Going Nuts

Here's where I am now on this coconut tree. It's hanging in a frame on my dining room wall for "practice".I still have to fix some of my fronds- too transparent. Can't seem to quit painting coconuts- all different views and sizes.

Exploring Edges

This week I've been playing around trying to work with softer edges on flowers. Here are some samples. 

Jason's yard

While we were visiting Jason in January, I painted the first one one day while Emma was napping.  Two days later, it snowed again, so I sketched the second pic and painted it on the long airplane ride  home.  Haven't had the chance to paint snow too often. 

We're still working on negative painting. This time our watercolor teacher loaned us some of her pictures of waterlilies and lotus plants. First I sketched a few to figure out the shapes, then I got an idea for composition.  To prep my paper (12x16) , I wet the whole thing then added medium yellow, aliziran crimson and thalo blue , leaving white spaces where my main flowers and leaves would be.  After it dried, I sketched in two main flowers and three main leaves.  It's hard to make the lily pads look flat, yet show some dimension.  I painted around all of the main shapes with a slightly darker value of the background colors, then waited for it to dry again. Repeat the process until I had as many lily pads as I wanted.    After that I did a little positive painting to accent the colors and then drew in veins using a broken twig instead of a small brush.  

I ended up going in with another darker wash of thalo green and turquoise to try to get the pond darker. 

I think I'll try this again, but with yellow flowers and a green pond this time.  Maybe a bee or butterfly? fish? 

Center Stage - SOLD

My first actual show was "Differing Views" presented by the Windward Wanderers. 17 artists who paint regularly on the windward side of Oahu displayed works at the visitors center of Hoomaluhia Botanical Gardens in Kaneohe. The opening reception was last night- take a look at some photos.
I displayed 3 paintings and actually sold one. What a great experience - very encouraging.

First Sale

Staff of Coconut Island Marine Biology Lab invited Windward Wanderers to have a show at Christmas and during their luncheon, they viewer works and even bought some. I didn't expect to sell anything, but was so excited to learn that someone purchased these little works- they are both 3x4 on Arches 140# paper, matted to 5x7. I sold another one, 8x10 but forgot to take a picture of it. Here it is hanging on the wall.

View of Lake Tichigan in the Fall

This is the view we shared from the back yard of John and Sally's home at Lake Tichigan. What good memories of an autumn vacation, cool crisp days in November and time with good friends. I painted this from a photo I took and this is my first attempt at painting reflections on water.