Some Acrylics and my first oils in ages.. and a plein air date tomorrow.

This is a watercolor, 4X6. I wanted to paint "Five Smooth Stones" but it looked incomplete, unbalanced and needed more somehow. I found another black rock and added it. Nope, needs something. So I found the clear glass stones, nope, then the little lacquer box (it contains some myrrh) and it felt right. I have a lot to learn about design. The challenge was supposed to be painting shiny rocks.

This little dog is a Work in Progress, 8X10. I follow a blog "A Day Not Wasted" of a wonderful photographer who puts up an artist challenge once a month. This is Zoe, in oils, 8X10. I haven't done her nose yet and I want to try some feathering techniques on her fur.

This is an acrylic of El Capitan in Yosemite Valley, 12X16(?) (including the background where it was sitting). This is from a photo my watercolor teacher had for his workshops. I did it in watercolor then, and it looked very Japanese. Which isn't too surprising. But putting the yellow leaves in the foreground  seemed impossible, I hadn't masqued out enough, so I tried it again in acrylic, where you can go back and add in light things on top of dark. Way better.

 This cabin is an acrylic blast from the past. When I was a kid we lived in the American southwest. On Summer weekends after church we would through lunch in the car and head on up to Cloudcroft, NM. This was a cabin near Weed, that though looking ramshackle, had a brand new roof. I think my Mother saved this picture of it from the Sunday paper insert all those years ago. She was a painter too. She never painted it, I think she'd like it that I did. This image is a bit cropped, the picture has more at the bottom and at the right side. Not sure how I did that. (?) It's about 12X16

This is a little 6X8 acrylic I did from another picture my mom saved all those years ago. Trees are still a challenge, but practice helps. The wheel must have been there for decades, it really was bleached white.

Ah Spring, A couple of warm days and I'm smiling!

After a recording stint the other day I treated myself to a restaurant lunch at The Fish Market. It was such a beautiful day and I got a table right on the water! Fortunately my Winsor & Newton pocket watercolor set came in with me in a little green nylon bag. However, the results were mixed. I did the view twice. I used my little view finder very briefly because it was too difficult to keep using it without drawing a lot of attention, but it did help. The watercolor version was abysmal, althought the waiter loved it:
(well, I just tried to put the image of the watercolor version HERE, and it went to the top. How do other people get pictures where they want them?)


Anyway, then I did a quick pen and ink. It may have come out better because after the painting the watercolor the scene was more familiar and it made it easier. (I'll try to put the pen and ink here:)

Well? Howcum that worked and the other didn't? Sheesh.

Anyway, that's how I celebrated the coming of Spring! Next Saturday is a plein air Paint Out in a local park. You can register for two start times 6:30AM (to get the sunrise) and the one for sane people at 8:AM. I am the latter, thank you very much! Although it would be a treat to paint the sunrise, I know myself too well.
It's odd though, they will be having a judging at about noon. A bit early. All entries must be framed or be gallery wrapped canvas. ?? That pretty well eliminates watercolor doesn't it? Unless there are some remarkably prepared artists out there with frame selections in their cars. Hmmm. Nope, not me.

Fortunately, knowing myself as I do, I am going for the experience and fun of it, and if I come up with something viewable, great! This will be the first road test of my Christmas present, the Monet Traveling French Easel. It has attached wheels and a telescoping handle.

Late last night I thought I was going to bed, but I found myself sitting at the easel with an oil still life on which I've been working. The new Charvin oils had arrived and they needed to be tested, right? So, some of the shadows are better, the leaf I didn't like because it looked like a plastic leaf (well, it was) was turned into a lime and a couple of citrus leaves. Better (IMHO). Fortunately, at that easel is a floor standing Ott light from my needle work equipment so working after dark is not so bad. Actually, I like to never got to bed! The lime needs some dimpling though.
My thoughts and love are with the people of Japan, land where I was born, and remembering:
"The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea."  There is no good that is beyond the power and scope of God, Father and Mother of us all, and he cares for us all, even as "the lilies of the field."

