TRYING MY LANDSCAPE SKETCHING

I've been working in my Aquabee Sketch Book (6 x 9 in. = 15.24 x 22.86 cm.).  This first one was looking out the sunroom at the neighbor's yard which rises up from ours.  The sun was shining to make a nice shadow on the fence behind the little tree.  I sketched it using a black Tombow pen (which, when wet, makes a nice blending of colors).  But then I put down watercolor and water and it blended with the black and made everything look a bit muddy.  So I overloaded the colors again using watercolor.  Then I took some graphite and resketched it.  What a mess!  But I am learning from this so it's all just learning right now until I get the right mix of mediums to use and how to learn to leave certain things alone.

For the second one I sketched using just a #2 graphite pencil, then added a bit of the Tombow black pen where the darker shadows were.  I then touched in some lemon yellow for the bright side and mixed that with the Tombow black for the darker parts.  Cleaner and fresher looking - just a sketch and that's what I'm looking for as a final result of these experiments.






For the final one, I got out my set of watercolor pencils and sketched with them.  I will wet some areas later to get a wetter look. 





I think I like the 2nd version best so maybe the Tombow pen for the shadows and watercolor (lightly applied) for the light areas will work. 

If I go out in the field, I can take my watercolor pencils, though, and work the colors and then wet them later if I don't want to carry water with me.  I'm thinking of moving out of the sunroom and maybe into the local park as a starting point... (remember, I'm new to this and, in the past, didn't do well with plein air painting - not liking too much sun and heat and bugs doesn't help so the conditions have to be just right for me to try! ha ha)


For this week, the weather turned cooler - almost nippy in the morning and nice and sunny and warm with a cooling breeze during the day.  Makes me feel like I have more energy.  I've even been walking again, around the neighborhood.  Tired of sitting on the couch like a spud!

I'm picking up my mother this morning, driving her over to Mariemont to see the watercolor show, then maybe a walk in one of the nice little parks in the area or around town (Mariemont is such a pretty little "village" type place with nice sidewalk areas and nice parks); and maybe lunch out, too - if the weather holds for us and no storms.

LAST WEEKEND FOR THE SHOW

This is the last week for the GCWS watermedia show at "The Barn" in Mariemont.  Hope you can stop by and see it (open Tuesday - Friday 9:30 am - 3:30 pm and Saturday - Sunday 1-4pm) if you live in the area. 

Greater Cincinnati Watercolor Society Exhibit

June 4 – 19, 2011

At “The Barn”

Woman’s Art Club Cultural Center

6980 Cambridge Avenue

Mariemont, OH 45227



I'll be there Monday for the members to pick up and sign out their paintings.  The last I checked, we had one sale.

A FEW NEW CROW PIECES

I finally had a few hours to paint and play.  I was in the mood for some more crows. 

These are all pretty small. 




One painting on Twinrocker paper called Little Crow.


Two watercolor monoprints on BFK Rives paper.


One called Things are Looking Up (not great but I thought I'd share anyway).




I don't have a press so rolled the prints onto the soaked paper with a hand roller.  On the first, the bird was too pale and splotchy (like the sky and ground) so I went back in with watercolors and added color.  BFK Rives is soft so you can't do much additional work to it, hence the soft look.




The second one, called Bird Bath Crow is also on BFK Rives.  I left the crow alone (put a lot more pigment on the plate before transferring the image to the paper).













And then playing with just splattering paint on paper and rolling the treetrunks on (with paint on a piece of cork pierced with a thick needle so it rolls).






Just calling this one Green.  It's 1/4 sheet and I was just playing around, nothing in mind, lots of splatters.

After so long not being able to paint anything new, it was fun to play and see what happened.

This is what it became.  Could use some more darks, I think.

WOMAN'S ART CLUB LUNCHEON

After spending time working on and seeing two separate shows at the Woman's Art Club of Cincinnati (WACC), I decided I should join.  They seem like such an active group and have all mediums represented in their membership.  Today at noon they had a luncheon for new members and I went to see what they offer.  I was a bit nervous (as I always am when meeting new people) since I didn't know if I would know anyone there.  (There is some overlap with the members from the Cincinnati Watercolor Society but not a lot.)

