Late Evening - Seascape Painting continued

I am getting close to the finish on this one. I will look at it a bit more and decide what needs to be done. Maybe break up that long wave and make it lie a bit flatter. May decide to add people and brighter lights in the some of the distant buildings. My camera really makes the darks darker. The foreground is not a black but has reds, greens, purples, blues and yellows in it.

Seascape Painting Step 4

It is Christmas morning and I hope all the stockings were filled to the brim. I added a figure last night but am disappointed that the camera isn't picking up the reflective light on the back of the figure. Maybe with daylight, I can get a better photo. I have to change the composition of the buildings as they are spaced a bit too symmetrically. The light area in the sand in the foreground will be toned or muted down a bit. The wave action around the figure will be changed as well. Wish me Luck and good brain, eye, hand coordination!

Seascape Painting Continued

This 3rd layer was to work the color in more, trying to grey the water. I'm becoming more pleased with the clouds now need to pull the rest of it together by creating more form, straightening the horizon line and wave lines.

Merry Christmas one and all!
Ann

Seascape in Progress Painting

I began this large acrylic painting this week, 48" x 30". The photo here shows the 2nd layer of painting. It is hard to tell right now that is will be a beach scene. The goal here is not to paint the photograph as it is but to imagine myself walking along this beach and the feelings it evokes in me and convey those feelings/mood in this painting.

The copyright free reference photo I used is by Late Bloomer of Wet Canvas. I chose this photograph to paint because it has a beautiful late evening contemplative mood. The mood where one walks along or sits on the beach and all is quiet except for the sounds of the surf. A time to reflect or a time of peace. For me each painting is an adventure, never knowing if it will turn out as I have envisioned it or if it will have white gesso applied to it to wipe out everything that was painted.

Acrylic Dog Painting

This is my first dog painting and I found it exciting to paint. Painted on gessoed unstretched canvas, it measures 10" x 13". This original painting can easily be mounted to hardboard or placed under a mat and framed.

Painting white or off-white is not as easy as one would think. Light cast on an animal or an object casts a certain color, then there are the colors from the surroundings. It may not be my best painting but it is my best dog painting, *grin*.

Seascape in Progress

12-05-06 I started this acrylic painting today. At first, I had the clouds going in more of a diagonal direction, then changed my mind. So I had to sand down the texture as much as I could and added more gesso so the area previously painted would not show through.

24" x 18" on gessoed masonite. I will let this rest overnight and look at it with fresh eyes and in daylight, to see what, if anything, needs to be changed.

Painting Junk

12-01-06 I have a small painting that needs to be mailed today. Is the painting done??? Not yet! It appears to be one of those times that no matter what I paint it turns to junk. Perhaps my mind is on the experiments I want to do that will help me to see and paint better. I thought to share these trying moments by writing them out, hoping that will help me focus on what has to be accomplished in the moment.

Beanstick Smokehouse

This was painted during the early morning hours on Saturday, 11-26-06. This is an old smokehouse or outside kitchen and is all that is left of the original structure. I wasn't pleased with some of the areas so I have gessoed over this painting and will try again to capture the essence of age this building is showing.

Strawberries

This original acrylic painting was completed Sunday, 11-19-06. It is 6" x 6" on Arches 140 lb. watercolor paper. Strawberries look simple to paint and perhaps for some artist, they are. Getting value changes in reds is a matter of adding greens or blues or umbers. One could even add greys. To acheive the lighter values, I mixed Naples yellow and/or Titanium white with the reds. I used four different hues of red in the berries as I needed cool reds (leaning toward blue) and warm reds (leaning toward yellow.)

Floral Still Life

11-13-06 This was painted over the weekend with corrections done this morning. I like parts of the original version better as it looked fresh and bright. I do like the table part better. So along the line of showing what works and what doesn't, this is one that sort of works but could be much better.

Daisies

This original acrylic painting, using Stephen Quiller Professional Artists' Acrylics, was an exercise in color. The image size is 6 3/4" x 10" on 7 1/2" x 11 1/4" Arches 140 lb. watercolor paper. I used an underpainting of Transparent Gold Oxide, then laid on Titanium White, Primary Cyan, Ultramarine Blue, Pyrrole Red Light, Cadmium Yellow Deep, along with more Transparent Gold Oxide.

Reptant (creeping)

11-01-31 I painted "Reptant" yesterday as my interpretation of insidious, creeping feelings representing fear based thoughts and beliefs. It is an original abstract watercolor painted on 5 1/2" x 11 3/4" Arches watercolor paper, with Stephen Quiller acrylic paints of Primary Cyan, Cadmium Yellow Deep, and Transparent Pyrrole Red Light.

