HOW MANY YEARS?

This ancient building with its strong arch reaching to yet another ancient building begs me to drink it in. I am not trying to toot my own horn, but I want to say that this painting ranks right near the top of my favorite paintings that I've ever done. I loved how it turned out, but it was 'touch and go' a lot of the way.

The tedious taping process was used to create the painting, but then I delved into it more to adjust and fine tune it. Actually, I overworked it a lot and nearly killed it. I had to rebuild the left side twice and retrieve some sky area. The archway gave me fits trying to make it read right, especially with that little balcony area above it. Advice from other artists helped guide me, too.

Several times, I was sure the painting was lost, but fortunately, it revived. Major reconstruction was done in certain areas using gouache, an opaque watercolor that actually seemed to help the transparent areas in and around the big window to glow more. Because I really liked certain things about the painting, I couldn't give up on it. I wanted to see it succeed.

The shutters and windows are purposely crooked and askew, partially because I didn't start out with a well planned drawing, and partially because I was focused on making my love of this scene be more important than an accurate rendition of it. I'm posting it today because it so symbolizes the past 40 years my husband and I have been married.

Today's our 40th anniversary so I looked through my paintings trying to decide which one would best describe today. These old buildings, connected by an ancient archway, could be the two of us. Pretty much everything I've just typed about this painting and the struggle it was to create can also describe our marriage.

The light in the window is my favorite part of the painting, and maybe the archway represents the commitment it takes for two people to survive being together for this long??? One thing for sure, we're getting to be ancient, too. Or at least it feels that way at times.....

Deanna, who owns Waterlily Gallery where this is hanging, told me last weekend that a lady was very interested in buying this painting. I have a feeling I may want to keep it instead.

I wish a Happy Fathers' Day to all you dads today too!

"OLD ITALY" Transparent Watercolor on 140#HP Arches 22 x 15" NOT FOR SALE

A DAY WITHOUT PAINTING IS FUN!

If you're stopping by to see more art, I hope you'll enjoy the change of pace that I'm posting here today. This was 'VE' day - for Volcano Eruption. As you can see in the photo below, all went as expected. We even had a newsgirl, with her yellow microphone, on the scene to give us updates about the situation as it unfolded.

Any creature that didn't evacuate this one-of-a-kind, artistic, hand built mountain was destroyed by a rumbling blast and prolific lava flow, which triggered a major mudslide that seemed to move part of the mountain. It could be years before things grow in that area again!

It was an exciting day overall that also included delivering trees and some shopping earlier with Grandpa. After the volcano completed its outstanding performance, we all headed to the pool for a two hour swim, followed by dinner on the deck of steak, corn on the cob, and chocolate milk. We enjoyed the sights and sounds of nature all around us even though we were continually 'visited' by a mammoth wasp that actually landed briefly on my arm. Yikes! Life is so good!

BATIK AGAIN

This batik became a challenge, mainly because I tried to paint and wax on a very, very thin rice paper called Ichimatsu. Since I chose a subject with so many right angles, using a washi paper with the tiny squared pattern in it seemed like the natural choice.

This photo isn't the best to capture the painting, either, since it was taken several years ago. 'Ichimatsu' means 'checked' or tiny squares, and it's a fun word to roll off your tongue.

Every layer that I waxed and painted on this surface had to dry completely before it could be handled, or it would easily tear. Any rice paper can tear, but this was pushing the limit.

The final mood of the painting suited what I was after.... an empty chair in an antiquated and poorly equiped kitchen. I liked the way the blocks of lights and darks helped create movement in the picture too.

"COUNTER PRODUCTIVE" Transparent Watercolor and Sumi Ink on Ichimatsu Rice Paper, adhered to 140#CP Arches about 13 x 18" COLLECTED

SCULPTURE & FLUID ACRYLICS

This past week has been bubbling over with activity - but not on watercolor paper. We have two of our grandkids here, and the project was to make a volcano and let it erupt. We'd tried it last fall with a makeshift volcano and had no luck getting the baking soda and vinegar to spew out of the volcano.

Tomorrow's the day we will try again - but this time with a 'state of the art' volcano, carefully crafted out of plaster wrap and paper maiche, then covered artistcally with snow, a mud slide, a mountain stream, many crevasses and rocks, plus adorned with dinosaurs devouring the lush vegetation growing on the side of the volcano. The kids built the whole thing then painted it with my fluid acrylics and did an awesome job. They are really proud of what they've done, too.

