Gracious Living

 

This watercolor was painted while we were driving from Eastern Washington state back to the Portland area. It's about a 3 hour drive and not very scenic until the Columbia River widens. Then it's the gorge area and absolutely magnificent. Using my tiny travel watercolor set and a cup of water, I was able to concentrate on creating this very small painting. It only measures about 5" by 6" but was the perfect size to fit on my lap as we traveled along. A really nice way to pass the time and feel accomplished.

Watercolor 5x6 $45
email sferina222@yahoo.com

37 Minute Tulips

 

Notice the title. One day when my good artist friends and I gathered to paint together, I developed artists block. Just couldn't get started.....Sally told me to set the timer and paint anything BUT I had to finish in 37 minutes. She said it would cure my being stuck. She was right. Taking a fast look at the vase of tulips in front of me on the table, I skipped any idea of drawing and set to work immediately. The clock was ticking! This is my very quick study of fresh spring tulips. Guess what? I was able to move on and paint easily after that. Try it if you can't get your creative engine going.

Watercolor 8x12 $190
email sferina222@yahoo.com

Charm

 

This charming vase of flowers was created with the flinging technique I learned from Helga Flower's workshop. In this painting I also incorporated some of Shirley Trevena's use of tape to block off sections of paper to create line interest and tension. If only you could've seen it before! You wouldn't believe this 'start' was capable of being anything at all. It really was just a blur of fused colors without form or shape. It was a challenge to bring it forward and then, even enjoy the ending. I like it.

Watercolor 10x14 $180
email sferina222@yahoo.com

Coastal Waters

 

I am delighted with this watercolor. It is entirely original, conceived from my mind. I did a 'start' putting in the sky, water and land with one palm standing straight up. Then I really didn't know what to do! It took me weeks of occasionally glancing at it to finally decide how to finish it. Actually the sky was too pretty for me to let it go without at least trying something. After adding two more palms, I slowly built up the foliage until I realized it was finished. Knowing when to stop is also a gift.

Watercolor 9x12 $175
email sferina222@yahoo.com

Cozy Nest

 

I created this mixed media collage piece at a Helga Flower workshop. She is a very successful artist who resides in Michigan and has a snowbird home in Martin County. Her specialty is to create nest paintings which are each unique and never able to be duplicated. This one was started by painting a large nest shape and then flinging different colors of paint to create the background. By scraping with a pallette knife I was able to achieve the appearance of twigs. To enhance this I added collage material to the nest, giving it texture and interest. The last step is to add the eggs.

Watercolor 10x14 $200
email sferina222@yahoo.com

Cockfight

 

This is a colorful and almost cartoon like watercolor of several Mexicans preparing for a cockfight. It captures the seriousness of their quest, to have the winning bird. Notice the money purse, an important item that will probably hold their much anticipated winnings. Looks like a joint venture with everyone intent on taming the bird before the fight begins.

Watercolor 10x14 $135
email sferina222@yahoo.com

Tracy's Roses

 

When I arrived at our hotel in Vancouver WA, the most beautiful vase of flowers was in our room. My daughter Tracy had asked the management if she could surprise us this way. They were very accomodating and it felt great to be greeted with such beauty. In NY I was a member of the Long Island Rose Society and would enter their annual rose show. I earned ribbons for best of show in several categories so you know I put my heart and soul into growning roses.
Naturally I sat down the next day and painted these wonderful, lush, colorful roses.

Not for sale

Island Paradise

 

This is a mini painting, about 2" by 3". Every year there is a mini show at a local gallery. We are offered the chance to have our paintings framed at a reasonable cost to be part of a month long show. I truly enjoy doing these little watercolors. They must fit some need in me to be precise and work with a small brush. You can't be loose and watery on a tiny scrap of paper! So far I've sold at least one every year giving me the impetus to continue.

Mini Framed & Matted Watercolor $75
email sferina222@yahoo.com

Big Brushwork

 

You may think this is an odd title for this watercolor but I assure you it fits perfectly! One day I got it in my head to try to paint using just my wash brush which is 1 1/2 inches across. Just a whim that I decided to follow. I'm really not sure if this is finished yet. I've been toying with the idea of adding some large birds, like Pelicans, which would then compliment the compostion thru balance.

Tuscan Vineyard

 

Who doesn't love Italy? And especially Tuscany? I think it is probably the dream destination for many people, particularly for honeymooners. It's truly a romantic location permeated with the sweet smell of lavendar, the hills covered with marching rows of grapevines, the fields filled with sunflowers. The food is delicious, the wine more so making it a place to relax and just enjoy. This is a typical farmhouse and vineyard, close to harvest time.

Watercolor 16x20 $175
email sferina222@yahoo.com

Magnolia

 

One of the beautiful flowering trees that flourishes here in Florida is the Magnolia. The blossoms are huge and creamy looking providing a wonderful contrast with the leaves of two colors, dark green on one side, maroon on the other. This strong color differential provides great material for watercolors as the flowers immediately become the focal point.

Not for sale

Mountain Haze

 

This painting was first done in pencil and then color was added afterwards. Working this way gives more depth and dimension to a piece of artwork. The original composition came from a hand drawn notecard. I'm always looking for inspiration for my painting classes and sometimes I find it in the most unusual ways. I just purchased a decorative gift bag that gave me an idea for a beautiful watercolor. I'll combine this design with other elements to achieve a unique finished piece.

