ARTISTS SHOWPLACE in DALLAS

Last week, 17 artists joined me for a five day workshop at the beautiful Artists Showplace in Dallas, Texas. You can see by their work below just how talented and diverse the group was. There were struggles, of course, but everyone was highly successful with the challenges of painting on YUPO. In fact, they absolutely loved it.

They've asked me to return in late September next year and promised that it won't be 107 degrees then. Anytime that you're in the area, be sure to stop in to see the beautiful treasures of art in their expansive gallery. It's on the north side of Dallas, and getting around that amazing city is relatively easy. Several artists there own and operate The Artists Showplace gallery, and it's quite a team. Their workshop area is large and well equipped, a delight to teach in, for sure! They sponsor excellent workshops continually throughout the year so check out their website. I'm really looking forward to returning.

My next YUPO workshop is in Toledo, Ohio at the end of this month. For more info about it, you can email them at toledoartist@sbcglobal.net or see the side bar on the right.

My apologies to the Dallas workshop artists if the colors aren't quite right in your paintings below and for the descriptions/titles that I made up. Some paintings had a slight glare from the lights, too. You can still see what an awesome job they all did - each woman expressing herself in her own unique way. Here is a selection of some of the workshop paintings, all on YUPO, some watercolor, but most painted with fluid acrylics ----- ENJOY!


BOATS BY CAROLYN BUCHMANN
MEXICAN VILLAGE BY PAULINE CAFFREY TUMBLING ABSTRACT BY LYDIA GOWENS
CRASHING SURF BY JUDY CAMPBELL EXPANSE BY DOVIE WU
JEWELS BY TETA SMITH FOREST BY MARSHA BENDA
SNOWSCAPE BY SHARON SERRAGOLANDSCAPE BY ANNIE JAMISON WINDOW BY DARLA BOSTICK

ADVENTURE BY MARY TRUELOVEMETALLIC BY KELLY PEREHOUSE

STANDING TALL BY NANCY DUBRO

ABSTRACT OCEANS BY SHIRLEY COLLINS ARCHITECTURAL GAMES BY ROBIN JORGENSON
BEATEN PATH BY JANE KAHLER

BOTANICAL BY CAROLYN HARPER

GROVE BY PAULINE CAFFREY

LETTERS BY JUDY CAMPBELL

TAPESTRY BY CAROLYN BUCHMANN

SANTA FE BY NANCY DUBRO

MIGHTY OAKS BY LYDIA GOWENS

SOLITUDE BY JANE KAHLER

DANCER BY SHIRLEY COLLINS

SEAHORSE BY DARLA BOSTICK

COLLECTION BY MARY TRUELOVE FALL FRENZY BY ANNIE JAMISON

IRIS BY CAROLYN HARPER

DELIGHT BY DOVIE WU

TRAVERSED BY SHARON SERRAGO

DESIGNER BY KELLY PEREHOUSE

FANTASY BY ROBIN JORGENSON

SEEING RED

On a rainy Tuesday morning in August, the artists left their wet umbrellas outside on the deck before coming into the studio for class, unknowingly creating a painting ready to happen with those wet umbrellas. For the last couple of weeks, most of the class has been creating lively, exciting paintings inspired by the colors and shapes of those umbrellas.

My final sketch contained several minor adjustments to help improve the composition, and a value study helped me determine which shapes needed to be lighter, which ones darker, (which I forgot to follow at one point.) We'd decided to work with FLUID ACRYLICS this time - the OTHER watercolor! No one in the class had used them, and the challenge was on.

I'd recently watched Nicholas Simmon's new dvd again showing his expert use of fluid acrylics. Viewing it helped reinforce all the things he'd taught us when he was here at the studio last November for a week long workshop. We moved slowly to incorporate the same process and techniques that Nick demonstrated on his dvd.

Below is Step 1 - painting the deck area (background area.) This shows the area with the miskit removed. Fluid watercolor acrylic paints were poured onto wet paper. There are two pours of colors over the whole area, and I made sure that blossoms and run backs happened each time before spraying off the paint just before it dried. Nick calls this effect his 'watercolor batik' look, and it's a very cool way to make great textures. Some drizzles of water and paint were added to the deck boards to add more texture before the miskit was removed. Click on the picture to see textures better.