Well, the luncheon ended with a tour of the building and studios (there are 4 studios rented in the complex) and lots more talking about art.  I even signed up for my first duty as a new member - an easy one:  checking in members at the September meeting along with a long-time member.  They have new members do this as a way to get familiar with members, names, faces - a good idea.

Many of the board members were hosting the luncheon and there were 8 new members (if I counted correctly) BUT the WACC got 40 new members this year - that's quite a growth spurt.  They now have about 250 members in all so it's a big organization with lots going on every month, including tours of gardens, galleries, etc. as well as talks by artists and many events to raise money for "The Barn."  Sounds like I could be very busy with the group or sit and wait to know everyone and see where I fit in the best.  And 2 of our watercolor society members (President, Eileen Hulsman and Treasurer, Alice Fosset, were there as new members) were there, too.

TWO MORE FOR THE CD

Mac picked two more paintings for the cd.  I think he will choose one more.  I can't wait to see it and share it with you!

Fallen Angels
on YUPO

Singing the Blues

(One of my favorites and now hanging on my livingroom wall.)


I think he's sticking to the blue theme - which I love - with a burst of color in the angel trumpets/daturas :)

His photo holding a gorgeous guitar will grace the cover and these will go inside the wallet foldout and on the back cover.





I mailed out my SWAP painting and some other surprise goodies to my secret partner yesterday.  It's travelling a long way so I did a guaranteed delivery - I'm sure it will get there next week.  This will be the final SWAP for our group and I know it will be and outstanding finale!

NOT SURE HOW I'M INCLUDED IN THESE BUT...

Here's another non-art blog that is listing watercolor blogs and I was included again.  I'm thinking, once you get in one of these, they share them.  Some great blogs in here but some mistakes - my blog is definitely not focusing on ONE aspect of watercolor (I'm all over the place) and Chris Beck is definitely NOT a male artist.  Oh, well...

http://www.howtobecomeanultrasoundtechnician.net/beauty-by-way-of-water-and-paint-the-top-50-watercolor-painters-blogs/

Something to share until I get some new stuff going.

Some news:
My favorite brother-in-law, Jeff McLemore, is a professional musician and is working on a new cd.  He has asked me to provide some artwork for the cover!!  How cool is that???
So far, he's chosen this one:

Which I've renamed now to
Blue Moon for Mac :)
The cd is a bluesy, jazzy mix of songs and is coming along really well.  He hopes to have it ready to sell this month!  I'll keep you posted on how it goes and show you the final when it's ready.  He's going to pick out 2 or 3 more since the cd will be in a wallet-type foldout holder.

GREEN MADONNA - FINISHED

I haven't had much time to paint, other than the time spent painting and coloring with granddaughter Alaina on Sunday evening...but this one is done.



I have started my days with sitting in the sunroom early in the morning by myself while it's still quiet, sketching what's outside - getting myself in gear for some real landscape painting.  Other than that, playing grandma with the girls Sunday-Monday and will pick up the boy this evening for an overnight and time together tomorrow.  He's 3 so he'll be a full time event :)

I may be recuperated from the grands coming and going by Thursday! ha ha  (Then I can catch up with my favorite bloggers, too.)

MORE PAINTINGS FROM THE GCWS SHOW

Some of you liked the paintings and show so much, they asked for more.  So here you go...Enjoy!

Agave
by Deb Ward

Reach for the Sun
by Susan Grogan
















Red Hibiscus
by Ron Beecher

What a Pair
by Wynne Bittlinger














At the Cinque Terre
by Ritzie Junker


















The Milliner's Catch
by Eileen Hulsman










All photos taken at the show by Jerry (a.k.a. Sweetie) of some of his favorites.

Busy day today.  Kept the granddaughters overnight last night and had a behind-the-scenes tour of the Newport Aquarium for them, with lunch out and ice cream after, and lots of fun yesterday evening and today.

GCWS ARTIST RECEPTION

Sweetie and I went to the artist reception for the Greater Cincinnati Watercolor Society show yesterday evening.  It was my job to take photos of the winners - we had a First, Second, Third and 3 Honorable Mentions out of 86 paintings.

My friend, Deb Ward, got First with her painting of Ball Jars.  The painting is called Muncie's Pride (Muncie, Indiana is the home of the Ball Jar and Ball State University as well as Ball Hospital).