Watercolor 8x10 $65
email sferina222@yahoo.com

Celebration

 

This is a watercolor done with a new technique that I learned in a workshop. You merely toss drops of water onto the paper, using 10 fingers, achieving a randon pattern. After mixing rich puddles of analgous paint, you proceed to fling the paint onto the paper, never touching it with the brush. Some green is added if you want to make a bouquet, which I did. The result is varied and interesting and of course, never the same. A few lines are added for interest to resemble stems along with the vase. That is it.

Not for sale

Batik Iris

 

This painting was done on rice paper with gold threads throughout. To learn the batik technique I took a workshop with Carol Ann Sherman. It is a multi-stepped process and took all day to finish two paintings. Lots of hot melted wax is used, along with brilliant color and indelible ink to attain this unusual stained glass look. The last step requires an iron and a stack of newspaper to melt off the wax and voila! you have a finished piece.

Batik on rice paper 10x14 $150
email sferina222@yahoo.com

Keukenhof Gardens, Lisse, Holland

 

It brings me great joy to visit gardens, whether near or far. On a trip to Amsterdam I was treated to the wonderful experience of visiting Keukenhof Gardens at tulip time. Imagine seeing thousands of tulips, hyacinths and daffoldis of differing colors, all in bloom at the same time! The gardens are also surrounded with fields of these flowers, as far as the eye can see. Large shade trees, the greenest grass ever, winding paths and streams make this an amazing experience.

Not for sale

Squawk

 

Roosters are so interesting to paint. Like most male bird species they are more colorful than the females thereby commanding more attention. This guy is letting everyone know that he is king of the barnyard. His beak is open, his jaw flapping, thereby indicating he is announcing the break of day with lots of loud squawks!

Sold

Taking Over

 

Two beautiful yellow flowers painted on yupo paper, the synthentic, smooth paper without tooth. It's a challenge to keep things looking like they are supposed to but one I totally enjoy. Looks like one flower is trying to be superior, doesn't it? Vying for attention, standing tall? Guess we could look at it differently and say one is being protective and guarding the other, being the courageous one.

Watercolor 9x12 $80
email sferina222@yahoo.com

Monet's Japanese Bridge at Giverny

 

The local Garden Club asked me to donate a painting to their French themed annual card party. There was the thought to do a Parisian street scene but then the Impressionists popped into my head. Looking through my library of art books I came across this world famous scene, complete with water lilies. Monet painted in oil so replicating the work in watercolor took many layers of paint, and many hours of work. Enjoyable all the way, it was like a journey and a challenge to try and make it look similar.

Just Ducky

 

This is my first attempt at painting a waterfall. Let me tell you it's plenty hard to make it look like water falling. The entire compostion was conceived from my mind. The ducks add a natural focus. I've seen many waterfalls and do find them enchanting. I enjoy the pure beauty of rushing water cascading over the rocks, the mist and foam at the bottom and the resolution of the water moving away.

Watercolor 16x20 $175
email sferina222@yahoo.com

Time for Tea

 

For a long time I purchased art books because they called to me. Then when I got them I wouldn't even look at them. I am happy to say that now I use them all the time. Guess the timing wasn't quite right before. This piece has Shirley Trevena's influence from her book but it is my own composition. It's a combination of pastel and watercolor. I didn't have any idea how it would look like until I finished. I worked happily across the paper, adding whimsey as I painted.

Mixed media 16x20 $200
email sferina222@yahoo.com

Fields of Gold

 

An upcoming exhibition requesting expressions of Florida prompted me to paint this picture. The town of Jensen Beach where I live had a thriving pineapple industry in the late 1880's. Thomas Richards, an early settler along the Indian River realized he could grow pineapple when he successfully cultivated some on his land. He planted over 40,000 pineapple slips. His plants flourished for about 30 years until red wilt developed followed by freezes in 1917 and 1918 which wiped out the industry. I call this Fields of Gold because back then pineapples were truly like 'gold'.

Watercolor 18x24 framed $400
email sferina222@yahoo.com

Faith

 

I received a phone call from my childhood friend Pat. She was fighting the valiant fight against cancer. We were keeping in close touch and I was praying for her mightily so she could beat this invasion. The news wasn't good. I was so upset that I just had to do something to try and raise my spirits. I chose to paint, just wetting the paper and putting down bright, cheerful colors. This is my painting called Faith.

Porcelain and Poppies

 

This painting works because it is composed of complimentary colors, blue and orange. The cools and warms play off each other in a visually engaging way. Notice that it is complosed of mostly these two colors, yet it is not boring or unappealing. Shading knits this still life together.

Not for sale

French Cafe

 

For some uneplained reason I am very attached to all things French. French food, bread, wine, pastries, music.....you name it, I enjoy it. A neighbor gave me a cocktail napkin and told me she would love a painting of the scene that was portrayed on it. It was a French cafe done in oranges and greens. This is my rendition. I not only changed the colors but added a patron and a dog to give the scene 'life'.

Watercolor 12x12 $125
email sferina222@yahoo.com

Mean and Green

 

The funny thing I find when I paint birds or animals is that they wind up with a personality. I sat in a sand chair at the ocean and painted this bird. I was working on being loose which is one of the hardest things to do for some of us. Me in particular. Anyway when I got done I realized that the bird looked real nasty. Ready to bite. It was in the eye. A beady eye. Decided to leave it alone and accept it. It's like life.

Watercolor 6x8 $75
email sferina222@yahoo.com