Another Step Closer!

I think by doing a few changes to the lines and getting some background in the book is not so much a problem anymore...Thanks Kim for writing...I was sorry I had not posted this so you could see it is progressing...I think I shall never do a book again! Ha! Anyway, here is where I am at now and hopefully before the week is out I might even be done!
Merry Christmas to all!

Prism Update!

I am showing you where this is at but am not happy with where it is. I was doing well until I saw the perspective on the left side of the book did not work...had to was it off with a toothbrush which I hate because from now on it will not paint the same. Hopefully it will work out ok. Then for some strange and unknown reason, I painted that stupid lace as I did...it was simply because the other had turned out I think...I was not following my plan and just did it...now I hope that I can make it work. I did the very thing I tell my students not to do...keep with the plan that you know will work! Ha! Well, I am the worst when it comes to following anything, orders, plans, maps etc...so I hope that it will still be ok but I know it will not be what it could have been. Nevertheless, here it is at this moment before I begin moving into the background. I am still not done with all the prisms but that had become too tedious and I needed to move on for awhile. If I can get some first coats of the background in, then I might feel up to finishing off the glass.

Step Three for Prisms!

I thought I better take a picture while the sun was still shining as one never knows up here when we will go into a long stretch of no sun. It is coming along but I have not devoted as much time to this like I had hoped! I am putting up the tree and decorating outside today and tomorrow to get that project done and have mailed the presents except for one! So I am getting things completed. Most of the Christmas cards have also been sent...at least to family...we will see how far I get with the rest. Sometimes we just can't do it all and be artists too!
I am trying Daniel Smith's Quinacridone Gold Deep which is a limited time only paint and I am really liking it. It makes the reds and browns and even the greens more lively! I hope they start to make this one all the time!
As I progress with this piece, I am seeing that it is actually Christmas colors! I was not inspired by the season but rather just using complementary colors but if this one works out I think it might make an interesting Christmas card for next year. I hope this week helps me get closer to filling in all the local color as I like to cover more of the white to help me with values but in this case, the dark background might bleed into a prism so I really want those done before I ever do the background. I suspect once that goes in there will alot of value adjustments but that part will be much easier...I have found all those shapes and that was the hardest part for me.

Step Two With the Prisms!

I am sorry about the delay in the next picture but we have had no sun so it just would have been too gray a picture. Today it is sunny but it is -20 degrees so freezing out there. I took a quick picture and hopefully will not have to redo it. I did crop it some because of a shadow falling over part but I think the part where I have been painting is showing up well enough to help you see what I am doing. Finding the shapes within each prism is really taking alot of time, more than I anticipated. But if I do it right the results will be worth it. I worry at some point I will become impatient and hurry something so it is not right...so I am trying to just do each part the best I can and take breathers. I am using Daniel Smith paints on 300# ARches. Mostly I am using Indanthrone Blue, Qinachridone Sienna, Transparent Brown Oxide, Sap Green and New Gamboge. The reds are Perylene Scarlet and Perylene Red. OVer glazing with Transparent Pyrrol Orange is helping to give areas some nice sparkle so far. I am enjoying that new color. I think it might just become the final glaze for some of the reds too as it really enlivens the colors.

Moving Right Along!

I have been painting on the prisms of the drawing below and it is coming along but I have not been able to get a good picture so far. That is because we have been having snow storms and it stays so gray outside it overcasts everything! I do hope to get a picture in the next couple of days however. So far I am very very excited! Now I just have to be patient and not rush from this excitment and ruin what I have begun! Ha!
I had an email from Jmancol from the Philippines this morning and he says that the purple waterlily below is called Midnight! Wow! This is so great to think you can put a question out into cyberspace and an answer comes back from the other side of the world! Thank you so much! I tried to email back to you but it bounces back to me saying something about the prefix of the email address. So I will thank you here and hope you get this! I believe it shall be called "Midnight Waters" and all thanks to you Jmancol!
Asnow storm is moving in right now again to drop a possible 10 inches of snow on us. The day before yesterday we got at least that much as well but it makes it so beautiful around here...who can complain!? I will try to get some nice pictures of the snow too if the sun would try to peek out! Have a good day!

Back on Track!

After many side roads and distractions, I finally have a drawing on the table and have actually begun painting! It feels almost foreign to me at this point! I do not regret doing all the clothes for kids however as they are selling well and art is not so it provides resources for me at this time to continue to buy supplies. I think we as artists often think we have to just paint but we might need to reconsider trying another creative venue on the side to help support us. Too many say that is copping out...I say it is a create use of our time. However you are creative is good for the soul. That being said, I am happy to be painting until January when I need to begin the spring and summer lines of clothing as I will be gone teaching so much this summer I need to have them done now...so I had better use my time wisely!
Here is the drawing. It is prisms in a vase on top of Cindy Agan's art book and in the top is a red pepper that is cut up...hoping that green and red combo is going to really set this off as complements often do! I hope to paint a little faster than I usually do so let's see how this goes!