I'll let you know how well the newly created volcano erupts and if any of the dinosaurs survive. Our oldest grandson is going on vacation with us later this summer, and is especially excited about it since we'll be staying on two dormant volcanos, Mt. Mazama and Mt. Hood.

FLORAL BATIK

I just got back home from a gorgeous lake setting in Michigan where I enjoyed a relaxing and inspiring weekend with one of my favorite art 'cronies' (my husband's terminology.) Lynne is a gifted photographer who has incredible timing with her camera and is able to see (and capture on disk) aspects of nature in her own unique way.

She has hummingbirds EVERYWHERE! She fills her feeders with a 3 to 1 water to sugar ratio, and it does the job of attracting them constantly, even during torrential downpours. There was quite an array of wildlife to enjoy - cranes, herons, frogs, turtles, butterflies and song birds, as well as exquisitely beautiful gardens at Linda's home to explore. It's an excellent fishing lake for catching bass and for watching storms roll in across the lake --- WHEW! Exhilarating.

We never did make time to produce any works of art, even though I packed all my painting and batiking supplies. The batik shown here was painted several years ago and belongs to Lynne and Jamie now.

It's sometimes a much needed inspiration to just unwind and share with friends rather than to spend the hours producing paintings. Either way, we would have fun together. Not only can Lynne take great photos, but she's become an excellent cook, too!!! So I was well fed, got my batteries recharged, and now have a great weekend full of memories. Many THANKS!

"HE LOVES ME..." Transparent Watercolor and Sumi Ink on Thai Unryu Rice Paper, adhered to 140#CP Arches about 15 x 11" COLLECTED

TWO WRENS

I do love to watch the birds and am often inspired to try to capture their beauty in a painting. The painting to the left with the bigger background was painted ten years ago, while the close up was just completed as a demo in a class.

The close up painting may never be finished. Like other artists, I start a painting, full steam ahead, then other things capture my attention, making it hard later to revive my interest in the first one.

Looking back in the archives can be frightening - to think I had some of that stuff framed! YIKES! I see a marked difference in the sureness of stroke in the newer painting compared to the older one, but the flowers and twigs were executed better in the old painting, in my opinion, probably because then I cared more how realistic they looked. The same exact photo reference was used for both, with the image reversed for the second one.

Top Painting "CAROLINA WREN" Transparent Watercolor on 140# CP Arches 15 x 11" COLLECTED

YUPO & VARENNA, ITALY

Here's a painting done from the same photo reference as the last post, but the surface I painted on was slick plastic called YUPO instead of cotton paper. The textures that can be created on YUPO are unending.

I loved the textures on the walls and steps in Italy. They were yummy, and I've often said I could've crawled inside them. Next summer, if you want to paint there, Janet and Steve Rogers will be teaching a watercolor workshop in Varenna. Their website is on the sidebar here on my blog. Janet will be here at my studio teaching again in April, 2009. Carol Carter will be here this August, and life is full of ART!

This fall I'll post some more paintings done on location in Varenna, Venice, and near Lake Maggiorie, all in gorgeous northern Italy.

"CHURCH SPIRE IN VARENNA" Transparent Watercolor on YUPO 13 x 20"

ITALY

Staying on Lake Como in the delightful village of Varenna was my favorite part of the first trip I took to Europe. This painting is from one of over five hundred photos I took in Varenna, and the scene was near our hotel, Olivedo, right on the lake.

In September, seven of my friends and I will be there painting, laughing, eating, and totally enjoying the beauty of this well kept but ancient little town. I can't wait to hear the school kids gather after school and break into beautiful, impromptu melodies like they did when we were there two years ago.

It's an artist's paradise, and we will be painting outdoors some of the time. Varenna's built on the side of a mountain, and all the steps lead down to spectacular Lake Como. I wonder how many thousands of well worn steps are in Varenna.....

This painting actually has a vibrant orange color on the spire, but the color doesn't read very well in this post. I used my masking tape technique to create the painting and have another one done on YUPO of the same scene that I'll post next.

We'll see you in a few months, Laura! CIAO!

"STEPS & SPIRES" Transparent Watercolor on 140#HP Arches 14 x 21" COLLECTED

FINAL PAINTING FROM THE BLACK AND WHITE SERIES

This is the last archived painting from my black and white series done almost ten years ago. So many artists say they paint in a series, but I certainly never intended to be 'painting in a series' when this black and white phase hit.