To see more detailed photos of another original umbrella painting, go to Rhonda Carpenter's blog at http://rhcarpenter.blogspot.com/. I forgot to take more pictures until I'd completed the painting, but Rhonda has posts about the succession of her painting on August 18, 19, 20, 27 plus today's, showing her completed masterpiece. I wish everyone could see it in real life. It's got a magnificent glow, and the colors dance off each other beautifully. She wasn't loving it until she cropped off one umbrella (which I liked.) She's gotta love it now.

The next step was to paint all the dark and blue umbrellas - (the middle ground areas.) I miskited any shapes and patterns that I wanted to remain white, then wet each area to be painted before charging in the colors. Back runs were encouraged again. Before the paint dried out completely, a blast from a sprayer washed off the still damp areas, creating more of the batik looking areas.

Knowing when to blast off the paint after making blossoms is one of the trickier parts of this process. Waiting until the 'blossom' areas were still a little shiny to blast off the fluid acrylics seemed to work best to create those batik spaces.

Popping in that bright color on the wet red umbrella panels, then spraying off the blossom areas again, made for a lively textured focal point. Each panel was done separately, and when they were all dry, I painted more red over the entire umbrella after wetting the whole red shape completely with water.

We used Nick's SEWING MACHINE STITCH to soften some edges, then drenched the entire painting with water before swishing color randomly throughout the painting. That helped to soften and unify the painting. A few more drizzles were added to the red umbrella, too.

After class was over, I added stronger color to one of the red panels and also placed a very light orange glaze on parts of the deck floor. Now I'm living with it for a while before I call it finished. A few more small areas may still need to be darkened. I've started another bigger painting using fluid acrylics and will post it when it's done.

If you want to explore some really great techniques using fluid acrylics, I'd recommned clicking on http://www.ccpvideos.com/page/CCP/CTGY/ARTNS to order Nick's dvd from Creative Catalyst Productions.

And THANK YOU, Marian, for bringing that red and orange umbrella that day. Purple wouldn't have worked (inside joke.)

"MARIAN'S RED UMBRELLA" Fluid Acrylics on 140#HP Arches, 16 x 21"

SUMMER'S END

This anchor laid on the ocean floor, easily visible when the tide went out. Three summers ago, four of us stayed in a ocean front home, painting and enjoying the incredible northern Maine coastline right outside our door.

Textures always seem to scream at me to paint them, and the textures in this painting were fun to do - the rope, the rusted iron, the rocks and mossy weeds. Compared to my previous post, this was done in a much more controlled way, a way I find more relaxing to create.

Painted while we were at the coast, I can remember smelling that fresh, salty ocean air as I worked. It was a great week. Thanks so much for including me, Barb.

"LEFT BEHIND" Transparent Watercolor on 140# Arches 15 x 11" COLLECTED

A GOOD BOOK

For the past two weeks, my Wednesday evening class has been challenged to paint portraits in a less than photo realistic style. Painting loose and free looks so darn easy, but, at least for me, it's not.

I think the deception is that it just looks like the paint was slopped down on the paper with reckless abandon. And actually, it just about is like that. But there's LOTS of thought before the brush touches down - exactly where does that shape go? How light is that shape? Does the shape change in value and get darker or lighter? What kind of edge does the shape have, and how and where does that edge change? And of course, what COLOR is the shape?

The last question is actually the least critical of all of the questions, but it's the one we respond to the most. Just to get it out of the way, let me list the colors I used - Raw Sienna, Quinacridone Coral, Quinacridone Magenta, a little Cerulean, a little Quinacridone Burnt Orange for skin areas. For the hair, it was Cobalt Blue and Quinacridone Burnt Orange with a bit of Lunar Earth for texture. Seven colors, total - a warm yellow and red, a cool red, a cool and warm blue, and a two browns. Any other colors could be used, with each selection lending a different feeling to the painting.

Color gets our attention. How many times have you heard someone ask, "What colors did you use?" Color is magic. But the thing is, the painting usually succeeds, not because of the colors chosen, but because of the way the shapes, values, and edges are handled. Good composition and technical skills along with the ability of the artist to pour emotion into the painting are the final key factors for real success.

Applying the pale washes of color into each dry shape, spreading the very fluid paint into the area it belonged, then creating a soft or lost or hard edge helped form the structure of the face. Only pale values were used, no darks - pictures 1 & 2.

