Happy Easter

Happy Easter everyone!

"Fiesta Chilies"

When I started "Fiesta Chilies" I was intimidated by where to begin and which "red" to use first! It is one of my favorite paintings and the third in a series of Chilies.
My studio space is on the top level of my house and my computer is on the bottom level, two flights down, so I haven't posted or painted much.
I have been sidelined this week with tendonitis in my right foot.
It has been bothering me since January but I tried to take care of it on my own, which didn't work. On Monday I saw my podiatrist and he gave me a shot of cortisone. By Monday night I couldn't walk. Tuesday was quite a bit better and now I am wearing regular shoes! For the last two months Crocs have been my friend.
I will have an update on the peony next week. Have a great weekend!

Leaf Bubble Painting

I have uploaded three images to show the progression of each layer of paint. The bubbles are easily recognizable in the first photo.










You can still recognize the bubbles in this shot.
I used them to shape my rocks and other items in the background.









I am pretty happy with the painting so far. I do have a few places on the leaf that are too dark but I am working on those.

I probably should have used a darker paint to create my bubbles which would have given it more texture and contrast.

Any suggestions or comments are welcome!

Have a great weekend!

Bubble Painting

This is my first attempt at painting with bubbles! I saw the technique on Sandy Maudlin's blog. I found her blog when she was featured on Chris Beck's blog Brush-Paper-Water.

Both of these women are great artists and you should spend some time on each of their sites.

The mixture consists of 6oz. water 3ozs dishwashing liquid and 2oz fluid acrylics. Add ingredients and stir with straw. I noticed in one post that Sandy's students were using what looked to me like a straw for an atomizer so that is what I tried and it worked.I tried blowing bubbles with a mouth atomizer...use a straw!

When the bubbles have risen above the rim of the bowl, quickly lower your paper onto the bubbles and lift straight up. Bubbles lose color within a few seconds. Blow fresh bubbles each time you add a layer. You can dry between each color or not. I tried placing the bubbles where they would be appropriate for the painting I had in mind.

This techinque is fun and quite different than the controlled strokes I am used to. Tomorrow I will post my progress on this technique.

Update on the Peony

Hello Everyone!

Here is the latest full sheet photo of the progress on the peony painting.

Working on the shadows is pretty slow but I love taking my time and getting things just right.

Have a great weekend!

Incredible Shoes!

These "shoes" were my contribution to a book my watercolor class produced to raise funds for the Fountain City Art Center.



Each "shoe" was an original work of art produced by

students of Mary Baumgartner.

The book of original art was auctioned at the Annual Spring Garden Party and copies were sold after this. Book sales raised nearly $1,000.00 for the art center.

Click here for more photos of the shoes.

Our project this year is a book of purses.

Shadows

Here I have placed mostly random shapes of color to suggest leaves, branches and other light and darkness found in the shadows beneath the flower.  The color shapes were applied using thin washes or glazes of color. These are allowed to dry completely before going further in this area.

This photo shows the first shadow layer over this entire section. 

I used a mix of Brown Madder and Ultramarine Blue.

The Ultramarine Blue will give a grainy texture to the shadows. 

I will repeat this step lifting color in some areas and darkening in others until I am happy with the way the shadow appears.

Here you can see that I have allowed the shadow color to flow onto the petal. This is so that the edge of the petal will be lost into the shadow and anchor the flower to the background. 

I keep the edge of the paint wet just beyond where I want the paint to stop which prevents the paint from drying with a hard edge. 

It is important to watch the paint while it is drying in case you need to add a little more water to keep the edge soft.