GIFTS

Giving a painting as a gift is always risky unless you REALLY know the recipient's taste in art. Today this painting is headed to Indianapolis where our younger son lives. We think he'll be surprised with the painting, which is for his birthday today. Duke is on the right, and Daisy is the partially cross eyed Siamese mix on the left.

Getting the right photo to work from for pets is often challenging. Once I have a good photo and a good drawing, the painting is fairly simple to do. Paint the shapes with the right values and establish the proper edge for the shape. Miskit fur edges that are too hard to paint around, and don't paint any 'fur' hairs until the very end, painting them sparingly only where needed to suggest the softness of the fur. Color choices are not nearly as critical as getting the correct values of lights and darks. In fact, the purple, coral, orange, blues, and teal were fun to use for shadows.

My husband was surprised when I started this painting on Friday night. He asked when I'd get it done. Actual painting time was under three and a half hours, but the drawing and miskiting time took longer than that. If I count the time it took to get the right photos, too, the preparation time before putting paint in my brush is more than double the painting time. For me, the preparation, planning, and drawing are critical for a good painting, and I enjoy all the planning just as much as I love the painting time.

Painting size is approximately 17 x 22", making the cats life size. Happy birthday, MATT!

CROP AND BURN

This painting is from several years ago. It recently returned home from the gallery and challenged me to rework it. Since it was done with both watercolor and gouache, the challenge sounded like a good possibility. First the garish cool yellows were calmed down. That helped a little but not enough to suit me. Next shapes were quieted somewhat to what you see here.

Finally, after a lot of deliberation, cropping became an option, because the painting had no holding power as it was. The overall pattern of lights and darks was just too weak to keep my attention.

Often when a painting is shrunk down to a one inch size, the pattern of the lights and darks of the painting becomes very easy to read, since all the detail is too small to see. If there is an effective pattern of light and dark shapes, the painting will hold together at any size, which helps to keep the viewer's attention longer. You can see the difference of the major light and dark shapes here of the original painting and the cropped version.

Below is the final cropped painting. Slicing off the busy shapes, even though I really liked them, helped the overall success of the painting. The new and narrower painting now 'lives' in southern Michigan. It found a happy owner on its first debut out the door. HURRAY!

NORTHERN EXPOSURE (previously called POLAR EXTREMES) Watercolor, Gouache, and Fluid Acrylics on 140# Fabriano 30 x 13" Collected

BATIK WORKSHOP DATE CHANGED

The wax batik workshop, originally scheduled for September, has been changed to Nov. 13-14. You can see several of my wax batiks in the previous post. The process includes using watercolor, along with sumi ink and hot wax to create amazing paintings on rice papers. It's an intense process yet the results are so worth the effort. Get more info about the workshop by emailing me at sandymaudlin@gmail.com.

EXPLORING BATIK AND WATERCOLOR

Date changed for BATIK WORKSHOP. If you love the look of batik and want to learn to create that fascinating effect using watercolors, check out this 2 day workshop. It will be held in my studio near Cincinnati on November 13 and 14. (Dates were changed from Septemeber.)

Posted below are several of my paintings done with this fascinating and ancient process. We'll be using hot paraffin, rice papers, regular watercolor paints, and sumi ink. Every artist will be painting their own original works of art, using special techniques to create their one-of-a-kind batiks.

Cost is $150 and includes two very full days of instruction as well as the use of melting pots, hot wax, and an assortment of tools. Contact me at sandymaudlin@gmail.com for more info. Do hope you can join us.

DOUBLE FUN

Painting on canvas brings back college memories for sure. Back then - the 60's - acrylics had just been introduced and, as I remember, they were very, very plastickie. These two canvas were collaged with various bits of rice papers and football cards, then painted with Fluid Acrylics, my favorite medium right now.

Both have been hung side by side in their new home in Richmond, Indiana. The person they went to is a banker, so I managed to print my own 20's, 50's, and 100 dollar bills then transfer the ink from the prints onto the canvas - seen in reverse, backwards. Ditto for some golf ads, too. This was fun to create but a little scary because I wasn't positive they would like it. They did:-D

MEMORIES

Sweet memories arrived today via an email from an old friend. She sent me a copy of a card I'd painted for her fairly soon after I'd started painting with watercolors. The front and back of the card are shown here. The broccoli theme was an inside joke which we had a lot of fun with.

The card must be over 20 years old, and I feel honored that she'd kept it all this time. The inside of the card completed the rhyme with "Hope this is the best birthday of all." The back of the card certainly didn't go with the theme, but the choice of flower and colors were important. Maybe it's time to paint more cards.

