Watercolor Words and Wanderings

Please enjoy this slide show while I attend a workshop!……

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I have some composition problems that I may not be able to resolve. I run into this often as I tend to just want to get to the painting and the planning part of the process is just not as much fun-then  I might  start to “like” the painting but I have made some problems for myself that I cannot fix except to begin again…so I will keep painting to see what happens. See below for the last couple of stages.

Just about ready to remove the masking fluid

(UL)The colors are creating some problems for me- I got too intense too quickly

(UR) Am I painting mushrooms? 🙂

(LL) I put some cool washes over the backgroun to try and unite it- hoping to make the flowers stand out

(LR) This on still has promise

I was able to finish these today. I think they are kind of weird and I have grown fond of them! I wonder if framing them will make them better?

All four

UL- I decided this was not fixable

UR- I like how the pistols and stamens came out

LL

FINALLY finishes filling 2 frames my Mom gave me( I had them for YEARS)- this one is my favorite

Here is this weeks attempt at live model – this is week eight. I was using Cerulean Blue and Lemon Yellow. It was hard- the model sits for 2 hours, at about 1.5 hour I took out the H graphite pencil to use on the left side -not knowing what else to do!

This weeks on the media is again The Colored Pencil Podcast episode #37 is was ins and outs of creating a YouTube Channel. Thank you John and Lisa I have been learning a lot from you- I hope you keep podcasting.

Until Next Week- Peace Out- Bec

 

Watercolor Words and Wanderings

Today I want to share with you “the ones that got away”. I was reading somewhere about how each work is kind of like a child. For me each painting represents a portion of my life- sort of like a those photos that capture a flower opening. When I look at my art many times I have flashbacks to the day- I can even remember what I ate. Some paintings represent periods of growth, change and new beginnings and others remind me of pain and tribulations. They all have memories and some times it is had to let them go…mostly I have given my work away. I have sold a few but I am just getting to the point where I have even tried to sell my work.

Pomegranites- the only picture I have of this.

Mike and Chris vacation the same week my parents do..they and their friends get into my pictures

Blueberries

Paul’s Dog

Skinny’s Tree

Here are a few more…

Dad’s Day

Echinecea from Common Ground

Georgia’s Path

Lighting and sea

Love’s Promise

Blueberries

Blue Rose Hips

Teaching inmates at the Sullivan County Jail-Study of a Winter Scene

Here is one more…pardon the bad pics- my camera is out of town 😉 The little girl skipping was donated to Turning Points Network to use as the front of a card to help raise money to end domestic and sexual violence. The other two are this weeks attempt at live model – week 7.

Skipping Girl

2/19/16 session 7

2/19/16 session 7

Below is what I have been working on this week.

 

On the media this week- see Open Studio-WGBH and I would LOVE to post that episode for you but the website is a bear… I really enjoyed the piece about  Gustav Caillebotte. I remember playing Masterpiece with my family and his most famous work Paris Street, Rainy Day was one of the paintings in the game. What I was most interested in was their coverage of his quote everyday paintings these were apparently controversial. I wonder what will be said of my work-pedestrian?

Next weekend brings another workshop with Robert J. O’Brien– YAY!

-Until next week- Peace Out- Bec

I think I give up..:)

4 more W.I.P.s attemtos to fill Mom’s frames

Schoodic Point August 2015 W.I.P.

W.I.P.-On The Way to Lilloet, BC 2014-painted 2016

Watercolor Words and Wanderings

Such a strange winter we are having, it was close to 60 degrees on February 1rst! I am 5 weeks into a 6 week watercolor class. The students are doing great-having “successes” and “failures” and learning in leaps and bounds. The pictures this week are to catch you up on what I have been doing. I decided to only use 2 colors when painting the model sessions on Friday. I am really trying to

Lesson for class demonstrating masking and a peek into how I start a painting

part two of same lesson- I usually work on 3-4 sometimes as many as 6 paintings at once

