Black Sweet Peas

FOR SALE HERE

Ever since I lived in Blacksburg, Virginia, when my

husband was going to Architecture school, I have been

fascinated by black sweet pea flowers. They grew wild
around the house where we were living, or perhaps,

someone had planted them there. I did several monotypes
of them in oils, all of which I loved, but unfotunately, I no

longer have my favorite one.

This painting is gouache and watercolor, yet again. I'm happy

with it, although I don't feel the same sense of mastery that

I do over oils. I haven't had the years of practice yet. I'll

just keep plugging along. The color in the picture is actually

a bit more red, and while I tried to correct it, it still doesn't
come across totally as it really is. No problem. It still looks

like some black sweet peas, and that was my objective for

the day.

I just love this medium!

Thanks for visiting .

Late Afternoon in Florida in August

FOR SALE HERE

I did this today while I was teaching my oil painting

studio class. I had very few students for some reason.

I teach gouache - which this is - in the morning, and

I had already gotten it going, and couldn't bear to stop.

My students were very accomodating however, and we

all had a wonderful afternoon!

Imaginary Landscape #3

This is another watercolor and gouache piece, done in class as a demo for my students

yesterday. I was lucky it came out so well. That doesn't always happen!!

This was done on a wonderful new product which I just love! Fredrix Watercolor Canvas.

I had been painting on it already in oils, because it has a lovely smooth, delicate surface,

and I had been using mostly paper and panels, because I Hate canvas generally!! But this

stuff is very different.

But, for watercolor, and gouache, it's absolute revelation! You can lift, wipe back, lay

washes, remove whole areas of color - you name it, it's more like working with oils

practically when you work on this product. I've been having so much fun, I can't wait

to get up in the morning! Of course all days aren't successful ones, but one can always

try, and always hope! I'm planning on filling this whole sketchbook with these landscapes,

exectued entirely with brush, and having a feeling of being partially imagined. I've got

13 to go. The paper in the book is Canson watercolor.

I usually begin by covering my picture area with Winsor and Newton Lifting Preparation,

because right now I like to paint skies, and it is enormously helpful. Of course this isn't

necessary on the Fredrix Watercolor Canvas, but I sometimes do it anyway.

So much fun.

Thanks for visiting.

Imaginary Landscape #1

I was making some examples for my students in a gouache class that is going to begin

tomorrow, and I wanted to create an example of one done entirely with a brush - no

pencil lines at all.

This is what I came up with.

It isn't very big, but I like the colors, and

the composition. I feel the contrast is rather dynamic, and I wouldn't mind being in that

place, either.

Thanks for visiting.

Sketch of Potomac River in the Summer

Gouache and Watercolor, 4" x 6" $100.00

This is actually right near where I live. It is nice to live near the river.
I love to see it in every season, but my favorite is definitely the
summertime. It isn't so great when it floods - which it did a few years
ago, wiping out a lot of my neighborhood. That was not pleasant.
But, we must be crazy. We all know we live in a 100-year flood plain.
And we haven't left ......yet.

I did this in a Canson sketchbook. I have several of them for different
themes. They are great if you keep your pictures rather small. But, if
you do anything larger than 5" x 7" the paper starts to buckle, so it's
better to keep the compositions on the small side. That's OK with me.
I enjoy working small a lot of the time. Everyone's different!