BLOG FOR PEACE

Today, I just found out, is Blog for Peace day. I can hardly imagine a more worthy cause than peace throughout our world. 

Just Because I Like Geese and Warm Colors ... Geese-in-progress ...

I thought this was too beautiful a composition to not finish, so I flipped the painting over, and traced the geese onto the back, and started again.

Using the same colors throughout ... hansa yellow, alizarin crimson and indanthrone blue

Removed the masking last night, and did a bit of touching up and detail work this morning ... VOILA! DONE! I really like the hot colors, and the shapes caused by sunlight on their feathers.
Hot Geese
9 x 12.5 in.
Available

Seagull Study
10 x 6.5 in.
Available

I did this quick [for me] study of a seagull earlier this week ...

... and prepared three images for the class on Saturday. I've done the daylily before, but the class liked it a lot, and wanted to try it, so I'll be painting it again. The two landscapes will be excellent practice for flowing w/w washes for the sky and water.

It has finally stopped raining. For a while there, I thought I might have to build an ark for the animals! So I am heading out to play with Bruno - YAY!!!!! And I have an old university chum coming over this afternoon, with her husband, to help me finally set up a web site for my art.

That's life on The Farm today. Thank you so much for dropping by!

UH ... MOO??? ... or ... Another Step-by-step Animal Painting

I wanted to re-do the painting I had done of the calf earlier this year ...
so I started in with my favorite color combinations for painting animals - quin. burnt orange, quin. violet and indanthrone blue. I did several glazes of differing browns. I also used a touch of quin. sienna and alizarin crimson for the ears.

There were a few tense moments [of a watercolor-y variety]  when painting the eyes, trying to get  a soft fluidity with the colors.

I just kept on doing more w/w washes over the ears and head to darken and shape the calf.

 I glazed an almost-black over all, and painted some very gentle colors on the right to indicate the calf's body in the sunlight coming from behind her. I also painted a drop-in-the-paint type wash [using cobalt blue, a pink and some aureolin]  on the top and upper left to define her shape, and show off her sunlit ears and top of head. Did you notice the little drop of milk at the corner of her mouth?

UH ... MOO??
10 x 10 in.
25.5 x 25.5 cm.

Lastly, I gave her some long eyelashes, and painted some detail around her eyes.
I may do a bit of dry brush on her face to define the shadows and hair, but  I am quite pleased with her as she is!

Thank you so much for dropping by!! I hope you enjoyed the visit!

Stealth Dog and the Tunnels of Doom ... or ... Maggie Is an Escape Artist!

This is one of the barricades I put up. The entire property is fenced, with chicken wire along the bottom, but the wire is quite old and flexible.

Here's another hole she has started, leading to the next-door neighbor [who I am sure would skin Maggie alive if she caught her].

Another tunnel-to-freedom I found yesterday, going from the backyard into the riding ring, which is NOT fenced with chicken wire. So if Maggie gets in the ring, she is FREE!!!

What's a little Stealth Dog to do???

puzzled ... perplexed ... frustrated

... meanwhile Bruno munches away
We rode despite the steady drizzle, and had a great time!

Maggie back inside, re-arranging my bedroom rug.

For weeks now, I have noticed, while from the vantage point of Bruno's back while riding,  that Maggie is somehow escaping from the property. She likes to explore and hunt all over the neighborhood. There is nothing I can do till I finish my ride. But I keep eyes open to see where Maggie is making her return to the back yard. Along one area of the fence-line I have since placed several old flower tubs, filled with rocks so that a small but determined dog cannot move them. The tunnel I have filled with larger pieces of wood and more rocks.  For now, I do believe I have foiled her escape attempts!!!

Thank you so much for your visit!

The Old Grey Pony Is Finished, and BOY!!! Do I Need Practice with Pouring Paint!!!

Old Grey Pony
11 x 13 in./  28.5 x 34 cm.
Available at Daily Paintworks

I wanted to demonstrate poured watercolor to the class last Saturday. So I quickly found an image [of one of my favorite subjects] with strong values, got the drawing on watercolor paper, masked it, and took it to class. I think I started with the paint too concentrated, but went ahead anyway. I used hansa yellow [just because I had a lot, and never use it for anything else], alizarin crimson and indanthrone blue.

I made a mistake or two along the way, but it is a very enjoyable painting technique, and I will come back to it. I guess a better-prepared value study would be a good idea next time!!??? ... or ANY value study!! Must get into the habit of doing those!

Meanwhile, here in Lotusland [aka Vancouver] the rains have started. It is coming down so hard, you can hardly see across the street! Must be making up for the dry summer we had. So Bruno is out in his paddock wearing snorkeling gear and flippers, and I am inside with the rest of the menagerie, trying to decide what to paint next.

Thank you so much for dropping by!

Almost Finished ... a Pony's Progress

For a reference, I used an older drawing I had done of my neighbor's pony. [Kim preferred  the other, more dramatic  drawing I did to have as a painting.] Here, I am doing several w/w washes with a warm grey made of permanent rose, quin. burnt orange and indanthrone.

... continuing with the w/w applications ...

I moved to a darker [more blue/black] mixture for the nostril and muzzle. I also shifted to a cooler grey, made of the same three pigments. 

Thought it was time to get some background down. I used the permanent rose in a splotchy [purposely splotchy] application, followed by quin. burnt orange, and then several dark mixtures made of the same pink, orange and blue.

Amazing what a difference the background made!

I continued to darken the shadows, using both w/w and dry brush techniques.

The large areas of dark were finally dark enough, so I removed the masking. Now I just have to fine tune the mane and forelock, and see how it looks overall.

I wanted to create a sense of a sweet older pony. We've all seen them in the horse world - been everywhere, done all of that, won all the t-shirts - toting kids around all over the place without batting an eye at anything that would normally spook a horse. I love them! So I chose a softer, more gentle background, and hopefully gave him a quiet and gentle look, while giving him the dignified expression he deserves.

Thank you so much for dropping by!

WOW! Another Process ... That's Two in a Row

Believe it or not, I started this with a thin wash of aureolin over everything.  Then I did several wet-in-wet applications of a green made with quin. burnt orange, indanthrone and phthalo green, and burnt orange alone. 

I made two greys -a thin one to indicate a ground [made of aureolin, pink and cobalt blue] and a darker one for the shadow [made with quin. burnt orange, quin. violet and indanthrone] - and applied them w/w. 

Then the fun part started! I actually enjoy doing all of this mostly dry brush work, getting the details, textures and markings on the leaf.

Autumn II/ 6.5 x 9.25 in./ 16.5 x 23.5 cm.
I worked on the shadow, some more leaf detail and ... voila! it is done.

This was my reference photo. 

I could say this is a symbolic painting, representing the impermanence of life or the blighting of our environment, especially as I am in a bit of a grim mood today. The weather has changed - cooler and wetter, and I definitely love the sun and warmer temperatures. I haven't been able to ride for almost 2 weeks because of my "injury", and I love riding and being around horses more than I love painting. I have had to reconcile myself to only grooming the lad. My instructor advised me that Bruno would take advantage of the weakness in the hand holding the rein, and she's right, dammit! GRRRR!!!!! And so I will paint ...

Thank you very much for dropping by!!!