My Art: August 2013

Friday, August 30, 2013

FRESH CUT

Fresh Cut
collage over watercolor
matted and framed to 10x13

I cut a half sheet watercolor painting in two sections to create new paintings. This section had a large brown bowl so I decided to add brightly colored rice paper flowers. You can see a portion of the bowl in the lower left.

CORAL WEED

Coral Weed
transparent watercolor
mat 12 x 17

This beautiful Coral Weed was growing wild on Bowman's Beach on Sanibel Island.

Thursday, August 29, 2013

ROCK AND FLOWERS

Rock and Flowers
transparent watercolor
matted to 13x13

There were a lot of beautiful red flowers among the rocks along a highway in Oregon. The highway followed a river and they were also along the river banks. A truly beautiful sight. They were in the Shasta Trinity Forest. I just had to paint them.

MUFFIN

Muffin
transparent watercolor
8x10

SPRING FLOWERS

Spring Flowers
transparent watercolor
matted and framed to 8x10

ROBIN'S NEST.......SOLD

Robin's Nest
transparent watercolor
11x13 mat and frame to 16x20

FALL FOLIAGE II

Fall Foliage
watercolor and collage
mat and frame to 10 1/2 x 13

10 1/2x 13

SPRING IN THE MOUNTAINS

Spring In The Mountains
transparent watercolor
mat and frame to 11x16

SIERRA NEVADA FALL III

Sierra Nevada Fall III
transparent watercolor
mat to 13x13

COLORADO GOLD II

Colorado Gold II
transparent watercolor
mat to 11x14

COLORADO GOLD

Colorado Gold
transparent watercolor
matted to 11x14

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

THOUGHTS TRAVEL

Thoughts Travel
acrylic and metalic paint on Golden Gel Medium
11x13 mat and frame to 16x20

I spread Golden Gel over the canvas and imprinted designs with a drawing stick and various objects. When this was dry I painted it with acrylic and metalic paints.

SIERRA-NEVADA FALL II

Sierra-Nevada Fall II
acrylic, metalic paint, and collage
mat to 12x16

VALLEY FLOOR II

Valley Floor II
watercolor and collage
mat & frame to 11x14

VALLEY FLOOR

Valley Floor
watercolor and collage
mat and frame to 11x14

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

RIVER LILIES III

River Lilies III
watercolor and collage

I painted the background in a workshop with Bea Pappas. It was about pouring watercolor and then putting item on to imprint the paper. When it was finished, the challenge was what to do with this large piece of paper with very interesting shapes on it. Years ago I purchased some heavy crinkled collage paper. I had never used it. I needed a painting to put in a show at Fort Myers Beach Art Association that had been done or at least started in a class or workshop. So I cut the water lilies from the crinkly paper and added the centers from torn up paintings. I also added netting and strings from torn up bandages. After the show, it went back in the closet. I finally decided to cut it up into smaller paintings. When done with the cutting, I added more collage and emphasized some areas with negative painting. This is one of those paintings.

RISING STAR

Rising Star
transparent watercolor
mat and frame to 8x10

WATER LILIES AND GOLD

Watercolors and Gold
Transparent watercolor
11x15
matted and framed to 16x20

A RESTFUL PLACE

A Restful Place
transparent watercolor

I stood in a field when I painted this. When I got home, I discovered I had lost a $50 paint brush. I went back and searched, but I did not find my brush. The original painting was weak...watercolor dries lighter...so I went over the entire painting and added another layer of paint. Mostly I used the same hue, but in some areas, I added darks. I also added the man fishing.

END OF DAY

End of Day
watercolor and collage
22x30 300# watercolor paper
will mat and frame to 32x38

SUNSET ON THE CAUSEWAY

Sunset on the Causeway
acrylic on crackle paste..with bead gel
9x12 canvas board

Sunday, August 25, 2013

ASPEN AT MONITOR PASS

Aspen at Monitor Pass
transparent watercolor
11x15
mat and frame to 16x20

We were one of the first to drive over the Monitor Pass early in the spring. There was a lot of snow on the ground...and piled high along the roadway. The aspen were especially beautiful with all the snow and dried weeds. I just had to paint them. I drew a line to reserve the white for the snow, and began negative painting to emphasis the trees and reserve the weeds. Then I added the spots on the trees and shadows, and color to the weeds and a couple pine trees. As I was painting the pine trees I thought of Bob Ross adding "a happy little tree."

