Harvest Leaves

This is one of the paintings of leaves that I have been working on. I had done it previously in Colored pencils. It was one of those paintings that I framed and put in a show and it sold. So I did not get to spend too much time with it before it left me.

This time I did it in watercolors on Masa paper. I think the Masa paper gives the leaves a great texture. It was alot of fun to do.

I have been so busy lately. I'm on a full schedule of teaching and it's really going well. I really enjoy it when my students "get" something. It is a pleasure to watch the doors open for them and they find the way to make something happen. Being part of their learning is very satisfying and it is a wonderful experience for me too.

Website

Here is my painting of a spider spinning his web. This is one of the paintings that I did for the show at Pembroke 4 Art Gallery. The theme was home and I painted animals in their habitats. The spider web was a great deal of fum. First of all I painted it on Masa paper which gives the background it's texture. Then I used guoache to paint the web itself. (I had originally tried using masking fluid on regular watercolor paper but it came out too thick.) It's certainly not the best painting I've ever done but it is kind of cute. Don't you think?

Lately I've been painting for the fun of it. I'm currently painting roses, seashells and another pineapple. Next weekend is Artisans in the Park. After that I have to crack down again start working on some paintings for the Seawall Art Festival. Does it ever end? I sure hope not.

Yellow Rose Garden

This is my most recent watercolor painting. I am very pleased with it. (OK only I know where the problem areas are.) It was a wonderful experience painting it on Masa paper. I feel as if I'm really coming along with painting on Masa paper. It can be pushed alot further then I had first thought. I actually felt like I was making breakthroughs while working on this painting. I also enjoyed painting multiple flowers in the same painting. I'm planning on trying another one soon.

Happy New Year

I want to wish everyone a wonderful New Year. I hope it is a great year in the world as far as world peace and economic prosperity. I hope everyone enjoys their family and friends and they experience good health. And I hope that you continue on the path of learning to see and appreciate the beauty in the world.


I have thought long and hard about the past year and the up and coming 2010. I have not made any New Year's resolutions as I hardly ever keep them. Why is that? Last year I made about five or six resolutions all with the greatest intentions on improving my life and the only one I kept was starting this blog!!! (I also had intentions on starting a website.) But if I was to make any resolutions they would be:
1. Loose weight.
2. Get fit.
3. Start my own website.
4. Sketch more often. (Last year I had said I would sketch every day. That lasted about 10 days.)
5. Organize all the stuff in my life.
And of coarse continue to paint and to improve my technique and style. Maybe I could just set these up as goals, not resolutions.


In looking back at 2009 I feel that I have developed as artist in many ways. I had a very busy year and I actually kept up with everything. (Well almost.) I was in approximately 20 art shows. I plan on doing less outdoor art shows this year and more indoor shows. I feel that I have improved my teaching skills and am getting ready to start a busy semester at the end of this month. I have worked primarily in watercolor and have really enjoyed it but I still keep trying new things. I spent alot of time working with Masa paper and feel that my paintings are improving. I posted Magnolias IV because I think it was one of the best paintings that I completed last year. I was sad to see it get sold. Right now I'm working on A Yellow Rose Garden. It has so much more to it and I'm being more daring in what I try to do on the Masa paper. I just hope everything goes well with it. One thing that I've learned from my teacher Rieneke Leenders is that watercolor is so much more forgiving than I thought it was. If I do something that does not work out so well there are ways of changing it so that you do not have to give up on the painting. And that is wonderful!

Poinsettia

I have been painting poinsettias for the last couple of weeks including two 9 X 12's for shows and multiple hand painted greeting cards. They have been alot of fun to do and have helped put me in the spirit. (Even though next year I need to start doing some Christmas things a little earlier.)

This photo does not capture the brightness of the colors in the painting but I do like the veins in the petals and leaves. I painted this on Masa paper therefore the texture throughout the picture.

I want to take this time to wish everyone a joyous holiday season. Try and relax from some of the hustle and bustle and truly enjoy those around you. Remember it is the people in your lives that are really important. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Santa's Stocking

Santa's Stocking was a very good show. It is always alot of fun.

I have to say goodbye to my Magnolias IV and two other paintings that I sold. I will really miss my Magnolias IV. It was a fun painting to do. It was my third painting that I did on Masa paper and I really like the textures and colors of the painting. I think it will enjoy it's new home.

Yellow Rose

Here's my latest painting. A Yellow Rose. It is painted on Masa paper. I really like the texture of the Masa paper for florals. It really puts them right in the garden. I also like the yellow going into the green. I guess I'm still in my green phase!

I have a yellow rose bush that has the most beautiful, large yellow roses. Sometimes they almost look gold. When all the other rose bushes are not producing roses any more I can always count on my yellow roses.

When painting this rose I wanted to make sure I kept the yellow color up front for the look of sunlight landing on the flower. The green shaded petals in the back make a connection with the background. It was so much fun playing with my colors like this!

Japanese Magnolias

I love to paint Magnolias. This is the first painting of Japanese Magnolias that I have done. In front of my mother's home she had a Japanese Magnolia tree. Every year it was a question of how they would bloom. My parent's lived in New York and often there was a frost in the spring which would effect the bloom in a negative way. One year there was even the question as to whether the tree would survive. But more often than not it would bloom and it was magnificent. The gentle, delicate flowers would grace the arms of the tree.

I painted this painting on Masa paper. I first layed in multiple pale colors. I then drew the outline of the flowers in. Then I negative painted the painting. I put my colors in surrounding the shapes of the flowers to be. After that I went into the flowers and added values to make them more three dimensional. Then I looked at the painting and saw that the background was not dark enough so I layed in another layer of color.

This is a fun way to paint. When you do negative painting your subject(s) jump right out at you. It is fascinating to see it happening before your eyes.

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.