Watercolors by me

Fall Tree watercolor 8x20
Click to enlarge





















Dried Flowers watercolor 12x12"
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Dried Flowers watercolor 12x12"
Click to enlarge

Another watercolor tree for your viewing pleasure. And two paintings of a lovely dried flower arrangement that my Mom has. The delicate stems and petals attracted me to this set up. I just left the vase, which is a mason jar, as a few pencil lines.

Hope everyone is having a fantastic summer!

Watercolor poplar with yellow leaves

Fall Tree - watercolor 15x22
Click for a better look

I just finished painting this for my friend Doro. Hope she likes it.
Seems like it was just May...and here it is almost the middle of August!! Don't know how that happened.
Soon the kids will be back in school. And I will get to teach more drawing and watercolor classes. Yay! For all of my readers in Dawson Creek, who read but never comment...check out the schedule for classes starting in September at The Naked Canvas. I think my drawing class starts on September 13. Don't wait too long...Barb will cancel it if nobody signs up by the Friday before!!! Get on it now.

Hope everyone is having a fabulous summer!!

An Introduction and a Watercolor Mandala

Firstly, I would like to introduce my sister's new business and blog. It is called Footprint Management Systems, and she and her partner Judy are involved in the business of "greening". Yep, greening. They teach businesses, societies, what/whomever, how to hold green meetings, events, and whatnot. Cool huh? I'm ever so proud of her, and hope that you will take the time to head over to the blog and say hi. I just set it up yesterday, but they are hoping to get some good conversations going, share what they know, and just generally raise people's awareness. Feel free to link to their blog, and tell your friends! The link to their blog is in my list to the right. The website is still in the works. Stay tuned! (Yeah, how many times have I said that here?! LMAO)

Okay. As for me, here is my latest endeavor. It is a watercolor manadala, and I am pleased so far with how it is turning out. I am not sure if I am going to add more to the outside of the ring of rocks, or just fill in the middle. We'll see how it progresses. Please feel free to leave your thoughts.


Mandala watercolor on Fabriano 18"x18" Click ithe image to get a better view!

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer!

Hey...yeah...I'm still here...

Some lovely little scraps I painted in my front yard. Click to make 'em bigger if ya want.

So I am such a liar, hey? Tomorrow. I meant to post...and then...Well...sometimes tomorrow takes a long time to get here.

Not much news...been busy, busy, busy at work. So much to learn. Designing a website, laying out a book (!), marketing, just stuff, stuff, stuff!!! Great fun.

Just wanted to let ya know I'm still here!!!

Watercolor class in May

So, remember last month sometime, when I taught my first watercolor class?

I finally got the pictures from my framer lady, Audrey. These are the finished paintings that my ladies did. I think they are lovely, and am so proud!

Click on them to expand

Stay tuned tomorrow when I will post a new painting...and pictures from our little street fair on Saturday.

Happy painting!

Lazy Summer Afternoon

Went out to my brother's acreage on Sunday. It's actually only 10 miles or so down the road from me...but I'm in town, and they're not. Lovely. Quiet. You can hear the birds singing, instead of the trucks with their loud exhaust systems, and louder stereo systems. Very nice.



They just got some Alpacas. Not sure why...someone was giving them away, and they said, "Sure. Why not!" So they got 'em. Very odd and cute things they are. The baby's name is Fern. Can't remember the rest. But that baby sure is cute!! And she's the most beautiful reddish brown color.



This is a Tree Face, on a tree in their front yard. Kinda neat hey? The tree is a little bit discolored around the face, 'cause my nephew and his friends shot it with their paintball guns, and then had to scrub it off. Boys will be boys. Shame about that. lol

Of course, I had to get some more tree shots for my tree paintings. Can't just paint the same ol' trees over and over. And a shot of our beautiful blue summer sky. Pretty nice.

And the really fun thing! Baby robins. As I popped my head over the nest, the mouths opened wiiiiiide. But I wasn't quick enough with my camera. Still pretty sweet though. After a few viewings by adults and kids, the robins decided that was enough, and started dive bombing anyone who came near. Of course, it was the boys. Being boys.

And that was my Sunday afternoon. I did try a couple little paintings, but I'm not much good at the en plein aire thing...so I'm not even gonna post them. These pics are much more enjoyable...trust me.

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer!!

Keepin' the brushes wet

Just a few little 5x7s to keep the brushes wet. Not my usual subjects, but they were fun to paint.
Thanks to everyone for all the 'congrats' and 'good luck' messages.
My new job is going beautifully. And I am feeling inspired once again.
Summer has arrived - as evidenced by my sunburned face! My son had a soccer game yesterday, and between him and his dad they had the times aaaaalllll wrong, so we were there and hour and a half early. Way too much sun for my very white, winterized skin!! Ah well, they won the game, so all is not lost.