Carla O'Conner stated in a workshop I took that a series should just happen and not be planned. I totally agree with her. That's what happened here, as well as when I got interested in painting openings - like windows and doors. The black and white was as much of a series as was the melding of the shapes together into one value area in these past few posts.

I do not seem to know that I'm painting in a series of related paintings until I'm well into the third or fourth one. Then I can see the relationships between them, and realize that I'm painting what's important to me at the time. That's what a series should be all about.

"CHORES" Transparent Watercolor on 140#CP Arches or Fabriano (can't remember) 12 x 20"

CLOGGING FROM THE ARCHIVES

Another 'black and white' theme from the archives here... of a friend clogging at a Fourth of July festival about 10 years ago, right about the time the sun was setting. I liked that his partner's foot showed and just the edge of her head, but she's hidden for the most part.

There was such spirited energy in this group of cloggers, and everyone's toes were tapping while we watched. Dave's wife, Connie, is the teacher of this particular group, and Dave's a super watercolorist and artist, too, besides being an accomplished dancer.

Once again, I loved connecting as many dark values as I could, subtly changing colors as I painted them in. I used multi colored shadows to help add a feeling of festivity to the painting.

The fireworks that went off over the Ohio River soon after their dancing ended were spectacular, but I've never been able to paint fireworks effectively. I'm not sure anything, even photos, can ever do justice to the glory of a good fireworks show.

"DAVE DANCING" Transparent Watercolor on 140#CP Arches 12 x 20" COLLECTED

ANOTHER BLACK AND WHITE ARCHIVED PAINTING

A trip to northern Indiana lead us to plenty of rural Amish areas. A sunny day with some deep shadows of great shapes resulted in a lot of picture taking time.

I love to connect shapes in a painting that really are separate, and it was easy to do here with all the darks. No actual black was used because I wanted to capture what I felt was the 'color' of the area. Various colors were charged together to establish the strong darks that read as black. This painting is about nine years old, but I still enjoy looking at it because of all the contrasts and colors.

Any color that looks really dark in your palette wells can be used in combination with others to make a good dark. The trick is to let the water in the paint do the work of mixing, (rather than mixing it all in the palette) and let little gravity do the blending. As soon as the brush starts stirring things up, it can get real ugly. Make the paint very, very dark but use enough water to allow the paint to flow into other wet paint on the paper. Enjoy the spontaneity of it all. It's like magic.

"AMISH WHEELS" Transparent Watercolor on 140# CP Arches 21 x 14"

BLACK & WHITE ARCHIVES

The photographer at my niece's wedding several years ago was a painting ready to paint. I love contrast in paintings, and his wedding attire, his salt and pepper hair and beard, and his camera equipment provided all the dynamics needed to make up a portrait that I wanted to paint. The sun even co-operated that afternoon, providing more contrast by casting some nice soft shadows and creating some good highlights for the painting.

To make the blacks in the painting lively, I used Daniel Smith brand watercolors of Ultramarine Turquoise, Quinacridone Magenta, Indanthrone Blue, and Quinacridone Brunt Orange .... but no black paint. By making four separate puddles of very dark pigment, I could pop in the dark areas, allowing the colors to charge into each other and blend on their own. The luminous 'black' colors stayed transparent even though they were very strong darks. No glazing was done in the dark areas here, just one shot in with the darks mingling together.

I snapped a lot of film that weekend of the wedding in beautiful Buck County, PA. What a great area to visit - and have a wedding!

"SAY CHEESE" Transparent Watercolor on 140# CP Fabriano Artistico 11x 16"

MORE BLUES

This painting was created using fluid acrylics on hot pressed paper which was initially glazed with two coats of gloss medium. I applied colors, building up layers of many colors and, after letting them dry, wiped them partially off with rubbing alcohol to reveal some pretty cool textures. More paint, more rubbing, and more removing continued, and a small amount of rice paper was collaged in a couple of areas.

It's a great process that tells you when you're done... but not in a very loud voice. It was so much fun as I discovered the hidden textures of the painting while lifting off areas with the rubbing alcohol.

In this abstract, the temperature dominance is cool, and it was done about a year before I went overseas, when I then intuitively switched to creating mostly warm temperature paintings. Caran D'ache crayons embellished parts of the painting, too. I spent many hours painting this, then partially removing areas, repainting again and again, and each time I look at it, I remember the joy I felt as I discovered new areas of texture and beauty.

I loved the process, which seems to be more and more important to me lately. The message I want to convey somehow is directing the process choice, and I'm just along for the ride. I love the journey!

