And something to do while the paint dries....

I started another project to work on while the paint on the poppies is drying.

I really like the composition in this one and the fact that I offset it this way on purpose. I had an initial vision that the more I look at this, the more I don't like the original plan. When I laid this down in the sun to take a picture I got the shadows of the trees outside cast on it. And I like the directionality to the shadows. Originally I had planned to work on something more nebulous.

I had also planned to keep a lot more white here in the top of the bulb. However, the paper that I am working with, Canson 140#, soaks up water faster than I thought it would and the Aureolin yellow that went down for the first wash had much sharper edges than I meant. My bottom yellow faded up into the Aureolin like I wanted it to so there was a bonus. I think that was a regular cad yellow in my Cottman travel pack. Now the vermillion and other red washes are a hodge-podge of whatever looked good in the incandescent light while I watched the umpteen millionth episode of Poirot for the night so I don't even know what I did to get those colors. I only know that I will leave them alone.

Green Gold and Sap green were the mid range tones over Aureolin on the leaves. The darkest greens are Green Gold and Antwerp Blue. I left all the hard edges to dry overnight and stain the paper well. The Antwerp lifts better than the green gold so today when I smoothed everything over I got some really nice results in the leaves.... it actually looks like I know what I am doing.


So far my favorite part is the potato chip curl in the leaves on the left and the one strong leaf curled to the right above the fruit. Now that I have smoothed everything over again, I need to go in with another layer of mid range green, maybe with a little viridian to make some of the olive leaves a bit bluer a green, deepen the separation between leaf sets and hit a few details with some very thin lines. While the fruit is spot on from the photo... at least it doesn't need more touching up, I still think that my favorite part of this will be the leaves.


What do you think, purple grey for the background? Or purple green-grey?



with a background

 

Here it is with the first layers of background color. I wanted to contrast with the poppy pods and went with orange-pink ( a mix of Holbein's Opera and Green Gold from Windsor Newton) but the yellows and greens in the iron patina washed out.

At least with the obnoxious amounts of poppies the wash pushed them into the background a bit so that I could pick out just a few to high light with details.

Then the problem becomes the poppy fading into the background. I am debating the addition of some lavender tones to the bottom of the background around the poppy petals. I know green won't work and I don't want to do brown either because I want to keep it bright.

The bottom of the poppy, where all the goodies show through the paper thin leaves could be made a bit purple near the stem and then that color could come up to background and fade up..... I don't know. I am a bit stuck here to be honest.

But it gives my brain something to do when I get overwhelmed with moving again. Or with the idea of finding a second job. Interview's today.

And the plumber keeps setting off the fire alarm with his torch. You'd think he would take the batteries out of the thing.

 

 

Watercolor project: first phases

 

 

First phase of watercolor with a piece of ironworks from the old state hospital gates and some poppy pods; I'm not sure that I should have continued much past this point. I like the lightness of the pods and the mere suggestion of their presence compared to the in your face look I have looking at phase two.

 

However in phase two the iron works do stand out much better and some of the poppy pods faded into the background to keep the foreground from being too busy. And I do see that the frame is off, it needs to be extended to the curve of the poppy tendril at the bottom. And I need to deepen the shadows on the frame. I may have to do some fancy fret work along one of the sides.

 



Happy Birthday (late) to my Pen Pal

as they say.....

 

 

 

 

Playing with picmonkey again, this time with the pics I took at Fred Meijer park. 

Welcoming Spring

or rather, praying Mom Nature gets over her crazy phase and gets to some warm weather and focusing on bright things hoping that helps boost mood and dispel the cold.

While foraging with the BF I found the only book in BAM on the subject of Dale Chilhuly. For a nominal price I splurged and got yet another book that I have to move. But it is small and colorful and full of these fun Persians.

These are so very inspiring. You might recognize these from the trip to Fred Meijer With Picmonkey I am able to really bring out the experience of being there and seeing these gems in person rather than rely on my not so skilled photography.

I've plastered Pintrest with them too.


Today is a day for paint and working out the mojo. I've got to move and I've got to sort some things out, look at a few places and keep some things in mind. When the BF came over to survey the collection of junk in the basement the first thing that he told me is that the art studio goes in the living room no matter where we are. No. Matter. What. He's rather look at my supplies and have me paint while he is crafting with his tools in the kitchen instead of locked away in another room somewhere.

Do you know when the last time was that I heard that?
Never.

I think this one gets it. I knew that I got a good feeling about him for a reason. But little by little I am finding the substance behind the feeling.

Time for another coffee and some paint before then next showing.

Art for the Soul

In the midst of house hunting, hamstring recovery and dealing with a few personal hang ups I find that I am overly stressed right now. Gee whiz, who wouldn't be right? Well, it seems like the logical thing to do is double down and get things done. But I can't. My mind is spinning a million miles a minute and flung about a hundred hamsters off the wheel. I can't sleep with all these things in my head. So I did what we tend to do.... I picked up a brush.

Actually the first thing that I picked up was a Watercolor yearbook of sorts. It was a dollar at the Goodwill store. the BF and I were out for a few looks at places and stopped there for a break. I found this book. And then when we got back to my house and had a look at all the things that need to move I felt guilty about bringing a book into that mess. Until he said that we had to make sure that the art stuff went first. And not only does it get moved first but that he would rather it be out in the living room where it is easily accessible.

Ladies and gents.... I do not have to hide my art supplies. He'd rather look at that than the antiques. Score!

And so I am working out a watercolor. Just for something to do. It helped to have the Watercolor yearbook for inspiration. But the other thing that helps is this damn blasted long Winter. I need some colors. I need some brightness.

And I need to have some way to relax. And that is what art is. A way for us to relax. I've been thinking of art for profit for so long that I forget about art for the sake of art, for the sake of the soul. And that is why we do art.

Art for the soul.....