Another beautiful day today...maybe I'll get outside and paint.

Happy summer!!

Spring! And...the cure for what ails me

Spring has finally sprung here in the north country. The leaves are sprouting, little flowers are bursting forth, and of course I have a fabulous crop of dandelions in my back yard. (Note to self: mow the lawn!)

As for the painting...well...unfinished pieces litter my studio/living room, unattempted ideas float around in my head...and my brushes sit idle...poor things.

But I think I have found the solution. You ever have one of those jobs that just sucks the life out of you, but it is such a well paying job that you feel that leaving would be a really stupid idea? Well, I have one of those jobs. I'm a graphic artist at the local newspaper. It used to be a great job, but...new owners, new management, and it all went out the window. My job pays really well, plus has paid sick days, paid holidays, great benifit package, very secure...all the perks. And so...
I start my new job tomorrow.
http://www.peacephotographics.com
Check it out! Don Pettit and Kit Fast are the local photo geniuses in town. The other woman who works there is also an artist, and a really great and fun person. I will get to learn an entirely new graphics program - InDesign - and learn photography, and work on computers that were actually made in this decade, and all kinds of other wonderful things!
The pay starts at quite a bit less than I made at the newspaper, but I figure the lack of stress, learning new things, and working with great people will more than make up for that. (I hope my landlord feels the same way LMFAO!) PLUS! I will get to make art prints and cards for the cost of paper and ink!

And so...onward and upward. Here's hoping I have a lot more creative energy to put into my art, now that my stress load has lessened greatly.

Here are a couple of the unfinished paintings I have staring at me at the moment. The pears and plums are okay, but the plums are already overworked, and they aren't even done yet.
And the trail of petals...well, I'm sure I had a plan for it...but I seem to have forgotten what it was.

Pears and Plums unfinished watercolor 15x20"

Trail of Broken Hearts unfinished watercolor 12x31"

So that's what I've been doin' these days. Far too much fretting, and not nearly enough painting!

Drop me a line...kinda lonely up here...

Looking back in watercolor

Since I no longer have a camera that works, I am going to throw a few older pieces on here, just to keep things moving. This is a real mish mash of stuff...most have been posted on Wet Canvas at some point. Some I like, some I might revisit...some will just continue to hang out in the 'maybe next time' pile.
I taught my first watercolor class on Saturday. It was fantastically fun, only 4 students, and we all have a great time!
I've wanted to be a teacher since I was a kid. I even went to college to be a teacher. But I soon realized that I was not cut out for teaching in our school system. So I taught my kids. My daughter was reading before she hit kindergarten, and she would come home and we would teach everything she learned at school to her little brother. I have tutored a bit, and I enjoy that. But this art teaching is a kick!! I could really get used to doing this. I've been asked to teach drawing classes at the art gallery this summer. And there is some interest in a portrait drawing class. So I think I'll have plenty of opportunity to enjoy my other love in life. It will sure help pay for my painting addiction!
Oh yeah, I also sold two paintings this weekend! Very nice. They are in the the group below.
I should have some pics from my first class tomorrow. In the meantime, here are a few blasts from the past...

On Second Thought...I'll Just Wait watercolor (Wet Canvas image...I think) sold

Fall Leaves watercolor 8x15" (approx.) sold

Rock Slide watercolor 15x22" sold

Up On The Roof watercolor 15x11" (I think) (Wet Canvas image)

My Suzuki watercolor 22x15"

And that's a wrap!

Happy painting!

LOOK WHAT I GOT IN THE MAIL TODAY

I am so thrilled I can hardly stand myself! Carol Carter posted this on her blog a couple of weeks ago...and I knew the moment I saw it I just had to have it! And now I do!!!!!
It is a beautiful painting...just fills me with joy. Thank you, Carol!
It's called Morph, and it's 15x11.5" of pure bliss.

No new pics today. Still don't have a camera. But, I think I'll just sit and look at this painting all evening. I'm sure to have sweet dreams.

Have a good one.

Watercolor Trees - And it may be spring!

