Summer painting

This painting was done at the Lowe-Volk Nature Center in Galion, Ohio. Purchased by Jim the manager of the Center.I will continue to post the paintings of the summer. It has been difficult to upload as I spend 2-3 days painting and have had a number go to shows and hanging various places.

North Lake Park

 
This was done at North Lake Park in Mansfield. I was intrigued by the red car and the shadows across the road. Rather difficult with the incline. I added the people and the ducks when I came home. There must have been 30 white ducks and 200 Canada Geese with all their babies. They are owners of the road and it is difficult to make them move! They weren't agressive like some Canadas.

Gorman Lily pads

 
This was done last week at Gorman Nature Center..rather different for me. I couldn't stand all the green so added my favorite color..Purple!!

Cattail pond near Galion, Lowell-Volk Park

 

This pond was in a park, where children had a day camp. The kids were fishing and catching frogs. It was fun to hear them get all excited. I was inspired by the strip of sunlight coming through onto the lily pads.

This was done on the fourth day of the workshop. Fred Graff really stresses design over technique. Out of 20 students, all of but 5 had studied with him previously. And I won "Best in Show" with this piece. I was really pleased and won a tube of watercolor (M.Graham)Those paints really do stay moist as I found out, just tip the palette a little and it runs all over. Guess you need to let them dry out a little on the palette.

I did this watercolor before I went to the workshop last week. It is from a photo of the hen house from the first workshop. I got good remarks from Fred Graff and he recommended a few minor changes. I really like the colorful vibrancy.

Tomorrow

Tomorrow I will post a few watercolors. I went to a four day watercolor workshop with Fred Graff. He is fantastic and really stresses design. I learned so much. I continued to do my value studies and worked with his design elements also. I have been very frustrated since the workshop. I know what I want to achieve and I can get the design and value study but the watercolors are another thing! I feel more confidant with oils.

Park of Roses

This was a fun paint. The Park of Roses had a festival and invited artist to paint during it. While others chose small areas, I had to paint the whole park!!

The doghouse

If I can't upright this will have to edit later. Done at a friend's house one early morning. I have been painting, just not posting!

Through the trees

This was done during a demo at the art center from a photo. Still did the value study and getting more adept at the palette knife. Still frustrating at times, though

Abandoned farm

This was done at an Abandoned dairy farm. It worked out well. I am learning to use the knife better and always doing a value study in my sketch book first.

Kingwood Lillies

Actually this is the Kingwood palette knife painting done after the workshop.

The hens

I love this little painting. The hens were so cute perched on that bar. It was early morning and the light was interesting in the shadows. Hard to photo as the painting is dark.

Value Study

This was the value study in oil done in Debra Dawson's workshop.

Kingwood Fountain

This was done at Kingwood Gardens. The reflections on the fountain were spectacular. I am pleased with this painting. This was done before the Dawson palette knife workshop

Mifflin Lake Bridge

I had trouble photographing this one. Lots of glare. I really like the original. I did the value study and am learning to use the knife. At times frustrating as sometimes the paint won't go on the canvas, or won't go on top of other paint. Debra taught you do it with a feather touch. My hand shakes or jerks and it goes where I don't want it!

Not so hot blogger

It is just so difficult to photo a painting well and then upload. This is a painting of my house after taking a palette knife workshop with Debra Dawson. My workshop paintings are not worthy of showing but I learned so much. Especially to do a value study before painting. I have been lazy previously. It does take a little time to do it but the painting results are tremendous as you will see in the next paintings. The workshop was very cold and windy. It made it difficult to do plein air, to work with the palette knife and the value study, all new in a two day workshop. Debra is a fantastic teacher talking about why she was doing what while she was demonstrating. She made us do a value study in grays in oils before our painting.

Phlox on Top

What inspired me was the beautiful phlox cascading down the steps at Kingwood Garden Center. Again I used the colorist instructions...difficult but feel it will be easier as I do more studying and painting in this manner. I first block in the large masses, light first, then darks, or warms then cools, When all the color seems right then go to the top colors that make the real colors..confusing? Right! me, too! Then you do the mid tones...then what details you have left. I really think I will get it eventually. I am getting dramatic paintings, stronger paintings but think I have a way to go with the color...Also using lots of paint and a palette knife because that is the only way to put wet paint on top of wet paint. I have not got the knife technique down yet either. It has been fun. This was painted on the 23rd of April. I painted the barn again today but it turned cloudy and my perspective is off so need to work on that before I photo it for the blog.