Sorry About The Delays!

I have not been able to paint and am getting worried as next summer I have alot of workshops to give!!! Check out my website as maybe one will be near you!
I have been working on my fall and Holiday collection of clothes and am almost done. Thought I would post one of the sweaters so you could see that line. They have been selling well in the store in Oregon where they really appreciate recycled and reconstructed clothing. It is a niche I am filling and it has been alot of fun.
Today I go to speak at the college to the senior class of Fine Art students and to give them a reality check. For as successful as I have been in many ways, I still do not make a great income and I want them to see that I have to work in other ways to still support my art. That is the reality today for most of us and finding that thing that we can still be creative in and enjoy is the trick! I am lucky I found such a thing and yet it is upsetting that I cannot be just painting. We must do what is necessary these days to stay afloat however! Hopefully my next post will actually be a painting!!!
My book will be the selection of the month at North Light and you will see it featured in Watercolor Magic in this coming issue...so take a peek!

Finally It Has A Name!

The suggestions was given to me just a couple of days ago to title the grapes and silver piece "Saucey Grapes" which I liked very much. I wanted something to elude to the gravy boat and I just could not come up with anything. Of course, those serving pieces were also used for sauces too so that worked great. I had to have a title as it was at the printers and did not have a clue what to tell them...so Saucey Grapes it is!Now the question is should I use the sauce spelling and add a y...or what as I am not sure there is such a word as that. The word would be saucy which is impertinent...insolant...and I do not want it to mean that. So I think to keep it from having a wrong meaning I have to gio with this spelling? Any suggestions? There is the "well sauced" which is seasoned... so is it more correct to say "Well Sauced Grapes"...? Let me know your thoughts! J

Grapes and Silver Completed!

As you can see I still do not have a title for this! I like the idea of using Gravy Boat in there but nothing is coming to me. I am sorry it took so long to get to this point but seems I had a million interruptions and the company scanning it took their sweet time! Just the way life is sometimes I guess.
I know this could have had a lot more drama with a dark background but I am so tired of seeing that as the solution to everything by so many artists that I try to steer away from that as an option. I am hoping it worked well enough to make it seem airey rather than heavy which the dark would have lent to it.
The Workshop went well and the schedule is filling up. It appears next summer will be a blurr of teaching and airplanes and if my delays and cancellations this time are any indicator or what is to come...I will dread flying. I was left in Chicago this time for 12 hours~! Then I had to teach with a little 2 hour catnap...but I did better than I thought I would being so deprived of my precious sleep! Ha! Anyway, any suggestions for a title would be appreciated!

Workshop Schedule

I am beginning to list the workshops at my site for next year. One the first ones is in March to the Mexican Riviera aboard a cruise ship! For all the details you can go to my website at www.janefreeman.com and check out the workshops. I am now team teaching with Cindy Agan so it will be twice the fun I think. She does wonderful portraits and pets besides everything else! Again, it will all be in watercolor.
As for the scan of my last painting, when it came back it was not dead on with the colors so had to have it redone...so still waiting for the proof to ok it. Then I should get the slides and be able to put it up here. Sorry for the delay.
I will be in Michigan teaching a workshop next week and then things will slow down and I hope to be more active here. Thanks for your patience!

My Book Has Arrived!!

Yesterday afternoon my book arrived by UPS. It was very strange to see it all together as a book! I hope that you will enjoy it as I have also a page of instruction from 10 artists whom I call friends as I have known them now for a number of years through emails and encouraging words. They are: Cindy Agan, Peggi Bstcheck, Janie Gildow, Susan Harrison-Tustain, Paul Jackson, Laurin McCracken, Arleta Pech, Sueellen Ross, James Toogood and Marilyn Wear. My foreward is by Robert Reynolds, artist and professor of Art/Emeritus, Cal Poly University. He and I have also been friends for a number of years. So I have quite the list of A list watercolor artists behind me which I think will be of interest to everyone because they share a little about how they capture light as well! Wow! Now that is done and I have been booking workshops for 2008. I will be team teaching with Cindy Agan which should be great as it will you two instructos and twice the attention!
My proofs are suppose to be here by Wed and I hope the jpeg will arrive too so I can put up my new painting! It is yet unnamed so I might need your help again!

Off To The Printer!