Hey all...how's it going? Ya miss me? Yeah.
Well, it was March. It's supposed to be spring in March...but it took a long time coming. And since I spent all winter complaining about the weather, I thought that I would take a break from it. And, well, I didn't have much else to say!
But March is over...and I think it may just be spring at last. I still have 2 feet of snow on my lawn, but it is receding day by day.
Also, my camera died. Just decided one day to stop working, no warning at all...not even a kiss good bye. Very sad really.
And, I was letting my job suck the happiness out of life. Ridiculous. Still working on that one.
And, I entered my first art competition...and have spent far too much time fretting about it. Silly, right? I know. I'm done now...once I realized that it wasn't going to have any bearing whatsoever on the outcome, I decided to relax. I find out on Saturday.
But I have been painting...

Edge of the Woods watercolor 22 x 54 "

This one took awhile. But it was fun watching it take shape. Don't know if anyone will want to buy a painting this big of tree trunks...but I really like it. Click to expand!
What else...hhhmmm...not much really. My life is spectacularily dull. Ya'll wanna come over and visit!? LMAO

Anyway...drop me a line. Tell me a story. Have a nice day!

Watercolor Painting - Trees - Demo Part 2

Okay kids...welcome to part two of my watercolor demo - Painting trees. My way.

Step 4 - When I have the shadow area of the tree the right shape, I make a thin wash of a yellow - you can use a cool or warm...whichever suits the color scheme you've chosen - and I wash it over the white part of the tree, dabbing with a paper towel here and there to keep some white, and not have it a completely even wash. I carry the wash over the edge of the shaded part too, but not over the whole thing. Gets too muddy.



Step 4 - light yellow wash

Next, I mix up a really dark dark using Fr. Ultramarine, Burnt Sienna and maybe some of the red...really nice and dark. I use this to define the knots and things. I like a lot of contrast in my trees, but you may want to do it lighter...it's your tree after all. Just dab it on using lines, dots and smudges until you like how it looks. Remember to make sure that there is variety in spaces between the dark areas, and variety in the shapes. It's easy to forget, and do the same shape over and over again. I usually have to go back and change things to keep the variety.
Put some dark lines and dots on the light side of the tree too, making sure they follow the curve of the tree trunk.

After I add the darks, I go in with some pure color...Cad Orange and Aliz Crimson. I put quite a few dots and lines of it around the darkest parts...it's about the same color as that fungusy stuff you see on trees...and it looks fantastic next to the dark blue!

Then I hop around with a brush of Aliz Crimson, putting dots and lines here and there until I like it. I also go in with some pure Fr. Ultramarine, and some more purple, adding it where it's needed.

The last thing I do is, using a very small brush and some purple, make little dots along the area where the shadow turns to light. From a distance this helps the gradation from shadow to light look a little more gradual. I put in dots of different colors just to make it interesting close up too.

And that's about it! You can fiddle with these until the hairs fall outta your brush, always finding another spot to put in more color...but really...it's done!

I hope you find this of interest...and of some help. If you have any questions, please ask. I've likely forgotten something...and if I don't know the answer...I'll make something up!! Aw...just kiddin'...

Please leave me a comment telling me what you think of this demo. It will be very helpful to me for teaching my watercolor classes. I want to do a good job. Thanks!

Happy Painting!

Watercolor Painting - Trees - Demo Part 1

Rhonda Carpenter asked me the other day about the process I use to paint these trees, so I thought I would do a little demo, to practise up for teaching my first watercolor class in April.

The process is quite simple really. Not overly difficult to plan or execute.
The first thing I do is decide on a color scheme. I usually use one blue pigment as the base for each color - in this case Fr. Ultramarine. You can choose a cool or warm theme, a more reddish or greenish color scheme, or use more realistic color (but that takes all the fun out of it).
I mix the blue with Burnt Sienna to make a nice light grey color, that shifts and settles on the paper in such a way that not all areas are a uniform grey, but varying shades of blue and grey, with spots where the Burnt Sienna shows too. Very nice. I use this first color to define the shaded area of the tree, and the areas where branches come out, and the scarred parts of the tree. I just scrumble it on, trying to follow the curve of the trunk to give it definition, leaving lots of white space for future color.

Step 1 - First layer of color.
Crop of Step 1.

After this layer dries, I use the same mix, add a little water, pull in some more blue, and add a red - Permanent Aliz Crimson, Windsor Red...whatever fits your color scheme - to make a nice purplish color. Using this mix, I fill in some of the spaces between the base color. I just scrumble the paint on again, overlapping in some areas, leaving white spaces. I do this until it 'looks right'...shaded areas work, color follows the curve of the tree trunk. Let this layer dry.

Step 2 - Second layer of paint

Step 3 - Third color layer, adding darks.

