Flow

"Flow" is now finished. It took a while to get the balance just right, but this is very close to what was in my mind as I worked on it. Balancing the cool colors with some warm pinks and oranges was a big part of this piece. Sometimes blues and grays can fall flat with this type of composition. Balancing cool and warm canoe crucial.

More Stones and Water

"Ebb" 22" x 30" watercolor on Arches 

More stones and water. The challenge in this piece was to get the feeling of water flowing away from the stones leaving reflections and small pockets of water in between stones. I am pretty happy with the results. My connection with the landscape comes from, partially, growing up near and spending a lot of time as a kid exploring the woods. This image was inspired by the shore of a brook very near where I grew up.

Sketch Book and Working Out Ideas

This is one of several watercolor notebooks I made myself. It's the only way I have found to have a watercolor notebook in various sizes with exactly the type of paper I want and be relatively inexpensive. 

It does take time to bind, but it is worth it! When I began thinking about making my own, I researched online and found this tutorial teaching the coptic stitch for single sheet bookbinding (look up DIY Single Sheet Bookbinding Tutorial by Sea Lemon).  

The book lies flat and can be completed fairly quickly, any size you want or need. 

This notebook is 10 1/2"  x 11 3/4" (paper size is 10" x 10 1/2") and holds 14 sheets of Arches Cold Pressed watercolor paper. I painted a scrap piece of cardboard black then glued a copy of a photo I took of dense birches near my home to the cover, inside front and back covers, and the back using mod podge matte glue.

These notebooks are great for working out ideas for my larger paintings. The third picture is a watercolor of stones - I'm trying out brighter colors and techniques such as using salt to help define moving water. Here's a few more:

I've discovered that I don't even have to bind them as long as they have sturdy covers and I keep a thick elastic holding the book together. This is especially convenient when out doors; the book cover acts as a drawing board and you can put your sketches in any order you like.

The last picture is a quick watercolor sketch I did looking at a pile of branches, sticks and leaves. This is just about shape and color and placement. I didn't worry - as you can see - about making the image look exactly like branches sticks and leaves. I thought about shape, color, tone, shadows, what shapes were in the front and which were receding and where to place those shapes and colors. I need to do many more of these.

These small paintings are so visually interesting or at least I think they have the potential to be very visually exciting. I'd like to practice some more, really exploiting the transparency of the watercolor in a larger image.

Thanks for looking and until next time!

Large Watercolor Progress

I've got the entire surface taped as you can see. The watercolor is 52" x 52", the squares are approximately 6.5". There is no need to be exact but I do like to get the squares fairly close in size so the image is close to what I want. 

Using a utility knife and a 3/4" roll of blue painter's tape (it does not damage the watercolor paper surface and can be removed and replaced easily), I cut a long piece of tape into about 4 pieces (about 1/8"), and keep taping until the surface is completed.

I don't draw every detail at this stage, just the main basic shapes; in this case a lot of different sized branches. I can work on details the further I get into organizing the piece. The second picture shows the bottom right hand corner; lightly drawn branches that are coming toward the viewer. There is a myriad of leaves and darkness behind and underneath these branches but there is no need to detail that now. That can be done in stages.

Once the drawing is completed I will begin working from the back to the front, and from darkest to the lightest. The more the background is detailed the more the foreground will pop out toward the viewer. 

Completing the drawing will take about a week. Then I'll dive into the painting and hope it works out to my satisfaction! Let me know what you think about this process or if you have any questions I'd be happy to talk!

Until next time.

Large Watercolor

I finally decided on the subject for my first oversized watercolor - a wonderfully complicated pile of fallen branches. I've had a roll of arches 156 pound watercolor paper from Christmas 2016 just waiting for me to use it. A subject was very difficult to decide on - though I knew I wanted to continue my theme revolving around the overlooked subjects in landscape; small, quiet moments a landscape painter would not typically choose for a "beautiful" or oversized image, but that I notice on my walks in the woods around my home.

