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.)

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!

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.

Violet Iris



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 Here's another one of the paintings that I did on our long weekend in Duck, NC.
It was so much fun to paint.  (I say that alot but only to differentiate from the paintings that were not a lot of fun to paint.)  Right now I'm working on a portrait that is challenging me and roses in a garden that are quite challenging.  I'm also putting together some ideas for some still lives that I want to get done before the Seawall show.  None of these are as much fun as it was to paint this simple little iris!

Untitiled

This is a little landscape that I painted as a demo in one of my classes. I started with the sky and that was not fun at all. But I persevered and the rest of the painting came easily.

I don't usually paint landscapes that much any more. I usually prefer painting something close up. Landscapes are often breathtaking in reality. And I feel that it is very difficult to capture the same feeling in a painting. Maybe I should try doing a very large one someday.

I usually like to zero in and capture the nuances of my subject and present it to the world as looking through my eyes.

Recently I read Mary Whytes book "An Artist's Way of Seeing". It is out of print and I couldn't afford to but it for close to $300.00 and I couldn't find it in my local library. So I purchased it on my Kindle for $8.00. At first I was disappointed because with art books I enjoy seeing the colored pictures of the artist's work. But unlike most of my art books I actually read it from beginning to end. In the book she says that learning technique is important but it is not what makes you an artist. It is expressing your feelings and communicating them to the viewer that makes a painting a work of art. I feel that I have worked very hard on getting my technique down pat and that the longer that I paint the more I feel what she is talking about. I see a subject that I want to paint in a way that is more than it is an interesing to look at subject. It kind of tugs at my heart strings in a way that I become almost obsessed with painting the subject. I depend on my technique that I have accumulated to depict my subject but it is flowing from inside of me. Sometimes it even feels like it is painting itself.

Summer Lovin'

This is my latest painting. I took the photo a couple years ago when Bob and I were on the Outer Banks for a wonderful little retreat. He blew the photo up and framed it for a Christmas present that year and it has been up in our home ever since.

Recently I was having a hard time trying to decide what to paint next. I wanted to use it to send in with my application for the Virginia Watercolor Art Show and I wanted it to be special. That's what made it so difficult to decide what to paint. There are certainly many paintings on my list of things to do but I wanted it to be a little different. So I took photos and put together some still lives and thought up some unusual topics but nothing really motivated me. I was starting taking up too much time and was not any closer to making a decision.

I had always wanted to paint this photo and when I first thought about doing it at this time I was a little hesitant. I was afraid to go out on a limb. Or to step out of the safe little box that I keep myself in where I feel oh so much more comfortable. When I realized this I had to paint this painting. I did not know how it would work out but it needed to be done. So I finally decided what I was painting.

When I first started painting I kept thinking of that day and the time we spent together. I enjoyed the little trip down memory lane and then I moved into feeling so familiar with the subject matter. I visually knew the subject that I was painting and grew to know it better. It was like when I'm painting a portrait and I begin to feel so intimate with the subject. I get to know the person so deeply from seeing so many details in their features and emotions in their demeanor.

This was a wonderful learning experience. I think that being willing to step outside the box motivated me to paint a different subject matter and to enjoy it so much that I hardly worried about the techniques used to produce the finished product. I think that learning your techniques are of great importance but being willing to paint on another level and using your technical skills but not focusing on them brings you closer to experiencing your expressive process. And isn't that why we paint to express ourselves.

Now the only problem I'm having is to decide what to paint next!

Poinsettia III

Here's my 2011 Poinsettia. It is so very red. I don't think the photo does it justice. I can't tell you how much fun it was to paint. I love all the bright colors and I love exaggerating them.

I'm currently working on a new painting and I cannot wait to finish it and share it with you. It is such a wonderful learning experience and I really feel I'm taking a step forward as an artist. Of course I need to be careful what I say as the next thing will probably be a step backward. Afterall what is that saying?

Happy Holidays from the Poinsettia and me!

A Gala Basket

I know it's been two weeks since my last post and I must apologize. But I have been busy teaching and working on my Gala Basket. (I'm also working on another painting too.) I guess I'm still a little obsessed with my fruits and vegetables, as well as going through a still life phase!

I really enjoyed this painting except for the fact that one of the apples gave me a hard time. The problems of mixing green and red. But I think I finally won the battle. I had so much fun building the rich reds and well as mixing the colors to capture the basket itself. What colors do you think that I used? Well I mixed green with red. Oh the joy of mixing green and red. And of course I loved painting my green and red cloth.