Sweetie got this photo of Deb with her painting - but this was before she got her First Place Award and ribbon - so I took another (but was making her laugh too much! ha ha)

Second place went to Jean Vance, a tri-state artist and teacher.  She was not at the opening when the prizes were announced at 6 pm so I didn't get a photo of her.  Her painting is called Stoningham, Maine.

Third place was won by another friend, Ritzie Junker, for her first ever attempt at painting on YUPO!!  It's called Waiting.

Ritzie sat across from me in class when we were both in Sandy Maudlin's intermediate watercolor class.  I haven't seen Sandy in years, but I still see Ritzie at the GCWS meetings.






And the 3 Honorable Mentions are:

Jean Ammerman's gorgeous landscape called (1) Secluded Cape Cod Pond.

Susan Grogan's (2) Citta di'Venezia. Susan was away at a graduation and couldn't be at the show.

And R.H. Carpenter's painting of crows named (3) A Difference of Opinion!

There were A LOT of really good paintings in the show - it is a strong watermedia show and you should see it if you can get to this area - so I was very pleasantly surprised to win an award.  I've never won an award before!

The show runs through Sunday, June 19th and is open every day but Monday.  The hours are:
Tues-Fri 9:30 am - 3:30 pm
Sat - Sun 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm





And the members who arranged and contributed to the reception goodies outdid themselves!!

A FEW OLD CROWS SHOW UP AT MY DOOR

My online SWAP group is ending with this final SWAP for the month.  I hope all goes well and we all enjoy the final SWAP.  It's time to move on and I'm glad I can do that and not feel too guilty about ending the group - and hope someone may step up and take the reins of a new group on Yahoo :)

So the names are matched up and the paintings are to be mailed out by the 13th of the month.  So imagine my surprise when I got what was obviously a painting from Barbara Sailor in the mail Thursday!!!

It's a painting called Several Old Crows which she featured on her blog recently - and it was painted for me as a thank you for leading the SWAP group for 8 years :)
(How did Barb know I liked crows and old rusty things?? ha ha)



And she sent a lovely card along with the painting - one of her paintings called School's Out. 




If you haven't checked out her blog, do so - you'll learn a lot and see a lot of great artwork there!

Thank you so much, Barb, for your generosity :)




I have been watching The French Open tennis event and was soooo happy when Roger Federer beat Djokovic :)  Don't count Roger out yet, people, he's only 29 and still amazing!  And today my favorite female player, Francesca Schiavone (!!!) plays and I know it will be another amazing match.  She won the French Open last year and I hope she makes it a repeat - she's so fun to watch.

WATERCOLOR LANDSCAPES

On Wednesday, May 25th, I joined in the online webinar from Artists Network Online Events.  It was the program from Catherine Gill (http://www/catherinegill.com) and Beth Means (http://www.bethmeans.com/) on Powerful Watercolor Landscapes.

Now, I don't do landscapes.  But for some reason, this spring all this green green green and blooming and bursting with life landscape all around me is making me want to give it a go.

So I watched the webinar (less and one hour and then questions answered), and got a discount on Catherine's book called - what else - Powerful Watercolor Landscapes.  I have been going through it, a little at a time.  I haven't painted anything yet but I can feel an itch starting to try - even if it's just little watercolor sketches of trees and things.  So that may be next for me.  In the past I was just too overwhelmed with greens but I think I can create a nice variety of greens.  Not too sure about plein aire painting but I've even picked up a listing of the Southwest Ohio Plein Air Painters to see where they go each week and some are fairly close.  Hmmm...just something buzzing in the back of my mind about this and hoping I will just do it this year instead of worry about not being able to do it.  Afterall, it's just one more thing to learn, right? ha ha

I do like Catherine's statement about your Job Description for landscape artists:

"My job as a landscape painter is to thoughtfully capture the response I feel to the landscape, not to accurately paint the things I see in that landscape."  See the painting on the cover of her book for a perfect example of that :)

So I'm studying a bit and will give it a go very soon. 


