Wet Lands

Quote for the day, "The artist will open a book someone is trying to close to show there are still more pages possible." R. Henri 
  
    Wet Lands are part of the beauty of Florida. They have been painted many, many times.  I thought I would concentrate for a while on capturing my impression of their beauty.  They are such a fragile part of our environment and constantly threatened by builders.  For some reason ($$$) they seem to get around all the local and state restrictions.  Dare I hope this New Year, will see a greater effort to preserve our heritage.
     This was my first time using linen and it made a big difference.  I like the smoother texture as I tend to paint more like a watercolorist than a heavy impasto, although I am trying to put on more paint.  This was a small 5x7, 620 gram weight linen Centurion LX with wrapped edges. Don't remember where it came from but  I am serverly tempted to dip deeper into the $$ and use linen.
     I have started to use Office 2007 outlook to keep me on task with my goals.  Am visiting web sites, blogs, Etsy to get ideas.  Any one with ideas on Web site is welcomed to comment.  I am leaning toward just the blog and Etsy but if I do larger pictures then what  So much to learn and it takes away from the painting.  Where have I heard that before!!! 

SunFlowers in Copper Pitcher

I decided to break loose from the small paintings that I have been doing, which I will eventually post, and do a 16 by 20 using large brushes. I wanted to be loose and just paint! I thought these sunflowers were so cheerful and colorful that they did not need to be tightly rendered. Hope you enjoy. This day has flown by as I was attempting to take photos of my recent art and that in itself takes me a long time to get right, then I got bogged down in updating my art files. I think one of the best guidance a newbie can get, is a system for keeping track of paintings. I have created an excel file only to find I have to expand it to keep track of my blog, my etsy etc. Oh well, guess I have to be thankful for all the new synapses that my brain is making and hopefully it is creating new brain cells warding off future senility.

Still Life with Pink Rose

 

This was quite a challenge for me. I think I am afraid of flowers so decided to give it a try. I wiped it out 2 times but I am finally satisfied with the end result. Mind you the next one will be even better! I am working on putting in my brush time; as it says in the "Outliers", I need to put in my 10,000 hours. I have been guilty of spending more hours on studying and than on painting, I think I kept hoping there was a magic secret. There is JUST KEEP PAINTING!!!
That said I am off to see the grandsons in Denver for a week on Tuesday. It is always a treat to see them. I am so fortunate to have two great daughters and two great son-in-laws. So will be taking a break of a week. But I know my grandson will have me sketching. The younger one makes a mark and I have to create something from it. It actually is a lot of fun. Peace and Joy to all.

As Promised!

I finished my painting yesterday (16x20 on Panel) and I am happy with it, yet will continue to strive to improve. I am still getting some glare but will study more on taking pictures. I am also feeling better about my work and about life as I am reconnecting with nature by taking walks. I think one of the reasons I loved golf so much was walking and enjoying the beauty of nature. I have spent more time inside since I started painting and I am going to rebalance my time better.

Where did it go?

I first want to thanks Rachel. I received my print and it is lovely. As soon as I recoup all that time that just flew by (Where did it all go?), I will take a photo and show everyone how lovely it is. Meanwhile I am posting a bouquet of flowers I painted a while back. I am actively painting but mostly experimenting and wiping it off. I had my watercolor sketching class today. What a blast! Love it when my little girl can come out and play! I am headed for Denver next week so will be out of touch for about three weeks unless I can carve out time on my daughters' computers. with 6, 3, and 1 year old grandsons climbing on grandma begging to play, it might be difficult. Have a wonderful, joyful day and week. Honor

Sushi anyone?

This is the DSFDF challenge and I think I got in under the wire. My cold delayed me a bit, but to be truthful I found this quite a challenge. I actually did my first in Alkyd Oils and did not care for them, they seems too loose. My second attempt seemed better in regular artist oils on a 5x7 canvas board. I am glad I did it as I learned a lot. I am currently taking a watercolor sketch book class and this afternoon was just what I needed as a reward after the Sushi challenge. Fun!!! Doing watercolors I revert to my childhood and play!!

I WON!

Just received notice from Rachel that I won one of her paintings!!! WOW!! I am excited as I rarely win, so my luck has changed and in such a wonderful way!!! This morning, I went Plein Air painting with our local guild group ---- not quite so lucky as I am still having trouble with varying my greens and contrasts. However, I had a marvelous time, the weather was delightful and I to think - I almost didn't go thinking it would be too cold (68). After I returned home, I started a still life and used only C.Red Light, UltraM Blue, Alizarin Crimson and White. Needless to say it challenged me as I tried to duplicate exact colors.... I am going to repeat the exercise again and again and again until it becomes second nature to mix correctly. In the meantime, I am posting a painting I did of a tea set my brother brought back from Nam. I call it "Zen Moment". Have an enjoyable night. Honor