Notice the pure white areas left on parts of the face. The photograph we were working from had color in those white spots, but they were the lightest areas. Leaving those areas completely white gives so much more dimension to the painting and adds freshness and sparkle to the painting.

After the paper was bone dry, a darker wash was applied in the same way - very fluid, juicy paint. Edges were softened, etc. Notice that there's no hard edge or 'line' where the hair meets the forehead. Edges are SO IMPORTANT.

When I'd finished the hair, I thought it needed just one more stroke above the ear to break up a dark shape. I didn't check the paper to know that it had lost its shine, and when I put that brushstroke down, I got a really bad blossom there that looked like a caterpillar crawling through her hair. I grabbed the spray bottle and spritzed the area lightly, hoping it would help. Whew! Now it's my favorite part of the painting. Pure luck.

Small shadow areas and details were added - the blur of lashes and brows, the dark by the nose, suggestion of glass rims and temples. The whole lip area was painted with the paper upside down. It was an unusual shape that was really easiest to follow upside down.

The supporting parts of the painting - the clothing, book and background area - were done quickly, with not much detail so that the focus would remain on the face. Using mostly cool colors there helped emphasize the warmth of the face, too. The painting's captured the sense of someone really enjoying a good read but is not a photo copy of her face.

She never looked up when I was taking pictures. It must've been a good book!

"CAN"T PUT IT DOWN" Transparent Watercolor on 140#CP Fabriano Artistico 22 x 15"

FINISHING PAINTINGS

Last week before the art show at Lynne's in Michigan, I shuffled through my flat files to collect work that needed to be matted. These iris were dug out of that stack.

The painting was a fullsheet - 22 x 30" - and although I enjoyed painting it at the time, I went on to something else before completing them. To make life easier, I cut the picture in half and completed this half before putting a mat on it. The other half may never get finished. We'll see.

I didn't have any Transparent Pyrrol Orange when I'd started this about six years ago, but I quickly swished some of it over the lower dark petals to give them a glow. Loved it. The painting looks more controlled than how I paint today, but it worked out ok.

Is anyone else notorious for leaving paintings behind, loosing interest in them? It's tough sometimes to gain back my excitement to complete the work.

"LOVELY LADIES" Transparent Watercolor on 300#CP Arches, 15 x 22"

MICHIGAN MOLLIE

Mollie is a Belgian Sheepdog and one of the most beautiful creatures I've ever seen. The painting was to be a surprise for Mollie's owner, and she was surprised when she saw this along with the portrait of Mollie's head.

It's so much fun to try to capture the personality of any animal, and especially one that's so animated and lively like Mollie. Since she's got a shiny black coat, I knew I'd be using lots of color to make that rich black be luminous. And, I also knew I would not use black paint.

To mix dark colors, check your palette wells. If the paint looks dark in the well, it'll work as one of the paints to mix for making black. I think the key is to let the paints 'mix themselves' on the paper, rather than mixing up a big puddle of darks in the palette.

Make separate puddles with lots of water, but add enough pigment to get each puddle really dark in value. Then add a brushful of color in part of the area to be black. Don't rinse your brush unless you remove the excess water in it. That extra water will dilute the next puddle, making it too light. Now add another color- get a juicy amount in your brush - and let the two colors charge together on their own. Touch in a third or fourth color but avoid stirring up the paint on the paper.

Keep your brush out of the way as much as possible and let the excess moisture of the paint do the mixing. Use your brush to control and create soft and hard edges as needed.

If the colors aren't mixing on their own, use more moisture from the puddles. Make it do what watercolor does so well - flow. Let the colors slowly move on their own with just a little help from your brush. Just a little. Sometimes artists stroke the brush over and over and over in an area, annihilating the fresh look of watercolor.

Mollie's coat had a lot of texture in some of the fur, and other parts of her coat were sleek. In the textured parts, I used granulating pigments like lunar earth or lunar blue to help suggest the texture of her coat. For the sleeker areas, I used phthalos and quinacridones, which have no granulation at all.

I do love painting animals and am so glad I got to paint Mollie.

"MICHIGAN MOLLIE" Transparent Watercolor on 140#CP Fabriano Artistico, 18 x 24" COLLECTED (Smaller portrait to the right is also on Fabriano.)