This was week 4 of our live model

Week 5 of our live model

hone my skills in. I might try just one color next week! I can see some progress and I am certainly less intimidated by rendering humans. They all still look like men to me and yes in some ways they all look like me. On the media this week- my partner and I are watching Shades of Blue – I am really liking it. Drea de Matteo is awesome and steals the show in every scene they write her into. I also found late last year a colored pencil podcast. I know this is a watercolor blog- but these two have some witty banter that also includes conversation about how to set your prices, how do you handle payments on projects AND information about paper and supplies. John and Lisa were the first to educate me on electronic erasers. Good stuff worth a listen. Until next week- Peace- Becky

Watercolor Words and Wanderings

I had a busy week-last weekend I spent Sunday morning hanging a small install at St.George’s Café  in Henniker NH. The food is yummy and the people are friendly! I hope you can swing by and tell them I sent you. The camera is telling me that” the memory card is write protected” and it will not allow me take anymore pictures….until I figure out how that happened, (ARGH) I cannot ACTUALLY show you the installation… but there are 4 paintings in a nice spot-near coffee cups 🙂 

I also have a series of pictures of a painting I have been working on to show folks at class how to glaze and make mistakes! I got the lines all screwy and pushed the yellow too far and I had a great time doing it. There are some things that I really like on this painting the way the shadow works on the upper most part of building. I think that is starting to work for me since I was able to keep the “white” on the trim for part of the window. The other windows are all in shadow. I am going to mess around and see if I go darker on the trim if I will like the other windows too. I used a  light lemon yellow wash under most of the building but with the roof on the tower on the back right I split it and painted the 2 “panels” on the left side with indanthrene blue and right one with lemon yellow. Then when I went back over that area I got the results I was hoping for a cool “shadow” VS a “warm” shadow- oh I know art geek city. My printer is also on the fritz. I have not been able to make a color print for a couple of weeks. I had to use a picture out of a book as inspiration for the painting. The book is tilted Newfoundland by Ben Hansen copyright 1987- the photo is called ” Winterton, Trinity Bay”. I found a but about Ben Hansen on The Memorial University The Gazette.

Teaching Watercolor to Beginner/Imtermediate students at The Library Arts Center in Newport NH- THANK YOU L.A.C. !

The next series of paintings are 4 small ( 3.5 x 5) florals. I have 2 frames that belong to my Mom and I am trying to paint something to put in them and get them back to her as a small token of my appreciation for her helping me with my first art show. Ok so you should know I have had them for probably 10 years….better late than never? I thought if I started 4 paintings I might get lucky and have 2 that would work- NOT SO. They all have issues that means they will probably go into the acid free boxes I bought this year and not see the light of day except on reminiscing. One of the first things I talk with my students about is how we are our own worst critiques and would they please try to leave the judge and jury at the door. The one that is featured at the head of this blog is the one I might use- or at least I have not “wrecked” it beyond hope yet! The photos show you a bit about the ruination, er-uhm, development of the paintings- I have started 4 more and will keep pictures of those to show you later. I do learn with each painting and have made some notes on them about some of the things I am learning.

Here I have penciled in 3 and wet on wet the underpainting bottom left

close up of the under painting

Here see all four with masking fluid (yellowy blobs) on right two. Started under painting on bottom right

Close up of that underpainting

Here you can see all 4 “finished”

Upper right- I lost my way in this one -I guess you can tell it is floral but I felt not enough definition of the individual flowers.

Lower left- this one is the one my students liked the best- I feel I pushed the colors to vibrant and intense and could not get the details I was looking for.

Upper left- This one I think the flower is great- I got too intense on the blue shadows and I can’t lift them without losing the underpainting- Do over! 🙂

Lower right- this one still have some potential…it is the one featured on this blog. I am going to go see if I can wreck it now! Stayed tuned!