"JOURNEY" Fluid Acrylics on Hot Pressed 140# Arches 22 x 30" COLLECTED

BLUE PHASE

Just like the previous post, this painting is from my archives of the last 20 years of painting with watercolor. And, this painting leans strongly toward the blues and turquoise end of the color wheel.

For more than 17 years I painted by using cool dominance as the usual temperature of my paintings. Of course, warms were in the painting, most often near the focal area to add interest and change. Even though I'd had read that warm toned paintings sold better than cool temperature ones did, that didn't stop my inner instincts from using the temperature I liked the best, usually with teal or turquoise as the main ingredient.

Then I traveled overseas to Europe for the first time, with a short stop in northern Italy. From that point on, it seems that my instincts have been telling me to paint 'warm' temperature pictures most of the time. Could it be that a life changing experience or journey can also result in an artist preference responding occurrence? Surely... if that's even a sentence that makes sense???

"SHOW OFF" Transparent Watercolor on 140#CP Arches, 15 x 11" COLLECTED

ARCHIVES AGAIN

Here's another painting from the archives, only this one's even older. This was created using my tape elimination technique - placing bits of torn or cut masking tape where I do not want the paint to go, then painting over the whole page with various colors all the same value with watercolors. I repeat this 'tape pieces/one value of many colors per layer' process until I have six or seven layers of tape and paint and values on the paper.

Peeling all those tiny bits of tape off is tedious, but the surprises of texture and color combinations make the tape removal seem like a treasure hunt. I haven't done a tape picture for a while. I think it's time to get one started. I like how it resembles batik a little, where the paint creeps under the tape, making some awesome edges and textures. I need to try this on YUPO. What a great assignment.

"STONE WALLED" Transparent Watercolor on Crescent Watercolor Board, about 12 x 21" COLLECTED

BURSTING OUT ALL OVER

I've dug into the archives for some paintings that are from almost a decade ago. It's weird to compare them to the work I do now, but since this blog is about a journey, I include them here - even if they are out of sequence.

This painting was one of the first 'poured' paintings I ever tried. Miskit was applied to protect shapes of each layer of color and value while I poured new layers of color over the wet paper. I think this one had at least 6 layers of miskit and pours, maybe seven. Removing all that miskit is the hardest part of the painting. Once the miskit's off, it's nearly done! Softening a few edges and adding some soft suggestions of distant leaves finished the piece.

The car's long gone, probably rusted totally by now. But the memory of seeing it 'planted so beautifully' in early June on a winding, hilly country road in our county remains vivid. The rose was a wild one that had sprung up in this deserted treasure and reminded me of an old Hippie! I could be one:-)

"FLOWER POWER" Transparent Watercolor on 140# CP Arches or Fabriano??? about 15 x 11" COLLECTED

YUPO ON ANOTHER RAINY DAY

After posting the 'London Rainy Umbrella' scene on YUPO, I decided to change it. That's one of the great advantages of painting on YUPO. Major reconstruction is possible without compromising the painting.

I felt that the pattern created by the lights and darks was not very strong in the original post on May 5th. Check out the new painting, then look at the comparison of the old one and the new one below, which I've posted in black and white.

Eliminating the color factor in the pictures posted below helps show the 'pattern' relationships better. We read paintings by the value changes of shapes and the edges that we see. The pattern that's created by the different values and different shapes must be interesting enough to make us "stop and look."

I like the patterns of the final adjustments much more. I not only added some medium and dark shapes in several areas, but also lifted out some light shapes on the pavement. The painting seems stronger and more interesting to my eye now, and the overall effect has a little more of a 'wet, windy city' feeling to it now. It's done......I think.

DEMO COMPLETED

Yesterday's post showed the photo reference for this painting, as well as the sketch and the work in progress. After lots of design adjustments, the painting is finally finished.

When I started the plans for this demo, I was inspired to do a painting of the new 'old' barn which the Women's Art Club of Cincinnati has been refurbishing for the last couple of years. The barn is really, really HUGE, and the weathervane on top is exquisite - a little lady chasing a rooster who is chasing a hen. In the painting, I not only moved the weathervane down where all could see it, but also moved the hen so she's flying on other side of the barn.

This painting began with a grid layout to help create a more contemporary look to the old barn, which for me is symbolic of the new steps the art club has taken in purchasing this historic building. The paint brush seen in the original sketch vanished as I reconstructed the composition this week. A few other things were changed considerably in order to establish a stronger design pattern.

