Fall Painting on Masa

I've done several watercolor florals on Masa paper, and I love the effect.  But ever since I saw Cheng Khee Chi's landscapes on Masa, I've wanted to try one. Here is my fall landscape, with my daughter and grand-dog taking a walk in the distance.

Flowers in the Church Courtyard

This is a semi-abstract of some flowers that I found in our church courtyard.   I painted them wet-in-wet - inspired by the techniques of Karlyn Holman.  Painted several weeks ago.  11 x 15.

Anna's Floral Bouquet

I started this at my friend Anna's house, using her flower arrangement for a model.  My idea was to do it in a style made famous by Karlyn Holman.  I REALLY struggled with this painting.  I pulled it out in the end, but I'm not entirely happy with it.

Tulip Time

I've used this subject before, and maybe this title too.  These tulips lend themselves to experimentation, and this is a new design that I tried, imspired by the work of K.Holman.  11 x 15 on Arches.

Abstract

I decided to try my hand at doing an abstract the other day. I was inspired by watching a video by K.Holman.   I've not been too successful at these, so I don't try too often, but I had a lot of fun with this one.  Halfway through, it reminded me of fireworks, and when it was done it looked more like balloons, so I titled it "Celebration".  This is 15 x 22 on Arches, textured with coffee filters, saran wrap, and gauze.

Iris Sketch

I sketched this iris yesterday in my backyard, in my 9 x 12 Super Aquabee sketchbook.

Daffodils

I painted most of this one from life, but the flowers didn't last long enough for the background and some details.  So I just finished this today.  "Daffodils" 11 x 15

California Succulents

California Succulents 11 x 11

Amaryllis 2017

Almost every year around Christmas I buy an amaryllis plant, and right after the new year I plant it and watch it grow.  I love the big colorful flowers, and I enjoy sketching and painting it.  Most of the time there is a second blooming after the first one dies out.  Waiting to see if that happens. 

Gelli Prints

Not a watercolor this time.  I've been making gelli prints with the Gelli Plate that Joan gave me for Christmas.  Here are a few that I kind of liked.

Merry Christmas 2016

Merry Christmas to all of my family and friends.  This was my Christmas card this year, thanks to my two youngest grandchildren, Louis and Mary, who were kind enough to pose for me.  

"Hello, Autumn"

"Hello, Autumn" is a half sheet watercolor, done from a photo that my son, David, took while on a hike last fall.  I liked this photo so much that I did it first as a 5x7, and then had my beginner watercolor class at the senior center attempt a simplified version of it it, but it just called for a larger painting.  I'm happy with this, the first half sheet landscape in quite a while, and a pleasant change from florals.

Justin's Bird

This is my painting of a bird done with permission from a photo taken by my grandson, Justin.  Justin takes great photos, and I'm looking forward to painting more of his subjects.  11x15 on Arches.

Angel's Sunflower

This is a demo that I painted for my senior center watercolor class, done from a photo by Angel Sharum.  Angel was kind enough to give me (and my students) permission to paint from her photo.  Watercolor, 9 x 12 on Arches paper.

Red Roses

I had some fun doing this painting today - a little bit different than my usual more realistic outcome. 

Portrait/Figure workshop

Last week I took a portrait/figure workshop with Ted Nuttall, at Springmaid Beach.  Ted is an awesome artist, and an excellent teacher, and I hope that I have absorbed at least some of the info that was presented at the workshop.  I worked on two pieces, both of my grandkids.  The first one is my

grandsons,  Justin and Joe.  I think I got a really good likeness, and I'm happy with this one.   The second is a closeup of my granddaughter Kateri, from a photo taken about 5 years ago.  It's close, but I didn't get as good a likeness as I did of the boys.  I really enjoyed working on these, and I think I've found a subject that I like almost as much as painting flowers.

Day 25 - Amaryllis

Day 25 of the challenge, and I haven't been painting or sketching for a few days.  But here's my amaryllis as it looks today, the first bud in full bloom, and another one starting to open, and the second plant still way behind, but looking promising.  11 x 15

Day 18 - NY Farm

It is day 18 of the challenge, but I haven't been keeping up.  I think this is my 10th painting.  Procrastination and a bad cold have kept me on the couch too much.  This is a farm that my sister Joan and I like to sketch when we are in the Orange County, NY area.  5 x 7 from a photo.

Day 13 - Fall Scene

This was painted from a photo taken by my son David on one of his hikes.  Day 13 of #30paintingsin30days

Day 12 - A Digital Painting

An art day today with my sister, Joan.  We exchanged Christmas gifts, art related, of course.  Then we took a trip to Dick Blick for some needed supplies.  After lunch, we experimented with Joan's gelli plate for a while - fun, but messy.  Then she gave me a short tutoring session on digital painting with the Artrage app.  This is the first one that I did, before she showed me how to use layers.  I messed up my"ink" lines a bit, but I liked it enough anyway to use this for today's #30paintingsin30days painting.