This watercolor is 52" x 52". In order to build the base to hold the paper I bought some lumber from Home Depot, some corner braces, screws and made the base in about 2 hours. It was very similar to assembling a large canvas from stretcher bars. I also purchased some super strong magnets to hold the paper to the frame (where the metal braces hold the wood together) which worked beautifully.

Here is the frame from the back. I stapled a plastic/paper drop cloth over it help protect the watercolor paper. 

The first image shows my reference photo (approximately 14" x 14") against the paper. I used painter's blue tape to "square-up" both my photo and the watercolor because while the blue tape sticks, it is very, very easy to remove and does not leave any residue. 

As you can see in the second and third photos, I've squared off areas that directly correlate to the squares I taped on the photo, making it easier to enlarge the photo to the large scale watercolor. I love details so I really like to get even the smallest shapes recorded. It doesn't have to be perfect but part of this painting will be about organizing and figuring out this huge array of information - in a way that correlates to life, don't you think?

Flattening the Paper

Because of its large size, 52" x 52", flattening this cut from the original roll wasn't easy! I needed a large flat surface so I grabbed two large pieces of oversized mat board (you can use any flat surface you can find, a table, floor) put them next to each other and lined them with freezer paper to keep the wet paper from buckling them. I took the dry curled paper, sprayed water from a plastic bottle over the surface until it absorbed fully into the paper using a paper towel to help dampen the entire surface. Once the paper was wet (not too wet, just damp is ok), I spread some paper towels over the surface, weighted it down with heavy books, and let it sit overnight. In the morning it was dry and fairly flat - flat enough to work on, though not perfectly flat as the pictures show. 

I will keep you posted on my progress and am excited to finish the drawing and get to the painting. This is a big challenge for me; I've never worked this large before, but I know it will be a great learning experience. I'm taking care in every step so as not to rush ahead of myself and waste all the hard work that's come so far. 

Until next time.

"Pebbles" (Study in Orange and Blue), 30" x 44", watercolor on arches

I loved this image as soon as I saw all these small stones on a Cape Cod beach. I thought it would be a challenge and wasn't sure I could get the look I wanted. With such a complex and all-over image where all the stones are more or less alike, I wanted to simplify the color to keep everything congruent. I chose orange and blue because I could get some varied grays, blue-grays, browns, oranges and gray-browns with those two colors alone. I still think it might need some work but I'm happy with the image as it is - at least for now! The bottom image is the first stage and was posted earlier in this blog.

Please join us at the 81st Regional Exhibition of Art and Craft taking place at the Fitchburg Art Museum on Friday June 24, 2016 from 6-8pm through September 4, 2016. The above piece, "Puddle" was chosen as part of this exhibition. 

What an honor it was to be in the company of so many talented artists, and what a great night with a wonderful turnout. Congratulations to all the prize winners! 

Follow this link to the Fitchburg Art Museum:

http://www.fitchburgartmuseum.org/Regional-Exhibitition-of-Art-and-Craft.php

This is the final version of "Under Water" 30" x 30" x 1.5", Oil on Canvas.This piece is currently showing at ArtsWorcester Terra Firma group show from May 6, 2016 through May 27, 2016. Opening May 6, 2016 6:00pm-8:00pm.

ArtsWorcester Aurora Gallery
600 Main Street
Worcester, MA 01610

508-755-5142 (p)
508-797-0976 (f)
info@artsworcester.org

Hours:

Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 12-4pm.
Please feel free to contact ArtsWorcester to set ulan appointment outside of those hours.

