amaryllis

                                12x16

My amaryllis are still in bloom! And I have another that hadn't bloomed yet.

                              12x16

classwork

In class with SaltyWaterArt this week we practiced painting grasses

classwork

I'm taking a class called Expressive Watercolor with Susan ONeill, who is a really great painter, on zoom via the art League in Alexandria VA.

These are some exercises done on scrap paper during our first class.

daffodils and hellebores

                            10x12

I started painting this on a sheet of hot press paper and soon realized the paper had lost its sizing: the paint sunk right in. I was going to trash it but today added a few darker touches, and I'm not unhappy with it.

violets

.                       11x15 Arches

                       10x12 Fabriano

Violets painted in class with Megan Swoyer.

I always enjoy Megan's classes; she has a very loose and painterly style and I find painting with her very relaxing!

Afterward I did another version because I wasn't happy with my violets.

I used Fabriano paper, which I hadn't used in some time and was amazed by it's lifting properties. I don't usually do much lifting, but I guess it's good to know.

                         8x14

A still life painted with my friend Gina.  We are going to try to turn out attention to still life for the winter, along with our friend Robin, and see if we can learn, advance, have new ideas.

Below, a few 6x8 paintings I did to hand out to guests at Christmas.

cardinal

                           8x10

Another bird painted along with Tom Shepherd on YouTube.

classwork

                                 6x8s

.                                2x3s

Starting another round of landscape classes with SaltyWaterArt.

Last night we did the small wet in wet studies, with a limited palette, trying to keep it simple.

Getting the right amount of wetness and the right amount of paint continues to be a struggle.

snow!

                              8x10

Woke up to snow--light but steady and accumulating. I love snow, so beautiful, so quiet. I have filled all my bird feeders twice so far today, and the cats are mesmerized.

Looking forward to going out and getting some photos!

studio

                            6x10

.                       10x10

Tidying and puttering in studio, made these two little paintings of different views in the room.

amaryllis

                            8x10

Still trying the amaryllis. This was a quick study, no drawing.

It's almost in full bloom now.

And below: finished this one. I like the cloths and the Matisse "Red Onions" postcard copy but I wish I had left out the cup and oranges.

.                         16x20

The painting above was an assignment for a class: paint a painting within a painting. After finishing the more elaborate one above. I turned and did this quick sketch of a part of a wall in my studio.

.                          8x12

sampler

                               6x12

.                               11x16

Really struggling with the amaryllis, so instead I started painting a scrap of cloth I have. It was pretty relaxing.

Thinking three or four of these might look nice framed together, like a sampler.

still life

                            16x16

Working on a still life with an interesting cloth I've acquired and a postcard of Matisse's "Red Onions."

Most decisions are made, but I thought I might need something more in the foreground. Ideally I'd have figured this out before starting, but sometimes you can't see what it needs till you get there. Or I can't anyway.

I drew, painted, and cut out some orange peels and placed them around ...

Not sure what I'm going to do yet.

happy new year

.                            8x8

Painted along with an Anne Kullaf video.

I love the setup. So simple and such harmonious colors. 

I could have gone back in and refined some of the areas that were too wet before, like the surface of the liquid. But I usually don't go back.

robin

                             8x8

Discovered a series of videos on YouTube: quick watercolor birds with Tom Shepherd. He's got a wonderfully bright and free (the freedom born of knowing what you're doing!) way of painting. I painted along ... It wasn't easy. But I think it's definitely worth trying again.

This was painted with, for the most part-- except for the greens, 3 colors: aureolin, quinacridone red, and Prussian blue.

amaryllis

3 more days of tracking the red amaryllis' progress in a sketchbook.

I think it is at the stage now where I'll switch over to watercolor paper.

winter scene

                               10x12

Another scene painted along with Lois and Morgana e Davidson Art on YouTube.

My "geese" are a bit of a mess, and I can't stop myself from overdoing snow on branches ... But I love a wintry scene.

winter landscape

.                             7x10

Painted these following along with Lois and Morgaine Davidson Art on YouTube.

You can also find them on Patreon.

I used my Winsor&Newton Payne's gray, but Lois used Cotman, W&N's student grade Payne's gray, which has the lovely property of separating out into different blues ang grays. Definitely going to pick some up 

a mix

My attempt to paint one of my white amaryllis... I see so many colors in it, but it doesn't read well.

And a couple of sketchbook pages.

amaryllis

The last 3 days' growth of my red amaryllis.

The white one is fully open and quite statuesque. I can't imagine trying to paint it!

happy holidays