Almost Spring, but I liked yesterday better!

It's so much easier to scan or take photos of watercolors. (I'm whining again, huh?) This is an 8X10 acrylic of a photo my nephew took of the Paine Massif in Patagonia. Looks a bit fuzzy, doesn't it? He does his tourism vertically, hence the earlier painting of Kilimanjaro. This was a different challenge from painting California, there certainly weren't any bushes or trees.

The plein air season is on it's way. It's such a wonderful way to paint, competing with the constantly changing light, the wind, dust, but it's a very vital way to paint and I need practice. Watercolors are an excellent way to go, but they dry out so fast. Acrylics dry out very fast too, and can't be re-wet, but a wet palette can really help ameliorate that. Perhaps oils may be the ticket. Evidence of my inexperience.

Once again breakfast became a still life, this time in acrylic.

American Persimmon and lace, 11X14 acrylic

Looks like  there is some "flash" on this from the camera. These acrylics can be a bit shiny. This is one of the Paint and Draw Together challenges of which I am so fond. This is one is 11X14 so it wouldn't fit on the scanner, but I don't think I could have avoided the flash that way either. Anyway, I am trying to work on a little bigger format because I'd been concentrating on miniatures for so long it was certainly not helping me loosen up. Of course I WOULD pick LACE on which to loosen up. That could have been counter productive, hmm?

When to go vivid (and all that entails) and when to be subtle?

In a painting group one of the other artists had set up this grouping to work on an impressionist piece. I just loved the items, their textures, warm and subtle colors. I asked his permission to take a couple of pictures so I could try it, and it was given.

This is my 8X10 acrylic result. The other artist did some amazing things with brighter colors, more impressionist shapes, and in oils. It was fascinating to see how differently things can be seen.

Next it would be good to explore a somewhat wilder version, more like an art instructor would like. For some reason it's good for me to try realistic first, to get familiar with the shapes, colors and textures, "internalize" them maybe? Whatever, it gets my hands familiar with the shapes, my eyes familiar with the colors etc. Then it seems easier to loosen up and try an impressionist version. Or, then again, maybe I need to fuss over the realistic version until I'm satisfied, or fed up, then my imagination starts really kicking in to liven things up! This second version will be with oils, easier to keep playing with it more.

Here is another project of a completely different kind. This is the unfinished version. It's further along now, the holes have been filled in. Have I said all this before?
Anyway, this is a result of working with the Great Dickens Christmas Fair in San Francisco last December. I went in 1830's dress (women of a certain age are free to wear styles from their youth). During that period the huge mutton leg sleeve was very popular (see the original Dr Doolittle opening scenes with the Dr's sister) and a special cape collar called a pelerine was also very popular. They were often of very fine stuff like lawn or batiste with embroidery, or fine lace. I had made one of some machine made lace that looks really good, but I'd always wanted to try to make a lace one from scratch, since they have a very distinctive shape. I had a bit of a search to come up with a motif that I could adapt to the shape, but the biggest thing turned out to be finding the thread! Who knew how much it would take! I'm using a fine thread (#30) in white, but there are a lot a whites out there. It took the better part of a month to find more of the exact same white. And YES, you can tell if it's not the same white. At last I was able to obtain enough to finish. On the pattern, I'm winging it so right now I'm in the hard part of the decision process, the final shaping and finishing details.
Gotta go, I'm off to my painting group now!

It's been decades but I'm trying oils again!

 This is a re-work of a canvas that was probably 30 years old. The still life had been sketched, but never finished. It was time to try it again. You know, they are right, oils are the best. Since I was raised in a "waste not, want not" household I am using up all painting supplies I can get open. This means I am using up the old turp. Stinky, so I set up in a really well ventilated area. I am having such a good time with this!