I think of these feelings as fear based simply because they often keep one from going forward, making it difficult to begin a painting or make decisions. While my mind is subconsciously working through these feelings, I read art books, watch artists' videos, or view paintings in galleries and museums. Sometimes, all it takes to overcome these feelings is picking up a paint brush and laying down strokes of paint. That is how this painting began.

Solitude Graphite

This graphite drawing was for the Weekly Drawing Event and posted at Wet Canvas yesterday. By the time I posted it, it was overworked and didn't resemble the young girl in the photo. So this morning (10-30-06) I reworked the proportions of her face, including the angle of her eyes, the shape of her mouth, the dimensions of her body, as well as her right arm and hand. It is still overworked and not totally correct, but the addition of darker contrasts and the reworking of the shapes improved this a lot.

Pears Update

This painting was reworked a bit last night as I felt the third pear in the background needed a bit more definition. I also added more red into the green pear, defined the cast shadows a bit more, as well as the shadows on the pears. Personally, I like it better. The painting is 5 3/4" x 8 1/2" on a 7 1/2" x 11" piece of Fabriano Hot Press watercolor paper. If you would like to purchase this painting, please e-mail me for more information or visit my website.

Tulips

These tulips were painted from one of my reference photos taken earlier this year. This original watercolor is 7 3/4" x 17" on Fabriano Soft Press paper using Daniel Smith quality artist paints.

Seal Sketch & Painting WDE 10-22-06

After the sketch, I painted the seal in watercolor. The painting is 9 1/4" x 6 1/4" on Fabriano hot press watercolor paper using Daniel Smith paints. I didn't sketch on the wc paper so the seal has a bit different perspective or view.

One of the very best benefits of the WDE for me, is sketching or painting subjects I have been hesitant to try . I started this sketch by doing circles or slinkies (a technique from JayD in the Drawing & Sketching Forum.) The slinky enables me to familiarize myself with the shape and mass then I erased lines and added some shadows. This sketch took me approximately an hour using a mechanical pencil and an HB woodless graphite pencil.

Pears

10-18-06 I felt like experimenting this morning with background and foreground. This 6" x 9 1/2" watercolor is on hot press paper which is a very smooth paper. When water is spritzed or a watery wash is applied, it doesn't sink in very much. To me, this paper is best suited to applying the paint in a stroke and then leaving that stroke alone. So it is important that the paint to water ratio be as close to what one wants when applying the paint. This painting has several layers because I didn't get my paint as thick as it needed to be so I glazed color in layers. Painting a layer, drying it, then painting another layer. I spritzed, drizzled, spattered, and tilted the paper to get some of the effects.

Giving Thanks Sketch

10-17-06 I used a photo of myself to quickly sketch this silhouette in graphite and ink.

WDE Main Street

10-15-06 This 10" x 6 1/2" watercolor was painted for the Weekly Drawing Event (WDE) within the two hour time limit. The reference photo was taken by Deb Leger for the WDE. It is not mandatory that a painting be completed within the two hours, just that the painting or drawing be photographed and posted at the end of two hours.

I painted this without sketching or using masking fluid to keep the white of the paper. The perspective is totally off, the white fence is a mess, not to mention the shrubbery. But, I had such fun of meeting my personal challenges. A few of my goals were to 1) keep some whites in the Center of Interest area, 2) not overwork the paint and, 3) to see how well I could do with the perspective without a sketch. Comments always appreciated.

10-14 WDE Plaisance Waterfall

This 10" x 7" watercolor was painted for the Weekly Drawing Event at Wet Canvas. The reference photo of a waterfall in Plaisance, Quebec, was taken by Deb Leger. I enjoyed using the lovely cool colors of viridian and quinacradone rose mixed with Indanthrene Blue and Sap Green for the background colors. Those same colors were used in the foreground along with Green Gold, Cobalt Violet, Burnt Sienna and French Ultramarine Blue. I hope you enjoy it.

Elephant WDE 10-07-06

Wet Canvas holds weekly an All Media Weekend Drawing Event (WDE) which lasts a week. One has 30 minutes to choose a photo, then two hours to work on the painting. One must stop at the end of two hours and post a photo of the work accomplished. I did the sketch and this painting, which was very fast for me, in two hours 10 minutes. It is approximately 12" x 10" (on a 1/4 sheet Fabriano hot press paper), painted with watercolor. My goal was to paint loose and quickly. Not to be so concerned with outlines or detail.

Hand Sketch Item 3

I sketched this tonight for Item No. 3 in the Scavenger Hunt. The object was to sketch the hand while you sketch. I found this to be tricky and need to practice sketching more hands since the proportions are off.

