Peony workshop

I'm hosting a peony painting workshop in June...two days...email me for more info...Hope you'll paint with us in Burlington...They are so beautiful and smell so good!

Palm portrait

portrait week... continues...again striving for loose strokes, change of colors, both in temperature and values and having drips and dribbles where you might not expect them...

staying loose

Trying to capture light, shadows and staying loose. Not easy when a portrait is involved...we always tend to tighten up and try to capture an exact likeness...

bright abstract

Okay here is the last this week in the series..this one incorporates a few brighter colors..this experiment also allows me to pull out the larger brushes and alternative tools...things I might not use on a regular basis..

anything goes

Second in the abstract series...using some titanium white watercolor...I don't indulge in white so much, but in playtime anything goes!

color play

Abstract week...I'll post a few different "color play" pieces that I do in the studio if inspiration is lacking and the brush just doesn't want to produce anything satisfying. I'll dabble in some color "splashing" and mark making.

Peony painting

Two images today...I have a 2011 workshop schedule tab on the side of my blog...but wanted to let you all know that I'll be teaching two peony painting workshops in Burlington, VT. I am offering two days this year.. Saturday June 4th and Tuesday June 7th. Send me an email if you are interested in more information and want to paint with us!

filling sketchbooks

Vacation sketches...it is sometimes hard to force yourself to sit and paint while on a trip...but it really cements the experience of travel in a different way than photos do...I envy the artists who have shelves upon shelves of full sketchbooks...I'm working on it!

A rose is a rose

Thank you all for your emails, comments and warm words as a result of my last post! I hope to get back in the studio and immerse myself in my work soon...I would have liked to participate in the last few DPW challenges, but since we can submit work any time...I'll get around to it. This was the Valentine's rose challenge.

life changing

My life forever changed last week when my Dad passed away. Slowly I'll emerge from my fog...I painted his portrait last year as part of a larger piece. So bear with me as I try to get back to a regular schedule of posting.

seeing is believing

More sketchbook sketches...I like the sunlight on the side of the building...I am taking my time with my sketches. slowing down, observing and absorbing what I see...sometimes you see more than you think!

Sketching tools

I travel with a little sketchbook that I have made at the local copy store. I cut pieces of my favorite watercolor paper (Fabriano) and then with two pieces of matboard(the cover and back) I have them spiral bound together. That way I'm using what I like and I can make it any size I want..this one was 7" square.

One part of a whole

This little 7.5"x7.5" was done from a photograph of lots of orchids...the trick was to "edit" down the picture reference and choose a part of the overall and focus in on something that would make a nice painting or good composition. I try not to be held hostage by my reference material or to what's in front of me...I use my "artistic license" and will invent, move, change color, repeat or exaggerate my subject.

"Weaving"

Another abstract...I'm loving these and they are so freeing...Just playing with pigment and seeing how all the colors react to eachother, trying things I might not normally dare to do when I paint something representational ... it all adds up to learning for the brain and training for the hand. (11"x15")

"Abe"

My other entry this week in the DPW Challenge..."Abe"...this was a bit different for me, because I used watercolor pencils over my initial painting...then used sandpaper to retrieve some highlights, used a permanent sketch pen to put in the fine lines and some black Stabilotone to really push the darks...a mixed media experiment!

"Grippa Zippo"

I'm a bit behind in the DPW Challenges...but I'm a little closer this week...I finished the Zippo challenge as you can see and I just used Burnt Sienna and Ultramarine Blue..the call was for those two colors, plus Titanium White..and with WC...white is the white of the paper...so...a challenge indeed... (7.5"x7.5")

Rainbow palette

I will live in this fantasy today...Maine water, sailboat, blue sky...as opposed to 2 feet of snow on the ground, plus more still falling and shoveling to look forward to! Oh what a world of contrasts...so if I can tunnel to my studio...I'm going to shut out the white of the outside and immerse myself in my rainbow of colors!

Ruby Red

A splash of bright color on this TGIF...The new schedule of shows is slowly unfolding and now it's time to take pictures, sort through paintings and see which ones to enter! This piece is 7.5"x7.5". I love that size, it isn't too intimidating and it isn't too small to feel confined...I cleaned my palette and squeezed out fresh dollops of paint...always a joyous occasion!