I so appreciated being able to show the women last Saturday how much fun it is to paint on YUPO. Once the painting was completed, I added the words "Cincinnati OH" and "Women's Art Club" as well as the date the club was founded, along with some special textural effects to enhance close up interest. Double click on the painting to see the details and wording better.

Let me know what you think ..... it was a lot of fun exploring how to make it all work together. Soon I'll make arrangements to donate it to the Women's Art Club, all ready to be framed.

"THE BARN" Transparent Watercolor on YUPO 35 x 24" COLLECTED

DEMO ALMOST FINISHED

This photo shows the new home of the Women's Art Club of Cincinnati, where I gave a watercolor demo last Saturday for the group. I started with this drawing, posted here, which was transferred onto a full sheet of translucent YUPO paper measuring 35" wide.

Before I began, I explained that the demo would rely heavily on intuitive painting, even though I had a clear drawing to start with. Part of the fun of painting on YUPO is having options to be able to completely change things at any point during the painting, and for this painting, I really took advantage of those options.

This painting is a work in progress, and I'll hopefully post the completed one tomorrow. (I take photos of my paintings outside in the shade on a sunny day, but it's been raining here for a couple of days. As soon as the sun shines, I can post the finished painting.) I think you'll be surprised at the changes.

The women were incredibly nice about my not finishing the painting during the demo. I'm looking forward to hearing what they think when they see the completed painting on the next post.

Work in Progress - THE NEW BARN

Transparent Watercolor on Translucent YUPO.

A HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

Spending time with our two sons and four grandkids this weekend made me a very happy mom. The four kids slept on the floor in the big bedroom at our younger son's home, and I got the bed. At 6:50 am, the seven year old and triplets, who are almost five, woke me up. For almost two hours, we sang songs, played games, and got ready for the day together. "Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed" was the song of the morning, and each one of the kids dramatically fell off the big bed at the appropriate time in the song. I know they sang it at least eight times in a row. (I wouldn't let them jump on the bed, though.)

This painting was done several years ago, and I have actually painted it at least seven times in different ways and am working on a eighth right now. I guess I'm a lot like our little grandkids because I like to repeat something that's fun to do, too. (For another painting done with this same subject, see the post on Dec 10, 2007.)

"MOTHER'S DAY AT NEW HOPE" Transparent Watercolor on 140#CP Arches 15 x 22" COLLECTED

QUICK STUDY

Painting loose and free is natural for many watercolorists, but I find it very challenging. For me, to paint loosely, I must 'think long and look slowly,' then paint deliberately with a sure stroke. No fussing.

Knowing what to put in and what to leave out is part intuition and part design knowledge, just like color choice is. Being aware of each shape's edges then adding variety with soft, lost, and hard edges helped me create movement in the painting.

The range of darks and lights established focal and restful areas, depending on how close together they were located. The placement of small shapes with hard edges helped emphasize a focal area more.

Developing the unpainted areas so that each space was a different shape and size also added interest to this study. It may look like a quickly dashed off painting, but there were lots of subtle decisions made before the paint ever met the paper, and plenty of on-the-spot decisions were made while my brush was moving. It's fun and it's nerve wracking! And I love to paint:-D

"MAY DAY GERANIUMS" Transparent Watercolor on 140# CP Arches 7 x 9" COLLECTED

NOT ANOTHER BARN ON YUPO!

Barns have always been part of my life. I played in many Indiana barns when I was a kid since we lived in a rural area where corn fields and barns dotted the landscape. I can still smell that hay, the manure...UGH! I can remember being very frightened to step down into that open space out of the hay mow.

My hope with this painting was to create a landscape of an old barn but give it a twenty first century appeal. The scene is made up, and it's created on the slick YUPO surface.

I used the grid idea that George James often starts with to 'set up' the painting. You can see the overall grid in the drawing below, but it's harder to see how the grid is shifted upward and to the left slightly where the barn is. The important parts of the painting are located within that specific section of the grid. Areas outside that specific section of the grid area get less attention and detail, helping lend a contemporary look to the old fashioned barn. This grid device has really helped me simplify and state better what is vital to me in my paintings, especially on YUPO, where I can get pretty nutty about textures, often letting them take over the painting.

The early stage of the painting clearly defines one good white shape, with other shapes painted in to surround it. Eventually the good white shape is integrated into the overall design, and even though it's no longer visible, it still provides the skeleton that helps hold the design of the painting together.

