Painting In Magazine

I was just looking at the Jan/Feb issue of The Artist's Magazine and on page 13 they have my book but above on 1/3 of the page they have part of one of my paintings that I have not really ever shown much. It is something I thought I would point out as you can easily see how I used colored pencils on this piece to get the texture and water reflections...It is a very fun and fast way to work over watercolor to bring a piece to completion! Just thought some of you might want to try it!

Slowly Advancing on Pears!

Have not gotten alot of work done as I have my son and his girlfriend here...but I am drawing on number 5 which is more complicated and did get a little painting done on these two. Party Pear has a plate under it that gives off a strange grey/green /gold appearance and I liked it because it was so odd...so am trying to keep some of that look...It will get a final Q Gold glaze but for now will be this. I still have more drawing to do on the ribbons in order to begin work on the left side. Pears on a Pier needed to have the ground work done so I could judge some values and so I have begun the wood of the dock...it is sunbleached so will not be too dark but cannot put in shadows until that is more or less complete...So far so good. I thought...where do I begin with all this wood! Then just realized it is like lace...find an area and begin and it will fall into place and that is sort of what is happening. Thank goodness! Ha! I hope that I can get a little more painting in today...will see.

WIP Continues!

I took these pictures yesterday and since then I have progressed a little more...but my problem is when my computer had a virus it went it to be cleaned and I lost the programs for uploading my photos...I am going back in with it tomorrow and see if they can fix that...very frustrating. I did manage to figure this out but it was ridiculous how labor intensive it was to get them here...Also when these were taken it was snowing very hard...very gray days here for the last week...so to get it lighter the color maybe has washed out some but at least it is an update.

Well Here it is...Don't Laugh!

I figure I will post this as it was on PBS here locally. It sure is tough to sit in a chair for 10 years bent over for 8 hours a day...realization that it is not too healthy...but it also has made me set aside time now every day to walk...so hopefully by spring I will look more normal! Ha!!! This was filmed at my home for the show while I was working on Monday's Wash....so you will see that and the size it is.
http://www.lptv.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=35&Itemid=202&video=455 

Three Beginnings!

This picture seems to not be quite in focus but it gives you an idea where I am so far...with so many interruptions of late I am surprised I am this far! Last night I began drawing in some of number 4...so hopefully will get to paint on that later today as company is coming this morning. I will try to get better pictures but the best are outside and it was so breezy and did not know how to keep all three upright to take the picture so did this is the house and then it was not as goo...but you can see at least what each is about.

Party Pear Beginning!

I decided to start with this one as it sort of excites me right now. I thought the paper umbrella would be easier and it still is not done...but I did get alot of the drawing done except some of the ribbons in the middle so that will go faster once I can find my way there. I just have to be careful not to do any near the pear until I have that completed as it is a heavy blue in the ribbons and I fear it might bleed into the pear. I am not sure if I will continue with this tomorrow or not as my husbands retirement party is tomorrow and so it is going to be a big day...we will see if I can tuck the morning away for me!!!

BRUSH-PAPER-WATER

I am the new showcased artist at http://brush-paper-water.blogspot.com/   which is a site that Chris Beck has. I think you will enjoy all of the artist's work there and then please follow the link over to Chris's site as her work is awesome and I am sure you will recognize it. She is a nationally published artist with the ability to do the most amazing washes. I would love to peer over her shoulder!!! I think this will take you some time to investigate which gives me some time to get more painting done! HA!  Thanks Chris...this made my day!

New Project Is Begun!

I have never worked in a series and decided to do it all at once! I know...I am a little nuts and I will forever hate pears I suspect but decided to do 5 paintings with pears and you can see from this I have begun putting in the pears. It is just the beginning and I think what I need to do is bring the pears pretty much to completion before working on other elements but I will have to work on some other things so that I do not go crazy with yellow...Ha! I hope out of this I will get a couple that are good. Who knows...maybe I will love them all. There is still alot of drawing to do in each one but have the placement...so that I could do the pears but the detail drawing in the other elements is yet to be done. I can work on that in the evenings or between washes...so this is my next project and I am hoping it goes faster than I think...because I usually do only 5 paintings a yeat! I am planning on completing these before the end of Feb. Might be stretching it there a bit...but aim high...no sense not trying! There is not much to look at here...but it is just proof that I am actually doing something! Ha! Perhaps from now on I will post individual paintings as they get going better.