Sorry I haven't been very active lately, but so much going on (jury duty, local art show which I'm helping organize, my final online SWAP group paintings, watching the French Open tennis matches, etc.); and Sweetie went away (to the Galapagos Islands) for 10 days and just returned this week so lots of catching up and downloading photos and doing laundry and all that stuff.  I'll share photos of the blue-footed boobies soon from his trip.

JUNE ART SHOW

I've been working on getting the title card information from the members of the Greater Cincinnati Watercolor Society for our June show.  The chairperson and I collect the paintings and registration forms and $, have the regular monthly meeting, and the show is hung - all Wednesday!  We officially start with an artist's reception Saturday, June 4th from 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm.  (I am the official photographer for the members and their awards - we are offering a 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 3 honorable mentions - during the reception, too).

Greater Cincinnati Watercolor Society Exhibit

June 4 – 19, 2011

At “The Barn”

Woman’s Art Club Cultural Center

6980 Cambridge Avenue

Mariemont, OH 45227

The show runs from Saturday, June 4 through Sunday, June 19. During the week, the show will be open from 9:30 am – 3:30 pm. On Saturdays and Sundays, the show will be open from 1 pm – 4 pm with 2 of our members sitting the show.  If you're in the area, stop by and see the 84 paintings!
 
My two paintings in the show are:
Shadow Me and A Difference of Opinion. 
 
If you do a search at the top of this blog, you'll see the paintings.

So, I meant to get back to Green Madonna, but just haven't had the time or inclination this past weekend. 

GREEN MADONNA, STEP ONE

Step one of a painting I'm working on. 


I'll let you decide what the imagery means.  I know what it means to me.




Green Madonna
22" x 22.5"
Arches 140# cold press paper




For all those in the U.S., have a great Memorial Day weekend.  If you're travelling, be safe!

DAY TRIPPER

My favorite brother-in-law and I went to the Cincinnati Art Museum on Tuesday.  We toured the first floor (the Cincinnati Wing and the American rooms) then stopped and had a wonderful lunch in the cafe.  Then we toured the second floor.  Before we came home, we stopped at the Krohn Conservatory to see the Butterflies of Brazil exhibit.  It was a sunny day and warm and I had a very good time talking music (he's a musician) and family and art and everything in between.

I hadn't been to the art museum in a long time and it was nice to slowly go from room to room, visiting "old friends" and seeing work I didn't remember seeing before.  Here are some photos I took.

The Quadroon Girl
by Henry Mosler (American)















Venetian Lacemakers
by Robert Frederick Blum (American)









Don't have the name of this one.  Itwas so light, like a watercolor (but it was oil).















Eve Hearing the Voice
by Moses J. Ezekiel (American)




And one of my favorite paintings, Van Gogh's Undergrowth with Two Figures, is being cleaned.  They have a station set up where you can watch from 2-4 pm but we weren't there at that time so it was hard to get a good photo without flash in the dark cubby where they have it set up.  Here is a link to the process and what they are doing to bring it back to how it was when Van Gogh painted it...

http://www.cincinnatiartmuseum.org/absolutenm/templates/ArtTempExhibitions.aspx?articleid=1069&zoneid=65

The conservator can only work for 3 hours at a time, it's such painstaking work, so it will not be ready to show again in the collection until July.

Wednesday I had to go in again and sit through voir dire (where each attorney questions potential jurors before accepting them onto the jury) to be picked for jury duty.  This is the third time and I haven't been picked yet so it basically takes a half day each time and then I get to come home. 

And last night, storms and wind and lashing rain and wind and another rocking and rolling night with severe thunderstorm warnings and tornado watches up until this morning.  No damage here but another restless (but lucky) night.

WORKING ON UNFINISHED PAINTINGS

Well, I didn't do a good job on that skirt and will have to work on it some more before I can call this one finished.  But here it stands at this point.


A Woman's Pain
Half sheet (15" x 22")
Saunders Waterford 140# cold press paper.

And I see that I made my left eye much larger than my right eye in the self-portrait (and didn't see that until this morning when I was taking the photo).  My eyes are small and "squinchy" so my right eye is pretty accurate and the left I made too large (wishful thinking?).

Oh, well, I don't think I'll bother with it as it was just for me and I've taken it as far as I can go right now.  Maybe I'll let this one sit for a while before I return to it. 