MONITOR PASS, 8314 FT.

Monitor Pass, 8314 Ft.

Transparent Watercolor

mat and frame to 20x21

The aspen trees are not only beautiful in the fall, but also covered with snow and shadows. Maybe it was the time of day and the fact that it was really cold, but everything seemed to have a blue cast. The trees at the very top of the pass are very crooked and have interesting shapes. This was painted mostly using negative painting to reserve the aspens and branches. I added some color to the trees and painted some weeds I then added the darks to emphasize the largest tree and develop a center of interest.

HER YELLOW HAT.....SOLD

Her Yellow Hat
watercolor with gesso
mat to 13x13

I painted this painting a long time ago. It didn't sell, so I just tossed it on a shelf in my closet. Finding it, I decided to add some gesso. I put a small amount of gesso on the paper and used a credit card to spread it until it reminded me of a veil for her hat.

TWO WATERFALLS..............SOLD

Two Waterfalls
watercolor on Yuppo paper
mat to 11x13

I applied watercolor in an abstract manner to a full size sheet of Yuppo Paper. I needed smaller paintings for exhibits and the bin at Fort Myers Beach Art Association.... so I randomly cut the sheet into smaller pieces, taking care to save what appeared to be a couple of waterfalls in this section. I used a Q-tip with alcohol to whip out more white and emphasis the waterfalls.

IN THE CANYON

In the Canyon

watercolor on Yuppo paper

matted to 11x11

I put various colors of watercolor on full size sheet Yuppo paper, trying to leave a little white. I then cut it up into several smaller potential paintings. There wasn't much white in this section. Turning the paper around until I saw a subject that I could develop, I decided it looked like a waterfall in a canyon. I added more color to define the canyon and used a Q-tip with alcohol to remove more white until I had a waterfall.

Saturday, August 24, 2013

CAN YOU COUNT FIVE

Can You Count Five?
transparent watercolor
mat and frame to 22x25

This subject is from a photo taken on vacation. Many butterflies were flitting around this wild plant. There is a lot of negative painting to define the small branches.

Won: Special Award at the San-Cap Juried Show February 1 - February , 2011

THE COVEN

The Coven
acrylic
8x10

Sometimes it is fun to just experiment... apply the paint...and push it around. I keep adding paint and pushing it around and turning the paper until I find something that suggests me of a subject. I can then leave it as it is or develop it further to define the subject.

ATTITUDE

Attitude
acrylic and acrylic gel
11x11

Years ago I started this in a workshop with Mary Alice Braukman. I originally thought of this as "My Hat and I'll Wear It If I Want To". It has laid on a shelf in my closet for a long time. I found it, added acrylic paint and gave it a new name. So now you know what my attitude is!

CAUGHT

Caught
mixed media and collage

Choosing pieces from my box of torn up paintings, I assembled this painting using Golden Heavy Gel to affix the smaller pieces to the larger piece of "water". When this was fully dry, I applied a coat of Golden Satin Gel.

OUT FRONT

Out Front
mixed media and collage
mat to 10x12

Looking through my box of torn up paintings, I found a piece large enough to cut for the background. I cut the flower from another piece and glued it on with acrylic gel. Then, using a toothbrush, I spattered gold acrylic in various places.

THE STORM

The Storm
A collage made from a torn up painting and reassembled
Mixed media
matted to 11x14

I have a box of paintings that I have torn up to use as collage material. From this box, I reassembled part of the torn pieces and added other pieces of collage papers. I made sure that I tore part of the papers so that the white would show and used that as part of the design. It is fun to go through the box and try to find other paintings that can be reassembled or pieces that seem to fit together.

