Design in Winter

This is today's creation - a traditional watercolor which I am preparing for this summer's classes at Riverside Arts Center.  This painting is 9" x 12" and is painted on Canson 140 lb. cold- pressed watercolor paper.  It is way too controlled and tight, but probably good for a lesson.  I know that we will handle the snow on the foreground trees in a different way - I don't like these at all!

Several Old Crows

Yes!  Another old truck!  You know that I am obsessed with them.  I think there is something very beautiful and meaningful about them - these objects that served us well, have been discarded, but  exist inspite of being abandoned.

This is the painting I have been working on yesterday and today - I drew it yesterday, and painted it today.  It is traditional watercolor and is painted on 9" x 12" Canson cold-pressed 140 lb. watercolor paper.

Forest Dweller

I finished this painting this evening.  This is the third painting in my collaboration with my friend, Pamela Baker, who is the photographer. Thank you, Pamela, for sharing your beautiful photograph with me.   As I mentioned previously, this painting is painted on Fabriano Artistico 140 lb. cold-pressed watercolor paper and is entirely transparent watercolor.  The painting is 16" x 22".

WIP #3: Forest Dweller

This was supposed to be yesterday's post - but due to thunderstorms last night, I shut down the computer and decided to post it today.

Almost there...Just a few more areas to paint and then the final tweaking and this one will be finished.  I will have to admit, I like it!  I like it a lot more than I thought I would during the always present "ugly" phase that every painting goes through.  At one point I thought I had lost it!  Now I think I'll keep it!  You artists out there in cyberspace know what I am talking about- You know you do!

This is approximately 1/2 sheet of 140 lb. cold-pressed watercolor paper - 16" x 22" and is transparent watercolor.

WIP #2: Forest Dweller

I was unable to post yesterday's work - my internet was down - it just returned this evening.  I worked on this painting yesterday and today.  This is one I drew some time ago and posted the drawing and am now returning to it.  This is from a source photo by my friend Pamela Baker - I think I mentioned earlier that we have a collaborative effort - her photos and my paintings of them.  This is the third in the series - the other two are "Grunge Truck" and "The Barn Truck" - both of which I previously  posted.  This WIP is on a 1/2 sheet of Fabriano Artistico - 140 lb. cold-pressed.  I love this subject because of the unusual angle Pamela photographed the truck.  The drawing was drawn by using a grid in which I enlarged each square.

Our Garden

I decided to do some plein air painting today and painted our front garden.  This time of the year we have a multitude of blues, violets and pinks and I wanted to capture some of the feeling of this place.  This is not a great painting, but it does sort of look like our garden.  This painting is 11" x 8" and is painted on 140 lb. cold-pressed watercolor paper.

Vortex

I painted early today since I have plans later in the evening, when I usually paint.  This is another YUPO piece - probably the last for a while.  I call it Vortex because it looks like a whirlpool.  I used a combination of ultramarine blue, pthalo blue, and indigo for the water and  red-orange for the koi.  This painting is small  - 5" x 8" and will make a nice greeting card sometime, I think!

Nebulae

Today, I experimented some more on YUPO paper...like I have mentioned before, it is addicting.  I tried the addition of salt and droplets of rubbing alcohol, which has a drastic effect on the paint.  Wow!  For a while they looked like barnacles and then craters on the moon and finally , to me, outer space...sort of like the photos from the Hubble telescope.  I just had to add a little whirlygig for interest! :)

The Sunny Dahlia

I finished this painting this afternoon.  It was started some time ago for a lesson I was teaching at Riverside Art Center.  I did two paintings of the same dahlia - one in traditional and one outlined with miskit and poured.   I never finished this one.  This was the traditional approach.  It is 9" x 12" and is painted on 140 lb. cold-pressed watercolor paper.  Below is the same dahlia in the poured format and hanging down instead of facing up.  I used the same drawing for both.

Somewhere in Time and Space

As you can see, I am still experimenting with painting on YUPO paper.  A friend, Debra LePage, who is a successful YUPO artist gave me some hints yesterday.  So - I tried them today - I think some of this is successful (the top) and then I started to go all controlly and tight at the bottom.  It is going to take some time, but I think I understand what she is talking about.  You should check out her website: www.debralepage.com.

Sunset in Shelby County

 I did this painting this afternoon from a scene along the interstate.   I attempted to capture the colors of late twilight in early spring when the sky is muted coral, turquoise and purple and deep blue above, and the fields are spring green and the trees have not yet grown their leaves.  I love this time of year with the promise of spring and warmer weather.  This painting illustrates our area here in west central Ohio with it's flat fields,  occasional fence rows of trees, and lonely deserted farm buildings.  I think it is beautiful.