 This is an acrylic. It's from an artist's challenge blog. It was irresistible! To get myself to use a wider range of colors I had prepared this background and when I saw the pomegranate it had to be on this ground

 This is a watercolor, just to keep things even. It's really just a study, but it was an excellent exercise in trying to get smooth lines. I need more practice.
The arch at the bottom is something else I painted on the bottom of the same large shape.

Here is a "do-over" the watercolor version turned out to have a slit in the paper I didn't notice until I was nearly finished. So I did it again in acrylics. I should have scanned it, there is quite a bit of "flash" when you try to photograph acrylics.

January and time for warm colors!

How did this one happen? Well, I've been playing with my acrylics again. Backgrounds should have variety and it's often good for them to be dramatic. One of the painters who blogs, and paints daily said something I found I was about to realize myself, I'm just slower. Since you have to paint the background ahead so it can be dry and not just make mud when you start to paint, why not paint up a bunch of interesting, dramatic and colorful backgrounds. Then when you've got a moment to paint, grab one and paint!

It's easy to get into a rut, at least for me, I'd probably use the same two colors in every background if I allowed myself to do so. This pre-painted background method can change that. So starting with these 8X10 canvas boards and picking any color, always different, there are high hopes I'll spread my tiny wings and fly!!

OK, I do tend to favor warm colors, but I actually painted a deep gray background last night and today in class I made great progress by painting a partially peeled pomegranate on it! Wow, I'm (easily) impressed! Hey, this is a big step for me! Another big step was using a larger canvas (16X20), and I painted a BIG pomegranate on it, too! I'll try not to wrench my shoulder patting myself on the back. That one will have to be photographed because it won't fit on the scanner. The subject came from Paint and Draw Together, a "challenge" I love to participate in as often as possible.

Last month was spent doing intricate needlework for sale at the Great Dickens Christmas Fair in San Francisco. Boy did I need the money, and I actually made some! It made it possible to give Christmas presents and pay bills. I did a little sketching, but almost no painting. So, with all good intentions, I have started a class and found a great Drop In painting group which gets me out of the home studio at least twice a week.

On the Voice Over front, I just recorded a couple of parts in "Antony and Cleopatra" for Librivox as well as a few chapters of "Wylder's Hand," by J. Sheridan La Fanu. They were both very enjoyable, but I read the book's chapters "cold" and if I'd taken the time for scantion, they would have flowed better. It's a really funny book, very Victorian, and supposed to be a Psychological Thriller. It does have a certain leisurely suspense, but it is really hysterical in the subtext. For instance, there is the old uncle who thinks he's a ghost. I just came upon him in the last chapter I read. That took a lot of editing. The way it's written it was sometimes VERY difficult to tell who was talking. You get to the end of a long speech and find it was the hero, not the maid. You have to go back and re-voice the whole thing! That's what I could have taken care of in scantion, just hi-lite the the different characters in different colors and then I know who's voice I should be using! I think I even exasperated my laptop by the end of that editing session, it allowed me to convert it to mp3 for uploading, but it wouldn't allow me to save the original file. This means that if there is a problem, I have to go back a re-record the whole chapter. Serves me right it I didn't catch something in the editing process!

Another picture I just painted didn't get posted here. In November (I think) one of the Challenges was a nice stripey apple with a variety of leaves. I did it in watercolor (that one is posted) and uploaded it to the website. Unfortunately I didn't notice that there was a cut in the paper until I was finished! It isn't where it can be worked around either. The photo was wonderful, so I've re-painted it in acrylics. It turned out pretty good, but there was something not right about it. It was as though something was missing. Fortunately, the Tuesday class I'm taking has a critique portion and I got some great input. They helped me see why it bothered me. They had some great suggestions too, and I took some of them. Now I'm pretty darned happy about the picture. I'm thinking it can go on the website for sale!! Yippee!

