BLACK IS BLACK, OR IS IT?

Tuesday in class I had the students make up 2-3 different blacks, using their own pigments.  With a little help and discussion, we all came up with some mixes to use to paint a black bird.

This is my version.  A black swan.

And here are my mixes prior to painting. 

I decided to use the Sepia + Indanthrone Blue mix due to the warmth of the Sepia by itself and the warm black when mixed.




What do you mix to make black?

PLANT LIFE

I have been working on two paintings.  Plant Life:  Male  and Plant Life: Female.  I think you'll get the titles when you see them.

This one, is 


Plant Life: Male


Half sheet (15 x 22 inches) on Arches 140# cold press

SEEING SHAPES IN THE CLOUDS

When I look at this photo of clouds, I see a woman reclining on her side, her hand up behind her head.  


Perhaps she's posing for a life sketching group?



Do you see it?



Happy September!

ACRYLIC ON WATERCOLOR CANVAS

Primary Blues




Acrylic on watercolor canvas

This was once a crow painting but I didn't like it so just covered it with gesso and then dribbled, sprayed, added, wiped off, etc...to get to this.  Looks like that crow was still trying to show up, anyway!

CORAL REEF

Another small painting - fourth sheet Arches 140# cold press.


Coral Reef

LITTLE SKYSCAPES WITH WATER

Two weeks ago, we had a very strong thunderstorm with hail.  After things cleared, I saw this cloud formation which looked like pastel scoops of sherbet piled on top of one another in colors of palest pink and yellow...


Cotton Candy Clouds

Playing with the same colors but in a seascape...


Sky and Sea

AUGUST IS ALMOST OVER

August by Lizette Woodworth Reese No wind, no bird. The river flames like brass. On either side, smitten as with a spell Of silence, brood the fields. In the deep grass, Edging the dusty roads, lie as they fell Handfuls of shriveled leaves from tree and bush. But ’long the orchard fence and at the gate, Thrusting their saffron torches through the hush, Wild lilies blaze, and bees hum soon and late. Rust-colored the tall straggling briar, not one Rose left. The spider sets its loom up there Close to the roots, and spins out in the sun A silken web from twig to twig. The air Is full of hot rank scents. Upon the hill Drifts the noon’s single cloud, white, glaring, still.

BANANA WITH BACKGROUND

I splattered and sponged and sprayed a bit of a background into this one - should have started with the background but that's another story.  Had to have somewhere for the Minions to hide out!

Cropped off a bit of the left side and the top, too.

BANANA 2

Plant Life


Fourth sheet Arches 140# cold press paper



Painted without drawing.

CAN YOU SAY BANANA?

I admit, I like the Minion movies.  I have Despicable Me and Despicable Me 2 - because I like the minions.  So say this title in the voice of any particular Minion...


Banana


Half sheet Arches 140# cold press paper

No drawing, just painting.  
Not fully finished but getting close.  

MISTY BLUES

The Color of Today


Fourth sheet (11 x 15 inches),
Arches 140# cold press paper

Abstracted landscape on
postcard (4 x 6 inches)

Pansies on
postcard (4 x 6 inches), done with
watercolor and The Elegant Writer pen

MORE AWARDS FROM THE GCWS SHOW

Here are the Honorable Mention awards from the Greater Cincinnati Watercolor Society summer show at The Barn in Mariemont:

Eat Your Veggies

by Claudia Taylor

Bold and bright and ripe for the summer!

The Admirer

by Venetia Wang

Ventia is a fairly new member and has a very delicate touch with watercolor.

and

At the End of a Long Day

by Lydia Rittinger




All of these were smaller paintings,
all horizontal.  Although the bottom painting info just said "watercolor", I'm pretty sure it's a batik without the ink added at the end.


Note Bene:  According to the GCWS blog, there were 2 other Honorable Mention paintings, but I did not see them when I was there so maybe they had sold and been taken off the walls already?  So...Honorable Mention ribbons also went to Carol Steuer (who did sell a painting) and Carole McAfee (our show chairperson).

