Pomegranate Duo

Pomegranate Duo

8x6" oil on raymar panel $150.

Purchase HERE

Artist Note

Every year I paint the pomegranates 

when in season. 

I got a call from a friend telling me 

her poms were gorgeous 

and she invited me over to paint.

It had been quite a while since I had painted 

so this was a real treat. 

Hope you are all surviving these

powerful and awful events...

Covid, the protests, the fires and hurricanes.

Who would have every thought it 

was all possible when

wishing everyone 

A Happy New Year...

Sheesh!

Please stay safe and sane.

Family Time

Family Time

11x15" Acrylic on paper SOLD

Wishing everyone a

Happy and Peaceful Thanksgiving.

Lily Pond - Yupo Redo

Lily Pond #4

 8 x8 in Watercolor on Yupo 

Work in process...

Artist Note.

Not as much "stylized"

this time.

Here is a re-do of the previous post

taking into account 

all the suggestions

and observations. 

It was an interesting project for me. 

I am totally grateful to all the 

artists who took the time to share

their viewpoints.

I really learned a lot of new

ways of actually

contemplating-

edges -

adding -

subtracting -

tension -

balance.

My previous effort had the 

water lighter  

and pads darker.

here are my source images 

showing both ways.

MY new version reversed 

the first one.

Below are small sketches I made

on the quest for a  Yupo watercolor

painting of a lily pond.

Some of the groaners on the journey.

Below is the original wiper

then I thought what did I love?

Answer - the koi.

 LOL- conflicting  two points of interest...

decide to leave the koi for

 another painting!

Back to it being too busy! 

I raised the 

horizon and liked it 

and at least it looked watery!

Several more attempts followed 

when I discovered the  reeds.

I thought the verticals added 

something I liked. 

I thank everyone who commented 

or emailed their suggestions

or just joined in the fun of it.

Watercolor Floral - day 28 in the Challenge

Watercolor Floral

12x9" on Yupo paper

Unfinished

Day 28

Artist Note

I am trying new colors and a 

truly, truly

limited palette with watercolor.

One red - one blue and one yellow.

I have experienced continual cloudy days and

I find it has really

affected my color vision.

It also has provided me with a deeper understanding 

of the old master's paintings 

when brown was 

dominate in the background.

 Candlelight was their major source 

of illumination at night and on 

rainy days I now feel I understand

what it was like.

Explains a lot!

I have been presented with more fresh

pomegranates and think I will remove

the pears in this still life and 

put at least one of the poms in. 

That is the beauty of Yupo.

Wipes off clear back to the white.

I will show you tomorrow what it 

looks like with the changes.

A Favorite Place - Days 13-14 in the challenge

A Favorite Place
6x8in oil on canvas panel  $125.

Purchase HERE

days 13 and 14

Artist Note

A dear friend's kitchen is where some
of the best Mexican food around
can be found.
I also could feast just on her chosen
palette of colors. Gorgeous!
I asked if I could paint a part of her room.
Received a yes...goody!

She shooed me out before I had finished yesterday
because she was preparing for company.
So back I went today...and as well as painting,
ate the best leftovers you could imagine.
As I said, a dear friend, who incidentally,
sweetly threaten death
if I mentioned her name on my blog.

Watercolor Weekends - Aspen Grove

Aspen Grove

7x5in watercolor on Strathmore Bristol.

Yes - we have aspens here in
Southern New Mexico and they are
only a couple of hours away in Ruidoso...
the same area we have skiing.
The colors were not
as brilliant this year so I focused
on the bush at the back for a bit of color.

Artist Note.
I am trying a smooth Bristol paper and
finding it buckles a bit with the washes.
I want to try the Yupo paper. I am intrigued.
I see some lovely paintings showing a wide
range of the usual or interesting techniques
out there in our blogging world.
Here are two recent ones.
Colorful Coonections
Painter'sProcess
Please let me know if you have any
other artists to recommend or
helpful pointers to start me off.

Our winter is off to a slow start.
Look what I found behind a friends pot.
He should be hibernating.
No manners -  sticking his tongue out at me
like that!

Nest, Feather and Eggs

Nest, Feather and Egg

oil on canvas panel.  SOLD

Day 17

This is a commission.  I usually do not do commissions,
but this is for a friend who arrived at the gallery where
I had my Avian Architecture exhibit, too late...
they were all gone.
So this is # 38, painted especially for a very dear friend.
And keeping in my gallery's good graces!

Watercolor Weekends - Sunflowers

Sunflower Study

8x6in watercolor on acid free paper. Not for sale.

Artist Note.

I had fun with this one. It was the quality of the paper I think.
Much easier to do the fracturing technique.
I used Strathmore 4ply Smooth paper.
(left over from my illustration days)
I remember Strathmore was my favorite brand.
Always consistent in quality. I also remember the awful
smell Arches brand used to make when I wet it.
Is it still like that?

Farmers Market #1 and winner of the painting.

Farmers Market  #1

8x6in oil on canvas panel $125. SOLD

I have started to do a series of the Farmers Market in Santa Cruz, CA.
I took photos and did some sketches and I want to do them
while it is all fresh in my mind. This is the first one and my focus
was to capture the sun and shade.

Artist Note.

