Blessings Are Everywhere.

Blessings Are Everywhere

watercolor on Yupo

Sold

First, let me wish you all 
a grateful and peaceful

Thanksgiving

Every 7 years it falls on my birthday

and this year is THE one.

My daughter will be doing the cooking!

Artist Note

I painted this one in the car going

to and from the dentist. 

A trip of an hour each way.

It was almost finished 

by the time I got home

(as you can see in the car photo.)

I spent another hour tweaking it

in the studio. 

I really, really like it,

partially because it is 

totally from my imagination.

Pulling on my memory of shapes

and movement of the birds, etc

It is larger than 

my usual daily paintings 

and when matted and framed

I hope it will continue to please me.

Steps

to start...

I deliberately used a staining blue

and took it right across

the page and then lifted it off leaving 

a light blue foundation.

Next, using a big brush I 

placed puddles of 

yellow pale

transparent orange oxide 

and transparent brown oxide

then fractured into them.

I lifted off the shaped of the birds 

with a paper towel and water.

I then began the details...

the fun part, but also what takes

the longest and is the most absorbing

with all the decisions to be made.

Daffodils and Hyacinths - Watercolor

Daffs and Hyacinths

6x6in aquabord watercolor SOLD

Artist Note
Spring and all the beauty it brings.
The Quail have had their first babies.
Nests are being used all over the place.
The daffodils are up -
blossoms are on the trees
and the
March winds have been
a'blowing!

This painting is on aquabord.
I quite like the way the colors absorb
into its dimpled surface,
creating a different appearance
than on paper.

The best part of course is
that no glass is required.
I prefer to wax for protection,
but a couple of layers
with a light spray of varnish
is also perfect.

Waiting - watercolor on Yupo

Hoping
(Window from Chimayo, New Mexico)

8x10in watercolor on Yupo  SOLD

Chimayo is famous for
El Santuario de Chimayo
and the documented healings
from the "sacred earth"
The link is worth the visit.

Artist Note.

Watercolor on Yupo
is pretty remarkable,
 allowing for stress-free
painting due to the
clean lifting ability

Different techniques
are fun to try...
like in the one below

Threesome

9x7  watercolor on Yupo  SOLD

Different Studies of Pink Tulips

Pink X Two

8x4" oil on canvas

fracturing demo

Artist Note.

I have been experimenting

with painting the tulips 

on different surfaces 

with different media. 

The top one in oil was

a quick demo on 

the fracturing technique.

I used alcohol ink on the one below.

Still a work in process. 

I want to keep it abstract

and am looking forward to 

doing more with it. 

I am still discovering 

what acohol ink can and cannot do.

I enjoy its unpredictability.

X three

 alchohol ink on yupo.

Below is another WIP.

I like working on the 

YES canvas surface.

It takes all types of wet media.

Watercolor lifts off cleanly,

but unlike paper

it feels slightly scratchy 

and has a tooth.

X four.

watercolor on Yes Canvas

I don't know if or when 

I will finish

any of these paintings.

Does it matter?

I enjoy doing them

and like

  having a stash of 

unfinished paintings to 

nibble on when I

feel like it.

Gambels Quail

Quail - watercolor study.

Artist Note

The quail are all over the place

at the moment,

and they are the neatest birds to watch

with their

bobbing heads and perky steps.

Here are five on the rail of our deck -

there were 8 of them at one time. Fun!

They come for the water as well as the food.

Clever - the water bowl attaches to the rail as you can see.

They are friendly to the other birds at the feeders, 

but the Thrashers do have a bit of 

a dictator attitude and think they

 rule the deck.

I sit and sketch from
inside the window.
pencil and watercolor
They can't see me
due to the reflection of the sky
on the glass..

Quail lay their eggs in a shallow 

depression in the ground. One a day.

They may line it with dead leaves or grass.

No full nest of twigs etc.,

I have seen where they surrounded the eggs 

with stones or lumpy dirt to prevent them 

rolling away. Clever and protective.