Egret Series....FEEDING TIME

Egret Series...Feeding time
mixed media and collage
16x22... matted to 22x27

I painted this painting earlier and entered in a show at Fort Myers Beach Art Association. It was very dark in the background area. At the critique, several people commented that it needed more light. When I got the painting home, I leaned it up against the television and studied it for several days. In addition to believing that the painting was too dark, I also felt that there was not enough reflection in the water from the three ibis. Using Mr. Clean (original), I wiped out some of the water and added white goauche. I then repeated the water. I took off some of the collage and added sky area, then replaced and added more collage. Again, I leaned it up against the television and studied it. Feeling it was still to dark, I added the very light green collage pieces.

BLUES

Blues
Transparent watercolor

I found a watercolor on 300# paper in the closet. It was painted years ago and entered in a show at FMBAA. The truth is the painting was a disaster but as I looked at it, I could see some potential if I would cut our certain sections and reworked them, enhanced them so to speak. I cut this from the lower left corner. Using negative painting, I repainted and strengthened the colors, especially the background, to emphasis the three birds.

BLOWING BUBBLES

Blowing Bubbles
transparent watercolor
ab 6x8, matted to 8x10

My daughter, grand-daughter, and future grand-daughter were visiting from Illinois. When the grandchildren visit, we always have a paint night. We thumbed through old pictures and photos in books for the perfect picture. This is from a photo taken when my grandson was about four or five. I ruined the first one, but I liked the photo so well, I decided to tray again. It brings back happy memories; first, from the day we blew the bubbles, and later of the paint night with the girls.

HIBISCUS xxii

Hibiscus II

Transparent Watercolor

Framed to 11x15

This painting is currently hanging in Studio 1 at
Fort Myers Beach Art Association

RED GELLY

Red Gelly
8x8 watercolor paper
acrylic skins over watercolor

I discovered an old painting in my closet and decided to add acrylic gels and skins I tried to save the leaves and the background of the original painting but covered most of the flowers. The large red pieces are "gels" and the smaller pieces are skins from my palette. (and yes, I know how to spell jelly)

GODDESS OF THE FOREST

Goddess of the Forest
mixed media and collage
22x28 canvas

I went to an art show at the Naples Art Museum and fell in love with the work of an artist from Spain. His paintings were huge; some were women and some were pots of flowers. In all of them he used canvas and other collage materials. It also appeared as if he three "mud" on the canvas. I went back to see his work the second and third time and I thought I have to try something using canvas! I wasn't sure what I was going to do, but I bought a fairly large canvas (for me), and drew a picture of a lady on it. Tearing up bandage material, I glued it over her shoulder and right breast. As is usual with experimental painting, I was surprised at what happened, how it darkened and changed my nude. I just kept adding materials and painting, experimenting with this and that. Her hair is made of fiber paste. Eventually I thought she looked like she belonged in the forest so I added leaves and made her the Goddess of the Forest.

YELLOW IRIS XXII

Yellow Iris XXII
transparent watercolor
matted and framed to 11x15

This painting is currently hanging in Studio 1 at
Fort Myers Beach Art Association.

TWO IRIS AND A PEONY

Two Iris and a Peony
transparent watercolor
11x15.....will mat and frame to 16x20

I put an acrylic medium over 300# watercolor paper hoping the paper would act like hot press paper. It didn't, but it provided an interesting surface to work on using watercolor. I especially like the background.

IRIS AND PEONY

Iris and Peony
oil
8x16

I haven't painted with oil since the late 80's. However, I purchased some oils that work with water at a local flea market. I copied a portion of another painting I did using watercolor. I am encouraged and plan on painting more with oil in the future.

RED POPPIES II

Red Poppies II
Acrylic
8x10 wrap around canvas

CARDINAL

Cardinal
acrylic and webbing
8x10 canvas

I started this painting by pushing Golden Paste through a dot painting. When that was dry, I painted the cardinal and the branch, then the background. The following week, I took a workshop with Eydi Lampasona. She asked me to bring the painting and the black webbing spray and we put it on during the workshop session. I think it added a little variety and interest. To complete the painting, I added a Golden Satin Varnish.