I have started a new blog: Katsart Studio. You can click on it at the top of my Katsart blog. In this blog I'm going to focus on the steps that I take for completing a painting. I am going to be discussing A Gala Basket in it soon. Check it out and let me know what you think of it.

Two Trees

I painted these two trees a couple years ago on gessoed paper. I recently taught a class on the use of gessoed paper and gesso mixed with watercolor. The scarf in the recent portrait of mine was done with the use of gesso and watercolor.

When painting on gessoed paper you can put down very dark colors and then lift the paint to get your shapes and values. This is how I did the two trees. It is alot of fun to do and I get a little more abstract look than I usually do. This I like. I don't know why but I am drawn to realism. When I am painting I am compelled to get things looking the way that they do. But I love when I'm able to do a background or a pattern that is a little more abstract. Or a little more loose in style.

When painting with gesso and watercolor I put the gesso down first then let it dry. It can be very textured or flat. It can be put down with a brush, a painting knife or any type of instrument you choose to use. Then I let it totally dry and when I apply my wtercolors over it they are almost repelled by the gesso and move into shapes around it.

As I'm moving back into teaching mode I have been thinking alot about planning my classes for this year. Teaching and painting can be very different. For me when I'm planning on painting a subject I look at it and then decide which techniques to use. When I'm teaching I often choose to teach a specific technique and then need to find something that would demonstrate the use of the technique. It's almost the opposite way of starting a project. I'm thinking of having my Ongoing Watercolor class approach subjects in this manner. They have done so many techniques that it should be very interesting!

Lemonade?

Here's my recent painting of a pitcher of lemonade. It sure looks refreshing! The painting is a touch brighter than the picture on the post. I have been spending alot of my time painting still lives lately. I don't really know why but I feel that if I'm motivated to paint something then I need to put forth the effort to pursue it. When I first studied watercolors I used to set up still lives and paint them. I need to pull some of them out and compare them for the fun of it!

This weekend, Saturday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm and Sunday from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm I'm in Artisans in the Park at Great Neck Park. It is a lovely park with paths through the trees providing shade. It is a large arts and crafts show with music, food and activities for children. If your in the neighborhood check it out. It's a nice way to spend a Saturday or Sunday.

After Artisans in the Park this weekend I'm going to paint another Koi painting. It will be the fifth in a series. All previous four paintings have sold!

Then in the fall I will be teaching many classes and I will reorganize all my teaching supplies and class outlines. Then in my spare time I will start working on developing my portraits again.

Not that I have any specific plans. But if I'm motivated to paint something then I will paint it!

Caliente

I have spent alot of time working on paintings for the workshops I'm going to be teaching this summer. But here is a painting that I did just for the fun of it. And it was a great deal of fun. I must thank my friend Patti for helping me name it.

I have wanted to paint peppers for a long time and have never got around to it. At first I was going to just paint them in the ceramic bowl but then I remembered a Christmas dish towel I had. So I dug it out and simplified it and added it to the painting. I love the colors in the painting they were so much fun to work with and they certainly can spice up a painting.

Now that I am getting back into painting I hope to be posting more often!

Magnolia Bud

I put my Magnolia Bud in the Chesapeake Bay Watercolorist's Winter Art Show at St. Mary's Home for Disabled Children and I am so pleased to tell you that it won Honorable Mention. Thanks to Norman Goodwin who was the judge of the show.

I started painting this painting a few times and was disappointed in how it turned out. But I loved the photo so much that I finally painted this one and I really do like it. I do love painting magnolias and green is still one of my favorite colors to paint. I tried to vary the greens in the painting so that the leaves were distinguishable. The bud is so delicate with just a little bit of color on it. I have been thinking of doing a large Magnolia painting for the Stockley Gardens Art Show and I think I just might do it.

Textured Rocks

Here are my Textured Rocks. I really had alot of fun painting them. I used salt, rubbing alcohol, wet in wet, plastic wrap, tissues and masking fluid to create them. I have been fascinated with textures lately and have been exploring the tricks of the trade in more detail than before. It is amusing using watercolor tricks as they are always surprising how they turn out.

They are one of the six paintings I've done for the One Foot Square Art Show at The Artists Gallery at 608 Norfolk Ave., Virginia Beach, VA. The Opening is Friday, February 4th from 6:30 pm until 8:30 pm and runs until February 26th. (The gallery is open Tuesday to Friday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm and Saturday from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.) If you have a chance stop by and see it.


