Watercolor Words and Wanderings

It came up in conversation yesterday, just what is a Giclee print anyway? I thought I should learn that as I tip toe my way through finding the most cost effective way to get my art reproduced and also end up with a product I can be proud of. First off it is pronounced Zhee Clay ( I often get the consonants mixed up and say Glee-shay ;)). Giclee is derived from a French verb gicler meaning to spray or squirt. Wikipedia claims my ink jet printer can produce a Giclee.  According to gicleetoday.com the answer is no. Giclee uses special light-fast, water resistant, archival inks on archival substrates. The process uses 12 of these special inks creating a very accurate color reproduction of the original.  If treated properly, the prints will last a lifetime. The way the image is scanned is different also. The original is scanned directly on a drum scanner or large flatbed. If the image is larger, or cannot be taken off the stretcher frames, then a professional large format photograph must be taken. Finally it also seems that most of the Giclee printers can accommodate large sizes. So that seems to be it in a nut shell!

Here is what I have been working on this week- I hope you have a good week- Peace Out-Bec

Exercise using masking tape to reserve the whites.

W.I.P. trying to make the scene believable.

W.I.P here I am working on making those stone walls less straight.

I am attracted to the sky line created by the barn and house….I want to repeat the somehow in the picture…

W.I.P. taking this to strange places- what I am going for is to capture the correct values.

W.I.P.- Thin washes on hot pressed paper. Dry as dry can be before adding the next layer.

W.I.P- I glazed over the back ground with yellow. I meant to do this in a cool color- whoops!

W.I.P again pumping up the contrasts- not sure if the house will be able to read as white…I will look again in spring to see how to do this better!

W.I.P straightened the right side of the house with Gouache.

W.I.P the foreground is filled with salt and masking fluid.

W.I.P.- almost done- I glazed over the back ground and used some gouache on the dandelions in the foreground, Next going to pump up the contrasts in the branch in the fore ground and do some detail work on the a few dandelions.

Watercolor Words and Wanderings

As promised a busy week of painting in Maine…Thank you for checking out my blog! As always (mostly) hover over the picture for more info about art.

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I worked hard everyday- I only finished one ( maybe- 😉 looking at it today I think it needs more work in the foreground)

W.I.P. Brattleboro on Saturday…going to work on the values here.The tree in teh back ground is to simular in value to the truck in the front…

I thought I was done until I started writing this blog. I think this needs more dark values.

Here is one I have been looking at for a while….

W.I.P enjoying the colors

W.I.P- not sure I have shown this one yet- I found it on a watercolor block.

W.I.P.-This has been hanging around for finish for a while…I finally moved on this and I really like the blue wash

Painted EN Plein Aire a lot while I was in Maine, the weather was pretty good! After using  my masking fluid for 3 days I discovered it was sticking to paper- not sure if it has ruined the work or not. Bummer but keeping me on my toes!

Sunday-Across the Street- Gouldsboro, Maine

W.I.P. Across the street 3? I have to look that up…

W.I.P building the different planes of space.

This is what I was looking at- hmm- artistic license!

Monday-Schoodic Point, looking toward Mark Island

W.I.P. I like the drama of this

I think this is Mark Island- Cadilac Mount in back ground

Tuesday- Winter Harbor, Maine

W.I.P. this has masking fluid on a few spots. I pumped up the drama in the sky intentionally( It was so much fun yesterday)

Here is what I was actually looking at!

Wednesday- Machias, Maine

W.I.P. this ALSO has masking fluid- I like the bridge part.

Here is what I was looking at but I was a bit higher up…I do not know why I did not take a picture from where I was sitting! I did find a framing studio. Nice town and great pie at Helen’s!

Saturday- Schoodic Point, Gouldsboro/Winter Harbor, Maine

W.I.P.- challenging subject used a lot of masking fluid

The waves were the best I have ever seen them when it was not raining at high tide the spray was popping up 30 feet…it was misting on me 🙂 WICKED nice day!

Sunday- Schoodic Point, I think this is Goose Island?, Gouldsboro/Winter Harbor, Maine. I paint here a lot. There is a tree to sit under and a place to get and leave water across the way.

W.I.P. noodling around…it was kind of cold.

Schoodic Point

I also worked on the “Ugly Fly” :O) which BTW is SOLD (I think) !

W.I.P. after teh first class- Butterflies and Blooms Project…very early stages

W.I.P. After the second class- I am liking the drama…

W.I.P. coming along…I think I need to fix the upper left corner and unify behind the flower on the right.

and lastly…I hope you have a great week! Peace- Bec

W.I.P- started in class on the 30th…

W.I.P also started in class on the 30th…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Watercolor Words and Wanderings

I have been on the left side of the United States for a few weeks and enjoying the mild weather- taking tons of pictures and painting some in between spending time with family and eating!  I created a bunch of mini paintings to be used as tags for gifts. They spawned some ideas for cards designs for next year. I know it is early but I have to get them done and ready by about September to get them into fairs and etc. I think the snow person with the MARCO hat is just too cute ( like the person I made it for). I  also like the snow bear and the tag with the three tall trees- What are your favorites?

Tag from watercolor class- Thank you Becky Darling

I finished the cardinal card design…

W.I.P Going to be a winter/christmas card

W.I.P – I wanted to get the background darker so I opted to mask over the pine needles…

W.I.P.- here darker background…not quite done with the bird.

W.I.P. Christmas card design still need to finish the cardinal

Finshed! Just added one final glaze over parts of back ground

Started and I think finished a still life….

Persimmon de Maria 2016

Started a painting….

W.I.P. I did a fair amount of drawing(for me)- using my brother and sister-in-law’s windows and flowers for inspiration

W.I.P. doing some clazing and increasing the contrasts

Made a card for a friend’s 60th birthday…

We ate at In Situ at the SFMOMA- THANK YOU RAMA and it was a great meal- go if you can! Classes started on Friday and I have been working on things other than art since I arrived home- but I promise I will create art –  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

Watercolor Words and Wanderings

If I can figure out how to post in the future this blog entry will post while I am in the middle of a two day watercolor workshop. Robert J. O’Brien is the teacher. I took a class with him in the fall on my 50th birthday. He is an amazing artist and a great teacher. I like his style. The class is about painting window and doors. I will blog about the class and let you know what I learned.

This week I wanted to show you some pictures that are inspirations for paintings. In 2014 I was fortunate to travel to a wedding in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

View of hotel next door

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

This painting is heading to the bride and groom after it comes down from the art show at The Tuftonboro Library. I was really interested in the architecture but the jungle took over!

I may still use this picture as fodder for future paintings.

The mountains were so lush and green

This painting was inspired by the mountains after an afternoon thunder storm. Having never painted a city, I was not sure what to leave in and what to leave out- I was painting in the hall off the back of the hotel. I think we were on the 10th floor so the drop left me slightly queasy. Because I chose to paint first and deal with drawing mistakes later, I led myself into some structural problems and decided to abandon this painting. I think it is important so show others this because at this stage of my painting career for every painting that makes it to “finished”  there are probably 25 (or more)that do not. Below are a few more paintings that were started on that trip- I had a good weekend. The humidity made for great painting and it was hot for October and my north country bones. 🙂

By The pool- Matteo played here for hours and hours

Another sketch by the pool in early mornign before people woke up

View from the entrance