I found their their eggs under

a bush in a plant-pot one year

These are those which didn't hatch

out of 14 last year, I love the markings

and have not done a full painting 

of them - yet!

It will soon will be hatching time

I can't wait to see the babies

running in a line behind

mom and dad

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!

Watercolor Pleasure

Trio

6in x6in gouache on Aquabord 

Painted just for me!

Artist Note.

From my nest collection... 

a little jewel 

with a turquoise strand 

woven through it

 adds a touch of color

against the neutral 

grasses and twigs.

I added Chinese White  

to my watercolors to add 

the body I like.

Aquabord is perfect for 

this, and takes a protective

wax finish beautifully.

My daughter and a friend 

are in to help celebrate

my birthday so I will be

having too much fun

to reply to any comments!

I know you understand.

Rushing Water - Yupo.

Rushing Water

7x10in Watercolor on Yupo

Artist Note.

Still involved with the 

water series. 21 so far.

I am on a short

 trip and did this on the 

way to our destination.

I love to paint in the car. 

I feel free to paint

 and not worry

if a bump creates an 

unexpected blob...or two!!

Just pure fun with paint

which makes the trip fly by.

Be happy with 

your paint today!

Balcony in Guadalajara, Mexico

Balcony in Guadalajara.

9x8 in watercolor on Yupo

study

Artist Note.

Carol Marine came up with

a neat subject for this week's

 Daily Paintworks Challenge.

I have loads of balcony photos

from all my travels. This one 

from the gorgeous old city 

of Guadalajara, in Mexico's

interior. In this area they 

all had small clothes lines,

sometimes four to a balcony.

This was 20 years ago...

I wonder if they still

hang it outside or 

if they have dryers

now their electricity has

improved.

Yupo Landscape

Yupo Landscape

9x11 

Unfinished

My husband and I made a

quick trip to Phoenix - 

nice cool Phoenix-

 (record breaking temps)

to attend a funeral this weekend

and this kept me totally

occupied in the car. 

It is weird, I cannot read 

in the car, but I can paint.

The trip takes over six hours

each way,

and as you probably know,

the beauty of Yupo 

is I can paint - wipe it off

and paint again

It went through several incarnations

and I still consider it unfinished.

I was never trying to make a

painting, but just exploring 

the different mark making 

Yupo allows

I was working from memory

 of an area I had plein

painted earlier in the week 

so I was free to concentrate

on the technique.

I did discover some pigments

will stain Yupo.

Even thick applications of

paint will lift off 

topping over with 

another layer, and 

pooling color within 

boundaries is basically the

 only way to get a smooth wash.

I saw this fabulous post by

Jill Golden on alcohol inks

using yupo. It showed 

all her student's work

and they were great.

Her blog is 

jillraefinallyart.com

 see link here Jill Rae

I was intrigued

by the wonderful appearance 

of alcohol ink on Yupo. 

Jill definitely has 

the heart of a teacher and 

she generously

sent me a couple of links

on her youtube demos

see below.

alcohol inks

Greenwood Chapel

Thank you, Jill.

They look fun,

I am going to give them a go...

but NOT in the car!

Pike Place Market - Watercolor on Yupo

Flower Lady

9x12in watercolor on Yupo NFS

Pike Place Market is printed on her apron. 

I was told that it is a lottery system 

to get a space each day at the market, 

but obviously 

the fish and flowers vendors

must be permanent.

Artist Note.

Okay - I am not going to pretend that

this one was easy.

Talk about busy - even with all the editing I did.

So, how to get a design that works and at 

the same time try and capture 

all the flowers,

and a person? 

And do all this on Yupo!

It kept me totally absorbed all day.

Linking the lights.

I used the left down light

joining the strong angle of light from the 

left front flowers...across her arm 

to the back white flowers on the right.

Having her head stand out,  

and by how much was the 

difficult part. 

Until I started this series 

I had never painted

women of Asian descent. 

They were all so beautiful.

I will be trying more of these 

in watercolor - trying to simplify.

Like the gouache below... still unfinished!