YUPO ALL THE TIME

May 27th - New photo of painting posted --- The painting has been adjusted a bit since it was first posted two days ago. The hull of the gondola is a bit more accurate, and some areas have been lightened and warmed a little inside the work shop as well as inside the gondola. There's more warm/red on the face of the guy on the left, and the sweater of the man on the right has more variation in it now.

The demo was drawn and painted in under an hour - somewhat easy to do with so few values and shapes, especially using YUPO. Since the demo this past Saturday, I've probably invested about 2 more hours making adjustments. Time to STOP before it goes into overkill.

(Blog below was posted on May 25.)

Twenty artists explored painting on YUPO last Saturday in Bloomington, Indiana, and their explorations were dynamic, so creative, and very colorful. We used transparent watercolors as well as many tools and devices to apply the paint.

The time literally flew by, but unfortunately, there was little time for taking photos. I so regret not having the time to photograph the paintings that were near completion. The variety of subject matter and style was amazing.

This painting of two men discussing how to repair the gondola in their shop was one of the demos which I painted in early afternoon. After the demo, there was plenty of time for the workshoppers to develop their own original artwork, using the techniques they'd been practicing all morning. The critiques at the end of the day went way past the alloted workshop time, yet no one seemed to mind at all.The Bloomington Watercolor Society is a young organization - 5 years old - with over 80 members.... lots of talented artists with a strong desire to learn more about painting. I loved the diversity of people in the workshop - so enriching and inspiring. We all went home satisfied with a great day's work - actually it was all PLAY, not work, (except maybe for the concentrated efforts at making good design and composition in the paintings.)

It was great to see several artists returning from earlier workshops I'd taught. Teaching is so incredibly rewarding and invigorating, especially with a great group like the BWS. Thanks a bunch for asking me to give the YUPO workshop. Next time we'll have to explore using FLuid Acrylics like watercolor on the YUPO surface. Happy painting.

"TALKING BUSINESS" Transparent Watercolor on YUPO 26 x 20"

YUPO WORKSHOP near IU

Friday, after everything imaginable is packed in the van, I'll head to Bloomington, Indiana to give a YUPO workshop. It will be like a homecoming for me since I graduated from Indiana University there. It's such a beautiful city with the campus only a couple of blocks from the workshop, and they made a reservation for me in a lovely bed and breakfast - quite a treat for me. This YUPO painting of a Cincinnati gorilla is from the archives, created about ten years ago. It shows how texture and vivid colors get to show off so well on the slick YUPO surface.

There are twenty artists taking the workshop, and I'm so looking forward to seeing all the beauty they create. We'll be using watercolor on the YUPO, and the possibilities are endless. Check back next week for our results.

CHALLENGED

Working with YUPO and fluid acrylics last week at a workshop, I was challenged to stretch beyond my comfort zone. Our extraordinary workshop instructor, Sandi D'Allesandro, asked us to not only title our paintings BEFORE we started but also to determine the content of the message we wanted to convey.

Like most artists, nearly every painting I do begins with a new, self imposed challenge to help me push forward, but this direction was way out of my comfort zone. Whether it's good or bad, I seldom know or realize what I'm actually 'saying' until the painting is completed. That's one of the reasons I paint - to express myself. It's much easier for me to express myself with paint than get tangled up with words or with ideas that I can't verbalize. Though I so admire content-driven artists, it's not usually the direction I choose.
The future painting was to be called 'MARRIAGE' and its focus was the last 42 years spent with my honey. Apples and giraffes would certainly show up in the painting, but besides that, my only plan was to have fun and explore. The final painting, finished today, is the photo posted first. The next photo below shows the painting yesterday when it came really close to going in the trash. How ugly could I make it? The colors were nasty in places, and overall, there was no pattern of design to grab the eye. This next photo shows the piece as it was last Sunday at the end of the workshop, (when I thought it was completed.) After looking at it in the studio for several days, I realized that it had a long way to go before I'd want to look at it for any length of time. The last photo above shows just the beginning stages of the painting. Approaching work with this type of Chaos to Control offers such a wealth of learning experiences. When I began, I had a general idea of what would happen.... wrong!