Did I tell you what I got for Christmas? Well, I got the Traveling Monet French easel! Very Pretty and it rolls. It's better quality than my old one, but I should probably keep the old one for Period events where the wheels and handle would be too modern. I seem to be accumulating a lot of easels. I somehow ended up with 2 Feather easels, boy those are lightweight. We need an artists swap meet! Let's go for it.

More later!

'Tis the season!

(This picture is unfinished, but it's the only Christmas one I had "in-house")

Well, it's been a while since I wrote, and a few things have happened.

One of the whines is my mic went on the fritz again. (sigh) It's intermittent, and probably a short. I finally had to cough up for a new one. It's a slightly lower priced one, but brand new, and the same brand. It works very well, almost the same quality as the old one. So I am finally up and running again. I hope to finish recording a book, get it edited and then offer it.

I haven't been painting much, my creative impetus has been focused on mid-Victorian accessories, especially crocheted lace lady's caps. There were a few collars and cuffs too, things to sell at the Dickens Christmas Fair. It was a lot of hours, and they sold pretty well, especially considering the economy. There was a lot of really good feedback too, especially from people that didn't actually purchase anything but wanted to. I had really pared prices down this year and I think it helped. Some of what didn't sell will be offered to Sacramento City Dry Goods, and some will go on my etsy store. Some of the things on the needwork page of this blog are for sale at Sac. City Dry Goods. I'll try to take some pictures and get the new ones listed, but maybe not before Christmas.

It's time to stop the bustle and consider Christmas and what it means. It really makes up for all the things that seem to be wrong. They matter so much less when realizing what has come to us, the light shinning through the dark to light the whole world. I was going to put up the tree this weekend but a serious leak and an incredibly heavy rain that lasted a day and a half had me bailing instead. When the sky cleared a bit I ran to the Dickens Fair for the end of the fair to close. If the tree doesn't get up this year, at least I got the wreath up.

So now the roof guy is trying to arrange to get here and stop the flow. After that I can asses the damage done and how to correct it. The carpet was already on the way out, it's original to the house.

This year I went to the Dickens twice, once in costume. I have an 1830's period black taffeta that I haven't been able to fasten for a while, so something has been working. That was teamed with a cap I don't get to wear often. It's white cotton (OK polyester and cotton, I don't iron if I don't have to) that I embroidered (white on white) with period motifs, trimmed in ruffles and lace and is HOT. No, I mean you broil in this thing. My big mistake was forgetting I hadn't worn anything with a heel in way too long. Between the Cow Palace hovering in the 80's and the hard floors I felt pretty battered the next day. When I went back yesterday I went in a t-shirt, cotton pants and spongey soled shoes. It was still blazing hot, but I was a lot more comfortable.

It was a wonderful Fair, they expanded the floor so you weren't jostling continually, and there were more booths. It was wonderful having more floorspace. I think the participants costumes are improving continually. I still don't quite understand what some of the visitors have in mind when the get dressed. Sometimes you can see what they THINK they look like, but, sorry, it didn't work. I love when they try to be as Victorian as possible, but there are many for whom that is not a goal at all. 'Nuff said.

Have a lovely and Merry Christmas, and keep painting!

Candy Season is beginning!

Is this candy? Or Soap? It's a 4X6 Watercolor of a guest soap my Sister-in-law put in my Christmas stocking last Christmas. She does great Christmas stockings, it's always a surprise. I hadn't done anything miniature for a while and the delicate colors and cellophane appealed to me. How about you?

Well, it's time for the next challenge over on Paint and Draw Together. It's lemons this time. I spent the summer painting the lemons that fell off the tree, now we shall see if I learned anything.

Autumn is here!

As the trees start to turn, and the apples start to ripen, it's time to paint those things! I've thrown in an extra. It's a palette I rarely use, I remember an art teacher at the Academy of Art University who was working in pastel that time, he said to look at your pastels and see which ones are longest. Then make yourself use them because you are probably avoiding that part of the spectrum. Excellent advice. What a school!