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

Sunrise At Caballo, NM. Day 14

Sunrise At Caballo, NM

6x8in oil on canvas panel $125. SOLD

The only time of the year the sunrise is

 in this position is during the winter

I am always amazed at the large swath 

the sun travels from summer to winter.

The sun doesn't always rise in the true 

east as far as my sense of direction

is concerned.

Artist Note.

Day 13 passed in a blur of busy work.

No post...gasp!

We are learning about the 

Ned Jacob Palette. 

I took a workshop from Ned in the later 80's 

at the Art Students League in Denver,

and his palette was all I used through 

most of the nineties.

That plus ONE accent color if needed. 

Like a turquoise for a door.

The colors.

Yellow light or med, Orange, Alizarin (Perm) 

Ultra Blue, Black and Titanium White

Beautiful harmony can be achieved

by mixing all the secondary and grays with 

with these few colors.

The most important reason for using a 

limited palette is to learn what is IN certain colors

Example... to make yellow ochre you have to use 

yellow and a reddish purple. 

Too blue a purple and you 

get marvelous greens

Fascinating stuff, color!

I did not cheat and used the limited palette 

for this painting knife painting.

Tesuque, New Mexico - Day 12

Tesuque, New Mexico

6x8in oil on canvas panel $125. SOLD

Artist Note.

Painted this while the area 

is fresh in my mind from my trip 

this weekend.

Painted quickly using

  only the palette knife.

This consists of such simple 

shapes 

but I love the color of the dirt

with the rich green of the pinons.

Busy time catching up

with everything. I will be heading 

round everyone's work soon.

Rose Duo - Day 10 &11

Rose Duo

Watercolor on Strathmore paper

NFS

Artist Note.

Sorry - a lousy photo for accurate color, 

but seeing I did 

not post yesterday I went ahead

and posted it. 

Yesterday my hubby and I drove to 

Santa fe to visit a dear friend

who was critically ill in

the hospital. It is a four hour drive 

so it was an overnight trip.

Glad we went because she had just been 

taken out of the ICU after 5 days

and into CCU. A good sign.

She has a long way to go but the 

prognosis is good.

I painted on the way there

something from memory

I painted on the way back

experimenting on Yupo

Several more "starts" were fussed over.

Maybe to be worked on the next trip?

The weather difference was quite profound.

This is what 300 miles can do.

This morning we left this weather in Santa Fe

and sailed past this beautiful scene with just

one hour left to arrive back in Las Cruces.

I love the diversity of this beautiful

Land Of Enchantment.

Farmers Market - day 9

Farmers Market #26

8x6in Oil on canvas $145. SOLD

Artist Note.

This is a fully realized study.

It started off as a sketch 

during the summer and I kept going

here and there until today when 

I added some finishing touches.

I call it a study because I

became very aware of what, how...

and why I was placing the paint.

The reason...

I am working on a huge Farmers Market

painting. A commission.

Huge for me. 

It is 43in high by 62 inches across. 

That is equal to 50 of my daily paintings.

I will be doing some Farmers Market

paintings to help get me back into the 

groove - so to speak -  

and I will be sprinkling them 

amongst the challenge paintings.

Snowy Sunset - Day 8

Snowy Sunset

8x6in oil on canvas  $125. Donated

The glow of a warm sunset against the cool

shadow of the snow makes an artist 

forget the cold.

Artist Note

Regarding the post about the circular 

rainbow on day 6

I was thrilled when this kind artist sent me the 

following email confirming my experience.

When I saw your rainbow painting

I knew it was a "Pilot's Halo".

I was a stewardess back in the 60's

and whenever we saw the shadow of

the plane against the cloud below

surrounded by a full rainbow

we used to love to make the announcement

and tell everyone to look

 and it created some excitement....

today when I see one I call the flight attendant

and ask them if they know what a Pilot's Halo 

is so I can show them...but 

they don't seem to care.

I guess the glamour and excitement 

has gone out of being a stewardess!!!

Maryann Stephens

Maryann belongs to a group of 

 8 artists who - get this - all

paint on the SAME PAINTING!

(Talk about collaboration!)

The results are truly amazing.