This is week 6’s attempt at a live model. I was tired and so decided I would not draw, but just paint. I am still using 2 colors and I had fun painting these and giving “Susie” a suit of armor! I know I had mentioned I might try using only one color- maybe next week… I have some “On The Media” to share with you but this blog is already long. I will save it for next week. Peace-Out- Becky

Watercolor Words and Wanderings

I took a ride up to my hometown and picked up my show at The Tuftonboro Free Library last weekend. I thought I would share that show with you. I left a book for folks to sign and what a great idea that was- it was heart warming to read everyone’s comments- I will treasure that book. On my media for the week -a podcast about personalized medicine from  Stuff You Should Know and Studio 360  was talking about making a GIFy valentine I might try that next week ! I spent most of the week matting my student’s art, preparing for a show that will be on display at 15 Main Street, Newport NH- we will have a reception on Thursday February 18th from 5:30 to 6:30 pm. Come and support the arts in our community-light refreshments will be served. Thank you again Mom and Chris and Dad for helping with the show and to the staff at the library who were wonderful and friendly!

Peace- Becky

Top Shelf- Spring River Lake, 4″x6″ $45.00. Bottom shelf from left to right Parson’s Beach, Kennebunk,ME $100.00 Floerws On The Fence 2- $45.00 and Lone Swimmer, Bradford, NH $100.00 all original watercolor

Top left to right Mount Desert Take 1 and 2 Schoodic Point, Winter Harbor, ME each are $200.00 – Watercolor and Ink Study- NFS there is a better ppicture below with more information- Bottom row both are NFS they are Dandelion Fields 1 and 2 and represent another come back form a long time or not painting

NFS- Watercolor and Ink Study- done senior year in highschool 1984. This is a study of a 3″-4″ pen and ink done by an artist named Ulrich ( which is why it is not for sale)

NFS – Still Life In Oil- 1988 – done in painting class in college.

The Pillsbury Barn-Musterfield Farm, Sutton NH painted sometime around 2010- $130.00 original watercolor

Pumpkin Fields, Newbury,VT Painted in 2009- $130.00 original watercolor – this one was NOT in the show as I ran out of room!

For Dennis- Painted in 2010 for a friend who was going for a rough time ( I never gave it to him…) $100.00 original watercolor

Milkweed, Groton VT- $100.00 original watercolor painted sometime around 2005

Carol’s Bounty- Mirror Lake, NH Painted circa 2009 $130.00 original watercolor

Wendell’s Fields, Sunapee,NH $130.00 original watercolor painted sometime around 2003

Wells River, VT One of the first excursion with my uncle as an adult- sometime around 2005 $130.00 original watercolor

Pleasant Lake, Elkins NH $100.00 original watercolor painted sometime around 2010

Island a Fire, Loch Lyndon Reservior, Sutton, NH painted from my kayak some time around 2011 $100.00 original watercolor

NFS-Aunt Helen’s View,Derby,VT painted around 2006

NFS-Peacham Dreams,Peacham VT- this painting is one of the first after a long time not painting that I thought had some cool things going on-it means too much to me to sell 🙂

Fishing, Prospect Harbor, Gouldsboro, ME painted in 2015 Framed $175.00 original watercolor

Flowers on Fence 1, Bradford,NH Painted 2013 matted and framed $200.00 original watercolor

NFS-Love’s Promise, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico – This a wedding gift for David and Haydet painted at their wedding in 2014 original watercolor

NFS- Dad’s Day painted on fathers day in 2014 original watercolor- this is my Dad’s painting borrow for the show! Thanks Dad!

Bee Balm Dream painted 2013 en plein aire in Bradford NH- these are my flowers 🙂 $400.00 matted and framed- this was in the KRHS Alumni and Staff Art Show in 2014

Violet’s Dream painted sometime around 2011- this was also in the art show at the highschool in 2014- it is matted and framed $350.00 original watercolor

Queen Anne’s Lace, Thetford VT painted sometime around 2013 it is matted and framed $350.00 original watercolor- this is one of my favorite!

Storm’s A Clearing-SpringRiver Lake, East Hancock, ME matted and framed $200.00 original watercolor painted eb plein aire with my niece and nephew lsummer of 2015- this is one of my favorites to come out of that summer so far…

On left is Blue Rose Hips painted 2015 at Schoodic Point, Winter Harbor, ME AND Study of Misty Forest(on right) by Betty Blevins also NFS because it is a study- done 2015