Spring Barn

The sun on the barn inspired me and also the red tile grain silo and it's reflections. This was painted plein air on April 19. I should have photoed it but then came home and had been reading a book on impressionistic painting and am going to study this summer with Camille Przewodek and have been trying to understand the colorist theory. So...this is the final work. I really love this work...so different and yet still me.

Impressionistic Kingwood

The Spark for me was the Tulip tree/bush with the light green spikes in front, then the background azaleas and the rows of yellow and white daffodils. I was determined to do the painting in 1 1/2 hours so....began painting in large puzzle pieces with the complimentary color. Then added the various true colors on top. The large tree had no branches until the very top so had to add branches as it looked like a telephone pole. I eliminated a number of trees to make the painting's composition work better. Very unusual for me considering the prior painting is so photographic..I have been reading about the Cape Cod School, and light. Worked for this but really messed me up with my watercolor today. I continually try to confuse myself!

Clearfork Spring

Why do I pick such a complicated thing to paint plein air. I try to be simple....I liked the contrast of the little jutting out of land against the lake but then.....the sky was easy, the background hills worked but then the trees...oh the trees and the branches and this branch wouldn't stay in the foreground and that one wouldn't stay back so it was no 3 hour painting...much longer but I do like it now.

Lily pads, a work in progress

I like the way this is turning out. I have the other side of the pond to do and do more work on the water and under the lily pads. I have some spots in the water that are spaced too evenly and same size. The water needs to be much darker for contrast but it is turning into one of my calm and serene paintings. That is what I am striving for.

Beauty and the Beef

This photo was used in the Mansfield News Journal on the front page of the second section to advertise the Beauty and the Beef Show at Ed Pickens Cafe on Main in Mansfield, Oh. It was great timing as there was a reception for artists and a beef tasting of the Longhorn Beef. Three recipes, steak,meatball stroganoff and barbequed meatballs. It was a nice reception despite the city tearing up the street and the rain.
This painting was done last summer in plein air. The cattle stayed peacefully in place which hadn't happened before. I just liked the peaceful, serene setting and the warmth that was there that morning. Luckily the cattle placement was done for me so the composition worked. This original is in Columbus, OH at the High Road Gallery at present at the Tamed and Untamed: All God's Critters Show.

Color changes

Yesterday I photoed on the porch with sun light outside, today it is cloudy and due to rain so photoed the top photo inside. I never changed the color of the golden hills...the camera did. guess that says you should be consistent with photographing.

Spring at the Farm

When you put them all together I like the watercolor the best, bright color, dramatic value. The last oil is the finished oil. The photo shows too much white due to wet paint. I will have to look at it awhile. I guess not too bad for the first time outside this year with the oils...still attempting to work the easel, paints, carrying it all, plus been reading too much on color and am confusing myself, both in oil and watercolor!

WETLAND GOLD

This is the final photo...am not taking the frame apart again! Had to print my name darker so it would show up. It will go to get juried this month.

Beauty and the Beef show

Just a lot of wonderful work!

Beauty and the Beef show

Wish you could see the great portrait of John Sherer, the owner of the Longhorn farm. Fantastic!

Beauty and the Beef

Spent the morning hanging the Beauty and the Beef show. I was really impressed with the wonderful work. For some reason the upload didn't work and the photos have so much reflection due to all the lights and the windows.
Spent the afternoon driving around with my painting partner searching out sites for tomorrow's plein air painting.

water lillies in progress

I am getting excited about this one...I worked from my photo , put the lily pads in in pencil and then just went with my imagination. I didn't like the top half of the photo so I will need to improvise the back of the pond. Tomorrow I help hang the Beauty and the Beef show and that will take half a day...I may be too tired to lift a brush.

