Doodles  Pencil    4.5x5

Sometimes it is great to be unproductive !!!

BARN 124 Up and AWAY 72x800 watercolor, acrylic and more.

This barn has been unfinished for about a year. I was unhappy with the whiteness of the lines. I am now experimenting with acrylics and decided to apply acrylic washes to modify the whites and edges. Now I think it is ok. What do you think?

Kitchen Stuff

Kitchen Stuff 7.5x11 watercolor

Flower shop # 14

Flower shop # 14 mostly watercolor 22x30


This is the only full size to date- and a long ways from the original photo. Not sure if I am pleased with it.

Flower Shop #10 #11 #12 #13

Flower Shop  #13    watercolor and mixed  media   10x11

 

Flower Shop #12       watercolor and  mixed     10x11

 

Flower Shop  #11     watercolor and mixed    10x11

 

Flower Shop  #10     watercolor and mixed     10x11

This may be the last of these for a while.  I did them more than a month ago and just have been too busy to down load them.  I like the pigeons.  I now have a full sheet coming soon and again have  my thoughts returning to the barn series.

Flower Shop Series #7 #8 and #9

Flower Shop #9 WaterColor and Mixed 10x11

This one has a lot of opaque. Again not sure that I like the effect in my work…at least in this application.

 

Flower Shop #8                WaterColor and Mixed 10x11

Flower Shop #8 bit more abstract with design and calligraphic entertainment. It is a relief after all those green compositions – a bit warmer and mellow.

Flower Shop #7 WaterColor and Mixed 10x11

This one has very much the same feel as #6.

If you have been following this blog you might notice I change the name of this series. The ‘Green Purse’ seemed to have lost whatever energy it had.

Flower Shop Series #5 and #6

Flower Shop #5 Watercolor and mixed media 10x11

 

Flower Shop  #6 10x11 Watercolor and mixed media

I like the line and texture of both of these. More coming.

Flower Shop Series #1 #2 # 3 and #4

My new GREEN PURSE Series   ..... Four here today and more on the way
Am listing these out of order because I am not very fond of #1.

Flower Shop #4    11x10  watercolor, mixed media

For some time I have been feeling that I want to use more line. The use of line takes the composition decidedly away from ‘real’ and makes it more painterly. Line is great contrast to the smooth watercolor wash. I like this best so far. More to come.

My new GREEN PURSE Series is based on a photo taken while a friend and I were at a nursery shopping for Asiatic Lilies and whatever other perennials we could find. The heron is inspired from ‘yard art’ a long time resident of my garden. This is the second series from this gardening establishment about an hour’s drive north along the Mississippi River. The first series was a study with the buildings and pots dominating the composition and a smaller image of my sister ready to buy an iris.


I like this subject- people I love; flowers and pots (which are excuses for warm color and soft washes) I have in abundance around our home; buildings ( make excuse for straight lines). I fill the page with shapes, touching the edges of the paper-large and small.






Flower Shop #1    watercolor, mixed media   11x10

This is #1- Just a planning sketch to see what to do. I thought the leaves on top were too cluttered so I eliminated them in the next studies. I do not like it much

 

Flower Shop #2    watercolor, gauche, mixed media  11x10


Traditional watercolor method. I like the freshness. The composition is better.



Flower Shop #3      watercolor, mixed media  11x10

Gouache is much too difficult for this old watercolorist. I have been studying Donna Zagota and thought I would try the opaque watercolor. But I think I will leave it to her-whose work is fantastic, creative, and fun.



Barn 123 RAIN RAIN GO AWAY

Barn 123 RAIN RAIN GO AWAY 22x30 watercolor, pencil, oil pastel

The motivation for this barn painting was a gift of a ceramic rooster found at a garage sale by a friend. I guess any excuse for putting paint in paper is better than cleaning house! I have had this painting almost finished for a few weeks. Then I added the kids playing the hay loft -waiting the the rain to go away. Van Gogh’s ‘Wheat Field with Cypress’ had some influence on those clouds-but I am sure he would be horrified at the implication. I finally decided that I like it.