The painting was a big struggle, but now I'm really enjoying it. And yes, it does speak to me a whole lot about marriage, in its design as well as in the effort it took to make everything work together in the painting. The bonus? My honey liked it, too! The new title is FORTY TWO 'n counting.... on heavy weight YUPO 26x20"

WORKSHOP EXCITEMENT Addition

May 1st - just in - Kathie Rice's finished painting has been added here, completing all the works from our workshop in April. Hers is posted at the end of this post and has some rice papers added to enhance it further. Check it out.

April 26 - It's so exciting to show the results of paintings created by the artists who were at the Watercolor Society of Indiana workshop two weeks ago. After the explanation of the process and my demo, each artist worked to create her own masterpiece, using bits and pieces of masking tape to 'save' shapes and values as she went. All the work seen here is transparent watercolor on paper. Realize that some tweaking will be done to several of these, since most of the photos were taken immediately after the tape had been removed, before adjustments could be made. My apologies to these artists if the color is not quite true.

By NORMA DAVIS - What an unique view up onto the deck, enhanced by strong values changes of sunlight and shadow and the poetic use of color. The textures are fantastic! This painting is a half sheet of paper - lots of taping and painting involved. Today I got a card in the mail from Norma with this on the front of it! Thank you so much.
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By LINDA BACHOFNER - How I wish you could see this in real life. There is such a powerful emotion in this sensitive painting. The subtle color and value changes make the viewer almost be able to hear the water lapping against the sides of the gondolas. Also on a half sheet of paper, created with Linda's favorite palette of colors. You have to agree that this shows the often painted Venice in a special new way.
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By JAN BROADDUS - This is an extraordinary painting with an immensely effective pattern of dark and light value shapes. The broken lines created by the paint leaking around the taped shapes add to the jazzy feeling of this old New Orleans sight. This painting has such a 'WOW' factor to it due to Jan's choices of colors and care with composition. It is stunning and on a full sheet of paper, too!
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By LEE PAPAI - Although created with such a limited palette, this painting evokes a strong response from the viewer. The warmth in the focal area (actually warmer than shown here) really pulls the viewer into the painting, and the incredible textures created by the batik/tape effect add exciting interest when seen up close. It seems as if we are peeking through some trees at an intimate moment. Shhhhhh. Don't scare the fish away! Also on a half sheet of paper, but done using the green frog painters' tape, possibly causing more leaking/batiking effect.


By JUDY GLORE - This painting involved many, many layers of tape and paint, and Judy made just a few adjustments to it before calling it completed. What an outstanding design of curved reflective lines against the man made structures by the canal! Painting 'water' with this taping technique is challenging, but this one works so well, and it's on a FULL sheet of hot press Arches. Congratulations, Judy!
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By BARB STARK - This, too, arrived in the mail today for critique. The glow around the potted plant and buildings captures the light of Italy so well, and the illusion of a figure in the lower part of the painting adds interest, also. When the foreground wall is darkened, the painting will have even more depth. And what a beautiful use of warm and cool temperatures to move our eye through the picture. Also on a half sheet.
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By MARCIA RELLER -This has to be the most layers of tape and paint ever done with this process - 9 layers! - but well worth it for the dynamic effects Marcia achieved. She still plans to make several adjustments to the painting. The depth and intrigue of colors and textures behind the organic shapes of the flowers and leaves on this painting have resulted in an eye catching painting. And it's also a FULL sheet of paper. Can't wait to see the final results.
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LINDA MEYER-WRIGHT - This journey through a wooded wonderland may be complete at this point... a bit playful, yet mysterious, with an abstract quality that Linda does so well. The batik-look adds just the right amount of texture to this colorful painting. Some of us at the workshop wondered if that maybe Hansel and Gretel had been there??? Also a half sheet of paper.

By ARLENE WHEELER - Capturing emotion is one of the requirements for a good painting, and I laughed out loud when I saw this delightful creature. The structural straight lines certainly make a perfect contrast for the voluptuous, rounded shapes on the pig. It's great to have so much fun with art. Even the color choices here are playfully fun. This is nearly a half sheet. also.
By SUSAN PORTER - This is another one that I wish you could see in real life. The poppies seem strongly illuminated from behind, and the background textures look like a rich tapestry. Slightly abstracted, the painting certainly captures the sense of a garden full of bloom. On a half sheet of paper, too. Most of these took about three full days of work to complete.
KATHIE RICE's own koi pond was the inspiration for this painting. She's also collaged in some rice papers to add to the illusion of water on this large painting - a full sheet of Arches. The intensity of the colors certainly adds a summertime feeling to this vibrant, whimsical painting. Thanks for sending it, Kathie.

Feel free to leave a comment for these artists. The work they did in just four days was terrific!

