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 .

Rose Tulip

FOR SALE HERE

I am having a real tug of war lately between my oils and my gouache.

I have things I really have to get done in oils. Paintings that are unfinished

make me very uncomfortable.

This morning I painted all morning, but I noticed that my heart just

wasn't in it. Have I become a "gouche painter"? Who knows? But it

sure seems like it. For one thing, it's just so much easier. No solvent,

no washing the brushes when I'm done. And, there is something about

the particular mercurial characteristics of the watercolor and the

gouache that I just love.

We'll I'll just keep this up like this for a while and see how it goes.

Today I asked the angels to help me. I believe that they did.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Tiger Lilies

Oil Color Monotype, approx. 5" x 6", $45.00, Go Here

This quick sketch of some tiger lilies was done from some

that grew near my yard. I like doing monotypes outside.

I paint them on metal, plastic, mylar, Yupo watercolor

paper - I even once painted one on a piece of gessoed

thin wood - it actually went through the press with

the printmaking paper very well. I never print them

by hand. Well, not since I got my press in 1976.

This was fun because of the challenge of getting the little

purple pieces to hang off of the stamens (?) just so. I have

always been fascinated by these flowers; they are much

hardier than daylilies. Daylilies are very beautiful, but die

about twenty minutes after you pick them. Hard to paint

a picture quite that fast (unless you're Delacroix.....).

Thanks for visiting today.

(I'm still working on that painting - I haven't forgotten!)

Bearded Iris ll

Watercolor, Gouache and Pencil
on Archival WC Paper, 5" x 7" $120.00

Go to eBay

I just couldn't get over all of the colors
in this iris. They were really something.
I was experimenting with Aquapasto
today. A wonderful watercolor teacher
at the Art League School, Tedd Betts,
who passed away a couple of years ago,
told me that you could squegee a thin
layer of this stuff on your paper with
a credit card. He used it to incredible
effect. Particularly in painting trees
in the wintertime. His paintings were
beautiful. It's really a shame he wasn't more
well-known in his lifetime.

Using the medium has its advantages and
drawbacks for an artist. You can completely
lift any paint put over it, and washes can be
laid down next to each other without flowing
into each other, but that's just the thing -
the washes don't really flow at all, and that
can be frustrating. I guess the solution would
be to figure out what effects you want to achieve
before you start, and use the medium where it
would be most effective. Anyway, it is fun to
play around with.

Bearded Iris

Watercolor and Gouache on Arches Cold Press

Watercolor Paper, 4.6" x 4.6" $100.00

I really thought this bearded iris was spectacular
and I just had to do a painting of it. I didn't have
much time though, so it is really just a sketch.
Next time I think I'll use oils. They are SO much
more forgiving! I'm so glad that its finally spring!

Blue and Purple Irises on a Pink Background

Oil on 100% Rag board supported by board, 7" x 11"
95.00 go to eBay
In honor of spring I just had to paint some flowers, but I really wanted to paint some irises, and it's not iris season yet! So, I raided my still-life cabinet at The Art League School where I teach, and found these lovely, though undoubtedly unusual, artificial ones. I have to admit too, this painting took more than one day..... it took two. -- Just painting the background took several hours, and I wasn't satisfied until I covered the original white background with some pink and "tonked" it with some phone book paper to get the texture. NOW, I liked it!

For anyone interested in learning to draw or paint out there, even those learning to draw the figure (I've been teaching that for about thirty-two years) you can learn a tremendous amount by observing flowers. Their endless curving, interrelated parts, delicate relationships, and constantly changing perspective - depending upon your point of view - are all issues that one deals with in drawing the figure, or anything for that matter. So if you are interested in improving your drawing, get yourself a sketchbook, get a stem of freesia, and do a drawing of the spaces in between the flowers. You'll be amazed at how much you'll learn, and, what a relaxing and satisfying experience it is. God is in the details.

NOTE - "Tonking" just means blotting your wet oil painting with telephone book paper (must be only that paper), and was named after Henry Tonks, who was the President of the Slade School in London in the early part of the 20th C.. A very useful practice.