TREASURES

Art shows can be lots of fun, they can be fabulous, or occasionally, they can be very disappointing. This weekend's art show in Michigan was really fabulous, lots of fun, and went WAY, WAY, WAY beyond my expectations.

Lynne and Jamie opened their beautiful lakeside home to display as many of my paintings as I wanted to bring along, and both worked hard at making the event a special occasion for that Saturday. The whole day was a great success, with one of their daughters even making the trip over to help out. Melissa and I had some time to visit before the show, and I so enjoyed getting to know her better.

Lynne had invited friends over for the afternoon, and many of them now have new art hanging in their homes. THANK YOU to all who came and made the day wonderful. Lake living in Michigan is a special treat, particularly at this lake.

Gallery owner, Nancy Boyce, from the Golden Finch Gallery in Three Rivers, also stopped by. (She'd generously loaned us many easels to use for the show.) One of Lynne's daisy batik paintings that I'd done earlier was hanging on the wall, having been framed earlier this year by Nancy - who has such impeccable taste, her framing complimenting the painting so well. Actually, the framing Nancy selected made the painting look REALLY elegant. (This hummingbird was one of many who enjoyed the paintings while dining outside.)

Needless to say, I am still walking on clouds, so thankful for a wonderful weekend, thankful for good friends, for people who appreciate fine art, thankful for the gift of being able to create with a paint brush. It was a incredible experience.

I so appreciate Lynne's hospitality and generosity. She is truly amazing and creative. She golfs a good game, makes beautiful jewelry, is an ARTIST - a professional photographer - complete with her own dark room and studio, is an excellent chef, knows how to watercolor, and knows how to genuinely make a person feel right at home. PLUS- she puts on a mighty fine art show. Thank you so much, Lynne and Jamie, for this weekend, for your friendship. I treasure you both.

"LAKESIDE" Transparent Watercolor - 2 colors - Raw Sienna & French Ultramarine - on 140#CP Arches, 15 x 11" COLLECTED

LIMITED PALETTE

Painting with a limited palette is advice frequently heard in the art world. This painting was one I taught in a class nearly 15 years ago using just Raw Sienna and French Ultramarine, both from Winsor Newton.

Using a limited number of colors does help give unity to a painting. Even if a painting is well painted and the technique is flawless, without a sense of unity, the picture will lack the 'viewer's holding power.'

It's a strange thing that if a painting has unity, you don't think about it being there, but when it doesn't have it, you get that feeling that 'all-is-not-right-in-this-painting. Fortunately, a limited palette is only one of the ways to help create unity.

Most of my paintings have between eight and fourteen colors. I started out in watercolor by selecting two reds, two yellows, two blues, payne's gray, and burnt sienna and have gone through a lot of paint since then.

FYI - my favorite, can't-live-without-them colors include Hansa Yellow, Permanent Yellow Deep, Raw Sienna, Quinacridone Burnt Orange, Quin Coral, Transparent Pyrrol Orange, Perlene Red, Quin Magenta, Cobalt Violet Deep, Cobalt Blue, Indanthrone Blue, Ultramarine Turquoise, Cobalt Teal Blue, and Green Gold, with the italicized ones being my top eight. All are Daniel Smith brand watercolors, a company in Seattle, Washington, and first seven are cool colors, the last seven are warm. I'd toss in Lunar Earth, Quin Violet, Serpentine, Perylene Green, Phthalo Blue, Cerulean, and Lunar Blue if I could have twenty one, although I doubt I would ever actually use that many in one painting.

This weekend, I'll be watching sailboats on beautiful Klinger Lake in Michigan where fellow artist and friend, Lynne Kasey, is opening her beautiful lake front home for a very unique art show. It will be a great weekend, and I'm really looking forward to it.

I'll be back to the blog after the show. See you Monday.

SAYING GOODBYE

Evening shadows on an old house captured my eye as I drove by. The textures of the peeling paint and the ripples in the old glass along with the rickety rusty downspout simply made me want to paint them.

When I took the photo, I did not know that the house was about to be demolished. It so surprised me to drive by one day and see it gone, and I was glad I'd taken the time several years ago to create it's unique beauty in a painting.

Yesterday one of the artists who's in Wednesday night's class left this world so unexpectantly. Lois O'Brien always added so much delight and fun to our class and to my life. The news of her death simply stunned me beyond words, yet I wanted to write a special tribute of sorts to her on this blog.

