Valentine Nest - gouache.

Valentine Nest

6x6in gouache on aquabord  $110. SOLD

Artist Note.

I am still on the 

valentine/love theme.

I love bird nests. 

They are truly a passion of mine.

I collect them and 

I marvel at them.

I paint them for my own pleasure

in all media and viewpoints.

Even so, this one is 

a bit different for me.

An imaginary nest.

I tried to make the nest 

look as if it was floating

over a diffused background.

The heart shape stands for love

The broken egg is symbolic

of a new life started 

from that love.

The idea for a nest shaped 

like a heart happened

when I saw this nest

I think the heart shaped 

interior was created by the

compression of the branches.

Anyway - it spoke to me.

I started off with exploring

some ideas with 

watercolor on Yupo 

It is a fabulous surface

to work out ideas on

because it is so forgiving

and lends itself easily

to make changes.

My first sketch

  I wondered what less color

would be like

so wiped away the background 

and left a border

Next I thought I would try 

for an abstract shapes

thinking tree bark

Still not speaking to me so I 

wiped it all off leaving 

the interior eggs,

Cleaning up even more

with paper towel

and took it down to a heart

with eggs.

From exploring through 

these ideas I had a better sense

of how I wanted to 

my nest to look. 

The background not as bright

 as the blue and not as 

geometric as the bark one.

I realized I had never altered

the interior -

the broken egg shell was

 important

so I went with keeping 

it as the focal area.

Then I painted it on the 

aquabord...not as forgiving!

Freesia, Pear and Grapes

Freesia, Pear and Grapes
6x6in Watercolor on Aquabord $100.
Click HERE to purchase

Another "dentist trip" painting!
This one was mostly done on the two hour trip back from the
dentist.( I hour waiting to get back across into the US)
and I finished the highlights at home. Drawn first in purple
watercolor pencil, it is totally from the imagination
 of items I have painted before.

Artist Note.
I am still experimenting with the different surfaces for my watercolors.
This is on the aquabord by Ampersand. I used some Chinese white
on the light area of the vase and a couple of areas where I screwed up!

I have been asked to show my set-up for painting while
traveling. I did place it on a previous post but here it is again.
I use the Judson's Thumb Box

It is small, but perfect for travel as I keep everything I need inside it.

I carry a tray with a cushion attached underneath which  keeps it 

stable on my lap. The lip on the tray prevents anything sliding off.

This little set up works for my oils as well as watercolors.