I know you agree - painting is life long learning

Orchid Light - Waxing Watercolor

Orchid Light

6"x 6" watercolor on Aquabord  

waxed finish.
gifted.

The glow from these
orchids appeared to illuminate
the air around them.
What a truly beautiful flower
the orchid is.

Artist Note.

I have had several requests for information

on how I wax my watercolors.

Here is a link to my original post,

March 28th 2014 

showing the way 

I use wax, the brand I prefer, and a video. 

How I apply wax to watercolor

I like the wax finish better than a spray varnish, 

but it is entirely a personal choice.
I know I do not want to use glass so
Aquabord by Ampersand
has worked well for me.

Mums for Mother's day - Watercolor

Mums for Mother's Day

9x12 watercolor on Yupo NFS

Artist Note
My very special mother loved
this soft color of the classic
 chrysanthemum.
Long gone, she remains very much
alive in my grateful heart and mind.

Wishing all mothers a very happy DAY.

Dry Weed Nest and Line in Watercolor

 Dry Weed Nest

6x6in  watercolor on aquabord 

waxed. NFS

Artist Note

I was asked to explain about 

line in watercolor

and how it is used.

This one is for you, Edith!

Traditionally, water-colorists have used a pencil

to draw their subject. Often they will go over

the pencil line with a stronger paint line

where they want to describe the form

with more emphasis. Line can change from 

thin to thick, straight to round, 

over or under a mass of color.

In my nest above I used line

with opaque paint over a dark base.

It is called "form line" because it 

follows the direction of the form

A curve is a curve or  

straight is straight...etc.

I mixed different values

 to create the weaving of the grasses.

In the painting below,

Winslow Homer used the form 

line around parts of the boat
creating an outline, and 

even lightly around the sail 

at the back.
This was to create a separation
between boat and water.
So form line and outline are the same
thing, but used for different reasons.

If you look at the clouds

you will see the edges

are formed from the 

mass of the sky color.

No line. But the weeds

and lines on water are 

line. The way he painted

the dark shadow under the 

right end of the boat

could be a lyrical line...

it is expressive and 

yummy as it dissolves into an area of shadow

Andrew Wyeth, below, has obvious lines which

emphasizes the flow and direction of the water.

They merge into an area of color. No longer a line.

Sargent, below, has the lady on the right 

with lines to describe the folds of her

clothes, but on the lady on the left 

he used a softer line and

gently massed in with color.

Ask why one and not the other?

Most likely to direct the eye to her

first, but he did add a sharp line on the 

bonnet to bring some focus 

back to the other one..

 Line can be an important way to 

add some direction and emphasis.

Sargent used lyrical or expressive lines to 

describe the flounces in the one below.
And left it "as is". 

Many of the popular artists of today

like to use the line all the way through

their painting as a style -instead of using them for 

direction or emphasis. 

See Stefan Duncan below

My personal fav is

Shirley Trevena who is

 brilliant 

at mixing all types of line and mass.

Explore all the lines in this one.

It is fun to look through art

magazines trying to find the 

different types of LINE.

If you stuck all the way through this - I thank you!

Edith - hope you enjoyed it.

Narcissus and Lilacs (painted in car)

Narcissus and Lilacs

5x7 on moleskin 

Artist Note

In my previous post I showed paintings done on the 

way TO our destination, and on the return I had freshly

picked lilacs and 

narcissus in the glove compartment.

The three hours flew by as I sketched in my moleskin.

Still making sure I do not aim for perfection!

I used a water soluble graphite pencil

to draw the basic shapes in. 

No pressure 

only fun!

Sunshine Umbrella

Red Umbrella Sketch

6x6in watercolor on acid free paper  SOLD

Many of us use an umbrella for shade here in the

bright sunshine of southern New Mexico. I use one

very easily...

I was raised using one in England for a completely

different reason...RAIN!

Artist Note.

First - a huge thank you to all the 

understanding comments about my re-posting

and genuine support. WOW!
Blessings to you all.

I have chosen another post with a helpful

reminder about not being too precious with sketches.

