Watercolor Hunting Dog

This is a commissioned watercolor of a hunting dog that passed away recently. Her name was Holly and she was well loved. I will be delivering this to the family tomorrow at church for Christmas! I hope they feel I captured her in this and that they will have fond memories of her every time they see this!

Page, Arizona finished!

I am calling this watercolor done so I can move on...I will get it to the printer this week to get a correct scan of it so I can offer it in giclees and cards. I still have not titled it but have thought of  alot and only can come up with the obvious.,.Reflections of Page...and that is not what I want. But the title will come this week I am sure.
I have often wanted to do a landscape but they intimidate me because I am so unfamiliar with them. There are so few edges and yet you have to define the shapes so that it appears to be mountians and cliffs...I will do another one yet this winter I hope and then maybe it will be easier the second time around!

If you ever get a chance to go down the Colorado River  in Page, Arizona you will be blessed spiritually. This is 3 hours of still waters...the rapids come right where you get off. You could not hear anything but the water and an bird every so often. It was as if I had taken a long nap as I was so relaxed at the end of this trip I could hardly stand up! ha!  It was totally amazing and I want to do it again one day.

Page, Arizona watercolor phase 3

Ok guys! It may not seem like alot but I have nearly completed the rocks...there will be minor things once the water is done which I plan to complete between tomorrow and Saturday...tweak on Sat and Sun and call it done! YIPEE!

I must admit this was such a challenge for me but decided I had to try as I love landscapes and decided if I was patient I could figure it out. I think I have for the most part and now we will see if I can bring it to a closure this weekend!

Page, Arizona Watercolor phase two

I have not been painting much at all. I had to put together a show and that is now hung and had the opening so that is behind me. I have had other interruptions too and will be gone all day again tomorrow...so I am grabbing time where I can. This painting will hopefully be done by the weekend if all goes well, It seems to be photographing a little too orange and too turquoise blue...and so I need to use a different camera next time to see if the colors will be more accurate. But this shows you the shapes I am finding and how it is developing value wise at least. It has been a struggle for me as I just do not paint this way but I wanted to go outside the box for me and be a little looser. I sure hope it turns out!

Watercolor Of Page, Arizona

A few years ago I took a trip with some of my artist friends and we went down the Colorado river from Page, Arizona where it is still with no rapids. It was wonderful and finally I am attempting to paint one of the river bends. This is way out of my comfort zone let me tell you but I am just taking it one step at a time and hopefully by the end of next week I will be done.  I am so use to working with definate shapes and so this has been a very large challenge for me. Please remember there is more work to do on this but I thought I would show you where I am at this point.
I have not been painting much since June and I have gone through some problem solving on my health issues. I am thinking by spring I am going to be a new person with much more energy! I will get my stitches out in 2 days from some cancer surgery on my ear...it is healing nicely. I am wearing yoked prism glasses at this time to correct my midline shift from a fractured skull 27 years ago. I did not know all the seemingly unrelated problems that this will help. It is a long story but I am improving and doing quite well!

I hope that I will not be away much again. I am drawing and working on several pieces so I hope to keep you updated on my paintings as I progress! Thanks for hanging in there with me!

Daily Artist

I am very honored to have been part of an article on Daily Artist written by Jennifer King! I had no idea this had happened until someone pointed it out to me and to my delight Jennifer King wrote it who was the US editor of International Artist Magazine for a number of years and wrote my article there! I was thrilled to see it because as many of you know I have been sort of inactive over the last couple of years because of health reasons. So it really gave me a shot in the arm!~ Here is the article so you can read it! http://www.artistdaily.com/blogs/theartistslife/archive/2012/10/11/5-tips-for-using-social-media-to-market-your-art-business.aspx

Carrie Waller Interview!

