Gallery at East Beach

Last night the CBAA had the reception for their spring show at the Gallery at East Beach, Norfolk, VA. (This is me standing next to my painting of an Ocean Wave.)

It is a wonderful show with some great art work. If you have the chance, go to see it.

The Creative Arts of Tidewater had three winners!!! Pam Hill won 3rd place with Tree of Knowledge, Terry Brunner won Honorable Mention with The Storyteller and Mary Kay Holladay won Honorable Mention with Oriental Poppies. I am so proud of all three of them and I think it says alot about the CATS group. We have nine members and we have alot of talent. Look out world; here we come.

Trees in the Morning

I want to congratulate my niece Kerri and her new husband Brent on their wedding vows that they took yesterday. Kerri is a very special young woman in our family. She is loved by everyone and we have taken Brent into our love along side of her. We wish her and Brent a wonderful lifelong journey together.

I had decided to give them a painting as a wedding gift and I had the hardest time deciding which to choose. Then when I took out "Trees in the Morning" I knew it was the perfect painting.

The morning sun gives the promise of a new day as their wedding day promises them their life together. I believe it is bright with the
excitement of their youth and peaceful with the serenity of their later years. The colors of the foliage are rich with organic growth as their lives will grow together. It is a gift of love, peace and freedom to go into the world together and create the lives that they will. And they will.....

Central Park

I actually painted this painting twice. The first one I sold about a year ago. In this version I tried some new things.

First of all I did it on hot pressed paper. I usually work on cold pressed paper. Hot pressed paper is very smooth and does not absorb the paint as much. There are more back runs or blossoms and the paint dries faster. But it gives a smooth surface that I wanted to achieve for the ice cold water.

The next thing I did was limit my color pallette to only three colors, paynes grey, davy's grey and burnt umber to achieve the feeling of the cold temperature.

Over the last two weeks I taught my "Tricks" class in beginning watercolors. In this class I demonstrate different ways of creating textures and effects often with non-painting substances. For example after laying in a wash of color you sprinkle a little salt and little star shapes appear in the paint. It is always a fun class and people usually choose some tricks to enter into their repertoire of tools for painting.

In Central Park I have used three tricks. If you are one of the first two people who can guess what they are, I will give you a print of the painting. You need to write the three tricks used in the comments section below. You are not elligible if I have already told you the answer. This is for people in the continental United States only.

So good luck with this little contest and hope to hear from you soon.

Gosport Art Festival

Being in the Gosport Art Festival was a great experience. We were fortunate with the weather. It was very hot and windy on Saturday but alas it did not rain. Then Sunday, Mother's Day, was exquisite, warm and sunny with gentle breezes. A tribute to my mom and everyone elses.

The setting was beautiful. Olde Town Portsmouth. Historic buildings with cobblestone sidewalks and beautiful gardens with climbing rose bushes. I was in front of the famous Commodore Theater. During the weekend I often wished I was there to paint as the scenery was so magnificent.

I also was inspired to capture the sun going through a woman's straw hat and gently landing on her shoulders and chest.

Communication is a large part of creating art. I feel that it is like breathing in and breathing out. Taking things in from the world and processing them and then expressing them in your form of art. Your art is a part of your inner self that you are giving back to the world to experience.

I am very thankful for all the compliments and comments shared with me by the viewers of my art work and I enjoy conversing with them. It is a form of recognition for the work I have done. When someone buys a piece of art it is the ultimate compliment. And I am very thankful.

Some of the artists did very well with sales and others did not. This varies from show to show. One artist may do very well in one venue and another in a different setting. We all know this but when we do not do well with our sales, we are more than just disappointed we feel that our art has not been accepted by the viewers. Then we are taken by surprise with a comment or a sale that takes our breath away. It is part of the cycle of our art.

Jerry's Artarama's Spring Art Show May 2009

The Spring Art Show at Jerry's Artarama, organized by the Creative Arts of Tidewater was a great way to spend the weekend. The staff at Jerry's was wonderful as usual and the other artists were very supportive of each other. I really enjoyed the Art Show.

I want to thank all of my students, blog readers, friends and family who came to the show. I appreciate your support and it is always nice to see you and to share my art work with you.

Now I'm getting ready for the Gosport Art Festival in Olde Town Portsmouth next weekend. I sure hope it does not storm!

Colored Pencils

This Egret is one of my first colored pencil drawings on colored paper that I did in class with Jack Whitlow. I really enjoy the white wing with the feeling of light shining through it. He is so delicate and pensive and peaceful.