ABSTRACTED THINGS

The Color of Pain


Fourth sheet (11 x 15 inches), 
Arches 140# cold press paper

Pain Circuits


Fourth sheet (11 x 15 inches),
Arches 140# cold press paper

WINNERS FROM THE GCWS SUMMER SHOW

I took Mom over to see the show today (I did not attend the reception on Sunday).  She had some favorites and said she liked the show.  There were some really good paintings in the group and some missing (because they sold - good for them!).  

Here are the winners (first, second, third)...


First Place to Carolyn Hibbard for her painting of Santorini.  A very masterful composition that leads us up from the bottom left to the top right, plus lovely violets in the shadows.

Second Place to Tom Schroeder for his painting of a barn window.  Wonderful use of darks which are not muddy but clean, with the pure white of the paper for the whites of the window and weeds = well done and a well deserved award.

Third place went to Deb Ward for her painting called Flight of the Bumble Bee.  The only thing missing was a bumblebee!  You have to see that horn in person to see how she let the watercolors merge and meld without much fixing.  Deb is doing some really clever work, composition-wise and knows her stuff.  She is getting into some major juried shows and winning some awards, and selling - can't beat that!








Now, mine did not win an award or sell.  When I saw it at home I was always pleased with it and thought I did a good job.  When I saw it hanging in the gallery, I felt it didn't have any pop - anything that made you stop and stand there and look at it.  

So...back to the drawing board.














What do the three winning paintings have in common?  They are closer to realism than impressionism.  They have lovely, clean colors that show off what watercolor can do.  And they all are verticals.  Hmmm...

Well done, Carolyn, Tom and Deb!  I can see why you got those ribbons!

LUNA

This beautiful, delicate luna moth was found on our daughter's door...and she brought it to us after it died.  I couldn't help taking a few photos for reference later...

She said it stayed attached to the screen door for days and they really enjoyed watching it.


I just have it lying on a piece of painted paper.  Isn't the color lovely?

GREATER CINCINNATI WATERCOLOR SOCIETY - SUMMER SHOW OPENS

GREATER CINCINNATI WATERCOLOR
SOCIETY - SUMMER SHOW

Over 30 artists will showcase new works in the summer show.  Awards will be announced at the opening on Sunday, August 9 from 1 - 4 pm.

Gallery Open

Weekends: 1 - 4pm beginning August 8

andTuesdays - Fridays: 10am to 2pm

STORMY SKIES OF JULY

We had some stormy skies in July, then clear skies for a few weeks.  August has begun with some pretty impressive storms - even hail (almost golfball size but not quite).  After the storms, the clouds are gorgeous - colors of blue, grey, pink, yellow.

Here are just a few sky/cloud studies I've done just for practice.

It is not easy to stay loose and not overdo a cloudscape!!  Even though the sky looks this bold and colorful, it doesn't work when you paint it.  

Oh, well, onward and upward!!!




Today just HAS to be a better day than yesterday, right?  I sure hope so because yesterday sucked rotten eggs.

GREATER CINCINNATI WATERCOLOR SOCIETY SHOW

The Greater Cincinnati Watercolor Society will be having their annual Art Show opening reception and awards presentation on 

Sunday, August 9, 2015 (1 - 4 pm) at

The Barn in Mariemont (6980 Cambridge Avenue, Cincinnati, OH.

GCWS members will be sitting the show on the weekends, 

August 15/16 and August 22/23, from 1 - 4 p.m. 

The gallery will be open during regular "office" hours, 
Tuesday - Friday: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.  
I will have one painting in the show.  

Come and see new work by the members, if you are in the area!

  

GESSOED PAPER

Made enough "gesso juice" to do another - using a makeup sponge, dab over the stencil (Mary Beth Shaw's Stencil Girl stencil), let dry, then paint with watercolor.

I trimmed down some edges and then used the Elegant Writer (black, red and blue) over the edges, then added some more watercolor paint.  Done.

It's small so may end up being a large card or just a very small painting.  Gears.

PAINTING WITHOUT DRAWING

Another rose done without drawing, just painting the shapes and then trying to get them all to come together with the background.  I had to add some Chinese White to soften some hard lines I couldn't soften any other way.  

And did another version of the Rough Seas painting after wiping off the oil pastel with Natural Turpenoid (nonflammable, nontoxic, according to the can).