THANK YOU, LOIS, for being a refreshing breeze, a comical lady, for being so teachable, for loving to paint, for your gentle kindness and generosity, for your tenderness and caring, for your loyalty and trustworthiness. I loved how much you dearly cherished your grandson and new granddaughter. You were so delightful to be with, and I loved to hear you laugh.

When she had a problem in class, she'd say to me, "Come into my office." Her office location may have changed, but I can imagine her painting tonight's sunset for all to see.

"THIS OLD HOUSE" Transparent Watercolor on 140# Fabriano, 15 x 22" COLLECTED

TEAM WORK

My honey LOVES racing, both Nascar and Indy cars. A few years ago on race day we visited the garages at the Kentucky Speedway, and I wanted to paint the sense of determination and teamwork that I felt there.

Starting with one good white shape, I began painting a pale warm wash over all but the white shape. Next, I added in a few really dark shapes touching the white shape, then pulled together the dark and white shapes with more color and value. My focus was on painting the shapes and values that I saw in my reference photo and wanted to avoid painting a shirt or a car, etc.

The final placement of the black, white, and red shapes complimented by the grayed shapes of the garage walls and ceiling helps give the painting a sense of excitement and energy, which is what I'd hoped for. The blacks in the painting were made from Daniel Smith watercolor paints - Ultramarine Turquoise, Quinacridone Magenta, Quinacridone Burnt Orange, and Indanthrone Blue, mixed together fluidly on the paper for the most part. I liked connecting as many dark shapes together as I could, making no distinction between dark objects.

Seems like there's a bit of teamwork between the values, shapes and colors in the painting. I painted this about four years ago, and I still smile when I think about what a challenge it was and how much fun I had painting it.

"IT'S ALL TEAMWORK" Transparent Watercolor on 140#CP Arches, 30 x 22"

PAINT BY NUMBER?

Do artists ever feel like they are producing a paint-by-number painting? It's been reported that Michelangelo actually numbered off areas on the Sistine Chapel ceiling so that his students could fill them in, paint-by-number style. And in the Smithsonian today, there are original paint-by-number 'masterpieces' to view. I've even heard that they've become somewhat of a collectors' item nowadays, too.

Paint-by-number kits were the rage when we were children growing up in the 50's. I can remember my mother painting several of them before finally painting on her own. As a child, I tried one, too, but the process was so slow that I blended the colors together instead of staying in the lines.

Several years ago, my husband's cousin asked if I'd like to have the paint-by-number picture that my husband had painted when he was about ten years old and given to his grandmother as a Christmas gift. His grandma had kept it hanging in her home since the late 50's. Now it's finally hanging in our bedroom, after receiving a much needed cleaning and varnishing.

Bob recalled painting it, mentioning that he remembered having to wait for the color to dry completely before painting in the next color. He said he was very careful to stay in the lines, too. He can still be patient like that today when I just want to hurry things up.

Unfortunately, there was a time when I made fun of paint-by-number art, but I really cherish this one, especially knowing that those ten year old hands lovingly painted it as a gift for his grandma. It even has the original frame, too.

"Leonardo's THE LAST SUPPER - PBN" Painted by Bobby Maudlin, oil on board, 31 x 14" COLLECTED

TAKING ON A CHALLENGE

Jane James provided the photo to the left for a July paint challenge for one of the Yahoo online groups called Watercolor Workshop. I decided to try this one on YUPO to see what I could come up with.

The results posted to the right were very predictable and indicative of how I paint when given an assignment. Although I submitted this first attempt to the group, I knew I wanted to pursue the subject more.

I adjusted the same painting several times before I felt I was getting anywhere. The third post here shows some progress, a bit more contemporary but still not what I had envisioned.

Susan Roper from the group helped me out with a critique part way through which I much appreciated. After simplifying the background areas some, I called it quits - see the last painting posted here.

It's great to work on YUPO with watercolor because adjustments are fairly easy and fun to do. George James calls it deconstruction and reconstruction of a painting.

The finished painting's stored in a drawer now, and I doubt I'll do any more to it. It was fun taking on the group challenge, but I think I paint better when I'm challenging myself.

