I don't know whether to blame a) those lazy, hazy days of summer, b) the general busyness of life or c) the fact that without Saturday class sessions, there's no accountability. Anyway, I've made some progress on this painting, but it still isn't finished.
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| 14" x 11" |
8 x 5-1/2. Trying it small before a big one is attempted. Have fiddled with it so much that now I’m sick of it. In the reference photo there’s a beautiful historic fence and that dark area has rear view of heads and torsos of onlookers. That was all too much.
Another busy week in the neighborhood meant fodder for the sketchbook....
... and not a lot of time for actual painting. What's that saying about life being a bowl of cherries?
Twenty seven years ago you, Elaine, rendered the homestead in watercolor (Who remembers what boffo art show it was in?) Just presenting this as a sidebar to your post
I realized I've been neglecting my sketchbook lately—especially since there's a lot going on that needs documenting. Lots of construction...and this time, it's mostly ours! So, after a particularly hectic week, I finished this spread.
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| 11.5" x 16" |
Several coneflowers or are they jellyfish with roots?
9x12 unfinished.
Sometimes, you just have to know when to step away. This was based on a small, old B&W reference photo. After some direct watercolor sketching, it was time for fine-tuning and finessing. But I find I like the ghostly feel of this, especially for a vintage scene like this. It feels like a memory. So I'm walking away.
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| 11" x 14" |
After getting my new hip,I couldn’t sit in one position for more than 10 minutes so I tried painting while standing-no go. But I’m ok now. So here are two paintings on cold press. The first is 9 X 12 and the second is 11 X 14.
I’d spend more time on the steps but I’ve scrubbed it out so many times that there’s not much paper left.
My favorite pot this summer. Took photo when pink Angelonia was in full bloom. Shortly after the photo it gave up but the sweet potato vine has reached the ground. Many parallels between gardening and watercolor painting.
Here it is in all its glory—a bathroom window. I loved the light bouncing around all the reflective surfaces, framing the solid backlit plant. I tried to rely on color rather than value to get that effect and I think it worked. At any rate, I am very happy with the way this turned out.
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| The Bathroom Window 9" x 12" |
After all that dancing visual patterning, I wanted something calmer and simpler (and easier?). Same bathroom, but a more serene corner. This may be a study. I like the composition, and I like the blue-green color, but the paint has some opaque white in it and it feels chalky and splotchy. I do like that liquid soap bottle, though!
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| approx. 10" x 13" |
Grandson Wyatt. His first beard. It amused me that he grew it while he still had braces….but ended up not including them. Hope I’ve learned the lesson after this…Use a bigger piece of paperš³
FALL 1
ADLTART 1003-SC (37050)
Watercolor Painting Sat 9:00AM - 12:00PM TR Bldg 1 - Rm 3901 Sep 6, 2025-Oct 18, 2025
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Watercolor Painting Sat 12:15PM - 3:15PM TR Bldg 1 - Rm 3901 Sep 6, 2025-Oct 18, 2025
FALL 2
ADLTART 1003-SD (37052)
Watercolor Painting Sat 9:00AM - 12:00PM TR Bldg 1 - Rm 3901 Oct 25, 2025-Dec 13, 2025 (off Nov 29)
ADLTART 1003-SD2 (37053)
Watercolor Painting Sat 12:15PM - 3:15PM TR Bldg 1 - Rm 3901 Oct 25, 2025-Dec 13, 2025 (off Nov 29)
On-line registration is open now
No trees I am afraid. I love the flowing undulations of the Lurie Gardens. Maybe too many different colors and maybe it could use some tall plants close up.
Tree is going to need some work to fit in, but I need to fill in more background to find out how that might work.
Here's the dilemma when you have a really good reference photo. Do you try to paint it, knowing it may never be as good, or do you just let it be its own beautiful photo self and paint something else? I took a chance painting a photo of my Mom's bathroom window. I'm about 75% finished here and I haven't ruined it yet. Next week will tell, I think.
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| approx. 9" x 12" |
The first version of this neighborhood scenery sometime in February 2025 drew comments on the dog and her walker. The rest of the painting was a major application of white or lightest values to show it was a heavy snowfall. I was not able to show the silhouettes of the houses across the street nor did I highlight the bodies, the leaves and the trunks of the 2 trees. Thus, when I prepared my painting stuff into my 2 paint bags, I picked up this February painting with a plan to improve the values and create an acceptable Andersonville snowball winter story. During the Saturday class of July 19, I converted the 12" X 9" into a square 9" X 9" by cutting the top 3 inches of the paper which showed the painting of the curtain like mini canopy of the pine trees of my house & my neighbor's. The removal made the composition easier to arrange. I added the bike & stop sign at the top right empty space. I defined the houses across the street and added the blue car on the left. I added the turquoise shadows of the dog and the walker. And then I have the revised snow scene of July 19! Happy Painting!
Pat and I agreed that my Starbucks photo of the Friday patrons that I took would make an interesting composition for my July 12 watercolor! However, as soon as she left me, I reviewed my recent memories of Philippine Independence celebration in downtown Daley Center on June 12. Two performers, wearing colorful highland natives costumes and who danced spiritedly with the sound of a gong only seemed more interesting than a group of coffee drinkers. I painted the 2 dancers who wore flesh colored underwear beneath the layers of tribal clothing. After I sketched and colored the 2 dancers, I felt that they deserved a rainbow of background colors rather than the bare stage of the Daley Center outdoor stage. I used watercolor paints from my pans of new watercolor. The addition of colors directly from 2 or 3 tubes of watercolors