This Saturday I give a demo at the Cincinnati Women's ART Club at their NEW BARN! They've renovated the old barn where United Dairy Farmers began (love that ice cream.) Because this is their first meeting there, I felt inspired to paint a barn for them with a contemporay touch. YUPO, here we go again! I'm nervous, but I know I'll have fun. The demo drawing's almost complete, and I'm really planning this one a lot more than the one posted here. Hopefully, the finished painting will have a resemblance to their new art center in the huge, remodeled UDF barn.

"OLD TIMES" Transparent Watercolor on Heavy Weight YUPO 26 x 20" COLLECTED

YUPO IN THE RAIN

The two posts below show a finished YUPO painting as well as the painting showing what it looked like about half way through the process. The smaller photo was my reference.

We were freezing cold from walking across across one of the London bridges near the Taft Museum, and my umbrella had blown apart in the strong wind. To top it all off, Westminster Abbey was closing, and we couldn't get in. The abbey is there on the left in the photo. That's all I saw of it.

We paid a bunch for a taxi back to our son's flat and went out for supper after we dried off and got warm again. The memory of how quickly it got cold and rainy that day stayed in my mind, and that's what I'd hoped to convey. The picture of the painting in progress may actually convey the feeling better than the finished piece. I think I'll try again.

Double click on the paintings to see the textures better, and you'll be able to see how YUPO can be glazed with several layers of paint. Since the paint sits right on top of the sheet of YUPO, never soaking in, it takes some practice to paint over it without lifting the existing paint.

I've printed the commonly heard English phrase, "MIND THE GAP," in the final painting, too, but it's hard to find. Do you see it?

"LONDON BRIDGES" Transparent Watercolor on Heavy Weight YUPO 20 x 26" COLLECTED

PAINT ALONG

Several artists in my classes have expressed a desire to be able to paint along with me rather than create their own work, so this Wednesday night I'm starting a class that will help those artists feel more secure about painting. This harbour scene will be the first thing we paint together, and I know that even though everyone paints the same thing, we'll have a dozen different paintings when we're done.

Painting along with the instructor can be very beneficial to help an artist learn special techniques and skills. The danger in attending paint-along classes too long is that many people get very comfortable and satisfied creating successful painting copied from the teacher, then find it quite frustrating to paint when they try it on their own. As long as artists are learning new techniques and processes (not repeating them) it seems that the paint-along process can be justified.

When someone helps each step of the way, results can be almost guaranteed. Painting your own original masterpiece should be as easy - we wish! It's also a lot easier for me to teach a paint-along class, but the satisfaction factor is much higher for me as a teacher when I see artists have successful results while working on their own original works and inspriations. There's just a lot more frustration and struggle they have to wade through to get to that success.

Either way, teaching is a lot of fun, and I wouldn't change my 'job' for anything. It's amazing how much 'work' art can be and how much work that teaching art can be. But it never really seems like a real job, even though it's work!

FYI - I did screen out several people who wanted to take the class. They weren't allowed because they no longer need to copy a teacher to learn what they need to know, and I knew that this new class would actually hold them back as well as stifle their own creativity.

I'll let you know how Wednesday evenings work out.

"MAINE EVENING" Transparent Watercolor on 140# CP Arches 15x 11" COLLECTED

SHORTCAKE?

Big red delicious strawberries hardly ever make it into a painting before they are devoured, since my husband LOVES strawberry shortcake. This was painted a few years ago as a class demo using a good white shape to start the painting (John Salminen workshop info.) The beginning white shape is one continuous shape and goes off the paper on 3 sides. It must be irregular, unpredictable and have an oblique thrust to it.

Somehow, that beginning shape creates a strong skeleton that holds the whole painting together later, even though the white shape is no longer visible or even evident once the painting's completed. See the small photo for how the first step is done with just a very light wash over the areas that are not part of the good white shape. The wash should be done in the opposite temperature of the overall temperature of the final painting.(The small grayish shapes in the small photo are actually miskited areas to keep specific shapes pure white.)

There are several more steps to the good white shape approach for a painting, but it always amazes me that this process does so much to make a painting work well, whether it's an abstract or realistic. I use the process for most of my work now, as do several of the artists in my classes. It really makes good design and composition easier in the long run. Thank you, John!


"SHORTCAKE?" Transparent Watercolor on 140# CP Fabriano Artistico 12 x 17" COLLECTED

IT'S A JUNGLE OUT THERE

These two paintings were done as demos and completed within a day of each other. The first giraffe was painted on 140# Cold Press Fabriano Artistico cotton paper using traditional watercolor methods. I was given 50 minutes to complete it at The Cincinnati Women's Club Painting Class, but I did draw it ahead of time.

