Poinsettia

I just want to say Merry Christmas to all before I'm caught in the last minute things to do for the holiday itself.  It has been fun sharing my paintings and my experiences as an artist this past year. 

I have not been as energetic as the previous years and must apologize for not keeping up my blog the way I would have liked too.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and enjoy your family and friends.

The Queen

Here's the Queen.  I painted her again for one of my classes.  Each time I paint her she looks a little better.  The photo is a little dark as I don't have that much sun.  I cannot wait to get a new camera.

I took another workshop with Suzanna Winton down at Art of the Carolinas.  I think she is a great teacher.  She has really been able to clarify the process she goes through when painting watercolor portraits.  I am anxious to be able to study with her again.

Katsartists at Santa's Stocking

Here's a photo of the booth at the Santa's Stocking Show last weekend where my students had a space to display their paintings.  I must say that they did a great job painting and presenting their work and everything looked great.  It was a wonderful weekend and they had many admirers.  I must say that I am so proud of them.  
Cherrie Hill was awarded First Place, Patti Holt was awarded Second Place and Pete Lothrop was awarded Third Place.  I want to thank Am, Robyn, Dory, Pete, Peggy, Cherrie, Joyce, Patti, Karen M, Karen H, Pete, Julie and Patty for participating in the show. 
Special thanks go to Mary Kay Holladay an artist friend of mine who did a great job judging the show. 
Thanks go to Babs and Nancy for volunteering to help tear the show down even though they choose not to participate.
All in all it was a great weekend!

Seashells I II & III

Here are some of my recent Seashell paintings.  These were alot of fun to paint.  I used different media to create textures on each of the shells including watercolor pencils, watercolor crayons, acrylic ink, pen and ink, gesso and elegant writer pens. 

I must apologize for not posting for a while.  Unfortunately life sometimes gets in the way.   I have been busy with shows and teaching and things in my personal life.  It has been a struggle to find  my motivation to paint.  I have been painting don't get me wrong, but I have started many paintings and not finished very many of them.  I am now trying to decide on subject matter for some new paintings for some shows in the new year and I have not been able to decide what to paint.  Do I paint subjects that I feel comfortable with or do I work on something that is a little more challenging?   I'm really not sure what direction my art is going in next.  Someone had  said that when you go through a period of time struggling with your art you are about to go in a new direction and make steps forward in your art.  I certainly hope that is what's happening to me!

Turning Leaves

I painted this painting last year and I don't think I ever posted it.  I pulled it out recently to frame for Occasion for the Arts.  I remember when I painted it I really enjoyed the fall colors both bright and muted.  It really was alot of fun.

Recently I lost all my pictures in my computer as well as my documents.  So I've been a little disabled in pulling paintings to blog.  I have been so busy getting ready for shows as well as starting my teaching season.  I have cut back my classes as I want more time to devote to my painting.  Right now I have four or five paintings that I need to get finished after the show is oover.

Next weekend I'm in Occasion for the Arts in Colonial Williamsburg, VA.  I am so looking forward to it.  I just hope that the weather is bright and sunny as it was in my Turning Leaves painting.

Seashells in the Sand

Here is my latest seashell painting.  I really enjoyed painting it from beginning to end.  I gave the sand it's texture by taking watercolor pencils and creating the spatter against a nail file.  I did this while the paint was still wet. I really enjoy the warm colors in the painting and must say that they stand out more in real life.  It was a fun summer painting.  (I still have more seashells to show you in the near future.)

Seawall Art Show

Come and see me at the Seawall Art Show in Olde Towne Portsmouth this weekend.  It should be alot of fun with many great artists.  I will be in booth # 51.  The weather should be great and you can take the ferry from or to Waterside.  I hope to see you there! 

Claws

I did this painting in the class I teach Friday mornings.  The photo does not show how bright it really is.  (It was a cloudy day.)  It was alot of fun and my students did great. 

I must apologize for not posting for a while.  I have been way too busy.  So I started wondering why I'm so busy when I'm only teaching two classes a week.  Then I mentally made a list of everything I'm currently involved in and I began to understand.  I am taking two classes on line and I will tell you all about them on a future post.  I am teaching two classes at the Art Studio which I'm slowly moving in to.  I am busy getting ready for the Seawall Art Festival and being I haven't done an out door show in a while I have a great deal of work to do.  I have to deframe paintings, have prints and notecards made, package and price all of them, frame paintings and go and all sorts of miscellaneous little jobs.  I'm trying to redo my website as well as make a brochure to give out at the upcoming show.  On top of all of that I am on the board of the CBAA as well as the membership chairperson and we have recently developed a new membership procedure that is more time-consuming.  And I have just begun being the recording secretary for the CBW and trying to learn more about the organization.  Whew!

I don't know why I do this to myself.  I just take on a little bit too much and I feel like I cannot get everything done.  I have done it for my entire life and I never learn my lesson.   Well one good thing is I am never bored!

Multi-Artists Paintings

 Here are the paintings that six of my students at the Great Neck Rec Center created.  It was a wonderful, fun learning experience.  I gave all the students a black and white copy of a tree and each person did the initial drawing.  Then they passed the painting to the next person to lay in the initial washes and they continued to keep passing the painting along.  So the finished products were all completed by the same artists.  They all look so different and unique. 

Bravo to Gene, Am, Linda, Jane, Robyn and Dory. They were so receptive to the project and did such a great job completing the multi-artist paintings.

Three Roses

My Three Roses are complete.  They started out so much fun but then they came back and presented quite a challange.  Not that I don't like challanges. I definitely do. 

I think one of the most important things that I learned about watercolors was not to give up.  (I'm not saying I never give up but usually I try to see the painting to it's finish.)  I used to give up on a painting when I wasn't happy with were it was going.  then an instructor of mine said to keep on going.  I didn't learn to do this overnight but eventually I did.  I must say that I have learned more about watercolors by not giving up but working through my frustrations.  Not every painting comes out great but sometimes I'm really surprised.