Switch it on!

Here is a new look at one of my paintings. This company called the switchplate gallery has licensed some of my work for switchplates. If you click the link it will take you to their site where they have a few of my other floral images. A new way to shed light on my watercolors...ha ha (couldn't resist)

petite practice

Color swatches, practicing negative shapes and lifting pigments. This piece is teeny...like an inch and a half by 2 inches...I have to use my small brushes sometimes too! Off to a meeting today for the VWS...did anyone else have trouble with Blogger yesterday and showing images?

Green background

I try to start my week with a figure painting of the week on my sidebar...but today I'm double posting. I'll put this image on the side bar as well for my weekly figure "fix". I like this casual pose and the unfinished hands and lower leg. One of those that "dripped" right off the brush.

hint at spring

I'll leave you for the weekend with a white poppy. The earth is thawing a bit and there are little green sprites sticking their tips above the soil line...early look at things to come.

mid-demo

Here I am doing my demonstration during the opening weekend of my featured show at Frog Hollow in Burlington. This was taken by the Gallery manager, but there were others with cameras as well :) My own paparazzi! You get a good look at the paintings behind me on the wall right inside their large front window. My show schedule is filling up and I'll post a listing soon...I have a list started on my website already.

Jumble of flowers

I'm posting an older piece today...I've been searching the archives and trying to gauge my progress lately. How did I solve problems with my watercolors ten years ago? five years? last year? It's an interesting study. Things are always changing, but I think color choices and passion for a subject matter stay pretty much in line.

Red nose

Last night was another figure session...sometimes they are good, other times not so good...what to point the finger at? Inspiration, tiredness, pigment mixes, lighting, disruptions, general blahs...who knows, but it's still good to go and have some continuity...practice makes....well let's just say improvement. :)

Red Tulips

This painting was done in anticipation of my tiptoe thru the tulips workshop last month. We've had a bouquet of tulips somewhere in the house for a while now. For under $10.00 it's a nice treat and burst of color for close to two weeks...I love the way they start to droop and actually continue to grow in the vase once you arrange them.

"Fencing Fowl"

I've unearthed the oils and I'm painting some.....yes that's right, roosters! I'll be posting them soon on my other blog. This little fellar was done not too long ago...Really enjoyed painting the fence with the rust on it. I used Peacock blue for the fence color and Burnt Sienna and Quin. Burnt Orange for the rust. Not a subject I'd usually try to tackle(the fence that is)...but it was a good stretch for the creative muscles.

One more study

One more triad landscape study..flat shapes and just swaths of color values. It's interesting to look at the landscape in such a simplified way...just trying to find the lights and the darks and not get too caught up in all the details of every little leaf, tree trunk and blade of grass. Breaking it down to the essentials...

Big red Barn

This painting was done outside a couple years ago...once back in the studio I realized it was just flat and a little dull! This can happen when you are in the bright sunshine and can't find any shade there's a tendency to be a little hesitant with pigment application, because the sun plays tricks on your eyes. So I got a little heavy handed in the studio and re-applied the reds of the barn and the grey/blue of the sky. Voila a more colorful landscape.

Mixes

Another small study this time using Burnt Sienna and Ultramarine Blue. Just by varying the water concentration and pigment strength you can achieve very light lights and super dark darks. Now if I had used Prussian Blue...it would be even darker and the mix would have been greener. Always new combos to try!

His Royal Highness

Four of my rooster paintings will be in a show at the Stone Soup Gallery in Key West Florida! They flew the coop and will be on display down there for the remainder of the month and a little into April. Any of you have plans to visit...stop by the gallery on White Street. Unfortunately I won't be able to attend, but am hoping for some pictures of the show. It's all about "island" life and roosters run wild and free there.

Triad 2

Here is landscape triad number 2...same pigments...really trying to simplify and see planes of color, lights and darks. Shapes against shapes. It's not easy to do, but a good exercise in narrowing down the jumble of a busy landscape.

landscape triad

This is a landscape study I did last summer using a triad of Ultramarine, Gamboge and Cad. Red. The snow is melting around here and maybe soon we'll see some of those early sprites of fresh spring green on trees and shrubs. It'll still be longer than we want it to be. At least the sun is shining today!

1 minute

Why is it that sometimes the simpler the line and color the nicer the painting? I guess it's because we stop thinking and just doing and capture what is important at that moment. Time constraints certainly help and give us that immediacy for maximum impact and information. This being a 1 minute gesture pose.

Poppy plus...

The top image is "Rich, red, ruffles" a small 10"x10" painting that's in my new show and the other image is a sunshine award I got last week from Debbie. Thanks so much for the recognition....I usually refer everyone to my sidebar to see who my favorite bloggers are...There are so many more than 12 between my links and blogs I follow...it's my own mini Oscars...well without the little golden man, but I get an orange Gerbera daisy!

"Orchid Oasis"

15"x22"

This is one of my new paintings that is at my show at Frog Hollow State Craft Center, Church Street, Burlington, VT...show opening reception tonight...5-8 p.m. In Gallery demo tomorrow 1-3 p.m. (I've had some comments about where the show is going to be...so hopefully this clears it up.) I did this painting from a photograph and love the jumble of blossoms and unopened buds and the few negative buds in the upper left corner. I used some new to me pigments...cobalt turquoise, green gold and shadow green.

Show announcement

Yesterday the local weekly paper Seven Days came out and they ran an announcement of my upcoming show. This picture was from my solo show last year and the piece I'm posing in front of is now in someone's private collection. Last year was the first year in a while that I started painting on full (22"x30") sheets of watercolor paper again. I'm continuing that this year and it's been great...rediscovering a "new" size. Means larger brushes!

Peony study

It seems the time in the studio is dedicated to studies lately. That's okay, if I'm learning, I'm playing and hopefully improving my art daily. I have a featured show opening this Friday at Frog Hollow State Craft Center in Burlington. I'll also be doing a demo there on Saturday from 1 - 3 p.m. Stop by if you are in the neighborhood....busy busy, but that's good!

Rock and roll

This was a rock study I did last summer...it's interesting how most of us search for the "perfect" subject, hiking around, slightly dismayed, asking where is my next painting? Of course we all know that the majority of the time we should just plop down and get busy composing our "perfect" painting. Pulling out that artistic license and possibly move a few mountains or rocks or trees to make a compelling piece...not easy, but certainly better than procrastination and aimlessly wandering the country side! :)

Workshop adventure

Back from my weekend workshop...we had some sliced pears with cheese at our potluck dinner on Friday night, hence the little sketch above. It was quite adventurous...snow storm, high winds, power outage, trees down, a small fire, two escaped dogs, but a super group of painters, great food, fun conversations, lots of splashing of watercolors and colorful tulips brightened our days. Thanks everyone, it was fun! (dogs came back in...just in case you were wondering!)