The more contemporary giraffe painting was created on YUPO paper where I'd drawn a curved grid with a watercolor pencil, then roughed in a sketch I could follow. The focus of this painting was to emphasis my response to the drama and exqusiteness of this animal, rather than create a photo likeness, and time to paint and draw was less than 30 minutes.

The YUPO painting was done impromptu in one of my classes one day after the realistic giraffe was painted and was certainly the most playful to paint. I used a one inch flat brush to apply paint to both papers, but the paint on the YUPO paper was moved around a lot by foam rollers and a window washing squeegee.

It's a strange thing that the amount of time it takes to create a painting really doesn't weigh into the factor of how good a painting is. We're so conditioned to think that 'time is money', but in creating art, it's just not so.

I'll redo the YUPO giraffe with more planning in mind, but it's my favorite. What do you think?

COLLECTED

YUPO PORTRAIT

This portrait, done about six years ago, might have been more accurately portrayed on regular watercolor paper, but I chose YUPO because I wanted to really emphasize the textures throughout the painting. The grasses, the foliage, the contrast of the shiny black shoes, and the well worn overcoat, the flop of that hat, the rocks - each had a special texture.

The close up below shows some detail of most of those areas. Click on it and you can see the effects of the fluid paint as it slid around on the plastic paper - especially on the coat area. I did use miskit to help make the grasses have a sense of depth.

Much of the paint was allowed to 'run around' and do its thing within the area where I wanted those particular value and colors to be placed. When I paint 'loosey juicy' on YUPO, I've found that it's best to keep my brush out of the flow of the paint, or it'll end up looking over worked and muddy.

This morning's class will involve another YUPO demo using the window washing squeegee and some foam paint rollers, along with a lot of spritzing and lifting. Got to get some sleep so I'll be raring to go in class. I'll post the results soon.

"CAPTAIN TINSLEY" Transparent Watercolor on Heavy Weight YUPO about 17 x 25" COLLECTED

YUPO SPRING

Spring has really, really arrived, and I'm finally sharing a 'spring time' painting I did last October as a demo in Middletown, Ohio. Yupo 'paper' can be painted on in so many ways, with a range of techniques, and this picture shows a much more realistic landscape-look than the rest of this month's YUPO posts.

My sister-in-law, Chris, took the reference photo, posted below, on one of her trips to Holland. The tulips were done blooming by the time we went there together. The photo has been used for information and inspiration, but, as you can see, I took a lot of liberty to change the layout and colors to suit the romance I tried to create in the painting.

If you're an artist working with watercolors or fluid acrylics and you haven't tried YUPO yet, it's time to start. Working on this surface opens up so many possibilities that are not available with regular, cotton watercolor paper.

YUPO is an extremely high grade plastic surface that will last for a very long time. Both sides are the same, and there's a very thin layer of foam between the surfaces. If you like to experiment, to grow, to try something exciting, order some YUPO and enjoy the journey!

"AMAZING GRACE" Transparent Watercolor on YUPO 20 x 13" COLLECTED

YUPO WATERCOLOR & GOLF

This time it's golf. Lots of golf balls, various sizes, help add interest to the painting. Or maybe you see a moon?

The painting started out somewhat differently than the other YUPO paintings I've done recently. I still used a grid to 'flatten' the picture plane but had some compositional problems with this painting. (See the original post below.)

I've revised the painting from the post late last night. The first posted painting was half green if you measured all the green areas, and the vertical tree trunk lines weren't anywhere else in the painting.

Creating a strong "Z" in the painting strengthened the composition a lot. Adding grasses in the bottom part of the painting helped subtly repeat the linear lines of the tree trunks. Floating in a few more golf balls and action lines lended more of the excitement of a golf game to the painting, too.

Cobalt Teal Blue was glazed over some of the tree foliage and remaining green areas to calm them down. Even some of the tree trunks were quieted. Finally, spotting in a few stronger orange shapes as well as lots of small dark splats of paint helped add movement throughout the painting also.

I wanted the energy and the expectancy that you feel when you're out there on the course to come across in the painting. It was fun to paint, and it led me around more than I led it. Kind of like golf! Or like watercolor?

My son and I have often discussed how golf and watercolor are so similar - the fewer strokes, the better the results... it's frustrating so much so that you hate it and yet you love it... some days you cannot do anything wrong and some days you play/paint like you've never held a club/brush before... it's immensely challenging.

