plein air: villas

                               7x10

Couple of quick sketches of scenes along the Delaware Bay.

The paper is Saunders Waterford rough, and I really like it! The only place I know to buy it is online through Jackson's, which is in the UK, so the s&h is high. Next time I'll put an order together with friends so we can split the shipping!

slow going

                               9x13

Almost every time I add something I think, That was a mistake ... but I keep going, slowly, as none of the mistakes have yet proven fatal. 

low tide sunset

                                  7x10

Striving for letting the colors be wet enough to move and bleed but not so wet that the individual colors lose their own characteristics and beauty: I find this very hard to control! And I am now thinking that it's a thing that just happens, or doesn't!

landscape composition class

               

                     4x6 value study

Taking another 4-week Zoom class at the Chesapeake Fine Arts Studio. This one with Susan Lynn on composing landscapes.

We take one photo, make 2 or 3 1.5x2" value sketches using a very soft pencil; then translate those into watercolor value studies.

I am enjoying the process, and hope to use it in my plein air painting--where, traditionally, I just jump in and paint what's in front of me! With, not surprisingly, very mixed results!

Below, the two watercolor value studies I did: one emphasizing the foreground, the other the barn.

This is my value study from last week: everything gets darker as it comes forward. Kind of blows my mind that I'm only "learning" (in a methodical way) this stuff now. I excuse myself by saying I was having too much just watching the paint move to learn anything. I guess in some way I knew it, I had observed it ... but turning it into a principle that can be used to help me paint better paintings? That's new. 

sketches

                               7x10

             Delaware Breakwater light

                                 7x10
Couple of sketches ... Not much time to paint this week. ☹

landscape class

                              11x15

More atmospheric perspective.

Hope to paint a lot of marshes this summer.

                             4x6

cumberland county house

                               7x10

A sketchbook page.

Painted from a photo I took somewhere in Cumberland County in south Jersey.

It's fun to explore CC, parts of which are on the Maurice River: there's natural beauty and a lot of history.

On this day we saw, among others, an AME church dating to the 1790s that was a stop on the Underground RR.

Another sketchbook page. Arya and Melo.

irises, cont.

                                12x12

Finally got up the courage to finish this. I like the way the top right turned out, dont like the bottom right--too dark and muddy. But I hope I learned something: dont go back in! Paint it and leave it alone.

The iris paintings I did this past week.

The start of another try!

continuing w iris ...

                               12x12

This is for a class in which, last week, we looked at the paintings of Nell Blaine. Her early work was mostly abstract, but, after she was paralyzed by polio, her work became more representational (what's the cause-and-effect? idk, except maybe being, at least initially, more confined, she chose to paint what she could see?) and she painted more watercolors, which, the paper lying flat, were easier for her to paint.

I love her landscapes and still lifes, and her wondercfgul view-through-a-window paintings.

I chose to paint from a photo of dwarf iris in my yard.

Finding ot hard to "fill in" the negative shapes...

Best bet is probably to think it over for a day!

iris study

                              10x6

From a photo of dwarf Dutch irises in my yard earlier this spring.

Planning a larger painting, maybe 12x16?, of a group of these irises, and did this one to try out how I would approach it.

I decided on colors I would use ahead of time (so unlike me): blue violet, red violet, yellow green ... and pretty much stuck to it. So, okay.

Messed up in my paint handling skills: 1) I got bleeding where I didn't want it; 2) mixed ugly neutrals in the bottom ( values might be stronger there too).

I think I need to get a better plan-- for the pattern of the leaves, and for letting sections dry before painting next to them.

blues

                                  16x18

10-minute sketches. I set out to explore some blues ... but dipped into the same ones I always use.

painting by lamplight

                                 11x15

I painted these both sitting on the sofa, after dark, by the light of a 60 watt bulb!

Can't decide if that's good or bad.

On one hand the colors are more pure and intense; on the other hand the color are more pure and intense.

                                  4x6

landscape class

                               11x15

This week's painting in Bill Rogers's Zoom class at Chesapeake Fine Arts Studio.

Also a great example of why I like taking classes: when I saw this reference photo I was not happy! The subject doesn't appeal to me much, but more than that I thought there was no way I could paint all those greens, and especially the darks in the greens.

As usual, my darks could be darker, but I am pleased that, even though there's not a lot of depth of field, there is depth.

