Taking a So-So Painting to Completion and Playing in Watercolor Class

My nemesis - the dreaded magnolia

First attempt

Further on with the background - it was at this point I realized it wouldn't work.

Second attempt - I just flipped the paper over, and re-traced the image.  I masked first, then started applying quin. pink, quin. burnt orange and indanthrone in a wet-in-wet manner.

Many wet ones later ...

Glazed stem and buds in pink, then started to paint with truer versions of their local color.  The stem was a mix of indanthrone, pink and orange.

The buds were done with lighter and a darker mixes of indanthrone and quin. gold. Quin. pink was used in the petal accents. And the shadows were a combination of pink, orange and indanthrone.
The paper was not very obliging as far as accepting color went; between soaking twice, using the "wrong" side and applying masking fluid, the surface was quite roughened up.

Last Saturday, the class asked to have some tree demos.  I like the opportunity to be able to paint faster and looser, but I'm not sure I could finish an decent, completed painting in this way. 

More of the class demo's - again I really like that tree on the left, but wonder if and how I could integrate it into a finished painting.

That's it for this week. I hope to get started on another seascape. I would like to give a painting to my sister's old boyfriend in thanks for finding me a very lovely car at an excellent price. [My Honda was written off in an accident last October.] Gary's dad worked on a seiner for years, and I know he would love a painting of the ship, which still heads out from Steveston to fish.

Thank you all very much for dropping by!

Life, and the Art of the Landscape [NOT]

I started this in class as a demo yesterday. Somehow it just doesn't do anything for me. Generally, I am not a huge fan of landscapes, preferring the greater intimacy of a portrait or still life, though I do like the cityscapes of John Salminen and the wild-life works of Morton Solberg.

I did a bit more at home later, but I'd really like to start other paintings.

This is one of the reference photos I took a few winters ago.  I found the abandoned look of these old fence-posts very appealing. Capturing that impression is something else again!

This was class yesterday - 9 happy, busy painters!

My cat-fancier student is thrilled to be able to paint a portrait of her cat.

BUSY  ...

Another student, so happy to be able to create livelier, more expressive paintings. 

This scene caught my eye last night as I was coming back from feeding Bruno. The photo is not great, but it is a crescent moon with Venus and Mars seemingly nearby.

I started a drawing of Voodoo this morning. This is one of the portraits I'd like to work on now.

And another ... my nephew with his Samurai hair-style. I painted it before, but was not thrilled with the result. My niece saw the painting, and fell in love with it, so I am painting another for her. She adores her older brother.

That's about it for now. I hope to have some paintings started for you on the next post ...

Thank you so much for dropping by!