"PARTY CRASHERS" Transparent Watercolor on Heavy Weight YUPO 20 x 26"

PAINT

We were allowed only five colors for our final workshop painting .... but I goofed and used six. Instructor Carol Carter's assignment to us was to paint something we really like while incorporating the wet in wet approach she'd been teaching us, using pure colors, on a half sheet of paper.

The colors are all Daniel Smith watercolors, which I love. SeveraI years ago, I made a gradual switch from mostly Winsor Newton paints to Daniel Smith paints, trying some Holbien, Maimeri Blu, Da VInci, American Journey, and Schmincke brands along the way. There are a couple of colors I prefer from other brands but seldom use those colors anymore.

Phthalo Blue and Quinacridone Burnt Orange make up the background with some Permenant Yellow Deep and Cobalt Violet Deep added for halos. Quinacridone Magenta and Transparent Pyrrol Orange along with the Phthalo and Permanent Yellow Deep created the colors on the paint tubes. It's kind of a goofy painting - giant paint tubes - but it's what I love.

Earlier that morning I was uncertain about what to paint. While sitting in church, I grabbed a pen and drew a quick sketch of three paint tubes, scribbling a circle around them. My brother saw me writing and thought I was taking notes. The message was about creativity, and we even watched an artist paint during part of the celebration.

"MY MAIN SQUEEZE" Transparent Watercolor on 300#CP Arches 15 x 22"

GOOD VIBRATIONS

Another exercise from our Carol Carter Workshop. The three days Carol was here were filled with COLOR, vibrant, exciting, unexpected color!

Day two really threw me. Carol stated that we'd be creating space and form with color, not value. Aah oh. My favorite phrase is that color gets all the credit and value does all the work. Now we were going to prove this wrong.

We were to paint three things, one with a blue base, one red, one yellow. Using the remaining two colors, we were to define the shapes giving them form.

These little chickadees look like they've been dipped in inks. I do love the one on the right.

The colors I used on the background and birds were Daniel Smith watercolors - Phthalo Blue, Hansa Yellow, and Quinacridone Magenta. That's a switch from the day before when I used only two colors - Ultramarine Turquoise and Quinacridone Burnt Orange by Daniel Smith.

Every shape was really wet before the paint was brushed on. The yellow halos were added in the wet background before the birds were painted.

When I finished, I realized that color may look like it's doing the work of defining the shapes, but at least in this little painting, it is still value that is the true work horse. Of course, color gets ALL the credit.

"SCUTTLEBUTT" Transparent Watercolor on 140#CP Arches 15 x 10" COLLECTED

DANCING WITH PAINT

This is my second painting of Day One from our Carol Carter workshop. She said to paint what we love (so true always,) and I seem to lean toward nature a lot.

These three trees were supposed to have shadows filtering toward the viewer, but just before I was ready to put the shadows in, I noticed that the unpainted shadow areas looked like white skirts on female trees. I don't know what music they're dancing to, but they seem to have lost their heads. These paintings are great exercises to teach us how to let the water and paint do the work.

"STRUTTING OUR STUFF" transparent Watercolor on 140CP Arches 14 x 11"

WET IN WET PROCESSES

This past three days were spent submerged in a wet-in-wet process of painting with transparent watercolors. Carol Carter flew in from St. Louis to teach 12 of us how she creates her dynamite paintings that are so full of color and movement. She did a great job, and we learned some very valuable things to help us on our art journey.

Check out Rhonda's blog, http://rhcarpenter.blogspot.com/ where she has detailed what Carol explained. Over the next couple of days, I'll post my attempts at painting using Carol's directions.

The first painting was to be done with only two colors, one warm and one cool, and each shape was wet before we applied the paint. I felt my painting was a little hard on the eyes, yet the idea is to use pure, pure pigment. No muted colors allowed! I was challenged. Here's the first day's work.

"BILLOWS" Transparent Watercolor on 140#CP Arches 15 x 11"

CAROL CARTER WORKSHOP BEGINS

No painting to post today because in less than 12 hours, we begin our much anticipated 'CAROL CARTER" workshop here. When we're done, I'll post some of the inspiration and instruction we've had. Sure looking forward to it.

I'll post again by Monday. Until then, I'll be painting, painting, painting! See you then.