Crashing Waves

I finished this painting this evening after teaching my last Monday night class at Riverside Arts Center for this spring session.  I will miss the painters.  This painting was created for a challenge on the Watercolor Passion website - the challenge this quarter is "moving water."  This painting is 5" x 8" and is painted on YUPO paper.  I am really enjoying painting on YUPO, but know that I have a lot to learn about this paper.

The Corner House in German Village

I finally finished this painting that I started several weeks ago.  The painting is 9" x 12" and is painted on a canvas panel in oil paint.  There was a lot more to this painting than I first anticipated - much architectural detail - and I left out a bunch too!  It is a nice memory of a nice afternoon sketching in Columbus while Michelle and Jody painted.

Running Hot and Cold

This is today's offering to the daily blog gods - a small piece on YUPO paper titled "Running Hot and Cold.  I just love the way the paint blends and runs on YUPO paper and how it stays so intense in color.  I think it is interesting that you don't know for sure how the painting will look until the paint is completely dry because it continues to change as it dries - What a trip!

Basket of Vegetables

I finished this yesterday, but was unable to post because Blogger was down.  This painting was created for Watercolor Workshop for their "All paint from one photo" project for May.  I am also going to use it for my Monday night class this Monday evening. It is 10" x 10" and is painted on 140 lb. Fabriano Artistico cold-pressed watercolor paper.

Monument Valley on YUPO Paper

Since I had some YUPO paper cut, I decided to do another painting on YUPO for today's daily creation.  This painting is also small - 6" x 9" and is painted with watercolors.  It is a completely different painting experience painting on YUPO, but is pretty enjoyable.  Monument Valley is the perfect subject for this medium because of all the color and the strong values from the sunlight.

Tulips on YUPO

I did this painting today and it was the lesson for tonight's class at Riverside Art's Center.  It is a watercolor painted on YUPO paper.  My students had never painted on YUPO paper before so this was a new experience for all of them.  They did very well and I think they enjoyed the class.  It is 7" x 5".

Weekend Activities!

I didn't do any creating this weekend because Rock and I were in Marietta, Ohio, at the graduation of our granddaughter, Jennifer, from Marietta College in Marietta, Ohio, where she graduated with honors.  Jennifer is the daughter of our daughter Beth - one of my "early" creations.  We really had a great time visiting with the whole family - eating a lot - holding babies, and all those wonderful family things.  Jennifer starts graduate school in June so she has a month to gather her strength before hitting the books again.  She is going to be a Physician's Assistant and has been accepted into the program in Marietta.  Soooo - back to the "creations" today!

WIP 2: House in German Village

Well - worked today on this again - it is taking forever.  Michelle and I painted together today and she helped me a lot but it still needs a lot of work - especially the white door! (smile)   It's driving me nuts - too much detail...why do I always want to do structures that run off the painting surface?  It must be something in my psyche! :)

WIP: German Village House

Several weeks ago I was planning to paint in plein air after the Ohio Plein Air Society meeting in Columbus.  Because it was so windy, I stayed in the car and did two drawings on canvas to paint later in the studio.  Today I started one of them.  Obviously it is a work in progress, but this is my creation for the day. :)  The painting is 9" x 12" and is on a canvas panel.

Budding Artists at Riverside Arts Center in Wapakoneta, Ohio

Brenda

Cindy

Dianne

Jan

Patricia

Monday night I had my intermediate art class doing the watercolor on stamped gesso paintings of pears.  We only completed 2 of the 3, so they took home some homework! :)  They did so well and I think they really did enjoy the project.  I know I did! It was  a lot of fun.  I have the BEST students - and talented too!

Self Portrait on Gesso Covered Board

I did this self-portrait this evening for the Daily Paintworks self-portrait  challenge.  This is painted on a gesso covered illustration board which I covered with a wash of various browns and red browns and then painted the portrait on top of the washes.  This painting is 12" x 7".

Quartet

I am truly in my "Pear" period!  I just finished this a few minutes ago - a small watercolor painted on a piece of 300 lb. Arches cold-pressed watercolor paper.  It is 6" x 9" in size.

I call it "Quartet" because it is definitely 4 different "voices" - all different types of pears.  Such fun!  I am certain they will make delicious harmony!

Lonely Pear

This is today's project. Actually I posted it this evening, but I painted this yesterday along with the other pear painting.  I attended a bridal shower for my niece Heather Kate close to Canton, Ohio this afternoon - a three hour drive and have not had time to work today...so this actually isn't todays project!  My intentions are good though! (smile)   This is the second pear painting on gesso.  I have prepared 2 paintings for tomorrow's watercolor class.  This painting is 9" x 5" and is painted on a mat board chip covered with gesso and stamped with a pattern.  I previously painted this subject on watercolor paper - this was a much different experience on the gesso! Below is the first painting on the watercolor paper.