Speechless:  An Expressive Self-Portrait
Half sheet (15" x 22")
Saunders Waterford 140# cold press paper


I think the only one I'm happy with and feel is finished is this one...










WHAT???





19" x 19.5"
Arches 140# cold press paper



Have a good day and be safe, wherever you are.

A ROUGH NIGHT

 A rough night.  The wind whipping the rain against the windows for hours with flashes of lightning and rolling thunder made for sleeplessness.  I imagined a large ship rolling with the waves and water rushing over the deck.  I've been reading a lot lately and a lot of the novels have boats, water and seaside homes as themes. 

Today, I sit, exhausted but not sleepy (that seems to be my typical state lately).  Sitting in the sunroom with the doors/windows open and the breezes blowing through hard enough to make my old once-fat-but-now-very-skinny-cat walk sideways across the room. 

Baby birds vibrating with wing flapping and squawks for food after a rough night perched wherever they could hunker down through the storm.  Mama has her hands full with a brood of three all vying for attention. 

For me, a loss of sleep; for those in Missouri, a devastating tornado and a loss that cannot be imagined even though the images are shared on all the national news channels.  The statistics are unbelievable when some weather person states how many tornadoes and how many have lost their lives so far this spring; and how many more months we have to go before the threat of tornadoes and major storms is over.

I hope you all can hunker down and weather the storms - more predicted this week for the Ohio Valley area and parts of the midwest.

WHAT???

He looks like he's in your face asking, "What???"  Hence, the title.


I started this one by brushing white gesso on the watercolor paper and then drizzling on black gesso and spritzing it and rolling over it with a foam roller.  I liked how the shapes became loose feathers in places so it had to be another crow painting. 


Of course, he has to be much darker to really stand out and that will be the next stage.

I hope you are having a wonderful weekend.  We actually had a sunny day Friday and another Saturday - 2 in a row is pretty good for us right now - and now we're supposed to go back to rain and thunderstorms. 

LIGHT

Traveling Light

by Linda Pastan


I'm only leaving you
for a handful of days,
but it feels as though
I'll be gone forever—
the way the door closes


behind me with such solidity,
the way my suitcase
carries everything
I'd need for an eternity
of traveling light.


I've left my hotel number
on your desk, instructions
about the dog
and heating dinner. But
like the weather front

they warn is on its way
with its switchblades
of wind and ice,
our lives have minds
of their own.

SPEECHLESS: AN EXPRESSIVE SELF-PORTRAIT

It's not the image I'm after,
but the feeling.

More work to do on the eyes and nose before it's finished.

A WOMAN'S PAIN

Something new I've been working on...

Half sheet Saunders Waterford cold press 140# paper.

BROKEN FINISHED

I finished another painting I'd started a few days ago. 

Broken - from a photo taken of a robin's egg on a wall at Shaker Village in Kentucky.  I wish I had been a bit more delicate with the robin's egg.

SUNDAY SHARING

I see I have three new followers and am very pleased to share their blogsites with you.  Two are friends already, and one is a newcomer.

1.  Alessandro Andreuccetti's work is fresh, bright, lovely, and it made me very happy to take some time and scroll down his site and see his present and past work.  You will enjoy it, I assure you!

2.  My friend, Suzanne McDermott is a woman of many talents, including painting and singing and composing.  She has a beautiful soul and a giving nature and I think she's very special.  You'll enjoy seeing her creations, reading her meditative posts, and hearing her songs.  Visit some of her many blogs and see her sketching and her landscapes, too.  We have not met in person - yet - but we will!

3.  Marilyn Bishop is a local artist.  I have had the pleasure of going to her home to learn printmaking techniques from her and while there, seeing her beautiful monoprints and watercolor paintings.  She is always exploring and experimenting and creating works that are truly her own originals.  I have one of her monoprints hanging above the computer in the work room and it never ceases to bring me pleasure when I sit back in my chair and rest while looking at it. 

I hope you take the time to visit all three of these wonderful, original artists.

NAUTILUS FINISHED

I'm still working on some unfinished paintings. 

Nautilus is done now. 

I think I may do a larger version and make it more loose and wet-in-wet...this is just a 1/2 sheet trial painting.