I expected to have the winner of the Studio Tour Giveaway before
now, but dear hubby Jim has dragged his feet. It is all Wimbledon's
fault. He has been glued to the TV.  It was only when I started the
heavy sighs and quiet mutterings before assuring him that it really was
quite alright if he didn't really want to do it (Tennis had finished for the day)
and with that he went off to his office
and spent quite a while diligently reading them.
Finally, he came back and told me  he did not
discharge his responsibility lightly, and I was presented with a great
flourish, the person he thought should get the radish painting.
AND THE WINNER IS... ROGER AKESSON!
The reason he picked him was because he liked that Roger
said I inspired him. Lovely of you to say that Roger - thank you so much.

I think Jim was surprised at the many nice comments. He has never
read that part of my blog before. He said it was hard to choose.
I was surprised only two artists wanted the handy tool and that was
STEPHANIE BERRY and LIANA YARCKIN   
(please send me your addresses)
It is a magic tool and can do many things besides how I use it
so I know they will love it.
Thank you all for the great comments...big smile...and glad so many
of you enjoyed visiting all the studios. I know I enjoyed them too.

Bosque at Dawn

Bosque del Apache, NM - Dawn

Progression oil sketches. Each 6x8in   NFS

It was before dawn when we arrived and I had my plein
air kit set up ready to go as the sky started to get light.
I painted in the basic shapes and I was amazed how light
it became before the sun actually broke over the horizon
The closest reeds were really dark and the far trees bluish
and mauve colors. No green
I added the few details of the cattails at the end.
Below.
The sun started to illuminate the top of the reeds.
The trees started to get a green cast.

Next.
I turned the easel to the right and by this time the sky
was getting blue and the bright green of the new reeds
growing through the old ones was almost a shock.
All this change during the course of less than an hour.

Artist Note.

These sketches were basically color studies for a
painting in my upcoming May show. I found what I
was after thanks to the help of a ranger, and got some
other sketches completed. Great painting time and
a great hubby for going with me! It was a two hour drive
and we arrived before dawn...you can figure out
why I think he is great.

Please understand if I cannot reply to all the comments
at this time, but know I read and truly value each one.

February Snow

February Snow

8x6in  oil on canvas  $125. SOLD

My daughter sent me some photos after the huge
snowfall they experienced last weekend. 
This is a composite of a couple of the images.

Artist Note.

Here is a black and white to show the value of
the snow in the shadow. A middle value counts
as a dark -  so even though it is a snow painting,
mine is 3/4 dark pattern
At the Guild I have a board with the following
guide for division of light and dark patterns in
a painting. It can be helpful. These are
approximations, but you can get the drift. It
helps to have a dominant light or dark pattern.

2/3 light
1/4 dark

1/4 light
3/4 dark

1/3 light
2/3  dark

3/4 light

1/4 dark

Straw Broom

Straw Broom

8x6in oil on canvas panel $125. SOLD

My second painting for the 30 in 30 days Challenge.
Sticking to my self imposed rule of painting something
I have never painted before. This time - A broom!

Happy New Year Roses

Roses from a Friend

8x6in oil on canvas  $125.

Well - am I a lucky gal or what! A friend
decided she knew the answer to my recent "trials and
tribulations" and sent me these gorgeous roses.
Lickity split...just like that, I painted these without
any redos.

Artist Note.

As I finish this year I reflect on the personal growth
in my art. I managed to develop my own technique and
even devised a tool for doing it. It has brought me deep
personal satisfaction as well.
Looking back on my journey into Fracturing, I can see
bits of it appearing and then disappearing for many years.
It took the discipline of painting every day to bring it out.
I wanted the looser appearance in my work but didn't
want to just swish my brush over the edges to get it.
There were a whole pile of artists doing fresh loose
paintings. This was the school I was drawn to.
Studying John Singer Sargent was a great way to start.

This very week, one year ago, I painted these roses.

I still love roses and blue and white vessels, and I was
rather pleased with this one here, but I can
tell you that I prefer the actual act of painting the new one.
It holds my interest and I find the painting has more "life"
to it.

Breakthrough pieces were
these freesias.  I painted this
one very loosely and fast
on oil primed canvas.
(This one has never sold
and I always thought it
was a strong painting.)

I followed it with the version above. Both were painted
as a demo to show the different approaches to the same
subject. I loved painting this one so went  back to try
and do it again.

 This time I tried it with hard
surfaces to see if it would
work.
I was delighted to find it did.

I use the two pieces above in my gallery area to demonstrate
what the fracturing is in comparison to my more realistic pieces.
I can tell you that as many visitors like the first one
as do the second one. It is the more knowledgeable ones,
and usually artists, or ones with some art background
who enjoy the Fracturing.

Next step was to see if I
could use the technique
with a landscape.
I did a series on
Yellowstone using the
watercolor sketches I had
painted when there.
I enjoyed it immensely.
I had found a technique I
could paint everything
with.

In March I did a series on lemons  and Daily Paintworks picked
my Lemonade as one of their "picks of the day"
and I was thrilled. Then a couple months later I was a featured
Spotlight artist (click if you would like to read the interview.)
I started to realize that my Fracturing technique had a following.
I was asked to do an Artbyte by Daily Paintworks so I made a video
(in real time ) It has been finished and will be offered later this month.

So this has been my trip down memory lane for the year 2012
I want to give a special thank you to those wonderful people
who have bought my work. You gave me encouragement
to continue in the new direction. Without art collectors there
would be less painters and what a loss to our culture it would be.

Thank you also to my wonderful blogging friends and supporters.
I look forward to seeing your new work and following your
amazing blogs in this new year.
I wish for you all a healthy, enjoyable and productive art life in 2013
Your friend in art,
Julie