Scavenger Hunt #12

This is item #1 for this 12th Scavenger Hunt. The object was to sketch, draw or paint a symmetrical object. Graphite on 5" x 8" sketch pad, time spent was approximately 30 minutes.




Item #2 is to find a dried or wilting flower or plant. This was a peach colored rose that was almost gone. Casein paints on 5" x 5" Arches 300 lb. paper with time spent approximately 30 minutes. This photo was taken inside with only window light but it shows the textures of the paper which I thought were an important part of the painting.

Jacket Sketch, Item 7

This is item no. 7 which was a "fall jacket."

Propane Tank Sketch

This is item #6 on the Scavenger Hunt list which is "something that brings in heat."

Apple Sketches

These two sketches are my 5th item for the Scavenger Hunt. Only 21 more to go!

Ladle, Sketch #4

Sketched this black ladle for the Scavenger Hunt at Wet Canvas. 6B woodless graphite pencil on 5" x *' sketch pad.

Scavenger Hunt Sketches

I have been trying to post to my blog but get an "error" message. Perhaps this time it will work!

The Artwork From Life Forum at Wet Canvas has a Scavenger Hunt. The artists sketch, draw, or painting from life, items posted on the list. My first sketches, using a 2B woodless pencil with watercolor pencils on the last sketch, were an open book, a stove, and a leaf.

I have a tendency to want to blend the graphite so my goal with the Hunt is to use hatching and crosshatching strokes rather than blending or smudging the strokes.

Charcoal Drawing

I finished this charcoal drawing last night and am now waiting for client approval. The image size is 14" x 10" on Arches 140 lb. cold press watercolor paper. In looking at the drawing on-screen, I may have to adjust the shadows on the left side of the woman's face.

The shadows adjusted, more work was done on the man's neck and the necklace detailed a bit more. Client approved the drawing which has now been signed and sprayed with a fixative.

Chrome Oxide Green Deep

This 6" x 3 1/2" casein practice painting was done in thin washes on 140 lb. Arches watercolor paper. The colors used were Ultramarine Blue Deep, Shiva Rose, Burnt Sienna, Yelow Ochre, Cadmium Yellow Light and, Titanium White. I have shaky hands so the lettering wobbles and bobbles a bit.

Since casein becomes very hard when dry, this watercolor paper would need to be mounted on a firm surface and, varnished.

Casein Landscape #2

09-12-06 Yesterday and today, I worked in caseins. This painting is 7" x 5" on gessoed Ampersand hardboard. The painting has been sealed with Golden GAC 100 and once that dries it will be varnished.

I have taken several photos of this painting both indoors and outside. This scan of the painting represents the work the best. This painting is for sale and can be purchased through PayPal, Here.

Strawberry Wall

There is a Engraved Wall Workshop in the Acrylics Forum at Wet Canvas with Sam as our most patient instructor. This painting is supposed to represent an engraved wall but, as you can see mine isn't working too well. This painting has multiple layers of paint, sponged, splattered, dripped, and glazed. My mind sees the wall as a dull, pinkish marble with some lights and darks and the forms of strawberries engraved in it. This painting looks nothing like what I see in my imagaination ha, ha. I will continue working on this as I am determined to learn the process.

Casein Practice

Yesterday, I decided to practice with casein paints on this 7" x 5" Ampersand board. Casein is an water based medium made from the protein of milk and has been around for centuries. It is best painted on a rigid surface. The paint dries very rapidly and can be applied in washes or impasto.

This unfinished practice piece helped to understand a bit better how casein works. The beautiful part of casein is, after it dries, it can be buffed with a soft cloth for a beautiful satin lustre.

Pewter & Glass Still Life

08-30-06 I finished the overpainting of this still life today. I hope you enjoy it. This photo was taken under natural light inside the studio.

If you want more information about this painting, such as pricing, it can be found on this page of my website

Pewter & Glass Still Life Overpainting

08-28-06 Click the image to see a larger view of this oil painting.

This photo shows the second layer of overpainting. There are areas that still need to be adjusted such as the pot spout and the core of the apple. The camera leached the color from the white areas of the cloth. There is actually a hint of blue, red and yellows in the white.

Pewter Still Life Grisaille (Grays)

I began a grid drawing of the copyright free reference photo (from Wet Canvas Reference Image Library) which took me a couple of days. Then Sunday I began painting the grays (grisaille) to establish the values of each of the objects. This acrylic underpainting is now ready for color.

The color portion of this painting will be done with oils. Hopefully I will be able to achieve the rich blues of the glass ware, the pewter grays of the pot and plate and, the yellows and oranges of the apple and orange. The main thrust of this painting is the contrast between the light filtering through the glass and peaking the tips of the pot, plate and fruit, and the darks of the shadowy areas.