A few things I see now I could tweak--more darks on the horse (some Norwegian breed), especially where its legs and belly meet the grass, the boot ...--

winter landscape class

                                11×15

This wasn't done in class but I did use one of Bill Rogers's ref photos.

I could've used his help: my values aren't great.

Sometimes a painting starts out or develops as a high-key painting and I just can't change it!

Spring landscapes coming up!

trees

                               10x15

Had a few weeks off from one of my Zoom classes, during which I was supposed to be painting trees. True to form, I'm doing my homework the night before it's due. If it were possible yo get an extenson, I would. These are not great trees. But 1) they're not brown; 2) I have something for show and tell.

trees

                              7.5x11

An exercise from another Zoom class. The assignment was to paint trees.

Sitting in my bed I look out the window opposite at my cherry tree, which has a bird feeder in it and a birdhouse that house wrens nest in.

I knew I couldn't paint what I saw realistically, so I just dove in.

Started with a wet wash and just kept adding. I found the hard edges were the worst part, so I dragged my brush through them.

I think I'm happier with the second attempt, below: same colors, but softer, less busy.

Have to say, this was fun, engrossing.

                              7.5x11

landscape class

                               11x15

Started another 4-class session with Bill Roger's at the Chesapeake Fine Arts center, via Zoom. 

This is the Bay of Fundy.

I didn't see much in Bill's reference photo, which just goes to show maybe I dont know a good reference photo when I see one!

I painted the small one below simultaneously, on a whim; thought it would help me simplify. 

                                4x6

irises

                              7x10

What's that thing teachers say ... Failing to plan is planning to fail?

I started with 2 leaves.

Then I noticed they were parallel, so I added a third ... but it was equidistant from the other 2, so ...

You get the idea.

Next time: plan ahead where to put the leaves!

daffodils!

                              5x8

A little daffodil sketch.

daffodils!

                               7x12

I thought it was done, below, but felt compelled to add leaves.

And here, side by side, are the first, pencil-drawn version, and the second, not pre-drawn, version.

I don't mind and sometimes really enjoy pencil lines in a painting, but I think I was beginning to feel that,with these daffodils, they were confining.

winter landscape

                                11x15

The last project in this section of the Bill Rogers class at Chesapeake Fine Arts studio. I think I learned a lot; I know I enjoyed the class.

This painting isn't quite finished, but I'm stopping here, for now, because I'm not really pleased with it. Though what I don't like may not be fixable: that shed is really dull!

I'll mull it over for a while. 

In the meantime, I signed up for a shorter group of lessons on winter scenes with Shari Blaukopf.

daffodils!

This one is a little tighter than I like but I think it's because 1) I wasnt sure where to go next with it and 2) the paper, Indigo, doesn't tolerate much mixing on the paper.

Onward.

daffodils!

                                11x12

Need to work on the cast shadow colors; these are too warm. And maybe not strong enough--though I think I care more about the color, and the shape.

Going to spend 1 hour each morning for the next week painting daffodils.

The strategy this spring is to draw groupings of daffodils, looking for good shapes and arrangements. Then I'll have the drawings to refine and trace even after the daffodils are gone.

Though by then I will probably be ready to move on to irises! A few in my yard are already budding. Everything is happening too fast!

horses

11x15

As often happens I find the unfinished painting appeals to me.

I wonder if it's possible to finish in an unfinished way?

For this painting I used a reference photo provided by Bill Roger's in his Zoom landscape class at Chesapeake Fine Arts Studio.

They have lots of classes, open studios, and free demos worth checking out!

winter landscape class

                                11x14

This was the first time I ever drew horses where they didnt come out looking like misshapen cows.

And I think the secret is drawing them mostly with straight lines and angLLPes, not curves. Except for that lovely curve of their neck.

I think I prefer this picture half done, and may do another.

winter landscape class

                               11x15

Not too happy with this one. It's just blah.

But I guess that's an opportunity for me to figure out why.

Not enough contrast? The water could be darker, which would make the reflections in it more dramatic.

Not enough interest? I think if I do it again I will put more time into planning the rocks--they're very important and I was too careless: the shapes are not pleasing and they're poorly spaced.

I also think I'd do this smaller. Maybe 9x12. 

So many times I think one of the main things wrong with a painting is that the size does not suit the subject ...

daffodils!

10x12

Another perspective on daffodils.