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.