I will have him in the show at Jerry's Artarama this weekend. It is Saturday May 2nd from 10:00 am to 6:30 pm and Sunday May 3rd from noon to 6:00 pm. The address is 5358 Fairfield Shopping Center, Virginia Beach, VA 23454. If you live in the area come on by to see me and 19 other artists. If you are one of the first three people who tell me I read your blog you will get a free 8" x 10" print.

Also if you live in the area I am starting a new Colored Pencil class at Jerry's Artarama on Friday May 8th from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm. If you are interested in learning colored pencils on colored paper come by and check it out. You will be surprised how much fun it is.

Art Shows

I am so excited as this is the beginning of the Art Show season. I have posted some of my upcoming Art Shows and as I hear from other shows that I have applied for I will add them to the list.

So now is the time that I am preparing for the shows. There is alot to do. Right now I am working on finishing a few paintings for the shows and painting some new hand painted cards. I have to purchase the supplies I need and order new business cards. I also need to do numerous things such as inventory my note card and prints, have them printed up. Then folding, matting, bagging, printing price tags and pricing them. I need to get my new paintings framed. Sounds like alot of fun doesn't it? Well I wouldn't trade it for the world. (Although sometimes I wish I had a full time assistant!)

I have painted and drawn on and off my entire life. But for the past two years I have retired from working in the real world and devoted my time to my art. I am busier than ever. I am learning and growing as an artist and as a person. I truly enjoy what I do and want to share it with those around me. So if you live locally come and see my art work. If not I will continue to post pictures of my paintings for your viewing pleasure.

Looking to Heaven

I recently painted Looking to Heaven in memory of my mom who passed away in November of 2008.

I had lost my dad in September the same year. Loosing my dad was horrible, but loosing my mom was devastating. I don't know why that is. Is it because she passed so soon after my dad? Or is it because she was my mom? I think a little of both.

Painting this watercolor was a way of experiencing the love that I received from my mom and that I now carry with me.

Looking for Heaven and Magnolias IV are both hanging in the Chesapeake Bay Watercolorists show at Cape Henry Collegiate High School in Virginia Beach VA. You can visit from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. The show closes on 4/28/09. If you have any additional questions, please write me in the comments section.

Masa Paper

I really love to try new things in my art work. This is one of the things I love about watercolor. There are endless possibilities.

The Magnolias IV was done on Masa paper. I was first introduced to this paper a couple months ago and I have been experimenting with it ever since. It has been alot of fun.

Masa paper is similar to Rice paper. (I only know this from being told as I have never tried Rice paper. At least not yet.) The procedure for using it is as follows:
1. First you cut the Masa paper to the size of a regular piece of watercolor paper. You do not need to use good watercolor paper. Then you mark the smooth surface of the Masa paper in the corner with a pencil.
2. You crumple up the Masa paper and soak it in water.
3. In the meantime you wet the watercolor paper and spread Elmers type glue on it. (You can even use school glue.)
4. You carefully take the Masa paper out of the water and squeeze it very gently. If you squeeze it too much you will destroy the quality of the paper.
5. You then place the Masa paper on the watercolor paper with the pencil mark down and roll it with a brayer from the center out.
6. You can begin laying colors down in a very loose way at this time. Then you need to let it dry and you can draw your subject on the paper and start painting it.

The Masa paper has little crinkles in it and the paint adheres to them to form a wonderful pattern.

Learning-Portraits

This past year I have been focusing on learning to paint and draw portraits. Like many other artists, I feel that portraits are very difficult to master. I don't know exactly why that is. Is it because we are intimidated in painting and drawing images of ourselves? In my learning philosophy I believe that when you are working on a subject you need to really look and really see it. You concentrate on the shapes, values, colors and relationships to surrounding objects and then you should be able to duplicate it. Sounds simple doesn't it? But the face has so many curves and soft edges. It has subtle color changes and reflected light. No wonder it is so difficult!

I currently study drawing in a semi-private class with Jack Whitlow at D'Art center in Norfolk, VA. (His work is magnificent, just look at his blog.) We are working on a portrait of Jodie Foster dressed in costume from the movie Sommersby. When Jack brought in the picture I felt so inspired by it. I had been in a slump with my drawing before that but immediately I was out of it.


While working on the drawing I started to feel a familiarity with the shapes and curves of her face. It was as if I was sculpting her features in clay. I knew where her face came forward and how it went around to the back. It felt so three dimensional to me on a two dimensional piece of bristol. It was amazing.

I also am studying watercolor and working on portraits with Rieneke Leenders. She is a great artist and does wonderful work in watercolor including exquisite portraits. Just checkout her web site rieneke.com.

The painting of Paul Newman was my forth watercolor portrait. I was inspired by his looks and his life.