Author: -N-

A Few Paintings

No joking when I said my “new job” was watercolor painting and drawing!  I’ve been getting daily life stuff done, but somewhen in between, I manage an hour or two a day with paper, pen, and paint.  It’s paying off (that’s what jobs are supposed to do, right?) I think.  Still a lot of goofs, but some progress, too.  Mud is now something I decide to paint more often than not.  Below is a gallery of the work I’ve done in the past few weeks – not all of it, just some of it.  Click on one picture to begin scrolling through them.

I have been using two different types of paper for the watercolors. One that is inexpensive, 100% cotton is Bee Paper, in 6×9 inch format. The other is Fabriano, in block format. 11×15 inch Artistico; this is a higher quality 100% cotton that is still affordable. Both papers are really good for heavier washes. The Artistico has more tooth than the Bee paper, but the smoother surface of the Bee really lends itself well to ink-and-watercolor drawings.

So many plans with impending retirement, and I am finding I certainly will not be able to do everything I want to do – just not enough time! I used to give myself 30 minutes to paint – now I can give myself whatever time I want. Thus, first loves take over other loves, but the sewing and the photography and knitting and, and, and will get in there. Time will be dedicated!

So, on this rainy Saturday morning, the studio will get cleaned up again, and the fun continue.

Spring Comes to the High Plains

I have to admit, I am on a winter kick.  Cold, chill.  And loneliness.  I don’t tend to paint or photograph people or civilization, but as far as painting goes, I need to get into painting them.  I’m doing okay with moving inland water.  But buildings, people, and oceans leave me baffled for now.

So, the open spaces of the flatlands between mountain ranges.  Harsh weather, blasted heaths, winter and wild weather. The hint of spring.

Dappled Light

More work with water and light.  Here I thought about some of the exercises I have followed from Rick Surowicz’s YouTube channel – lines, curves, and dots to capture branches, light, and leaves.  I think this painting worked out quite nicely.

Besides considering what I wanted in advance (a way of thinking that has taken a very long time to get to) by applying frisket, I also was determined to paint from light to dark and use glazing and blending.  Areas of color were also considered, and rather than trying to paint each leaf, I painted blobs of color to represent the foliage.  As a result, I built up layers of color throughout the painting as I moved along, and can say this is possibly the first painting in which I have done this.

I also had to be very patient!  Frisket is not happy when you blow dry it – it gets all sticky and you have let it set up again. As a result, this 6×9 painting probably took a couple of hours to do.  However, the results, for me, were definitely worth the time it took.  Perhaps my impatience is lessening . . .