Reflections

                                        Puddle, 44" x 30", w/c on arches

One of my favorite subjects - reflections. This large watercolor (44" x 30") was inspired by the reflections of trees in a small puddle. As I walked quietly in the woods, suddenly I caught a glimpse of the sky on the ground, looked closer, and saw the trees and sky reflected in a puddle full of leaves. The puddle wasn't more than twelve inches or so wide. I was immediately drawn to the wonderful contrast of blue and orange, the broken, mosaic quality of the submerged leaves, how the leaves interacted with the reflections and how rich the colors appeared. I did some sketches, noted the colors quickly with watercolor and took a couple of reference photos. I knew I wanted to make this small moment large and watercolor not only presented a challenge; it was the perfect medium for the subject. To get the light blue sky to really contrast with the orange and brown leaves, I used Chinese white (a semi-opaque watercolor) mixed with cobalt blue over the original painted leaves to get the effect of submerged leaves and branches you see above. I kept one yellow leaf floating on top of the water also for for contrast.

There is beauty everywhere in the woods. I don't know if anyone else ever walked the same path I did that day or may have seen this small moment of beauty in nature. In making this small moment large I hope when people see it, it may inspire them to notice small moments more often.

More Work in Progress

Still a painting in progress! Oil on Canvas, 30" x 30". I know I've been a bit obsessive with this painting but I wanted to show the differences, and how far this painting has come. The top painting is the most recent stage. I will continue to work on it until I am satisfied. I feel it is just coming alive in the above image. This isn't the only piece I'm working on - I always have about four or five in various stages of completion. I'll be posting other pieces soon.

Works in Progress

More updates on my shore paintings, and still not completed. A recent trip to Maine has me working on a few more paintings for this series which I will post soon. The small, common and overlooked object or image can be just as interesting and just as valid as any other image an artist may choose.

More Beginnings

An update to the painting in my post last month. The underpainting is disappearing, the stones are becoming more solid, the stones underwater appear submerged. More work needed to get this piece how I want it.

Beginnings

Here are two very different shore paintings, both in progress. I start out with an underpainting then work with lines and shapes until I like the composition. The painting on the bottom has a diagonal composition and when it is completed it will show rocks above water on the lower left and rocks under water on the upper right.

These two paintings together show the difference an under painting can make to the final piece. The top painting has a gray under painting, while the painting below has a burnt orange under painting. Even though the under painting will disappear it still influences the finished piece.

Stones and Water

Although I already have this painting shown in this blog in an earlier state, I decided to work on it more, getting the pain thicker and making the marks work as marks as well as rocks. This type of painting really lends itself to mark making. I love the tilt of the composition and I had a lot of fun completing this piece.

Many of my pieces can be purchased as Fine Art Greeting Cards at the link below.

http://www.zazzle.com/original_artwork_greeting_card-137685746214198193

Trees - A Beginning

This is a painting I've been working on from sketches and small watercolor studies. It isn't finished but I wanted to show the piece in it's working state. Sometimes at this stage the painting could change dramatically, but I like the composition and overall color. I took out the curved branch near the top and some of the other branches, I thought it took away from the vertical composition. I will also add more leaves in the background, as in the upper right corner. 

Winter Print

This is one of my first pulls of a linoleum print I recently created. The composition was sketched last winter at the Quabbin Reservior. You can see the lines from the marker I used to go over the original drawing. This is done because each layer of ink needs to be washed off before the next color can go on and I don't want to lose my drawing. 

The process begins with cutting out the spaces I wanted white, for this piece, the snow will remain white. I then decided what the lightest color would be in the final print. Moving from lightest to darkest works best because the colors are being printed over one another (except for the spaces cut out. I then mixed that color with Akua inks; for this print, a light purple gray for the shadows on the snow. I rolled the ink onto the linoleum with a brayer, then printed it by hand.

My next step is to cut out all the spaces I want light purple gray - mostly the shadows on the snow. I will then choose the next darker color and mix that. You've got to think ahead a step or two for this process. This type of print is referred to as a suicide print because once all the linoleum has been cut there is no way to go back. Planning is key for a successful print.

I'll post the next color steps in a day or two. 

Here's a picture of how I keep the registration the same for each print. Here's the blog I found which outlines the process:

printmakersregistrationsystem-mfykes.blogspot.com

Each print is printed in exactly the same place each time! I'm so glad I found the above blog with excellent directions.

