"How ewe?"

I've been painting sheep lately....Here is the result of one such painting session.  Their fleece is not white as snow in my watercolors, but very multi-hued...it's been fun....and different.

One of 295

It was fun to see my name in print in the latest issue of the English version of the French magazine "The Art of Watercolour".  I had entered the World Watercolour Competition and made it through several stages...unfortunately I didn't make the last cut of artists who will exhibit their work in France.  Still..I'm happy I was a part of this list of fellow watercolorists from across the Globe!

Three's a charm

Hello!  It's been a while since my last posting...but here I am.  Just returned from teaching a floral workshop in Southern Vermont...a great 3 days, but I'll post about that soon... Here is a triad portrait just using red, yellow and blue...alizarin crimson, aureolin and ultra blue.

shapes vs. objects

Same image, different color palette...This one is called "the Blues".  It's amazing how much information you can put down with just a few simple "shapes".  It's better to think of the eye, nose, mouth etc..as shapes and not objects to be painted.  Sometimes a nose is defined by the shadow shape that is right next to it, or the lip is defined by the dark swath of value under it...

Double duty value

Loose portrait work, playing with value...this is basically done with two values, but with color changes.  The base washes were done with siennas and oranges and once they were dry the top washes were done much darker with sepias and purples to define the details of the face.

show shipping

I just found out that this painting was accepted to the Adirondack National Exhibition of American Watercolors in Old Forge New York at View Arts Center.  So framing, packing and shipping will be happening soon around these here parts..  She is titled "Burdened".

Red Hat

I've been practicing my portrait painting and decided to continue along my Vermeer tribute...this time painting the "girl with a red hat".  Learning from the masters....may some of their genius rub off!

Goldilocks spring

Finally it's starting to green up around here...it seems in the last several years we've been saying "oh everything is two weeks early"...or "wow we are so late this year in the garden"...but it seems this year we are right on time...a Goldilocks kind of spring.  My little tree tribute to everything popping up.

Scales

 

These two little sketches were done at our annual watercolor meeting.  The b&w photo was taken after painting the color one to double check values.  This was done with my phone and in the camera application you can convert to grayscale....pretty handy these tools we have available today..

Florals

Just a quick reminder as we head into May...I'll be teaching a 3 day floral workshop in Landgrove, Vermont June 12 - 14.  Come join me as we explore all the colors of florals and have fun painting posies.  Here is the link for the awesome Inn where we will be dropping pigment onto paper!

two steps

Hollyhocks in two steps...It is hard to stop and photograph along the way...Once I'm on a roll with a painting it is difficult (plus I forget) to stop and take pictures of my steps, but I will try harder.... here you can see how I build up the layers of negative painting to emphasize the foliage of the plant, especially in the lower left.

"Morning Stroll"

A more traditional looking rooster..by that I mean that the colors are more like ones found in nature and not "invented" like I sometimes do.  This fine fellow is 15"x11" and is out for his morning stroll to survey his vast estate!  Join me at the Vermont Art Event this July 22nd where I'll be teaching a 3 hour class titled "Birds of a feather"..and we will paint a portrait of one of these colorful crowers.

Fellow Dutchman

After a week off from my blog..here is my tribute to Rembrandt...trying in watercolors to imitate what he did with oils so many years ago.  Not really possible, but a fun project nonetheless.  The next step would be to set up a mirror in the studio and do a proper "selfie"....

#4

Here is the final installment in the lily series of works in progress...I guess this one could still be considered in progress, but at some point you have to put the brushes down and see if you like it..either like it enough to leave it, or like it enough to tweak it...in other words "step away from the painting" and assess.

third round

Here is stage 3 of the lily painting...you can see the changes, but they are more subtle...small tweaks as the painting nears it's completion. I often get asked the question, "When do you know it's done?"...for me personally it's when I start "picking" at the painting and adding blobs and bits that aren't helping the overall cause...so when I start "fussing"..it's time to put the brush away for a while and just live with the piece.

Stage 2

 The second stage in my lily painting.  Here I've worked with more of the background and started with the other blossoms and buds.  This piece was done with my new color palette and I am figuring out how the pigments interact and which ones I like and which ones I'm not too keen on...For those of you who have asked about the brand of paints on my new palette...I've updated my earlier post to list those.  Click on this link to go directly to that post.

let it mingle

Here is a start of one of my latest paintings..I have 3 more pictures in progress and I'll post those in sequence.  I start with a contour drawing without any shading or extra graphite...I've been known to roll a kneaded eraser over the paper to pick up extra graphite. Then I try to work with connected shapes and allow the watercolor to touch and mingle letting it do what it does best if we just let it!

Test run

I was asked to list my new palette colors from my post the other day, so here goes (starting top left): Permanent Yellow Lemon, Imidazolone Yellow, Cad. Yellow Dp (DV), Isoindolinone Yellow Dp , Brilliant Orange, Quinacridone Rust (MG), Vermillion (R), Pyrrole Red, Perylene Maroon, Pyrrole Rubin, Crimson Lake, Bright Rose, Quin. Violet, Permanent Violet, Horizon Blue, Turquoise Blue, Antwerp Blue (WN), Indanthrene Blue (DR), Anthraquinone Blue (MG), Indigo (WN), Bamboo Green, Shadow Green, Marine Blue, Viridian (S), Olive Green, Neutral Tint, Burnt Umber, Raw Umber, Imidazolone Brown, Gold Ochre (DV), Green Gold (DV), Naples Yellow (WN). I am currently playing with these colors and testing mix combinations etc...already drawing some conclusions, but it's too early to tell for sure...the above piece is my homage to Vermeer and a test run for the new palette. (All are Holbein unless otherwise indicated) ( DV DaVinci, S Sennelier, MG M.Graham, WN Winsor Newton, R Rembrandt, DR Daler Rowney)