RECKLESS ABANDON

What fun to paint with reckless abandon, as if you're plunging off the very edge of an enormous waterfalls. Today in class we incorportated a couple of Nick Simmons' (see side bar for his great blog) unique techniques and let the paint, water, and liquid gesso do most of the work. The less brushwork, the better, with each stroke being as fresh and free as the flow of water shooting over a falls.

Two weeks ago we were at Multnomah Falls in Oregon - breathtaking - and the inspiration for this painting. And painting this in a great Tuesday morning class full of friends made this 61st birthday extra special.

Everyone's paintings were original and experimental. Some people completed their work but most will put some more finishing touches on their paintings. The first stage of my painting is shown below, and you can see that everyone is hard at work. Now Honey and I are headed out to eat...YES!


"RECKLESS ABANDON" Fluid Acrylics and White Gesso on 140#CP Arches 16 x 23" COLLECTED

BATIK vs BATIK LOOK

For whatever reason, I like to paint the same picture several times using different techniques while expressing my feelings about the beauty I see. Our grandma used a sewing machine like this, but the reference for these pictures was taken in Sauder's Village in NW Ohio.

The first painting was created using torn masking tape to save areas before I painted layers of random colors over the whole paper. The second painting, also posted earlier in this blog, is a wax batik on watercolor paper, using watercolors instead of dyes, and it's three times as big as the first painting.

Both processes allow me to imagine from beginning to end just what the painting will look like. Since the paint's covered over gradaully, layer after layer, with either wax or tape, it's a mystery how it'll turn out until all the tape or wax is removed. It's like putting a puzzle together without seeing how it looks until it's all done.

I love good surprises, and maybe that's why I like these processes. Of course, there have been a few 'bad' surprises, too, using these techniques . . . goes with the territory of making art. Parts of the bad surprises can help make a good collage later maybe.

It's neat to see the different moods in each painting, even though they are of the same subject. I'll be painting this again soon.

Both are done with Transparent Watercolor and are in art collections.

BATIK LOOK ALIKE

Last week I posted the batik window I demo-ed during Craftsummer, painted from the same photo reference as this one. Today's post has a batik look, but it's done using masking tape as the preserver of colors and values, instead of using wax.

Actually, when a painting's all done, the wax is easier to iron off than the masking tape is to pull off. And the wax is much easier to put on than tearing little pieces of tape to fit each shape. But I love the results, so I think it's worth it.

Each time I use this photo reference, I like to change the quilt area to my liking. One of my long time good friends from way back in grade school bought this to hang in her family room, and I even get visiting privileges to see it (and her.)

"BETSY'S ROOM" Transparent Watercolor on 140#CP Arches, about 17 x 23" COLLECTED

THE REST OF THE BATIKS

Grab of cup of tea or coffee and enjoy the second half of the Miami University Craftsummer students' BATIK slide show. Comments are always welcome.

BATIK! BATIK! BATIK!

The batiks in this slide show are original works of art, created by college students at a workshop I taught earlier this month at Miami University. Two of the students were undergrads, and two took the workshop as a non credit course while all the rest of the artists were graduate level. Their work was superb as you will see.

There were so many masterpieces that I must post the rest of them later this week. Everyone was to create five, 12" squares along with at least one larger painting. Some of the paintings are really large - 24"+ in size and fabulous!

Wish you could see them in real life. The creativity was wonderful. ENJOY!

BATIK, ETC.

A couple of weeks ago in Oxford, Ohio, at Miami University, sixteen women, mostly art teachers, met for a week to delve into the possibilities of using the wax batik process with transparent watercolor. This week I'll post a slide show of the creative works that each of them produced.

The first posted painting here is the piece I did partially as a batik demo during that unique week at Miami. The photo reference for this painting is one I've used several times because I love the shuttered window I'd photographed years ago at Sauder's Village in northwestern Ohio.

I'm also posting two other paintings I did of this same subject, one painted on YUPO and one done using a masking tape technique (rather than wax) to preserve shapes. I thought the comparison of the three different approaches would be interesting to see even though they have been posted before on this blog (along with another YUPO variation of this same subject.)

I'm sure I'll be painting this one again and again because I never loose interest in seeing what can be done with the play of lights and darks in the painting. All have been fun to do and have been painted during the last several years.

1st Painting above - Batik 15" x 20" COLLECTED

2nd Painting - Yupo COLLECTED

3rd Painting - Tape Technique

All created with transparent watercolor COLLECTED