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Here's another partially finished painting, an abstract, by JUDY GLORE. Many of the artists worked on a chaos-to-control type painting also, using the tape as a resist between layers of paint.

WSI is offering 3 more workshops this year at the same facility I taught at, near Castleton, on the north east side of Indianapolis. The Birgit O'Connor workshop has a waiting list, and Mary Ann Beckwith will be teaching there on July 13-16, with George James teaching a YUPO workshop starting September 21. Having previously taken workshops from both of them, I HIGHLY recommend Mary Ann Beckwith if you want to stretch your creativity and would very strongly recommend George James if you want to learn new approaches to design and composition while exploring some exciting, new surfaces to paint on. Happy painting.

DEMO FOR WORKSHOP

Our "TAPING" batik workshop in Indianapolis last week resulted in some exciting and dynamic artwork. For four days, artists cut and tore small pieces of masking tape to create their own exquisite masterpieces. I was very impressed with the paintings they painted, and surprisingly, there was hardly ever any whining for such a tedious technique. We had a really great group of artists at the workshop.

This painting shows my workshop demo with all the tape removed and adjustments made. The dark batik-like textures were created when the paint leaked between pieces of torn or cut tape. The reference photo is also posted here.

Soon I'll post some of the workshoppers' masterpieces. EYE CANDY TIME:-) Off to another workshop later this week..... Life is so good!

"POPPING WITH COLOR" Transparent Watercolor on 140#HP Arches, 19 x 15" COLLECTED

CHARLOTTE'S KITCHEN

Back to an oldie... painted many years ago and inspired by the intrigue of glass and reflections. Yesterday my camera was mistakenly left behind as I headed home from my week of grandchildren-sitting/spoiling, so there will be no new paintings on my blog this week. Or next week.

During the week of April 12th, look for updates of the workshop being held in Indianapolis, by the Watercolor Society of Indiana. By then my camera will be back, and the events of each day, including some of my demos, will be posted. We will be exploring the exquisite possibilities of creating paintings using masking tape and watercolor! There's still time to sign up - see the right hand side bar for details.

Check out the May 1st and 2nd YUPO with FLUID ACRYLICS Workshop to be held at my studio, also taught by me. Would love to see you there if you can join us! It will be full of color, texture, and great creative possibilities as we use the acrylics on YUPO.

Be back in two weeks. Until then, happy painting.

"CHARLOTTE'S KITCHEN" Transparent Watercolor on 140#CP Arches, 11 x 17" Collected

FIRST GRADES!

Painting with First Graders should be a requirement for any adult wanting to learn to paint better. Yesterday I was the 'visiting artist' in three First Grade rooms where our triplet grandchildren go to school.

After giving a short demo of a cardinal on a Redbud branch, helpers passed out the supplies so that everyone could paint. What an amazing group of children! And very well behaved, too.

How fascinating it was to watch as each child carefully considered what to paint. They followed directions so well about making puddles of color, and many noticed, excitedly, the accidental color combinations that occurred in their palettes.

With only an hour to paint in each room, the time flew by. The first photo shows one of the galleries of art that they created.

This age group seems so spontaneous with the brush as well as being so trusting that the painting will be beautiful. It was a delight to be with each class.

They used palettes I'd ordered from Viking Woodcrafts in Minnesota, along with Da Vinci watercolor paints to paint on a fourth sheet of 90# Fabriano artistico paper. Every round and flat brush from my studio had been gathered up for this venture, along with water containers, small sponges, and a broken credit card (for making lines, branches, grasses, stems, etc.) They were well equipped to paint with professional supplies.

Some of the masterpieces will be displayed today in the cafeteria hallway so that the whole school can see them. Most wanted to take their paintings home with them right away, but I'm glad that others will get to appreciate their artwork, too.

Years ago, I was an elementary art teacher and have always loved seeing artwork created by children. Next month when our grandchildren visit our house, we will have an art show in the studio of their work created in the past year - wish you could all attend. Refreshments will undoubtedly include Easter candy.

Tonight we'll be painting here at their house with some of their friends. After last night's gorgeous sunset, they want to know how to paint beautiful sunsets. It will prove to be a very busy evening for me, I'm sure.

It's been an incredibly busy week, mostly spent taking care of four special children, doing lots of laundry, and fixing meals. The painting time was a bonus for sure!

On Monday, our Daughter-in-Law's Fourth Grade Class will be painting with me. Then I'm ready to head back home.

