The Disappearing Sunflower, 6x6 oil on panel

Have you ever worked hard on a task or project, only to fall flat on your face?  Well, that was me today.  I finally had a chance to paint, so I grabbed a sunflower, got out my paints, and started.  I think there's something to be said for enjoying what you do.  At the beginning, when I was blocking in the shapes with transparent oils and medium, I was enjoying it.  As I started to outline my shapes with the Kemper Wipe Out Tool, I began to stress.  I felt I was getting too nit picky.  I ended up losing the leaves, the vase, and became more and more unhappy with it.  Now it's just a funky sunflower floating in front of a sad background.  Actually, it's not.  It's no longer on the panel.  This was my first "wiper" and I'm glad I did.  Onward and upward!  It was a good learning experience.  Stay tuned!

Crape Myrtle Curiosity

Here's the last watercolor I finished in October, 2015.  This was a crape myrtle tree in our neighborhood that was struggling with the drought, and the colors on the leaves were striking.  I like the busyness of this, and the color, but I'm not crazy about the focal point mishap.  I'm learning to control my edges better, which I'm happy about.

Dinnertime, oil on 6x6 panel

This is our lab, Suzanne, a retired guide dog.  I thought it would be fun to paint her portrait.  My mom is not a fan of her pink/purple nose, but I like it.  I like that I captured her likeness; I'm not crazy about racing through this and leaving parts unfinished.  It was good practice, though!

Ikeda Peach, oil study on 6x6 panel

I painted this in about two hours.  I'm attempting to record my impressions of the subject, and in so doing really enjoyed this.  I like the juxtaposition of the orangey peach on the blue striped kitchen towel.  I'm still utilizing Dreama's palette and am loving it.  I'm not so crazy about the some of the detail on the peach.  But overall I'm happy with it.

Summer at the Fair, oil study on 8x10 panel

My first plein air painting contest.  Painted for about 5 hours under duress, lol!  I managed to get the basic shapes, but it's only a study, as it's far from finished.  I like the color and the background.  Not crazy about the lack of detail.  Overall, a good learning experience.  Please disregard the honorable mention.  Everyone who entered got a ribbon--I'd have preferred not to receive anything, as it's meaningless.  Right?

First Post of 2016: Camellia Study

Here's my very first oil study using Dreama's palette.  I tried to paint this quickly, and finished it within 2 hours.  I like the colors and the leaves.  Not so crazy about the flower.

Camellia Study, oil on 6x6 panel

#9: Watercolor Hibiscus & Bougainvillea

8.5"x 5.5", 140# cold press, watercolor & ink

A visit to Florida gave me the opportunity to pull out my travel watercolor set and paint some flowers.  I sketched the hibiscus several times prior to get a handle on the petals.  This is a double hibiscus, and more of a challenge than the typical kind.  It was great fun.

I've been wanting to do ink & wash for the longest time, and finally jumped in and experimented.  I love the Pigma Micron 005 pen, as I wanted a delicate line.  There were some obstacles here that might not be readily apparent.  140# paper is not too much fun to work on.  There was no ability to stretch it, and so when I tried to do the wash on the table, it pooled in ways I wasn't happy with.  I also had a Winsor & Newton Cotman watercolor kit, so the colors were extremely limited, and I only had one #4 brush that was falling apart as I was using it, leaving bits of the paint coating from the brush itself on the paper and in the water.  Yes, I could upgrade my materials, but I am quite cheap, and once I've used up the paint, I'll probably upgrade.  I can definitely tell the difference between student grade and artist grade, as my usual supplies are artist grade and I have a penchant for 300# hot press.  Nevertheless, it was fun and I might develop this into a more finished work.  I took lots of pictures and to have the ability to get it the way I want it is very compelling.  Stay tuned!

Without further ado, here's the rundown:

What I like about this:
- LOVE the orange hibiscus with hints of pink (still on my orange kick)
- LOVE working with ink & wash
- like the composition (I always seem to...hmmm)
- love the color

What I don't like about this:
- I messed up the glass
- I messed up the table
- I forgot the light source--arrgh!
- I don't like the line in the middle of the handle
- don't like the upper right bouganvillea blossom--shouldn't have colored the stamens (?) in with ink

Overall, it was a great diversion.  Onward & upward, as my dear Mom always says!:)