Wave and Reflections

Gouache (opaque watercolor), 4 1/4 x 3"

I'm teaching gouache again this quarter at school,

so I've been practicing the medium in order to be

able to give demonstrations in class.

I was quite pleased with the overall appearance of

this piece - particularly the reflections. (love those

little pieces of blotter paper!)

All of my work in this medium is small, and as a

matter of fact, I keep it all in notebooks. This was done

on Fredrix watercolor canvas, which I love. I cut

it out and pasted it in my landscape notebook with

all the other paintings. I love my collection of notebooks!

Thanks for visiting.

Purple Hill

This is another in the series of tiny gouache paintings that I am addicted

to doing. This is a bit smaller than it really is, but nonetheless, it is

small. I don't know what it is about this medium that encourages me to

work in a miniature mode - perhaps I was a monk doing manuscript

illuminations in a former lifetime - but I sincerely enjoy it. This will

be on a sheet of four on blue paper.

This color isn't completely true, but it's close.

Thanks for visiting.

After a Donatello TerraCotta Bust of Niccolo da Vezzano, ca. 1430

Go Here to Bid

This is a gouache and gold paint (you can't see the gold paint in

this photo) study from a picture of a terra cotta bust of Niccolo

do Vezzano, ca. 1430. Niccolo must have been a Franciscan Monk,

judging from his dress. But what drew me to his image was his

soulful, kind face, and the wonderful shapes in his habit, that

inspired in me some loose line work with a brush of which I have

to admit I am very proud. It is impossible to really reproduce this

image, unfortunately. There are delicate pinks and blues in it,

particularly in the margins, that just don't come across in the

reproduction. There is a gold line around the image which glitters

in the light , and adds a slight sacred touch.

Gouache Sketch of a Woman with a Minotaur

Go Here to Bid
This very loose study after a Florentine sculpture
of a woman fighting off the unwanted advances
of a Minotaur was very exciting to do. I did it
on Canson Montval sketchbook paper, so I felt
I could let go and just experiment. I have a lot of'
those notebooks, because they always make me
feel relaxed.
This was created with a combination of gouache
(also known as "body color", or opaque watercolor)
and indelible ink pen. I also used a lot of thin
black outlines with a tiny watercolor brush,
and a great deal of opaque white. I love the
turquoise blue - I am always seduced by that!

Blue Breakers

4" x 5", Gouache on Plate Bristol Board

I did not find this picture easy to do. At one point I actually
rinsed it off under the tap. That was a good thing, as it revealed
(as it can do), some subtle tones and textures I wouldn't have
seen had I not done that. I really wanted it to be semi-abstract,
as I love a balance of realism and abstract. I find that very
intriguing.

As it is, I am fairly satisfied with this effort, as I absolutely love
the colors. If you haven't tried gouache (opaque watercolor) yet,
you ought to give it a try. You don't actually have to run out and
buy a "set" of gouache if you have a set of watercolors. All you need
is a tube of Chinese White, which I learned today was invented in
1834 (and certainly made good use of by Turner, who left no less
than 20,000 works of art at his death!).

You can mix the Chinese White with the watercolor. This is actually
how gouache (then known as "bodycolour" ) was originally done in
the 18th century. Hmm.....interesting. Anyway, it is really fun to
work with, because you can use it transparently or opaquely, and
any "mistake" can be covered up. It is kind of like oils, really, except
that you really can't "blend" it so much, and it does tend to dry a bit
lighter than it is when it is wet.

Thanks for visiting today.

Quick Gouache Sketch of Alan Posing in Class

Sepia and White Gouache on Light Brown Pastel Paper,

8 1/4" x 6 1/2", Bid Here

This is a quick study of one of my favorite all-time models, Alan

(he has dreads), in one of my favorite mediums, gouache. For those

of you who don't know, gouache is an opaque form of watercolor.

If you ever see the term "bodycolor", particularly in books about

drawings from the past (silverpoint, Renaissance, etc.), "bodycolor"

refers to white or colored gouache.

Gouache is wonderful, because you can use it both transparently

and opaquely, so it is virtually impossible to make a mistake -

at least that you can't cover up!! I love it for quick sketches like

this, and I prefer it over watercolor for painting in water media

in general, primarily because I don't have the skill in it that someone

like Belinda del Pesco has. She rocks with watercolor!

Thanks for visiting today. I hope you are surviving the heat,

wherever you are!