THIRD GRADE

This week has been full of many activities, including time to create special art. Our older grandson's third grade class invited me to his school to share a watercolor lesson with them on Monday.

My demo for his class included a bed of pink and red tulips with a lost baseball tucked between the flowers. They watched attentively, and then it was time to create their own, one-of-a-kind masterpieces.

They loved knowing how to mix colors to make brown and black, and many were quite pleased with their finished paintings. I'd provided the paint palettes filled with primary and secondary colors, as well as the paper and brushes. It was obvious that their imaginations were going strong as they painted.

After painting, the students watched the huge SMART BOARD. (This was the first time I had seen a Smart Board.) Brant's teacher brought up my blog on her computer then the images were enlarged on the Smart Board for the whole class to see.

They enjoyed looking at my paintings on my blog and asked questions about making art. One question, "What is the hardest thing you've ever painted?" was difficult to answer. I explained that for me it was hardest to paint faces that look exactly like the person I am painting. Later I realized that the hardest painting to do was the one of all four of our grandchildren reading a book together. Click here to see that painting.

Yesterday, Brant brought home a huge stack of well composed THANK YOU letters from his class. Several third graders wrote that they would draw and paint a lot now, and many students suggested that I should keep on painting for all my life. I'm going to take that advice for sure. They were so appreciative, and when I get back home, the letters will be displayed in my studio for artists there to enjoy, too.

Thank you, Mrs. Council, for letting me teach about watercolor to your inspiring students. You have so many very good artists in your room!

Tomorrow three First Grade rooms will be learning more about watercolor. What a busy week!

FINISHED GRATE PAINTING

This is my third GRATE painting. The first one, done nearly 10 years ago, was about 5 x 7 inches, the next 20 x 26 inches, with this one being 26 by 40 inches. It's been a while since I've had so much fun while painting a picture.

The whole process, from dodging traffic while taking photos of the man hole covers and grates - to the preparation and design - to the actual wonderful painting time, has been both challenging and exciting to do. Traffic actually stopped a couple of times on that cold rainy Sunday afternoon while I stood in the center turn lane taking photos of some really great grates. The cars could have gone around us, but the drivers were so polite and careful to wait for me. At another location, a man circled around to ask if we needed help. When we told him we were taking pictures for art, he moved on. Crazy artists! Thanks, Betsy, for driving, for stopping, for joining in on the fun.

Grates have fascinated me since childhood, when I was afraid to walk on them. I love the lines and edges, the lettering, the strength they have, and especially the patterns and textures that the paint and rust make. Some are really works of art in themselves. Now anywhere there's been a neat one underfoot, a photo is a must. In my studio you can find quite a photo collection of amazing grates.

One of my self imposed challenges for this painting was to create a design with circular shapes that allowed eye movement from shape to shape. Squares, equilateral triangles, and circles are predictable shapes that usually capture the viewer's eye, to the point of stopping eye movement in the painting completely. Using both value changes and color contrasts helped to create a flow throughout the painting.

The second challenge was to paint a more curvaceous painting. When painting, I always seem to prefer straight edges over curves, so doing the reverse could help me stretch a little. Somehow the challenges helped me stay directed.

I'm super pleased with the results. Sounds like a 'pat on the back,' but it's not. It just makes me very happy with how the painting turned out, and I really enjoy looking at it. It's almost as if it appeared on the paper magically, and I had little to do with it. (That's not true, of course, since there are more than 50 hours of work (play) in its actual creation.) Check the previous post on this blog for the work in progress of this grate painting. You'll see that several changes were made from that post to this finished piece.

Don't you LOVE textures? They are so incredibly inspiring and tantalizing. Artists HAVE to paint them, don't we? Since this is Fluid Acrylics on YUPO, creating amazing textures was just way too much fun. At first, my focus was on developing a good composition, then the textures were a blast to add after that was worked out.

It's been said that texture is the 'icing on the cake.' If the painting's a good one, people will want to get closer, then be surprised by the textures and details. If the painting has a weak composition, they may pass by it too quickly, and even the most wonderful textures in the world won't make them stop and look.

I really hated for this painting to be done. And the title is still undecided. GRATE JUNK - GRATE EXPECTATIONS - ROAD TRIP - UNDERFOOT - AMAZING GRATES - ETERNALLY GRATE FULL - TREAD ON ME - HITTING THE PAVEMENT...............

Here are photos of my other two grate paintings. The 'close up' grate is Watercolor on YUPO, and the Italian Grates are Fluid Acrylics on YUPO, completed about two years ago. Now for the next one!!!!!!!