Do yourselves a favor and

check out how fabulous their

website is HERE

More Pears! Day 7

More Pears

6x8in oil on canvas panel  125.

Artist Note

It appears I am working on a

run of pears at the moment.

They are fun, but it

happened all on its own and I cannot

call it a series because I usually 

plan for those.

I have authorized my

 left hand to slap the brush 

right out of my right 

hand if it tries to paint another pear

for at least a week!

Time to do something else

Happy News

I NEVER win anything so imagine my

delight at winning a beautiful 

sunflower painting by Sharon l Graves.

Yea!

Check out the painting at the

River Run Gallery

Sharon L Graves

I have been visiting Sharon's blog for quite a 

while now and she always has interesting 

information along with her 

lovely artwork.

You can also scroll down to the previous

post where she demonstrates my 

useful correcting with glass hint.

Demo Vases - day 6

Vases

8x6 work in progress

Artist Note.

It was back to teaching all day today 

and this was 

 a very quick demo this morning.

Was the demo anything to do with 

something you would find interesting...

probably not. 

The painting below could be though.

It is a rainbow painted looking down from

 a plane. 

I always get a window seat  

and take my little painting kit.

I looked down after the drinks were 

served and there is was. 

I am embarrassed to tell you I called the flight

attendant to made sure of what I was seeing

She actually gave me an Eye Roll and a sigh...

(you pay to get abused like that.)

and in a condescending way I was told

Yes...it was a rainbow.

and YES...rainbows are ROUND 

DUH!

...never felt so dumb. 

Of course I was used to seeing half the circle

because the ground blocks the rest of it. 

Did we have this in school?

Or is it so elementary everyone knows but me.

See the center - that is the shadow of the plane

Honest to god...painted on the spot

as I actually saw it.

Rainbow, dessert ground with small bushes,

Blurry Pears - Watercolor. Day 5

Blurry Pears

6x6 watercolor on paper 

unfinished!

Artist Note

First, I want to thank you for all the

good wishes for my hubby. 

He was a little too smug about all the 

attention, but as he still isn't back to normal

I cut him some slack and let him bask in it.

I caught him checking my blog comments

all day long!!

You are a very kind bunch of bloggers.

I do appreciate you all - very much.

This is an experiment and at the first stage.

It was a study for the pair of pears I did on day 2.

The blurring is intentional.

 I am going to bring it back into

focus very slowly. 

Will show it you then. 

My Red Teapot - Day 4

My Red Teapot

7x9in watercolor on moleskin paper  SOLD

Artist Note

Remember in my last post 

saying painting only 

one item is so much easier...

Well...this is almost one item with 

the pot and cup linked together.

My regular followers know

how many times I have painted this 

much loved teapot.

Started from memory

in ER during the final hour when I knew

all would be okay.

On a serious note.

I am passing this info on in case 

it can be helpful.

I spent 9 hours in the ER with my 

hubby yesterday. 

A very serious allergy reaction to a 

med he had been taking 15 years.

Enalapril.

We are all familiar with a reaction to 

something immediate - like a bee sting

or food, but I was unaware that you 

can also have a gradual 

build up leading to a very severe one.

He has had a dry cough for a couple of 

years and that was apparently 

a symptom all was not well.

The ER doctor 

recognized the culprit was 

Enapril for blood pressure, 

causing the Angioedema

He started the standard treatment

to WHICH my hubby DID NOT RESPOND

 We had some heart thumping moments

of fear and dread.

The clever (young) doctor remembered 

reading something and went and 

researched on the 

computer and found it.

Fresh Frozen plasma 

has started to be used as a successful treatment.

Keep that part in mind if  you 

or someone you know

is ever in a similar predicament...

especially in a small town hospital 

where they do not see a lot of

angioedema.

One pouch of drip drip and the swelling 

started to respond and after the second 

bag he could feel he wasn't 

suffocating to death

The drugs in the 

category ACE inhibitors.

are used for:

blood pressure

coronary artery disease,

diabetes,

mellitus,

chronic renal disease and 

recurrent stroke

if interested -read details HERE

Praising God for answered prayers.

Our grateful thanks to 

Paul and Lindy Bridgers 

who came over and prayed for 

my husband and the 

MVRHospital's Doctor Kinkel.