Milk Glass and Cherries

It is done for the most part...who knows...as it sits here waiting for the photographer to come back from a trip I might get my fingers into it but I hope I can just move on. It is again slightly crooked...but it is -20 and I just hate to ask my husband to step outside again! HA!
I think I might try masking again but it is a very chancey business and it scares me to wreck a painting with that stuff but there will be times it could be very useful so will need to work with it some more and perhaps try other brands as well.
I found I do not want Aliz. Crimson on my palette as it doesn't lift and seems to gray color for stacking. I did like Perylene Violet however and will add that. I need to work with it some more but believe it will make some nice layers but need to try it more.
Not fond of just neutral gray in my work but wanted to see what that was like...I do believe it tends to make the other colors near it more vivid however. I tend to have more color in my grays...but have to consider this more.

So all in all I had a number of things I was learning with this piece and the fact that it turned out at all is amazing to me...as I really hated it in the beginning. But I never give up and often things shape up later if I just hang in there. A good lesson in life and painting!!

Milk Glass and Cherries Continued

I am getting closer and perhaps in the next round I will finish so thought I better take a picture of where I am at. You will also be pleased to note that I finally took a straight picture! Ha!!! I will work more on the cherries, tablecloth needs more of the stitchwork done and some work yet on the lace. I am trying to not get bogged down in the details as much as I usually do...so far so good. It might be when I am done I will have to do more details to make me like it...we shall see. Anyway, here we are this afternoon...closing the gap!

PBS Special....

I was filmed about a month or so ago for a new PBS special that will air mostly in the northern states but might go further...we will see. Anyway, this is the ad they are running for it and I am the first person on it. You will be able to see Mondays Wash being worked on.  http://www.facebook.com/video/?id=239741760597  

Third Step of Milk Glass and Cherries

I have defined the lace more and one more coat into the background...I removed the masking and was not overly happy...but will try to fix that best I can...it did allow me to make a smoother wash in the background and manipulate that glow but I usually do quite well on my own...so still questioning this stuff but might have to try a different brand of masking. I will have to try some of the brands others are suggesting...this was nice and liquidy...easy to use...but full of bubbles so I need to inquire if that was from the trip or the cold. Also I am testing a new tube of paint. Since I was so unhappy with Aliz. Crimson I grabbed another tube I had not tried. Since this is an experimental piece I figure why not. It is Perylene Violet and I really like it...very dark. It is the dark in the top cherries and the dark in the background. I really like this color and think I will add it to my palette for sure...at least I like it better than AC! Ha! I sure hope I can keep painting on this and finish it up this week...so many irons in the fire around here it is going to be hard. My husband retired and this is his first day home after 37 years...so now we begin adjusting to this and I need to establish my painting hours and claim them!!! Ha! Wish me good luck!

Milk Glass Progression

This is where I am at today. I have some kind of marks on the paper and the paint was moving away from areas on the background...not sure what it could be but I will have to go darker to try to cover those areas up. Also that background is much darker toward the bottom but for some reason we are not picking up that color. Hopefully the next time after several washes it will show better. At least I took a straighter picture!!! HA! This experiment is really a learning curve for me. First, I am trying perm. Aliz. Crimson and will take it off my palette when the painting is done. It is a dirty color that I would use if I needed exactly that color I guess but I find my transparent colors so much prettier. Then for the first time I am trying masking. I ordered the new stuff from Daniel Smith but find it is full of bubbles even though I have been very careful not to shake it...think it happened in transport or it froze...but still using it to try the idea of it...just hope when it is removed I do not scream! I would rather paint around things freehand and know that my edges are right...I have no clue at this moment and that is driving me nuts! HA! Also testing greys and I would have had prettier greys without using Aliz Crimson in that mix...they would have been prettier with transparents. So if this poor thing gets done and it works it will be a miracle but I am learning alot of things so that is important too!!!