Artwork Accepted

I am very pleased to share the news that three of my acrylic paintings have been accepted into the 11th Annual Cherokee Homecoming Art Show & Sale. The art show will run from August 26, through October 29, 2006 at the Cherokee Heritage Center, Tahlequah, Oklahoma.

The paintings accepted into the show are Cherokee Rose, Day's End, and Truckee River. I hope you take the opportunity to attend the art show as there are many nationally known Cherokee artists that will be showing their beautiful work.

Cherokee Rose

08-11-06 I finished the painting and submitted it for The Homecoming Art Show at the Cherokee Heritage Center. I will know the 21st of August whether the painting was accepted into the show.

08-09-06 This was painted from a photo I took of my neighbor in March of this year. The Cherokee rose reference photos are copyrighted and permission has been received from the sources, Trinity Farms of New Zealand, and the University of Florida, to use the photos. Also, I used a copyright free photo posted by the US government.

The Cherokee rose is a China rose that was brought to the U.S. around 1789. If my understanding is correct, it is symbolic of tears shed on the Trail of Tears. This painting will be entered in The Homecoming art show at the Cherokee Heritage Center in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. Wish me luck!

Stroke Checklist

I received this information in an e-mail about how to determine whether a person is having a stroke. There are three things to check and they are easy to remember by thinking STR.

S = Smile, have the person smile and notice if it is hard for the person to smile or if it is more lopsided than usual

T = Talk, Ask the person to say a simple sentence such as "Is It raining today?"

R = Raise Arms, Ask the person to raise one arm, than the other arm.

A fourth tip is to ask the person to stick out their tongue. If the person's tongue is crooked rather straight out, that can indicate a stroke.

If you believe that a person has had a stroke, call an ambulance. It has been said that strokes can be reversed if seen by a doctor within a three hour time frame.

North Pond

07-30-06 More work on this painting. While I have improved the bare trees I am not as pleased with the fore and middle ground. I much prefer the warmer glow in the painting before I added more to it.


07-28-06 I have been working on this 24" x 12" oil painting of the North pond and pasture which is the view from my kitchen window. This painting was done from a reference photo I took in March, 2006. I used a limited palette of Holbein Light Yellow, Lemon, Deep Red, Ultramarine Blue, Blue, White and Ivory Black.

Oil Color Chart

This is a color chart of oil paints that have been mixed by adding different colors into a base color, such as yellow. By doing these charts, one becomes more familiar with what the paint will do when mixed with one or more colors. In time, mixing color becomes more automatic so that one does not have to think about what colors are used to make green for trees or greens for grass.

Truckee River Update

I decided to change the painting by blurring the background mountainside a bit more with the mist. I changed the angle of the teepee and created more focus on that area of the painting. It is now varnished and ready for framing.

Roses Still Life

This 5" x 7" painting was completed last night around 1:00 a.m. It is painted on gessoed Ampersand board using professional quality acrylic paints. Using my magination and watching what the paint strokes indicated needed to be the next stroke, made it quite interesting to paint. I hope you enjoy it. If you are interested in this painting please visit my website.

Plein Aire

This is my first plein air painting done in Oklahoma and it is of the South view from the hilltop at my sister's place. It was a rainy, rather nice, cool morning so painted this sitting in the car waiting on a repairman to arrive. I was wishing I had some cooler colors of blue and yellow in my pallette, to indicate more the cooler colors of the greens in the distant trees and hills.

River Run

There hasn't been much painting this week. We are having a family reunion Saturday, so time has been devoted to getting the place ship-shape rather than painting.

I had to laugh at myself because I posted the wrong size of the "River Run" painting (I'm blaming it on age *grin*). It is actually 20" x 16" on gallery wrapped canvas.

A Rose

This painting was done wet-in-wet using Holbein
oils on a gessoed 3 1/2" x 16 1/2" luan hardboard,
using a brush and palette knife. It is very wet
and was difficult to get a photo without glare from
the lights and flash.

This is the second oil I have tried painting since
the early 1980's. I am finding it challenging but
most of all fun.

Oklahoma Photos

I haven't painted this week but have taken a few photos of the rural landscape here in Northeast Oklahoma and photos of sunflowers. These are possibilities for future paintings.

This photo was taken looking toward the sun and is approximately 2 miles from my home.

This photo was taken just a stone's throw from my home

These photos were taken in town. I spotted these huge sunflowers from across the street and had to have a photo of them.

This last photo of rural Northeastern Oklahoma was taken by me October, 2005.