I will soon post each color as it is added to each print.

Plein Air - Drawing

I thought I would share my love of painting outside with you today. If you have never taken your painting gear outside, set everything up and worked from life, it is difficult to explain the experience and why I love it so much. Being out in the field for the last week or so working in an area I love and frequently visit has deepened not only my practice of working consistently and steadily, but it has also, surprisingly, deepened my appreciation and love for the woodlands. I didn't think I could love working in the woods more, but each time I go out I know I am where I am supposed to be. Everything around me is constantly growing, moving, living, dying. Paying attention to what you are observing is key. Quiet, focus and pencil/paint and paper are the tools. If you are there long enough, paying close attention, a deeper level of seeing can't help but rise to the surface.

I would love for someone to read this and decide to take a small notebook and pencil outside with them. Record something that catches your eye. Maybe just a tree or a small section of a car, a bush or a lampost.  It doesn't matter what you choose, it just has to have some interest to you even if you can't articulate what exactly your interest is. It doesn't have to be perfect. Be still and quiet and really look at what you are trying to record. Look at the relationships between shapes, which ones are bigger and which are smaller, how far is one shape from another? Look at the relationship between positive space and negative space. Sometimes your eye will try to fool you into thinking a line is straight when it is actually curved. Just such a situation is when relationships can help you see that curved line. Seeing is a lot more interesting and difficult than most people realize.

The photo above is a pencil drawing on 22" x 30" 300# Arches watercolor paper - a precursor for the painting - for my "Fallen" series. I've got three paintings going so far in various stages. I will also show you a quick sketch I did later in the day when I was packed up and looking for another subject nearby as the sun was going down. 

A quick sketch concentrating on the form of the tree in the foreground, and just beginning to flesh out the information behind the foreground tree. I am calling the series "Fallen" because the area I've been working in is rich with fallen trees, some down from recent storms, some fallen for decades. I am so drawn to these trees because of their beautiful forms and shapes, the broken limbs sticking up, the colors of moss and bark. The abstract qualities of the images I am drawn to are striking. Yes, I am seeing trees, leaves, branches, sky, but I am also (and more importantly) seeing shapes and colors next to one another on a flat surface - it's a fascinating idea. The large scale I choose to work in reflects the abstract quality of the images as does my choice to crop the image. Cropping the image down to just the part I find interesting, and right on the border of realistic and abstract, for me, is the most interesting aspect of painting. That line between realism and abstraction keeps the viewer fluctuating between reality which is limited to description, and abstraction which opens up a new world that cannot be described in just language - and what Kandinsky may have been referring to in "The Spiritual in Art".

I will post the 22" x 30" watercolor in progress soon. I plan to go back to this location and do a few more studies; it is a beautiful area.The woods have such rich character. I look forward to getting back out there tomorrow. Until next time!

Birch Trees Painting

Almost finished. Once I covered most of the canvas I can see where I want to make some changes. I think the blue is too light in most of the background - I like the dark blue in the upper left corner, so I will pull more of that color into the sky/cloud background. I also think the trees need more contrast, specifically, the lightest value on the right side of the trees should be lighter, the darkest value on the left side, darker, so I will try that as well. I'll post the finished piece soon!

silverpigment@yahoo.com

Birch Trees in Progress

I wanted to show one of my paintings in progress (36" x 18"). The orangish under-painting serves two purposes. First, it gives the background a more tonally neutral color (white can be too bright)against which I gage all the image colors I will be using and two, as orange is opposite of blue on the color wheel (a complimentary color relationship), this will add a bit of warmth and depth even though the viewer may not actually see the orange when the painting is finished. The sketches for this particular painting of winter birch trees were completed this past winter. Sometimes I prefer to mull over a scene in my mind for a few months before beginning a painting. I find this sometimes allows me to be somewhat more creative with color, though prefer to work outside directly from nature.

I will post the finished piece soon.