Elegant Irises

 Irises are the Queen of the Spring

Garden in my opinion.  They rise up

colorful and stately providing us with

 much beauty. For me that seems to say

 'winter is over'!

Birches in the Snow

 The hint of warmth in the sky reflects nicely on

the snow making it more appealing.  I'm very fond

of birch trees and pines too.  Adding them to my 

painting gave me an easy finish.

Lion King

 

This lion has such soul!  The eyes grabbed me so I

had to try and capture that look in paint.

Dripping Pina Colada

 I was teaching a class on how to paint on Yupo 

paper which is synthetic so the paint just lays on

 top, takes a long time to dry.  Finished the leaves

 and placed the wet painting on an easel.  You got it! 

 The paint dripped and therefore finished itself. 

 I honored what was provided naturally by gravity.

These Boots are made for Workin"

 I've always wanted to paint cowboy

boots.  Decided I didn't want to do the bright 

ones with the pointy toes.  More appealing

to render a pair that had carried their cowboy

through hard times as well as the good ones.

Great Horned Owl

 This is a Great Horned Owl.  It spoke to me with

it's amazing piercing glare and lovely feathers.

I painted it carefully, choosing bright colors to 

announce it's importance in the owl kingdom.

Alaskan Starfish

 I received the opportunity to work from photos 

taken of sea life in Alaska.  The starfish in that

 area are very bright in color and provided an 

interesting reference for a painting.

Sea Birds

I painted this scene to give as a donation to a local

non-profit whose purpose is to house and protect

 abused children, the Hibiscus Shelter.  My painting 

was used in an auction to raise funds to support this

 very worthy cause.

 

Elephant Family

 

I really enjoy painting animals and particularly like

animal families.  This image caught my eye as it portrays

the closeness shown by the elephant Mama as the little one 

playfully bumps her leg.

Reflections

This is my second "Powder Puff" painting.  It took lots of patience as I dealt (by choice) with using a large floppy brush to create my work.  It took a fair bit of time but somehow I was able to capture the essence that I wanted, a soft reflective piece tending toward abstraction.

A Run in the Woods

Yupo paper paintings are both challenging and rewarding.  This synthetic paper keeps the paint on the surface so it doesn't lose any color when it dries.  It allows for a bright somewhat shiny finish which gives a lot of life to a watercolor.  It also requires a lot of patience because there is no way you are going to control any part of the painting easily!  One of my students took a photo at Oxbow Recreation Center while on a run.  It had a nice combination of trees and tropical foliage that made it a joy to paint.  The surprise was the little animal near the bottom of the largest tree that showed up unexpectedly!  Joy!

Just One Poppy

I have a tendency to begin a painting by first using masking fluid.  This one requires that the daisies and stems are added with the fluid then the actual painting begins when this is dry.
It allows for a lot of freedom when doing the background which gives a softer more fluid appearance to the work.  Just for fun one poppy was added at the end.

Hotel Baudy, Giverny France, home of Monet

My bucket list included a visit to Giverny to visit Monet's home and gardens.  I have many photo references from the property that is definitely very special.  A huge flower garden along with the water gardens, the bridges and rowboats that he used just added to the delightful time I spent visiting there.  Walking back through town I took a photo of the Hotel Baudy where Monet is said to have spent many a night with his friends.  This painting is one of several I created after that visit.

Home Sweet Home

Only three colors were used to paint this nest:  Antwerp Blue, New Gamboge and Opera.   I usually choose just a few colors to paint a nest but always, always I am amazed at the outcome!  Every combination of mostly transparent watercolors creates a different background.  The paper is lightly sprayed with water before paint is applied and then sprayed more fully afterwards.  Colors perk and blend together until they dry.  Surprise!  Nests are enjoyable to do and for me just discovering the colors that show up adds to the fun.

Bird in the Blossoms

This is what I call a "break out" painting:  creating art that defies the limited background then breaks out to successfully draw our attention to the unique design.  How is it done?

