Saturday, April 25, 2015

MY NEW PALETTE GARAGE



     A fellow student at a workshop suggested I get a palette garage to reduce the amount of tubes of paint  I had to carry (especially for plein air), to save paint and to have all of my colors out while painting. I do love my gadgets.

  Acrylics do dry up easily so this little tube case has sponge filled end caps that can be kept moist with water.  I know it has been stated at workshops to have all your colors out while you are painting so you don't have to pause, find the color, squeeze it out and resume painting. My stubborn Scottish nature kept doing it "my way" but now I realize the value of having my limited palette out and available. 

 I think it is the coolest thing ever!

P.S. Twice I have forgotten to put my palette trough back into the moisture sealed tube, had to scrape off and waste paint and get ticked off at myself.

Saturday, April 18, 2015

PLEIN AIR VINE COVERED ARBOR


This was my first time to Rock City Gardens and I was very impressed. The trails throughout the  gardens were colorful with many painting sites to pick from. After a quick walk about I sat myself down under a shelter to stave of the full sunlight on my painting. I was told not to have the direct sun on a painting because it will mess up your color choices, not too good for me either.

My past experience with plein air painting was one of time wasting anguish trying to find the perfect site to paint. By the time I set up to paint I was in a negative doubting state of mind so of course the paintings were always horrid.


My small canvas was toned with a pink background; actually it was the paint left over on my palette from the last canvas I was working on. I used Crimson Red to paint the negative space around the vine covered arbor, next I put a white/yellow warm tone to give the illusion of sunshine.  The shadows on my canvas makes it a little difficult to see my first stokes of color.
Stage 2


ROCK CITY ARBOR
Here is my final painting. Think I prefer the drama of stage 2.

I am wondering what you think of it.

Saturday, April 11, 2015

THE VERO BEACH ART CLUB PRESENTS A STEVE ROGERS WATERCOLOR WORKSHOP



Rogers Class Demo Painting.

I may not have mentioned it but I am the co chair for the Art Club's workshop committee. My dear friend and co chair is Karen Leffel Massengill and we make a great team. She secures the art instructors and I am "logistic lady" in the background.

Our last workshop of the season was with Steve Rogers doing three days of watercolor demo's and individual instruction. Steve put his heart and soul into presenting so much information and "secret tips" as he calls them. I liked his sense of humor and go with the flow good nature.

 Steve had a detailed sketch on his paper prior to class on which he began painting in intense darks in the background of the boat scene. I was amazed at how he varied the colors and the intensity of the colors he put in. Steve stated that he uses 5-6 colors in his skies.
He was deliberate in preserving the white paper of the watercolor painting.



Pink Bandanna Man

Steve is an oxymoron of loose painting and deliberate detail in his shadows and  color changes. I learned to go bold or go home so here are some of my tries at boat scenes with color changes, temperature changes and bold loose color.



The first two we blamed on the paper and the fact that I was still using a flat brush the way I paint with acrylics. Steve said I needed to let the paint flow onto the paper not cross hatch paint it on. 
Steve critiqued my dinghy as the only one in the class that had managed to make mud on a white boat. The good news is that I learned that I can push the colors to cool or warm and get rid of the mud. No need to chuck the whole piece of paper. 

This was time well spent and I had fun.

Saturday, April 4, 2015

BIG DOG PARK DONATION


Whew, the company has left and I was finally able to complete my thank you to our local off leash dog park by painting the big dog fire hydrant. This time no one peed on the hydrant as I was working and there were two huge Great Danes that could have put me out of business! Actually they were gentle giants that just leaned on me as I petted them.

You might gather that I am a dog person. My son tells me that my therapist has doggy breath and he is spot on!