.

Sunday, December 9, 2007 - My Sister's Birthday!

Happy Birthday, Millie!

Today is my sister's birthday - happy happy birthday to you to you! But I'm still not giving you any more hints about what your presents are!! But here are some dancing bears (she's crazy about bears) for you - a painting by William Holbrook Beard.

And here are the sketches done Saturday in our last open figure session at Manifest until the new year. Jerry said the one in greens looks like he's wearing flippers - maybe I can make him a merman? That one was done with yellow pastel pencil and then blue pastel pencil over that for shading. The second one was back to graphite and I think is better proportioned.

Saturday, December 8, 2007 - Cards + Steer WIP

Here are some of the cards I've made so far (see yesterday's post for info).

And here is the progress on the steer so far using just 3 colors + Paynes Gray for black + the white of the paper for white. A bit of darkening areas and he'll be ready to go.

Friday, December 7, 2007 - Baking Cookies and...

Baking cookies for a holiday party my husband has with the TriState Photography group. And also had to run some errands (shopping list in hand for gifts) and get a haircut and color today (I was overdue, I think, considering how my hair looked). And, unfortunately, I got a migraine today - those are popping up more frequently than usual and I'm blaming the weather for now.



And in between those things, I painted on my little Highland steer and made some holiday cards. I've decided to take all the cards we've received over the last few years (yes, I've saved them - don't know why - just did) and cut and paste and rearrange and make new cards for family and close friends. It's slow going - think I should have begun this a month ago. We'll see how it goes and how many I get done by the Christmas gatherings. I'll show some tomorrow as well as the steer in progress. And Myrna should have a slideshow of the entries so far for the challenge sometime today or tomorrow on her blog at http://myrnawacknov.blogspot.com/


FYI - The Cincinnati Art Club is having their annual holiday sale tomorrow and Sunday. It starts at noon both days and I've heard that some items are as low as $5 - yep, $5!! So go on over to 1021 Parkside Place in Mt. Adams and check it out if you're looking for something different for someone on your list. I intend to drop by after figure drawing since I'll be coming that way to get home.

Thursday, December 6, 2007 - Heron Finished + The Next 3-Paint Challenge

I finished the final touches on the White Heron and pulled my paints for the next 3-paints-only challenge.

This time, the paints I drew are a bit more difficult because they are so similar, with Raw Sienna, Sedona Genuine and Burgandy Red Ochre and using Payne's Gray for the black. So...what to paint using these colors??


I picked another photo Jerry took - this one of a lovely little Highland steer in Scotland - lots of tans, browns and reds so it should work.

Wednesday, December 5, 2007 - GCWS Cancelled

Since the Greater Cincinnati Watercolor Society meeting was cancelled due to our first snow of the 2007-08 season, I can stay in, warm and cozy, and finish my heron painting (just a bit here and there and it will be done and I've been told - or is that warned?! - not to touch the whites! I need to have it done by Friday when Myrna Wacknov will post the week's paintings for the 3-paints-only challenge.

BTW - Did any of you watch the Victoria's Secret show last night? And are you, like me, now feeling terribly old and pudgy and, generally, yuck?? And isn't 13-15 too young to be prancing around in pantie that show most of your butt cheeks? How is this not kiddie porn? Oh, well, I won't let it get to me for long but today it is making this 50-year-old, 5'4" and 137-pound woman feel not so good about herself.

Monday, December 3, 2007 - White Heron 3 Color Challenge

Stage 2 - keeping the misket on, I did the background in Phthalo Blue, Natural Sleeping Beauty Turquoise and Lunar Earth. Then removed the misket and I think I need to darken some of the background here and there and maybe the feet and beak a bit more.

What do you think?

Sunday, December 2, 2007 - December Challenge from Myrna

Myna Wacknov (see my sidebar for her blog and webpage) has come up with a great challenge for December: Using only 3 colors + black and white, paint something, anything, anystyle. But you choose the colors by picking the colors blindly out of a jar/hat/whatever - so you don't choose the colors, you let the colors choose you! Cool, huh??? So I just happen to have all my colors listed on a spreadsheet (I know, I'm very organized! ha-ha) so I printed that out and then cut the names apart and drew the names of 3 colors after I'd mixed them up.

Should I admit that my list included 68 tubes of paint?!?? I admit, when I first started painting - about 5-6 year's ago (can't remember now), I used to buy all the great Daniel Smith colors whenever he would come out with new ones - so I have Zoisite Genuine and Lunar Red Rock and Hematite and Undersea Green!! Yep, it took me about 3 year's to get wise and write down the Pigment # for each color and decide I don't need another PR 101 just because it's called something new. Plus I now stick to more pure colors - made from a single pigment or just 2, no more. So I now just buy my old standbys unless something really fantastic comes along that I can't mix myself.

So - my first 3 color choices are:

1. Phthalo Blue (Green Shade)

2. Natural Sleeping Beauty Turquoise

3. Lunar Earth

For my black, I'm using a mix of Lunar Black + Moonglow and I'll use the white of the paper for white since this is watercolor.

All colors are Daniel Smith brand.

I've already begun my painting using these colors. It was just too much fun to think about what it will look like and I had a photo Jerry took of a white heron with gold feet I've been wanting to try. I may do several of these with the same or similiar subjects just for the fun of it and to use some unusual combinations. I'm liking how it's turning out so far. I misketed the fluffy bits on the bird and some highlights on the beak and legs and will do the background next using the darker mixes of colors.

Saturday, December 1, 2007 - Photos from Aquarium of the Smokies

Some photos from our short trip to Gatlinburg, Tennessee and the Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies:


The Aquarium of the Smokies is a fantastic collection of sea critters with some of my favorites like seahorses, puffer fish, leafy seadragons, cuttlefish and jellyfish.


I could have spent hours just in the 2 galleries that held all these little ones and, it being off-season, it was not crowded at all.




I couldn't get a decent photo of the leafy seadragons so I'll post Jerry's when he gets them downloaded.






















Now I'm off to figure drawing session (only 2 more to go and we're done until the New Year). I've got the Robert Beverly Hale textbook on Anatomy for the Artist, though, that should keep me busy for a while - and then some!

Friday, November 30 - Sketches

Well, I was going to copy the sketches from my Drawing magazine but I got as far as 1 sketch. This is in my Exacompta sketchbook using a hard lead mechanical pencil.

Then I decided I could sketch the fireplace in the room for my Myrna Wacknov 5-hour drawing challenge...and got as far as 1 hour! Also in my sketchbook using a mechanical pencil. The angle of the bottom "screen" is off and I intended to fix it without erasing any lines but didn't get around to it.

A mini-vacation, apparently, is not the time to get serious drawing and work done.

Photos to share later today or tomorrow but right now have some errands to run.

Thursday, November 29, 2007 - Back Home

Got back home this afternoon.
Tired.
I have things to post (sketches and photos) but you'll have to wait for tomorrow!

Sunday, November 25, 2007 - Gatlinburg, TN

Taking another short driving trip down to Gatlinburg, Tennessee. We won't be gone long and I'm only taking my sketchbook and some pencils and pens this time.


See you later, alligator!