1-day workshop

(11x15)
I did a 1-day workshop yesterday with my Monday teacher, Marie Natale, She has a showing hanging in Hammonton, NJ, about 90 minutes from me, of paintings from her trip to Italy last year and the workshop focused on Italian scenes, specifically on painting aged stucco facades, which is fun since they have so many colors and irregularities.
I started out a little apprehensive since--although I have no problem painting other people's "challenge" photos--I don't usually paint places I haven't been; I don't know, I think I worried it would feel inauthentic ... But then, it's just shapes and color on paper ... and it was fun.
Also, I had a fabulous lunch at a wine bar across the street from the art center. Typically contrarian, I had beer, Ommegang, and a fabulous little plate of three fried polenta triangles topped with tomato brushetta, black olive tapenade, and mushrooms sauteed in butter and sherry.
I got lost on the way home trying to find a Greek restaurant that I thought was on the way and had to go home without the taramasalata I'd been looking forward to all day.
Painting makes me hungry.

 
(11x15)

Practicing stucco: each square has blue, red and yellow (some have "foliage" at the bottom), with a different predominant color in each vertical row.

glad

 
(5x9)
Last summer a white gladiola bloomed next to my deck. I had no idea how it got there--I had never much cared for gladiolas, but I started to draw, paint, and photograph this one and became a convert. Last fall I planted bulbs for several varieties, including some flaming orange ones that I hope come up.
I think I confused the structure here a bit, but I had fun painting it.

Where I stopped last night:

Thank you for the great suggestions re finishing the dinghies painting: I'm going to work on it today.

a nos pinceaux challenge

 
(10x12)
From a reference at A nos pinceaux. I love this pitcher, so Cezanne-ish. I spent much of last night trying to acquire one like it on eBay. No luck there, but I will be scouring the consignment shops.

 
(in progress)

I'm going to be included in a group show in Cape May in April and have begun to draw and paint some boat- or shore-related works in hopes of selling and being asked back.
This one is nearly done, I think, but it needs something ... Right now, I don't know what!

white daffodils

 
(7x11)
More white on white. I found this one, which was more subtly lighted, more difficult that the magnolia. But I am enjoying the white on white problem.

DPW challenge

 
(4x8)

I painted this for the Daily Paintworks's White on White challenge using Mary Van Arsdel's photo at Paint My Photo. "White on white" seems to be cropping up everywhere I look ... As usual, there are some really great interpretations of the challenge at DPW.
My own personal spring challenge, every year: daffodils. I started this without planning or drawing, just painting the flower shapes. I felt I had to add the darks, and now realize I need to bring them (or some other color, a background?) out to the sides ... and also to break up the line of flowers on the left: that's what happens when you don't plan!

 
(7x11)

practicing

A little practice just putting down paint, trying to remember to press down on the belly of the brush.
My art room is so cluttered I can't settle down to do anything ... so today will be devoted to tidying in hopes of, tomorrow, painting.

slow starts

 
(11x15)

Two paintings I've been nervously dabbing away at ... I wish I could just sit down and keep at them until they were done, but I keep hesitating. On the portrait it's pure fear: I'm just afraid of making mistakes. On the boats, although the water may already be overworked, there isn't much left to do ... I think I'll make it.
My teacher Marie Natale has asked me to contribute a couple of paintings to a show in Cape May in April-May and I have been planning to complete a couple of paintings of boats, hoping they'll find a (buying) audience.

 
(11x15)

dpw challenge

(9x4.5)
Last week's Daily Paintworks Challenge was to paint something using Pantone's "Color of the Year," Tangerine Tango.
I did the painting below, on hot press paper, first; then the one above, on cold press.
The hot press one is a bit overworked, I think--hot press can be deceptive: you can push the paint around so much, but it turns out to not be a good idea!
In the cold press version, I used more quinacridone colors, and also thought about what to do more, based on things I wasn't pleased with in the first version.

 
(9x4.5)

value study

(8x10)
My teacher, Marie Natale, brought value scales to class for us. I have had a value scale (or two) laying around my studio ... but I never used it!
I did the quick study above using the scale, and even though I still have a hard time getting to the darkest value, I found using the scale really helped.

scattered

(11x15)

 

(11x15)

Two works in (barely discernible) progress: the boats are from a photo by Ruth Archer at Paint My Photo; the tropical foliage from a photo I started painting in New Mexico in October.
I'm feeling too mentally scattered to really commit to anything right now. It happens sometimes: I've been reading too many watercolor books, looking at too many watercolor DVDs; there's so much I want to attempt that I can't settle on anything.
It's even affected my baking: I made an apple upside-down cake this morning--what an elaborate recipe: three bowls, a saute pan, the standing mixer were all called for!--which came out dreadful: the sugar didn't carmelize, the cake didn't rise ... All that effort for something that looks like the apple desert in a frozen dinner.
Baking, like watercoloring, requires a certain quality of attention. For now, back to knitting, which, since I can, at this stage, only do the simplest garter-stitch projects, is wonderfully automatic.

rookie painter challenge, 2nd go

(8x10)
My second go at the Rookie Painter challenge. There are some overworked bits, especially the base of the bottom bowl ... just cannot get it right. But I like the grayer (it's "palette" gray--a diluted mix of the colors in the palette mixing areas) background: it seems to make the white bowl look whiter, which I lost a bit in the first version.

 
(7x11)
Here is my first version, with a few more darks added and a light green glaze over the background.

rookie painter challenge

(7x10)
The current (until 1/16) challenge at Rookie Painter. There are a number of really beautiful interpretations of the reference photo on the blog. I'm not entirely happy with my color choices.
In reply to Renate's comment:
I think it's because, in the reference photo (not that it matters exactly; you could make the bowls any color) the two darker bowls are a more neutral color: but beautiful neutrals with color in them ... so that, when I look at them, I can't decide what color they are.
Maybe it's more the values than the color? I need to darken some parts of all the colored bowls.
I admired in some of the other interpretations how the bowls looked ceramic. I have to work on that.

wip birds

(5x7)

I seem to be running out of steam on my birds, so maybe it's time to find a new subject for a while.

 
(5x7)
My friend Cheryl is going on vacation and asked me to recommend a couple of poolside reads to her, and I realized I hardly read any fiction in 2011. I think it's like with comedies, which I don't like to rent or go see, always afraid I'll be disappointed.
Starting this month, I'm going to read one nonfiction, one literary fiction, and one genre (mystery or sci fi most likely) fiction title every month. For January:
The Swerve by Stephen Greenblatt
Parrot & Olivier in America by Peter Carey
Flower Net by Lisa See

drawing

(10x14, pencil)

Feeling very unenergetic lately and unable to get to the paints, but from now on when I feel that way, I'm going to try a little drawing.
The pencil drawing is my blanket: I enjoy just starting at one end and working my across.
Below is my cat Smilla sitting on the railing in various poses: it's a challenge for me get her contour as she is never still for long.
Drawing it turns out is a pleasure in itself and not solely a substitute for painting.

 
(10x14, black pen)

from the kitchen door: photos

On a whim, I moved my birdfeeders from the sideyard to the back, where I can see them from the kitchen window and door ...what a good move; I see so many more birds now. This morning robins, sparrows, mourning doves and a tufted titmouse.
I've been taking pictures through the door, which, at first it seemed to me did not yield the best pictures, but these near-silhouettes have a sparingness that appeals to me.