My latest painting is off to the printer to be scanned and have slides made. As soon as I have the image I will post it. This is one of those paintings that I will not know if it was successful until I see it framed.
Lately I have been very busy with my second business which is reconstructed clothing for little girls. I have had to come out with the fall line and so that has been alot of work as with summer my seamstress that helps has been busy so.....I am doing all the stuff. Hopefully I will be able to juggle all of this without dropping the ball in either court. I hope to have an update by the end of the week but if anyone has an interesting title for the gravy boat with grapes, I would be very anxious to hear it!

My Book Is Available!

My book "A Celebration of Light" is available at Amazon for pre-orders! I was quite surprised to see it there already as it will not be available in bookstores until perhaos the first week in Sept. You can view it here http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_nr_i_0/105-3676027-9721251?ie=UTF8&rs=&keywords=A%20Celebration%20of%20Light&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3AA%20Celebration%20of%20Light%2Ci%3Astripbooks and hopefully you will want to order one to see what this old goat has to say!
I am nearly done with the gravy boat painting but unforseen things have kept me from finishing it of late but I believe it would just take a couple of days to get it done and off to the printer for scanning...so hopefully my next post will be of the finished piece! Thanks for your patience!

Watercolor Apologies

This blog has been dangling for way too long! I am very sorry but life just gets in the way sometimes and for me, if my mind cannot be on my painting completely, then I should not paint as I do a poor job when my mind is somewhere else.
My husband broke his foot and so I do all the yard work which means 3 hours of mowing every third day! We have had stacks of company which means I am a glorified maid and cook while that goes on. I am now under the gun and am hoping to get real close by Monday morning and I promise as soon as I get this thing done I will post it. It has been so complicated with the lace and when you are away from that for awhile it becomes unfamiliar and hard to find the lines again to retain the pattern. Hopefully this will still turn out ok and I will be ready to move on. Then off to the printers to scan and hopefully like what I see.
This brings up something for you artists...do you notice that once you finish a painting you can be tired of it completely and not like it? Then once I send it off to the printers it takes about 10 days and then I see the print and say...oh my...it did turn out after all! I think we need time away from our work sometimes to get a clearer perspective on what we have done. But not so long that we forget what we are doing! HA!
Thank you for putting up with the delays...I hope to post within the week...In the mean time...Happy July 4th! Janie

Watercolor Workshops

There is still space available in my workshop in Maine this year in July. It is right below the Arcadia National Park which is very beautiful and there are bike trails from where we stay right into the park. There is whale watching as well! You can view the site here and if you are thinking next year, I will teach July 7-11 for 2008 there. I will give you the link here to the workshop so you can see the area. www.acadiaworkshopcenter.com Thanks! Janie

Gravy Boat Step 4

I am so sorry this is taking so long. There have been a number of things that have traspired over the last few weeks that have kept me hopping! First I was signing a contract to license all my images which is final now so I hope that some good things happen! Second, my other business has taken off unexpectedly and so have had to make more time for that. I design and reconstruct clothing for small girls. It is a popular fashion on the westcoast where recycling is important. They have been selling well and I thought it was just going to be a fun thing to do for a few weeks and that was that! Hopefully this next batch of clothes will be done this weekend and I can get back to this painting.
Gravy boat has been a challenge because of the lace. There were so many folds that it was a case where I finally had to just find the shapes and patterns to make sure it would read correctly. I believe I have that now so it will go much better as I do not have to worry about the shapes but can just paint. Nothing is done at this point but it is reading lace and most areas are filled in so I believe it will be much more fun now and go faster. The colors in the lace are Transparent Brown Oxide, Quin. Gold Quin. Sienna and Carbazole Violet. I have tried to keep a variety of values even at this stage but now will have to go in and define things better and get more darks in so the holes in the lace pop better. Thanks for your patience!

Gravy Boat Step 3

Well, I am not setting any world records with this one but I am enjoying some other things now since I finished the book...so taking my time. I have placed the first wash into the background just to give it some substance. This will allow me to do the rest of the painting and then work gradually to the depth I want in the background without going dark right away...I like to wait and see if I can get by without using that trick. Going dark always adds alot of drama but it is not the only answer so I am going to work on it slowly to see if a lighter color will work as well. I will only work on the darker grapes at this point because once everything is done, it is sometimes surprising how little has to be done on those light bright areas...I will wait to determine if they[the lightest grapes] will need more color.

Gravy Boat Step 2

I am sorry I have not gotten much further but have another project going and this keeps taking the back seat...partly because it is so difficult to draw as well! The pattern in the lace has been tough so I think I will switch now to do the gravy boat and background which will make me feel I am 1/2 done and help encourage me to keep on with the lace. Hopefully that part will not take too long if I find the time to get to it. My second business has sort of taken off and so I am having trouble keeping up with everything! The photo seems to wash out the yellows and peaches that are present in this as I took the snap outside in the sunshine which seems to usually work ok for me. I guess true colors will not appear until the actual slides are done but gives you a pretty good idea. Thanks for looking!

