White Hen

This white hen was a tricky one to paint...white doesn't necessarily mean white...as you can see there are many colors in the shadow side of this chicken. I left the pure white of the paper for the top highlight and the few areas along the side(not using masking fluid). Taking tomorrow off from blogging and the holiday...so see you on Tuesday! Have a good weekend everyone!

"Before and After"

These are popping up all over here in Vermont. Beautiful ruffled edges and a multitude of colors. I've been painting alot of irises. We are in a heat wave currently and more flowers will start unfurling and blooming... peonies are next...I'm looking forward to my workshop next month!

tulip and fruit

Here is a somewhat unfinished piece from my Tulips workshop. I "invented" the chair in the background and it certainly looks a bit stiff..maybe another solution for that area is in order. I like the colors and placement of the other objects...they don't all have to be "finalized" paintings...they are all steps towards the greater goal...mastering the medium...watercolor is like a cat...it just let's you believe you are in charge! ha ha.

Bright Glads

Gladiolas...I tried to grow them once...actually worked, but I think they need more sun than we have in our yard...They are fun to paint...especially those little tips of color that peek out from the unopened buds. The pitcher that they are in had a silver band around the top...it was hard to capture (all those reflections) but I think it actually reads that way...yahoo!

"Hen Party"

I've been quoting Vincent Van Gogh lately in my workshops...he had said "don't quench your imagination, don't be a slave to your model." I take that to heart by not trying to paint exactly what I see...either from my reference photos or an actual still life or landscape etc..It's all about the impression of how you feel about the subject, what grabbed you about it...the color, composition, the light, the location etc...

side torso

The figure sessions are done for the summer....I need to find a new outlet. Maybe this will be the time I take the sketchbook on the road and head to the farmer's markets, the shopping district, the waterfront etc...and practice my skills on unsuspecting subjects...if only they would sit still and in a pose I want to capture..oh well

"Mane of color"

Mister Fancy Feathers...I'm finding it hard to catch up on photographing my new work for posting here on my blog. Every day I make a plan and then at the end of the day (in the fading light) I realize another opportunity has passed. Maybe I should just take a few pix at a time and then the task won't seem so overwhelming. Hey that's advice for things in general...break down the tasks and tackle what you can!

Glazing

One more tulip piece. This one is a little like stained glass. I had a question emailed to me the other day about glazing technique. My thoughts on that are that we sometimes don't work cleanly enough and we aren't patient enough to wait for our previous washes to dry...therefore the underlayer of pigment mixes with the new layer of color and can create mud...also some pigments are more opaque or sedimentary...so you should seek out the truly transparent ones.

"Tulip Bonanza"

A slightly quirky composition with the greenery sweeping across the center...it certainly creates tension. Just had a great two day weekend workshop with hardworking painters...we had a ton of great flowers and pictures to work from...I even heard someone lost some sleep because her brain was working overtime! Now that's a good sign...tiring, but shows an excited interest in the learning process...

Poppy duo

The colors are squeezed out and I'm organizing my bag o' tricks for the weekend...always such a long list to work from...plus the workshop is about an hour away, so I want to make sure I have everything. Bought the most gorgeous Lilies yesterday and an exquisite deep purple/red tulip bunch...the irises are still closed up tight, but that's good since we don't need them until tomorrow.

Iris blue skies

My two day flower painting workshop is this weekend at the Helen Day Art Center in Stowe...there's still room.. Getting ready for that, buying flowers, organizing my materials, cutting paper, squeezing out fresh paint. That alone is exciting about teaching a workshop! New, fresh, juicy colors...

Shoulder

Here is another figure study...what I've been trying to work on is combining and melding shadow shapes. You can really notice it here with the model's right arm and midriff and then her left leg into the cast shadow. There are a few other areas...not easy, but gets achieved by squinting and blurring boundaries.

Long leg

Kind of a plain posting, but minimal is good sometimes. Just a quick one today...heading out the door. Have a good one!

Shipping work

"Slopeside" 18"x13"
I entered this painting in a local show and wanted to announce another show update...some of my watercolors were accepted in the Floral/Still life International Competition of the Richeson 75 in Wisconsin! Now it's all about boxing those up and shipping them. Not too experienced with that aspect of the whole competition circuit...but hopefully I will learn and be ready for the next one!

different, but creative

And when you need to do something in another creative world...you take a clay class from John Brickels. He's a Vermont artist who does these amazing clay sculptures. Falling down barns, old Coney Island like amusement parks, factories, robots, clay mobiles and more... The above wall piece was my creation. It was too much fun to work with my hands without a brush in them! Re-energizing...

Wishy Washy

A quick study of a blue bird...it's sort of the primaries in this painting...although subdued. It's funny how that happens sometimes...you think you are being really bold and then several years later, when your work has taken on a heavier hand..you look back at the earlier work and see just how wishy washy it sometimes was..

"Three's a crowd"

This guy was quite happy to stroll along with two lovely ladies...I guess being flanked by a couple "chicks" is right up his alley. It's hard work being the only male in a full roost of hens! You need to be loud and protective and always be on your toes...Had fun with some richer colors like Quin Burnt Orange and my refound newest favorite Prussian Blue...

"Modeling"

It's an unofficial rooster week! I was asked if I actually have my own roosters/chickens...but alas no...I've heard too many stories of vicious attack roosters, rats because of the feed and then the neighbors would probably not like the early wake-up calls either! So I resign myself to visiting farms and taking tons of pics!

"Fierce"

I decided to treat the background a little differently with this tough guy. I used lots of prussian blue and some payne's gray and applied it really wet. It makes for a more moody piece. Maybe that's why I've come up with the title of "Fierce".