 (re-post from 9/3/13)

My watercolor weekend was spent on doing quick

sketches like this one inspired by a photo taken at

the farmers market here in Las Cruces, NM.

I did not draw it first. I started by

placing spots of color next to each other and corrected

angles and shapes with negative painting. If you look

you can see the red of the umbrella under the green and

it doesn't bother me a bit!

The purple shoulder went out too far so I blobbed in a

small dark to indicate the lower part of the sleeve

and did not "tidy up."

These small watercolors are invaluable for me

testing what works or doesn't - what I like or don't like.

This was done on Strathmore  mixed-media #400.

I find I like the surface for a sketchy approach.

Tulip Study on Yupo

Tulip Study

9x12in watercolor on Yupo Paper

unfinished

Artist Note

These beautiful purple tulips 

caught my eye because I had been 

using the color magenta with the 

Phthalo Blue limited palette.

Although I really like the top part 

of this painting

I am going to put it on one side

and think about how to solve the 

lower area.

I am warming up on Yupo 

to try painting 

CROWS!!!

My First Crow's Nest

Crows Nest #1

9x7in watercolor on Yupo

Not quite finished!

Artist Note.

I went to the dentist last Monday

and it is a one hour drive each way so I 

painted this in the car.
A friend had brought in a photo
of a crows nest on their property.
I was surprised how tidy it was.

Still doing some basic studies of the shape
of crows. These are my first in watercolor.
Looks like someone is getting told off!

Decorative Nest - workshop. Day 18

Decorative Nest

15x11" gouache on paper

NFS

Day 2

Susan Hanssen 

Workshop.

Goal

 Paint something in a way we would 

never paint it. Reach outside our 

comfort zone.

Susan's example was an abstracted chicken 

with a blue top-not instead of red! 

If you think of the very organic way I 

painted the nest and feather just a 

couple of days ago then you know

how much I pushed myself out 

of my comfort zone with this one.

Polka dotted eggs and bright colored 

branches/twigs - plus a border!!!

Step one was to mark up the paper 

in a random way with dark watercolor.

Those marks can be clearly seen behind the nest.

2. Draw the subject with watercolor crayon..

3. use transparent washes.

4. Finish with gouache. 

5.Touch up with watercolor crayons.

The border happened quite naturally

to stop the very bright nest from

appearing to float.

Decorative art can be fun and relaxing

and I quite enjoyed painting this. 

Here is a wonderful sheep Susan did.

The patterns are painted the same

 as from the collage study..

See more listed under sheep on her website

HERE

I was asked why I was taking a watercolor 

workshop from two artists who work

so differently to me. 

Simply this... when the opportunity comes 

along to have the opportunity to learn from two

artists of Nancy Frost Began

and Susan Hanssen's

incredible talent and teaching skills...

any artist should jump at the chance.

17 of us are very glad we did!

It was AMAZING! It was BRILLIANT!

I am exhausted.

Spider Mum - Watercolor Workshop. Day 15

Spider Mum

13x17in 

mixed water-media on rag paper.

Different for me I know.

This is a workshop painting and is still 

not finished. I may have to do some tweaking 

after I have time to look at it.

Artist Note.

It was an exciting and very busy day.

The instructors are

two award winning sisters

who have a mission to free

artists from the constrains of 

the traditional, and introduce

new methods to achieve 

creative fulfillment.

Their motto is 

COURAGE LOOKS GOOD!

Today, the first of two days out of four,

were with

Nancy Frost Begin

(Click her link at bottom)

The painting above was worked on top 

of an old painting which we had varnished.

I went freely into it with

great inspiration after watching Nancy's 

amazing demo using gouache.

She applied it in a certain way and then

 moved some around with various tools

allowing random areas of the original

painting to show through. 

This created beautiful abstract areas. 

My flower would look dorky on a regular

background, but I feel this method

provided some oomph!

Tomorrow we try another exciting method

involving tempera paint and permanent black ink.

Check out Nancy's amazing work 

Nancy Frost Begin