I am very honored to have been interviewed by Carrie Waller on her blog. She did a great job and I have loved her work so much so it was so nice to get to know her better! You can view the interview here:  http://carriewaller.blogspot.com/2012/09/friday-feature-jane-freeman.html?spref=fb
I have not been painting much lately. However the tulip I posted sold over the internet and is now living in Baltimore, Maryland! So that was a nice surprise! Perhaps I should try to sell more of my things that way...we will see!
I have been doing some drawing and have one nearly done and another about 1/2 done so am getting things ready for winter so I can just paint. That will be wonderful. Most people hate winters when it gets so very cold here...some times -20 to -40 but not me! I am snug in my studio painting and do not come up for air until spring! ha!!! Hope you enjoy the interview and getting to know me a little better!

SPLASH 13 Is Out!

Finally Splash 13 is available although I have not received my copy yet. It is always so exciting to see ones work in a publication of this caliber. I have been in SPLASH 6-7-9-12 and now 13!! The competition is fierce to get in and the judges have a pretty tough time picking the few who get in so I feel very honored to be on a page! Hope you are able to buy a copy as looking at all the artist's work and reading what they have to say about what they did is always such an education.

Lady Slipper Watercolor

I just realized I did not post the other 8x8 stretched paper painting. These paintings are varnished with a UV polymer and are really quite tough. They can be hung as they are or framed in a shadow box that really sets them off nicely. This is the Pink Showey Ladyslipper.

Red Tulip Watercolor

I just completed another stretched watercolor paper painting. This is again 8x8 over stretcher bars and you can see there is some depth with picture two...Getting reds to photograph correctly is not easy but I am close. I am hoping I can get a collection of small pieces to sell at some point...as they seem more marketable because they are without frame, glass and mat and are varnished for protection which seems more modern for the younger collector. We shall see!

Pink Showy Ladyslipper Orchids

This summer I have completed only a few things and one is this group of Pink Showy Ladyslippers. It is our state flower and we are so blessed to live in an area where there are many varieties of orchids that bloom! Seems odd doesn't it as we are such a very cold state but they thrive here. You will find them on the edges of the forests and growing in the ditches...it is pretty amazing! I have painted them before and my first original was purchased by the Secretary of State a few years ago to hang in her office. That was a great honor for me. Hopefully this one will find a good home as well!

Happy Fourth!!

This is a card I created for July 4th and for my son's dog Taylor...I will write what I put on the back of the card which I think is important for us all to remember everyday not just today.

I did this painting for my son in rememberance of his wonderful dog Taylor. She loved to go on the pontoon for rides. This was the 4th of July and she loved to get her scarf on and be in all the excitement of the regatta on Movil Lake. She put her whole heart into it and smiled the whole time. Our freedom is very dear and we are so proud of all those who have fought to keep us free. Next time you see the flag go by in a parade...remove your hat and place your hand over your heart and mean it. We are a very blessed nation and we need to show that pride like our grandparents had. My grandfather always stood at attention for every flag and he taught me to do the same. It is one small way to honor our country and show our gratuitude to the military for their service. And Taylor might add one more thing....SMILE!

Paul and Babe in Watercolor!

Here in Bemidji we will be celebrating 75 years of having Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox as our city mascots! I wanted to paint them but thought I would paint them differently than usually they are seen. I used salt and pepper shakers and made it appear that they are on Lake Bemidji with their reflections in the water. Reflections of the stars and moon are there as well! A fish has jumped in the water and they are gazing up into the sky at the Big Dipper where the North Star is located. This was a fun painting for the anniversary and hope it will do well this summer! I made cards and giclees of it.

Afternoon Delight watercolor with pears

I am not done with this yet as I cannot figure out what should be on that little tag hanging there and thought the title would give me the answer but it doesn't...still some painting to do but I have stopped hoping to come up with some solutions and none are coming. ha! I am thinking of calling it Afternoon Delight..but not sure on that and open to suggestions!!

Watercolor Workshop

I am going to offer a watercolor workshop here in Bemidji, MN this summer. The dates will be June 28-30th and the price will be $185 for all three days. I am hoping this will then make flying here seem affordable. The contact is Janet at 218-444-5606. Her email is jbrademan@yahoo.com I am hoping this will turn out to be a wonderful time for people to get away for a few days before summer gets too busy! Any questions, just ask!

Sharing My Posts!

