classwork

                                                                         10x14

Trying to get soft feathery edges painting wet in wet. Like the edge at the top of the mountain: amazingly difficult. Must have the right wetness on the paper and on the brush; the right amount of paint; the right timing. Maybe the weather matters.

Even if I practiced, and I will, and got better at it, could be possible, I have a feeling it's the kind of thing I'll never be able to replicate on demand; will always be a "happy accident."

Below are my first two attempts.

classwork

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Classwork from Expressive Watercolor with Susan ONeill.

This week was about making notans, then altering them to get better compositions.

I wasn't able to manipulate the reference (maybe because I was trying to do it on my phone), but I did what I could.

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The last painting was based on a notan of a photo Susan took in upstate NY.

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And my palette.

sketchbook

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A couple of monochrome landscape studies.

I like doing these ... I can't get too detailed and I feel like doing them helps me with a problem I often have with landscapes: how to paint things you can't really discern. I'm increasing my comfort level with filling in space.

open studio

I participated in an open studio Sat and Sun. My friend Gina let me share her space.

While waiting for people to show up I drew some things I saw in Gina's garden.

new class: interiors

Started a new class today: interiors with Susan Greenstein. Just worked in my sketchbook today.

I have always enjoyed interiors and wanted to do them myself but I've had a difficult time finding compositions in my own space.

carolyn's group

.                              14x20

A few years ago I met some people at an art studio and they invited me to join their still life group, which met weekly in an artist named Carolyn's basement. The basement was lined with shelves stuffed with things to put in still lifes. 

It was a great group in a lot of ways--the painters were all pretty ambitious, accomplished, and serious, and were wonderful critiquers; whenever I got stuck, one of them knew the answer. I painted these in that group and I don't think I would have ever done such crowded still lifes without their encouragement.

Before I'd been in the group a year, though, Carolyn passed away and, despite our intentions, the group broke apart.

Carolyn's children very kindly asked us all over one day and invited us to take a few things from her shelves, as a remembrance.

I took the blue vase on the left and the white vase on the right in the top painting, and the remnants below, which I still love.

classwork

                              10x14

A landscape painted in class with SaltyWaterArt last night.

And below are the four sketches we did first; mine are 7x10 and presented in order, 1-4.

The idea was to get more abstract in each version. But as you see. I couldn't do it. 

I think the relentless horizontality of the subject stymied me. That's my excuse anyway.

Nonetheless, I think this is great way to proceed.

studio tour

The annual Artists' Guild of the Cape (Cape May, NJ, that is) is this weekend.

This will be the 3rd year I participated, with my friend Gina Fullerton (Dirty Feet Art on Instagram).

It's two long days--10 am to 5 pm: a long time to meet and talk to people for a recluse like me. But the people are very nice ... and some of them do relieve me of this backlog of paintings.

I'm getting ready, last minute of course, and came across the winter scenes. 

I love winter scenes!

still life

                             10x10

Tried a still life today ...

And a couple of attempts at a squash, which seemed, before I really started looking at, trying to paint it, to be such a simple object!

oysters

                                8x11

I brought back a few beautiful oyster shells from Maine. I pick up a lot on the beach here too but the ones I have from Maine seem to have more browns in them  

I need to spend a little time figuring out the colors; they're so subtle.

this morning

.                               14x17

Went out to a preserve this a.m., wanted to try to draw some trees.

Did the 3 above in charcoal and  watercolor on the 3rd.

Then I tried to paint the shadows cast on my paper, below ...

then some dried up leaves.

homework

                              4x6 @

The assignment was to find a painting that you weren't happy with for whatever reason(s) but that you thought could be revisited.

I chose the 3 8x12 paintings, below, which I painted one day in a workshop with Alvaro Castenet in Cape May, pre-cov8d. He didn't have much to say about these ... but, for some reason, I kind of liked them.

I recently got a couple of small butcher trays to mix my color. I like using it and especially like what's leftover.

Portland head

                         12x16

Trying to do rocks without overdoing.

otter's point

                             9x10

Quick study today of a Maine scene. Otter's Point, in Acadia.

I was trying to add one shape next to another, while everything was still damp: wanted blending and soft edges, but without the shapes dissipating too much.

gray?

My attempts to make gray using cobalt, aureolin and rose madder genuine in class with SaltyWaterArt.

Tues class

                              7x9

Preliminary sketch for a shorelines class I'm taking online with SaltyWaterArt. 

Next week we begin a new block of classes: abstract landscapes, which should be a fun challenge.

mixed bag

I revisited this painting, deepened the color, added some darks to rocks ... And then painted the one below, which has a few nice little passages in the rocks, but I'm not happy with the sky and water.

Maybe some cropping would improve both.

Then, just some playing with clouds, above, and a copy of a Winslow Homer, below. My horizon bled all over!

And here's a picture of my butcher tray palette ... Which is the best thing I produced all day!

Scottish scene

                             10x10

A sketch of a Scottish landscape, trying to keep it loose and expressive.

bike 'n' sketch

A little scene near my house. One of my favorite places to sit and sketch; there's a bench, a path to the beach, and a typical Bayshore view, which I love.

Was wishing I had brought paint with me.