Merry Christmas

Maine Trip and Pumpkin Festival

I recently took a trip to Maine with my sister Joan. We sketched at some of our favorite spots, like the Curtis Island lighthouse and a park near Boothbay Harbor. We visited the Colonial Pemaquid Historic site, and sketched in the cemetery. We discovered the Oven's Mouth Preserve, and did some hiking along with sketching. We enjoyed the Damariscotta Pumpkin Festival, and stopped at Marginal Way on our way home. It was a quick and fun trip and I got to add several pages to my Maine journal. I also did a few sketches of the Pumpkin Festival from photos after I got home.

I did these last four sketches from photos after I got home. The chef pumpkin and the lobster pumpkin were huge, and two of many decorated pumpkins outside the businesses in downtown Damariscotta. The regatta sketch was done from several photos taken quickly while the race was going on.

A New/Old Collage

I started this stained paper collage a couple of years ago during a Gerald Brommer workshop. It was on the last day, and I didn't get to finish it, and never got around to working on it again after I got home. Recently one of my painting buddies saw some stained paper collages in a magazine and suggested that we try them at our weekly painting sessions. I told her that I had one that was already started, but didn't know whether I could get anything good out of it. I ended up finishing this one successfully and starting another one. This collage is based on a photo I took of the Junipero Serra Museum in San Diego. 11x15

Two Florals With Fun Backgrounds

I worked on these two at my Thursday painting group for two weeks. They are based on a book called "Watercolor Without Boundaries" by Karlyn Holman. I liked her backgrounds, and tried to incorporate them in my work. The rose (from my garden) is 15 x 15 and has a white border all around. The rose of sharon (courtesy of my friend Anna) in a vase is 11 x 11, also with a white border all around. These were really fun to design and I like the effect, so I will probably be doing more of these in the future.

Painting With the Grandkids

I spent the month of July with four of my grandchildren. They each had a week with me, and we had fun swimming, painting, taking photos of animals, mini-golfing, movies, and playing ball. In addition, my granddaughter and I made some beaded jewelry. Here are some of our paintings. Justin did a painting in primary and secondary colors (after making a color wheel) as a requirement for his Cub Scout art belt loop. Ethan did a watercolor of a red tailed hawk, and Joe did a painting of a bald eagle. The boys were very into photographing and painting animals on our trips to the zoo and nature center. Jadyn did a painting of the turquoise and shell necklace that she made. And since that week, the WetCanvas journalling forum was doing gems and minerals, I did a journal page of some of my own specimens.

Two New Paintings on Masa Paper

Both paintings watercolor on masa paper approx. 11 x 15

Latest From My Flower Journal

I've been keeping a flower journal during the month of May, but even though May is over, I still see new flowers in my backyard just begging to be painted. This is my latest page. I have a shrub rose that looks like it might be very prolific this year. The flowers are a lovely dark red, but they have really short stems and are not suitable for cutting unless I want to cut several buds along with the flower. I really enjoyed painting these today.

Going Digital

This is a digital painting that I did as homework for an online class called "Layering in Photoshop Elements" that I've been taking on WetCanvas. It will never replace watercolors, but it can be fun (and frustrating) in it's own right.

Lots of Yellow Tulips

I've worked on this one on and off for several months while I was more focused on sketchbooks and journals, but I finally completed it yesterday. Originally I had planned on a dark background, but I really like the way the tulips look on the light background too much. I think it has a delicacy that I would not be able to keep with a dark background. This was done from a photo I took at the Philadelphia Flower Show two years ago. 15x22

Two More May Journal Florals

Continuing with the May journal. I received a beautiful Mother's Day bouquet from my daughter Karen, which was the subject for both of these sketches, and hopefully more to come.

May Sketchbook Page

I have been working more in sketchbooks recently than on larger paintings. After painting a lot of red rocks in my fake journal, I had the desire to see color, so the theme of my May sketchbook is flowers and plants. These are done in my 9 x 12 Aquabee sketchbook.

International Fake Journal Month

This is the first page of my "fake" journal. To see an explanation of what it's all about, and to see more of the journal, see http://flatmickeyIFJM.blogspot.com

After the Workshop - Pawley's Island

After the workshop, Joan and I took a side trip to Pawley's Island to do some plein air sketching. Here is one of the beach houses I painted there. I loved this little island community.

Done in Arches Travel Sketchbook with tiny watercolor palette and a waterbrush.

Jean Grastorf Workshop 4

(Couldn't get this one uploaded correctly either.)

This is a half sheet - should be turned counter-clockwise for correct viewing. While everyone's poured paintings were in the process of drying, Jean showed us a new technique. We used a special clear wash-out tape to cover a half sheet. Then we used a quilter's rotary cutter to cut out shapes. We did the darkest shapes first, which made me have to think a little backwards. I had a little bit of trouble with the rotary cutter, and switched to a razor blade for the circle and the rectangles. I added some stamping at the end.

Jean Grastorf Workshop 3

Since so much waiting is involved in this process, I started another painting. This time I tried to simplify. I did it smaller, simplified the design, and only used two pours. I masked the entire background. This one is 10 x 10.

Jean Grastorf Workshop 2

(Blogger insists on uploading this one sideways. You will have to turn it counter-clockwise in your imagination).

This is a half sheet of a Ti-Plant. I think it had three pours, but it could have used at least two more to get more values in. However, I didn't have enough time. It takes a whole day to dry the painting enough for the next pour, and then we had to wait for an available tub to do the pour. I removed the masking so that I would have something to show for "Gallery Night" on Friday, and so that the masking wouldn't "cook" in the trunk of the hot car on the trip home. I could remask it and finish, but I think I would rather do a new one now that I have the hang of it.

Jean Grastorf Workshop 1

Last week my sister and I took a "pouring" workshop with Jean Grastorf. This was our "starter pour" to get our feet wet (some of us actually did). We traced our hands and some letter and number stencils and then masked out shapes, starting with the lightest. I think this had 3 pours. Afterward I added some stamps.

Sketchcrawl 30, January 22, 2011

It's cold and snowy so it must be time for a January Sketchcrawl. My sister Joan and I spent the day at the James McFaul Environmental Center. I did one sketch from her car, and two from the observatory windows in the visitor center.