I have now added a link on the side bar and also below each picture that will allow you to share with facebook and also to tweet it. If you click on the title for the post, it brings you to a page that is just that post and then share it, that picture will come to Facebook etc...and the perfect thing for me is that when viewers click on it they will be brought back here to my blog to view it. That is terrific as then my blog will get more views! So I really appreciate it when you do that for me. It means alot! Thanks!

My Friends the Squirrels!

I have begun a painting but it is progressing very slowly and I will not be doing a step by step on this one. It just might be one of those that is going to take a long time as I am working out the background now and it will be complicated and not easy to do.
This is one of my buddies who visits me and looks through my windows to find me to let me know he wants peanuts. I have 6 that come but one seems to know I am the source of all his enjoyment! ha!
My pet Bluejays still come as well and oddly there are 6 of them! I guess 6 is my lucky number! hee!

I have so many things that need to be painted for upcoming events that it is taking all my time away from this. Hang in there...I hope to have some things to show you but for now I am sorry it is so quiet.

Roses Watercolor

I have not given this a title yet but wanted to get it up for you. This is a full sheet in size so it is pretty good sized and took awhile to do. I think it was a struggle to save the glow when I was going so dark in the shadows but I hope that it still glows! Any suggestions for titles are welcome!

Lean On Me

Well the more I looked at this painting below I felt I needed to change that area on the left behind the fence as it was now an entirely different painting once that heavy fence went in...the airy quality there was totally different from the heaviness of the rest. At first what I tried was awful...and I had to scrub...which I hate to do but had to save this. I think it is ok but if only I had had thought this through I would not have had this problem...therefore...do as I say, not as I do! ha! Always know your background before you start a painting. I always do but then I will change my mind and make things up and as you can see I can nearly wreck things...I need to put a very large sign up above my studio table that says...WHAT IS YOUR BACKGROUND? DON'T CHANGE YOUR MIND!  Ha!!!  I went in and redid some edges as well on the peony along the dark side of the fence and other areas...I bet I could spend two more days adjusting things but have decided to instead start something new and I turned this against the wall...I cant look at it or I will tinker with it again!!! I will head to the printers that is 3 hours away sometime next week and get this scanned so giclees can be made and cards.

White Peony Completed

I cannot get a very accurate picture as we are having a blizzard but thought I would post this anyway. It is close. I want to be done with this as I have already begun my next painting and I am so anxious to get going on it! I will have to wait until tomorrow but in the mean time I can clean up the studio and be ready to go!

I darkened the sky in the very last because to do it any sooner I might have gone too far. Darks of course are such great contrast but I am always looking for another answer...it is easy to go dark but I wanted a composition back there. I still might do something with the left upper area but decided to wait and think on it. I hope that I can call it done and move on but in reality there is so much I could tinker with and adjust I could be on this another week!! So for now I am calling it done and the title is going to be Lean On Me I think. It was a title suggested to me and I think it is a very good one!

White Peony Demo Continuted

I am a little further...but not as far as I had hoped. Life just keeps getting in the way and so paintings do not get done like they should...but that is just how things are for me right now.

I started the fence and decided to go quite dark with it for contrast but that is going to require alot of adjusting with the values in the peony. I do not think that will be hard however but have decided I need to get the leaves figured out and in so that I have all the other values to look at to make my final decisions on the peony. Each time I wash over the browns in the fence they fade out as transparents will do so then I have to go back in and add some details again so it is taking a little longer but I always enjoy this back and forth play with the painting. I hope after tomorrow I am working on the peony and bringing this one to a close!

Another White Peony!

I started working on another white peony and before Christmas had it blocked in as you will see in the first picture and then finally did some thinking on it and today I added the beginnings of a split rail fence. I am hoping this will work out but means I have to darken all the values again in the peony. The grays are the ones I always make from my triad of Quin Rose, Indanthorne Blue and New Gamboge. The fence is an attempt to split the background into a Golden Mean of thirds to see if I can add interest and hold the eye in that upper third on the right. I should learn photoshop and not experiment with a painting I really like but it is what I do...ha!!

Hope everyone is having a great New Year!!