La Push WA Sketches

1 La Push WA First Beach sketch 1

2 La Push WA First Beach sketch 2

2.2  at La Push WA First Beach sketching

3 La Push WA First Beach Fog Sketch 3

4 La Push WA First Beach Fog sketch 4

5 La Push WA SECOND BEACH sketch

6 Ruby Beach  WA  sketch

6.5 Ruby Beach  WA  sketching

7 Rialto Beach LaPush WA sketch 1

8 La Push WA First Beach  sketch 5

9 La Push WA First Beach driftwood sketch 6

10 Rialto Beach La Push WA shetch 4

10.5 Rialto Beach La Push WA   artist looking...

11 Rialto Beach La Push WA sketch 2

12 Deer Park Olympic National Park sketch 1

12.5 Hurricane Ridge, Olympic National Park   sketching

13 Deer Park Olympic National Park sketch 2

14 Hurricane Ridge   Olympic National Park sketch

15 tools

All sketches were completed in a 7x7 hard bound skectch book, WN paints in my travel kit, carried a bit of water in a small plastic bottle.

The cool Olympic Peninsula of Washington was refreshing change from the heat in Wisconsin this past week. We do not often visit the West Coast and delight in being there. I will probably never make a ‘real’ painting of any of these sketches. However this is my way of increasing the enjoyment of the beauty in front of me-of seeing it better. The making of a line-and-wash sketch takes considerably longer than taking a photo. So I take note of value difference of trees, angles of rocks color of water and sky, the smells of the ocean and sounds of crashing waves.

Someone wrote long ago………..
The seas have lifted up, O LORD,
the seas have lifted up their voice;
the seas have lifted up their pounding waves.
Mightier than the thunder of the great waters,
mightier than the breakers of the sea—
the LORD on high is mighty.


Also Ed Whitney talked of the relentless pounding of sea saying ‘move over’ and the rocks replying ‘not one inch’...the battles continues. And is great to watch.


So this is my offering…enjoy

 

Over the Hill and Here to There

Over the Hill           3.5 feet by 5 feet            Watercolor

Yes these are watercolor on paper cut from a roll. It seems to have taken a lot of emotional energy to finish. Then a trip to deliver them and then family gatherings and a wedding, then Summer school started (I am a math teacher!) then poison ivy !!!! Now I think I will able to get back to painting again. Hopefully more soon.

Here to There              3.5 feet by 5 feet Watercolor

Barn 122 Spring Chicken

Barn 122 Spring Chicken     22x30 watercolor, pencil, oil pastel

This barn painting is an attempt to create variations of color- no surprise here. I wanted to place a cooler, transparent, high intensity green next to a warner, more opaque, grayer green. The greens show gradation from yellow green to green to blue-green. And spice it with complements of red, hint of orange and lavender. Each color has a bright and dull sample and high and low value. Always a hint of more neutral gray is added in contrast to all the bright color.

Yes I like it and thanks Bev for the chicken.

April Lily

April Lily 22x30 watercolor and various markers

April Lily came about after studying Shirley Trevena again. I find her to be very creative, and she sends a lot of energy my way. This painting is hardly dry as I write this note. Following her example I have used many mark-makers: graphic pencil, colored pence, sharpened stick and a hint of oil pastel. Not a perfect painting, but I like it. I think this is the beginning of a new series ………. Try: www.shirleytrevena.com

Barn 121 Freckled Friends

Barn 121      Freckled Friends    watercolor   22X30

This is a more colorful version of Barn painting  120 Sun Spots. I really like the ‘freckled’ cow and chicken, and the foliage and a lot of stuff. However I am not at all sure that I like the white corners. Perhaps the paintings in which the white spaces and shapes are in the subject are more appealing to me than the white corners.


What do you think? Do you have a favorite?

Barn 120 Sun Spots

Barn 120    Sun Spots            22x30    Watercolor, pencil

This effort seems to have the lighting from the top. The color is a bit more muted or neutralized and white scattered around. I think it is “good enough” but not my favorite. What do you think?

Barn 119 MoooonShine

Barn 119       22x30  watercolor, pencil

After  the last effort "On the Hill"  I had a need to be a little more  free flowing. I do not yes have a name. Any suggestions for this barn painting ?

Barn 118 ON THE HILL

Barn 118   ON THE HILL   Watercolor   22x30

Another in the barn  painting series with more  coming