thunderstorms

(4x7)

(4x7)
Two unfinished watercolor pencil drawings from yesterday when we were at the dock waiting for the storms to pass.
They finally seemed to and we headed out, but were soon running back in when we heard thunder and it started to rain. We tied up at the first dock we came to and took shelter on land against a couple of drydocked boats.
When it stopped raining, we sought more amiable shelter: the bar at the Wharf.

virtual sketch date finale

(7.5x11 Fabriano Artistico CP)

A final version of the July Virtual Sketch Date subject, combining, I hope, the nbest elements of the previous two!
This was a lot of fun--I like to have someone else supply the subject! Can't wait to see what's on for next month.

virtual sketch date 2

(5.5x7.5)
More work avoidance. Started this yesterday evening, in the semi-dark as a thunderstorm rolled in. I wanted to have more darks in the bottom part of the painting.

virtual sketch date

(5.5.x7.5)
Here is my "interpretation" of this month's image at Virtual Sketch Date. Lucky for me this subject just happened to revolve around the colors I've been obsessing over lately. On Saturday 7/26, everyone who participated will be posting their results and the Virtual Sketch Date blog will have links to them. Cool, huh?
Of course, I couldn't wait--I painted this this morning, when I should have been working; then I started and I couldn't leave it alone until it was done. Now I guess I'll just have to do some work.

Also, Annalein, in her July 21 post, gave me the Arte y Pico award, which is really wonderful coming from her: I absolutely love her watercolors--flowers, landscapes, figures-- and hope I can take a workshop with her someday!

Now, I need to provide links to other bloggers, to pass along my good fortune!
In my July 18 I provided links to several blogs I've found recently ... and through them, I've found even more, which I will post links to soon.

And please check out the blogs in my blog list!!

Now to work.

cropping

Removing most of the too-dark sides helps ... But I am going to give this one more try!

(7.5x11)
Well, this isn't turning out too well, so I think I'll cease and desist! The washes of Winsor blue on the sides are just too dark, too strong, which is especially awful where the orange flower overlaps, resulting in an opaque grayish color.
I do like the technique though--especially as practiced by Shirley Trevena!--and may try again, without the washes this time!

(7.5x11)
I decided to stop working on this; even though I think I could do more--in the water, the reflections--before I do too much.

(7.5x11)
Moving on to this one: I'm trying a technique suggested by Shirley Trevena in one of her books, taping off and working on one area; when it's completely dry, you remove the tape and replace on the other side of the line and paint the next section.

preliminaries

I'm going to take the rest of the day off and watch movies and quaff wine: Juno and The Savages are in the queue, pinot grigio in the ice. But this morning I made a couple of preliminary drawings. I'm doing the bird-of-paradise-like flower painting again: smaller and on a better quality paper this time; I'd like to get more jewel-toned, bright colors this time--going smaller may give me more control. (7.5x11)

And I thought I'd give these sailboats a try. The background is extremely complicated, so, for now, I think my biggest challenge will be simplifying it while achieving some sort of "believability."

(7.5x11)

First go:

weblog award--pass it on

Thanks to Sharon for nominating me for Brilliante Weblog award. I'm so flattered, it was so kind of her to think of me, and I look forward to reading the comments of the new viewers Sharon's thoughtfulness will bring to my blog.

Since blogging--wonderful e-world--is all about reciprocity, here are a few blogs I have visited and enjoyed recently (I'll be adding these to my blogroll soon). I hope you'll visit them too.

The Illustrated Life
Blueberries Art Life
Drawing the Motmot
My Fiddlestix
That Artist Woman
Geninne's Art Blog
Painting Wales Diary
Rene Plein Air

Also check out the Virtual Sketch Date blog, which I found through Jeannette's blog, Illustrated Life.

on columbia ave

(12x14)
I did this drawing last summer in Marge's class (or maybe it was the summer before); once in awhile I pull it out and add to it! I'm afraid the foliage of the sycamore may be too much: too bright, too dense, too ... much. But I'll do more, especially on the bottom right--maybe add some dappled shadows to balance the overhanging branch--and see if it looks so dominant then.

angelsea paintings

(11x15)

The lighthouse used to be white, with faded red trim and faded purple shutters. The new colors are more subtle--a cool pale yellow with putty trim--but didn't appeal to me for my painting, so I stuck with white.

(7.5x11)

(7.5x11)

These are my after-lunch paintings; the lopsided benches showing the effects of Rolling Rock.
There's a walkway that runs along the shore behind the lighthouse, with benches, looking out on a shallow pool and a large sandbar formed by the shifting sand--the water depth around North Wildwood changes every year. The ocean was an amazing color yesterday: a dark turquoise blue.

hereford inlet lighhouse, angelsea, nj

Garden staute of little boy listening to a conch shell.

The Lighthouse

Path from the gardens to the beach.

cape may yacht club

(2 3x5 pages)

After some difficulties launching several cars full of painters from the Chalfonte this a.m.--lost car keys, a little rear-end collision--our little caravan made it to the yacht club. I did these pages in my sketchbook as a warmup: painting outdoors and with other people can be a little unnerving at first.

(11x15)

Then I worked on this view. Rows grasses and bushes receding into the distance is a subject that usually confuses me, but here I had more trouble with the water, which had so much going on--different colors, surface textures--and kept changing.

(6x9)

After (a late) lunch I did this little scene: it'd be a shame to go to the yacht club and not paint any sailboats!
We were supposed to paint until 4, but I packed it in at 3: too hot for me! Tomorrow it's supposed to be 90.

The painting below, unfinished, is by our teacher, Marge Chavooshian. Her drawing is wonderul, always "right," as here, in the curve of the shoreline. And I love her strong cast shadows.

The painting above is by Cape May resident and yacht club member Leslie. I don't think my photo does the yellows and violets in this painting justice. Leslie has been painting on location in Cape May once a week with Marie Natale, whose classes I attend when I can. Marie's work has amazing color and brushwork.

day four: perforce finished

(11x15)
I'm not happy with the top section--I fiddled indecisively with it too much to no avail; and now the paper's so overworked, there's really no remedy. Otherwise, I'll give it a "not bad": a good idea that could be better executed--and I think I will try it again, next time on paper that's more resilient.

I played hooky today and painted with Marge's group at the Corinthian Yacht Club in Cape May; it's not nearly so la-di-da as it sounds!
It was a beautiful day, but hot! The best thing was, when we got there in the morning, all the kids were out in their Sunfish, learning how to sail. What lucky kids--I admit I was jealous. Well, who wouldn't be?

Photos of my paintings TK.
Tomorrow--yes, I'm going to skip work again tomorrow--we'll be revisiting the absolutely stunning gardens (with a pathway leading to the ocean) at the Hereford Inlet Lighthouse in North Wildwood, NJ.

day three: about finished

(11x15)
Right now, I'm regretting putting in those little leaves at the top; perhaps I'll be able to lift them, or at least soften them, once the paper dries. A "rookie" mistake: I put them in because they were there!
Threatening to rain--effects of Bertha--so probably no painting in Cape May today. But tomorrow's forecast is perfect for outdoors painting: sunny, in the 80s, not humid!