I start by drawing the image and then adding artists tape which determines the background area which is carefully painted first.  The tape is removed so the design can flow without interruption.  This watercolor can be framed without adding a mat since it finishes to look as if one is already there.

Birches in Autumn

I give watercolor instructions so I am always looking for new ideas to present to my class.   Using India ink to paint freehand on the paper before adding color is a way to create easily and yet have the necessary values that makes artwork so interesting.  Birch trees by nature of the fact that they are mostly black and white were the perfect subject for this lesson. Color for the autumn leaves was sponged on after the inkwork was completed.  Easy and fun!

Verona Flower Market

The Italian city of Verona has a wonderful walking shopping street that opens out into a market square. It was filled with many tents selling all manner of goods along with this charming flower stall.  It was such a really lovely setup of colorful blooms so of course I took a few photos.  I found it so appealing that I decided I would paint it. This is my artistic interpretation.

View from the Hill

Another powder puff painting.  It's amazing how hard it is to paint an entire watercolor using just a loosey-goosey large brush!  So much paint gets on the paper that it begins to appear like just an abstract of blended colors.  No form, no composition, nothing recognizable at first.  Careful blotting followed by more careful strokes brought the painting together.  It has the Impressionist feeling that I was after.

Soft Focus Reflections

Feeling the  need to challenge myself,  I once again picked up my puffy old makeup brush and began a painting.  The process of trying to control this brush is quite a feat!  Wet, sloppy, drippy, picking up several paints at once....and needing to be wrung out by hand each and every time. Was I happy?  You bet.  Doing this gave me the chance to attempt to create some kind of understandable image when everything was just all super wet chaos.  Many times I stood back and viewed the results, thought I was done and then bingo, picked up the brush again.  I do like the resulting softness and the fact that the paint eventually washed off my hands!

A Nest for Rachel

Playing around with masking fluid I came up with a new way to create a bird's nest.

Twigs, grasses, sticks and branches are made with careful strokes of the masking
fluid as the very first step. Then various colors of paint a flung from a large flat brush to create the background.  Next step is to remove the masking fluid and then use pen and ink to intricately

outline the resulting design.  Watercolor is added to tone the whites and eggs are added to finish the painting.

Amber Waves of Grain

I feel like I channeled one of the Impressionist painters to create this watercolor!  A desire to clean out my rather disorganized makeup drawer brought to my attention a large, fluffy brush.  The kind used to apply face powder.  It made me start wondering what would happen if I used this brush to paint??  So, naturally, always open to a challenge, I did just that. This painting is the result.  I had absolutely no control over what happened since the fullness and soft bristles gave me almost no options.  You know what?  I love it!  It immediately spoke to me about the golden wheat fields in the center of our beautiful  America. I added a flock of birds giving it a focal point and a lovely finish.

Cafe in St. Maxime

 

This traditional cafe was painted from a photo taken in St. Maxime, France. It's located along the French Riviera just on the Mediterranean and is filled with winding cobblestone streets, charming storefronts and sidewalk cafes. Can't you just picture yourself sitting outside in the warm sunshine, enjoying a cafe au lait with a light flaky croissant? 

Zebra

Being in a playful mood I chose unusual colors for this painting which is done on hot press paper.
As you can see the paper allows watercolors to mix and blend easily but offers little control of edges.
New artists working in watercolor are often appalled by this lack of being able to keep the paint exactly where you want it.  As you move forward you move toward being more loose and accepting of letting the watercolor do it!

Anticipation

This painting is a combination of two of my 'besties', chicadees and nests.  It was started with a very free form tree branch and muted leaves, more impressionist than realistic.  The birds sit on the branch waiting for the eggs to hatch.  Ogura lace paper was added to the nest to enhance and soften it giving the impression of a cozy bower prepared for the anticipated baby birds.

The Little Boat that Could

Traveling in southeast Italy, (the heel of the boot) I came across this boat in a marina in Ostuno.
While it was smaller than most of the other boats docked there somehow it spoke to me of being feisty, hardworking and well used.  And a bit charming somehow.  I painted it in watercolor then added pen and ink to give it a whimsical feel.