The Gravey Boat

Not sure that this is the title however it is a gravey boat and found that to be kind of a funny title...we will see if it lasts. This one will take alot of patience and I am not sure I will last! Some have called me the Lace Queen but I am afraid this lace will be the end of that history! HA! I am also testing the transparent Lunar Black from Daniel Smith in this painting to see how it works and it granulates very nicely and I think will lend itself to sterling well. The grapes are Yellow Gold mixed with Phthalo Turquoise or Manganese Blue Hue depending on which grape and sometimes just straight Yellow Gold all of which are Daniel Smith. I hope this painting comes together as I have loved this photo for several years but hesitated to paint it because of all the lace. I will continue to post but it might take some time before there is a real noticable difference so you will have to have some patience too! Thanks for looking!

Waterlily Slide Scan

I just scanned the slide I had made and am not sure I am still getting the correct colors with this picture. I think sometime I need to project the slide itself and see if the colors are off somehow in the slide! I surely hope not but will post this so I can compare.
Now that it is up it is way toooooo blue but the purple is better. I hope that it is just my computer but these colors are just not correct. The water is quite gray, not blue but the lily is quite purple and that is not showing up either...hmmm I will have to improve this before I put it up on my website!
I just redid this again hoping it is coming up better!

Purple Waterlily Demo Finished!

My photographer just sent this jpeg. I might scan the slide when it arrives to make sure we have the most accurate colors so this might change some. The problems with the water were solved by a glaze of Indigo very lightly applied to allow some of the blues from below to come through. The shadows and ripples were needing some jazz so i applied some Phthalo Turquoise and yellow into the water in areas. I never am afraid of color to liven things up. The same with the purple waterlily. Being only purple was very boring so in the final stages I started using Quinacridone Rose and Quinacridone Gold to liven up some of the purples. Both in the pictures and in my drawing I did not see a problem with the lower leaves but they became a problem and I had to leave them rather undefined or they would have been too dominate. I did the same with the background leaves so that they had little interest but supplied nice shapes and values. I hope it worked well enough. Now I have to live with it for awhile as once I finish a painting, the problems are too fresh in my head and I cannot enjoy the entire piece for what it is. It feels good to have it done and I have begun the next drawing, silver and grapes with lace. Joel from the Philippines has told me that this lily is commonly called Midnight in the tropical countries. So thanks for that info and now the title of this waterlily is "Midnight Waters". Isn't technology amazing? Ask a question and someone in this world will give you the answer!

Demo of Purple Waterlily step 3

I have begun to lay in the water in this case, blues as I would like the blues to move through the last layers of gray that I will be adding. This has been a difficult piece because I am straying from my resource material and plan which is one of my first rules when I teach a workshop! I am setting myself up for failure. Not a complete failure but that it will not be the best it can be because I have no plan and I could make a big mistake in color choices at this point. I always work from the back to the front so I am trying to lay in any background colors and to find shapes before I proceed.

Purple Waterlily Demo 2

Well, I wanted to update you on the water as I am unsure how to approach it. I am changing from the photo I took so that the painting will have more color and I want the reflected blue sky to be showing on the water rather than the gray color that was actually there. I also am attempting...[and I strongly emphasize that!! HA!] to paint more loosely on this one and I will freely admit I am not comfortable at all doing this. Without a plan and being loose, I run the risk of ruining this wonderful start to what could be a very nice painting. So here is the blue added and then I will come in with the darks and show you how it is progressing. Hopefully it will not be ugly and scare the bejeebers out of you!!!

Purple Waterlily Demo

This will not be a complete demo telling you colors I use etc but rather one of solving a problem. This painting first of all has been on hold because of Christmas, company and then a friend moving. Now the days are mine again I need to get back to work. The problem is that I would like the water to express more blue of the sky rather than the grays that my photo is showing. It actually was very gray water that day but I want this to be more colorful. I run the risk of course of making it look unrealistic so I will proceed carefully. I have decided that I now have a few of my darks in and before I go any further with the flower, I want to see what the values of the water will do. It might alter what I think I will do with the flower...so it is essential to see this large mass filled in so I can more accurately gauge what to do with the flower. I could go to far with the flower and have a very dark painting. I want the flower to stand out so that is why I choose to now switch to the background to help me make some decisions. They might be wrong...but I find this lessens my chances of error. So the stage you are looking at now is before any water goes in. Hopefully having shown you this will spur me on now to work faster and get the water in to show you how this will progress! I just peeked and of course I loaded the picture sideways!!! Leave it to me...but the rest will be the right way I promise! HA!