"A GOOD DAY" Transparent Watercolor on YUPO 26 x 20" COLLECTED! already:-)

CAPTURING CREATIVITY

Watching a child create can be mesmerizing. One of our grand daughters is staying with us this week, and she's glittered and glued, painted and pasted, sculpted and molded, and already spent over twelve hours with me in my adult art classes. What a treasure she is, too.

Being a grandparent is one of the best blessings ever! After almost five more hours in class tomorrow, she'll tell me if she wants to stay another week. She was convinced today that she does.

We also made time to go on a great shopping spree after church on Sunday, and I watched as she tried on a dozen dresses. She loves to twirl in them.

When she saw this painting of herself, she smiled, then said, "That's not what I was painting!" (I must've taken too much artistic license???)

"THE MASTERPIECE" Transparent Watercolor on 140# CP Fabriano Artistico 18 x 14" COLLECTED

COLLAGE OF WATERCOLORS

Old paintings which end up in the disaster drawer still have potential if you tear them up to use in collages like this one was done. All that's required is some matte medium to 'glue' down the torn or cut pieces plus an eye for finding the pieces and shapes with the right value and color for your painting.

Our show in Middletown, Ohio, will hang through a week from this Saturday, and this was the first painting that sold. Patt Belisle, their director, recently told me that several other people were also interested in this same collaged painting.

I do not understand why there's such a strong appeal for a painting made out of failed paintings, but it's happened every time I've made a collage in this way. (When you try this, use only the freshest, prettiest parts of the disaster paintings to tear up and paste into your new painting.) Each collaged piece has sold immediately, yet the wonderful Italian woman who bought this one did not even realize it was collaged. I did 'cheat' and add some splatters for more textural interest to the finished collage.

The post on January 28 is also a collage of a zebra made from old paintings. Check it out.

"MOCKINGBIRD SONG" Old, Transparent Watercolor Paintings, Torn, Rearranged, and Glued Down on 140#CP Arches, 16 x 12" COLLECTED

YUPO CLASS DEMO

This painting started out as a short class demo on Monday morning, and I decided to pursue it until I thought it was complete. The painting is filled with symbolism that holds some kind of significance to me and to my view of the world around me.

I used George James' grid process to show the class how to focus in on one area, making that area significantly more important than the rest of the painting. Earlier that morning, one of my new students shared a painting she'd done of a bridge similar to this one, so I borrowed the bridge idea and reorganized the shapes to suit my design and demo. Since this was very impromptu, I was excited about the results.

"WHERE HAVE ALL THE SOLDIERS GONE?" Transparent Watercolor on YUPO 16 x 13"

NEXT YEAR

I'm already looking forward to next year at Kanuga. That place is special.

This photo was taken before dinner, on Tuesday evening, from the big porch which has lots of comfortable chairs and rockers. (But we didn't take time to sit in them because we were so busy painting.)

Next year, many of the same artists will return to enjoy another four days (at least) of instruction and inspiration. It's like a big family reunion, and although I've missed the past two years, I felt immediately at home this year when we all got together for dinner the first night.

Spring 2009 will be a whole new line up of instructors, and I'm leaning towards signing up for Miles Batt's class. I like the class description, and I've been told that he's an excellent teacher. If anyone knows about his workshops, please fill me in on what they are like.

If you're interested in going to a top notch workshop event in the beautiful Smoky Mountains in western North Carolina next spring, check out http://www.kanugawatercolorworkshops.com/index1.html. Hope to see you there.

YUPO AGAIN

This abstract was concocted right before class ended on the first day of our George James workshop last week. I was trying out some of the techniques and processs on YUPO that I wasn't very familiar with, like pulling the paint with a squeegee, and kept on going until I liked what happened.

Colors never soak into the YUPO surface since it's made of a very high grade of polypropolene, aka as plastic. Because they don't soak into any paper fibers, the colors stay intense and bright just like they are when they are wet and glowing.

Whatever surface or materials I'm working with, my hope is that I can create a piece of artwork that is meanigful to me, first of all, and also evokes an emotional response in others. Both are rewarding.

A new (to me) artist commented today on one of my posts. She signs in as PAINT ON HER FINGERS, and on her new blog she's posted the best quote - "She's happiest when she has time on her hands and paint on her fingers." Don't you love it?!? I live there for sure.

"TIME ON HER HANDS" Transparent Watercolor on YUPO 17 x 13"