Watercolor plein air farm

This was my first attempt at watercolor plein air. I may rework this. Very challenging. Very windy and hot so everything dried up fast..my painting partner says it looks more like an oil and I should just keep doing oils. I don't think it was half bad.The tree line at the distant hill is too dark and the pines somewhat dark and I have lost that transparent watercolor feel. Maybe just paint another and see how it goes.

Wetland Gold, and others

I have been working on this for about a week, even took it in and out of the frame about six times and may have to again if the photo isn't good. I wish I could just say to some one Frame it this way! and then I wouldn't have to do it...but it is costly to have it done. I got permission from the photographer to use the photo and added the ducks...it is a little different from the photo but close enough I needed permission.

Ohio Plein Air Society annual Meeting with demos

Fantastic meeting! Carl Dalio did an amazing demo with a slide show. He is a great teacher with a exceptional sense of humor. That caused me to buy his video and sign up for his workshop at the OPAS(Ohio Plein Air Society)Competition at Lakeside Ohio in September. I have already watched the video and incorporated some of the lessons in my watercolor class to my students. Dance with the brush he says and all my future paintings will be dancing with the brush. Dance one color into another and let it paint itself. I love his limited palette and will attempt to use his colors for awhile and see how I like them
On another note the dentist loved the Morning Breakers and commissioned another painting of the Put-in-Bay area.
And I have had students in consecutive classes for three sessions now. And I was so glad to add some more techniques today to class.

Morning Breakers

This was a commission with a lot of free rein. Lake Erie scene for a dentist's office. I wanted something calming and pleasant. The area is around the wildlife center between Catawba and Toledo. I truly want to go back there this Spring when the wading birds are migrating. So I put in the darling little Sandpipers that run back and forth around the waves and I wanted a pleasant scene so I did a morning sky. The painting was a success. It will hang in a show in April in Mansfield, but the dentist claimed it and ordered another painting.

Moped Rental

This was a commission and a real challenge. I had done one before with just the scoot cars and the gift was well received and a friend of the owner saw it and loved it so the owner of the first painting commissioned another with the mopeds. He liked it so well that a print was made and given to the friend and the owner now has two paintings of the Moped Rental. It is an 8x10 oil. I blew the photo up to 8x10 and worked on spots of color, especially with the mopeds.

Goals

After reading my New Year's post, I realize I have been working on art but have not been painting so many hours a day. Must assign myself a schedule! I have walked the dogs most days but weather here is poor. a foot of snow, and high of 20 degrees most days. Today it is 11 degrees and wind. We are staying in. All my other goals are working. Why when painting is the priority it is done last or not at all? That is why I said I must set hours to paint or other things just interfere. Much easier to catalog paintings than paint!! This is the challenge...paint some every day, if only to put a drawing on canvas or paper!

Catalog of paintings

So much for promises. Can't believe I haven't posted. I have been working on art. Have inventoried all supplies, and am presently cataloging all paintings. I thought I would be done by now. This method will work much better. A page for every painting, with date started, support, size,medium,mat,frame and price at the top and listings of shows beneath. Previously had just listed on a sheet with name and size and frame. I have found that sometimes I never listed them or listed twice with a different name. Now I will start a sheet when I start a painting. This will work much better. So it has been a paperwork week.

Happy New Year

Ah, new beginnings. Today will plan future paintings and decide regular hours to paint. The last painting was one that finalized the jury process for Artistes de Studio Gallery online. I am thrilled.This qualifies as my fifth competition that I set as a goal the middle of 2009. So now to start over with goals.1. I paint 2-3 paintings a week, setting at least 3 hours a day to paint and two for planning,and paperwork.2. Enter 5 competitions and when I hit 5 continue!3. Read or listen to painting info or motivational material 30-60 min. a day. And 4. For fun and instruction have 2 painting vacations and 2 painting workshops. I can't wait to get started! I have also set a continuing goal of a 5lb weight lose per month to hit my final goal of a 20lb weight loss. This means walking briskly 30-40 min/day and continue my salad or soup at six and no white poisons, no red meat, little chicken, lots of fish and vegetables. I can do it as I have done it for six months and lost 20 lbs. Yea! 2010. It is going to be a great year!