For the third layer I use the same mix, adding more water and pulling in more blue and Burnt Sienna, but making the mixture lean much more to the blue side, and darker than the first layer. I dab this color on in the darker areas - where branches emerge, where there are scars on the bark, etc. Just look at a tree...you'll know when you've got it right.
When this layer is dry, I step back and look at the painting, seeing where it needs adjustments - more dark, more shadow, more even color, a variety of dark and light areas.

Stay tuned for the next steps!!

PS I bought myself some W&N Kolinsky brushes...I love them!!!

Sketching Class

I taught my first sketching class today! There were only 3 ladies in it this week...some couldn't make it today...but I think that was good for my first class. It was a wonderful experience...can't wait for next week. Here are some pics my daughter took...there were a lot of blurry ones...I think she was drunk...very sad. lol






The women were relatively new to drawing, so I started right from the beginning...obviously...
One of the things that I stress to anyone who asks me 'how to draw', is that drawing is seeing. That's the most important thing. We practised capturing shapes - cubes and circles (a bowl)...and it was interesting to see where the difficulty was for each person. Some can get their brains around the cube thing, and for others it's quite a painful process. So we worked on that for quite a while. It was nice to have a small group so I could give everyone lots of attention. I love teaching. It is immensely satisfying.
I spent this class just helping them to learn to see, and to capture the form of an object. Next class we will do some blind contour drawing to teach them to keep their eyes on the subject, not their paper. That's another thing in drawing that I find important - your eyes should spend more time on the subject than on the paper. If you look too much at what you are drawing, you start to lose sight of the actual object, and start to draw what you think it should look like.

And now I have to go and get beautiful...I'm going to a party tonight. It's been ages since I went out and mingled. I'll probably be home and in bed by 11:00. Ah well...a girl has to get out sometimes.

Happy Painting!!!

Watercolor Painting - Winter Sky III

Winter Sky III watercolor on Arches 21x30

Crop of Winter Sky III

Hi all.

I absolutely love painting these poplar trees. Sorry, to all you birch lovers, but these are poplars, not birches. The weather has finally warmed up - freakishly warm actually, not that I'm complaining! - so I hope to get out to take some more pics. Need some new trees to paint.

The color was incredibely hard to adjust on these...I think because there are so many different hues and weird mixes... each time I got one right, another was wrong. So I decided to just STOP, and here they are. One cropped for that fascinating close up view.

In trying to make the colors work together and create a unified whole, I remembered Myrna's 'mothercolor', and mixed the colors making sure that each contained a bit of the 'mothercolor'...in this case, W&N Indian Red.

I also tried to keep in mind Edgar Whitney's rule about variety - variety in shape (white spaces), in direction (branches), value (which doesn't show up too well, but it's there), in size (branches), and texture (smooth vs rough). I may not have accomplished all that as well as I could, but at least I kept it in mind while painting, which is a big step forward on my part.

Has anyone read his book Complete Guide to Watercolor Painting? It's fantastic, and I just love the way he expresses himself. I love his passion, and he's definitely not shy about giving his opinions about art, and artists, and what he thinks they should be. Brilliant stuff.

Okay. That's about it. Not much goin' on. Work is...well...it pays the bills. I have about 12 precut mats to fill up. So I'm gonna get painting...

Tell me a story. You know I love the company.

Watercolor Painting - Poplar Trees

Winter Sky II watercolor on Fabriano (forgot to measure but it's about 14"x24") sold

Crop of Winter Sky II

So...because I was so frustrated with the whole wet in wet thing...I painted something else entirely. I have excellent problem solving skills!

I painted more of my trees. My framer lady, Audrey, was going through her inventory, doing a little early spring cleaning (REALLY early), and gave me a whole pile of precut mats. Lots of them. Big ones too. She is so very good to me!
I like this one...it's like looking out the window.

I've included a closeup shot...for those interested in getting a closer look.

Somehow these don't look like they are the same color. The second one is the most accurate.

As for the weather...well...Saturday morning it was -42C (which is the same in F oddly enough). Sunday morning it was -30C....and Monday morning it was +2C. What the hell?! It's been lovely all week, aside from the wind...right now it's +2C (about +36F or so). Absolute bliss. I have the windows open, letting some fresh air into the house to sweep out the cabin fever bugs.

What else...hhhmmm...Oh yeah! Next weekend I get to start teaching a beginning sketching class. 3 hours on Saturday afternoon for the next 4 Saturday's. I'm really looking forward to it. I like teaching. I was going to be a teacher when I grew up...but I changed my mind...about the growing up part. I also get to do 2 all day watercolor classes...one in March and 1 in April. Fun!

Drop me a line...it makes my day.