I'm sure that you have seen some of the new things on my blog. I have added a new and improved gallery and will be adding to it soon. I hope that you enjoy looking and reading about my art as I certainly enjoy sharing it with you.

Camellia

Here is my Camellia. I must say that the photo does not do justice to the light in the painting. I will try and take the phot again on a sunnier day but I did not want to delay the post.

When I went to Raleigh, NC for my Art weekend I saw these flowers. They were in the back of a garden next to a glass doorway. I had to climb through the garden and risk falling (not to mention embarrassment) in order to capture the photos. But I knew at that point that I had to do it. And now I think that it was worth it.

Recently I sat through a demo by Susan Check, a magnificent watercolorist, where she painting trees and she used watercolor pencils as well as watercolor crayons right along with her watercolors. I can't say that I've never thought about doing this before but that I never thought I would do it in any way other than a demonstration of things you can do. When painting this Camellia I really felt that the watercolor pencils would help me get the texture in the petals and I think that they did.

I want to mention that I have paintings in the CBW Winter Show at St. Mary's Home for Disabled Children at 317 Chapel St., Norfolk, VA until February 26th. They are having an Open House on Friday, January 14th from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm.

Holly Berries

Here are my completed Holly Berries. Just in time for the holidays! In the first picture you can see that I took out the upper right leave to be repainted. I just did not like the shape or size of it so I decided to take it out and redo it. I also continued adding more greens and reds. My first background was in a lighter color scheme but I didn't like that either. So then I made the background darker and it really make the foreground pop. Then I continued working the leaves and the berries just darkening some areas so that the light areas look lighter and brighter. See how shiny the leaves and berries appear in the final picture.

I think that you can still appreciate the first colors that I painted in the final picture after putting many layers over it. It is in the nature of transparent watercolors that allows you to accomplish this look.

As I mentioned before there were a couple things that I was not pleased with in the process of creating this painting. This happens often enough. The longer I work with watercolors the easier it is to see what I feel needs to be changed to improve the painting and find the way to do it.

Crimson Berries

This is my other painting of autumn leaves. They are so bright and cheerful. They remind me of fall in New York when all the beautiful colors of autumn fill the world. Unfortunately I did not get to visit NY this fall but maybe next year.

I have been struggling mentally about what direction I need to go in with my painting. Currently I am taking the Life Drawing session and spending most of my time teaching. I feel that I am learning alot in the Life Drawing group that will benefit me in whatever direction I end up going in. But I do not have any strong pull in one direction or another and the more I think about it the more complicated it gets. Of course thinking about it is probably not the way I will find my answer.

I am very excited that me and three special painting friends are going to Jerry's Artarama Artist Workshops in Raleigh NC for some painting classes next weekend. I am so looking forward to it. I'm sure it will be alot of fun and I hope to learn some new things. And maybe I'll be inspired as to which direction I need to go next.

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.

A Dozen Roses

These are my "Dozen Roses". The colors are not quite as bright as they really are and I must say they look better in real life. They are taken from a rose named Flutterbye that changes colors from yellow to pink and gold. They are so delicate and strong.

It is a very large painting at 22 x 30 and it took somewhere between 5 and 6 weeks to complete. It was alot of work and a tremendous learning experience. The application of layer after layer of color, the portrayal of folds in the petals and highlights on the leaves, and the final application of shadows as well as reflected light helped to make it a very exciting journey on the path of my artistic life.

Stockley Gardens was a great weekend. The weather couldn't have been more beautiful. I really enjoyed the show. I saw alot of friends and met some new ones. I received a very positive comment from the judge. I sold many prints and notecards. I would have liked to have sold a painting or two (or even more). But other than that it was a terrific outdoor Art Show.

White Lily

Here is my completed White Lily. I touched up the colors a little bit and I added some white gouache to the petals. I have enjoyed sharing painting this picture in stages and sharing it with you. It will make it's debut at the Stockley Gardens Art Festival this weekend. It is in Ghent, Norfolk close to the Children's Hospital. The festival runs on Saturday October 16th from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm and on Sunday from 12:00 noon to 5:00 pm. The weather should be good and it is a really nice show. So hopefully I will see you there.

I have finished my large painting and it will also be in the show. I am overall pleased with the results. I will post it next week.