LIVES PAST - FINISHED

I had to do some house cleaning (yep, I have to do it once a month, whether it needs it or not! ha ha)  And this painting just kept staring at me!  So I had to go back and finish it.

Done! 

9 1/4" x 24 1/4"
on Saunders Waterford coldpress 140# paper

Of course, now the nautilus is saying, "What about me???"  So in between some laundry, I'll go back to revisit it and get in those darks and try to get it more watery and flowing inside those sections.  Wish me luck - and have a wonderful weekend.

INTERESTING BLIP IN THE DAY(S)

Well, most of you probably know Blogger was down for a couple of days - from Wednesday, I see.  They deleted all the posts from that time onward so comments and posts were not put on and are now missing.  So it's like being in a time warp, which could be fun if you now are singing Let's Do the Time Warp Again!!! from The Rocky Horror Picture Show :)

We get a do-over on this one.  So stay tuned and I'll share what I had scheduled that is now dancing in the blogosphere somewhere...

I hope your blogs are up and running and all is well after the recent glitch.  And I have to say that Blogger does a pretty outstanding job for a totally free service that normally works perfectly (nothing is perfect, we know that).  Hey, do you think it had something to do with Friday the 13th????

BROKEN

Something that feels protective and safe can really be fragile and easily broken.
But by breaking something, you may set yourself free.

I seem to be starting paintings, but not finishing them.  Maybe starting is enough for now.

NAUTILUS

The swirls of the nautilus can mean the whirling dervish that is life.  Curving onto and around itself, the line molds towards a center.   Where does it start and where does it end? 

This is a small study for a larger painting. 
I still need to go in with darks to bring out the lights and the glow.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

Happy Mother's Day

to all those who are presently

mothers, grandmothers, step-mothers;

and to those who have been mothers

in their past lives :)

May your children bring you daisies and fresh-bloomed summer dandelions to hold under you chin to see if you like butter.  May your grandchildren think you are the coolest grandma ever and smile whenever you walk towards them.  May your step-children accept you into the family with open arms and come to love you as one of their own.

May your life be important to those who love you.





NATIONAL PUBLIC GARDENS DAY

Today is National Public Gardens Day.  Get out and walk in a public garden.  Look at the spring flowers blooming.  Smell the lilacs!!!! 

http://nationalpublicgardensday.org/

And if it's raining in your area, maybe visit a public garden online - not as good since we can't have the smells and sounds but better than nothing. 

Better yet, take your painting kit out to a public garden and paint something :)  Most of all, enjoy your day.  It's the only May 6, 2011 you're going to be given so make the most of it.

LIVES PAST - STAGE 2

Close-up view...

Today is the monthly meeting for the Greater Cincinnati Watercolor Society.  Our guest speaker/artist will be Ken Landon Buck.

LIVES PAST - STAGE 1

I began painting this one.  It's a long horizontal format and I'm working slowly. 

A closer view shows the pomegranates and the skulls as they are shaped.

It was not a happy time around here this past week for reasons I won't go into right now (afterall, this is a blog, not a diary).

We did have 2 whole days!!!! without rain - and now it's back :(  Oh, well. 

SUNDAY SHARING

I've finally gathered a few new followers to my blog and I always enjoy sharing new work so here are some new art bloggers you may want to check out:

1.  Ricardo Marrero paints some bold and beautiful watercolors based on his home in the Canary Islands!  Go over and see the work he's doing.

2.  Maria Jose Barrera, from Spain (I think), has done some really large, really amazing work.  Scroll down and see the size of the painting of the tree trunk!!  I think she has an affinity to trees of all kinds.

3.  Miriam of Magi d'acqua, is Italian.  Here work on the first pages had me saying, "Wow!" and then "Wow" again - colors so bright and bold they jump off the page; big painting on the page so you almost step into them!  Go see - right now!

4.  Kerstin Lungmuss "Rizi", of Germany, has a wonderful sense of humor that shows in her paintings.  They all made me smile and I think you'll smile, too, when you see them.

5.  And last, but not least, Lizzy of Lizzy's Quilt Blog shares her artful quilts.  Being very sewing deficient in all ways, I really admire anyone who can do this - but she's taken quilting to another level and truly made it art.  Check it out.

I hope you take some time and explore these bloggers and see what they have to offer.