A BOTANICAL BREAK ...

I just had to get these clematis buds out of my system, and I wanted to paint something simple, austere. At this stage, I used mixes of aureolin and cobalt blue for the cooler greens, and quin. gold and phthalo green for the warmer ones, and floated them in to get a smooth look.

I continued with those greens, as well as some steaks of brown madder for the bud tips. The tiny bits of flower showing were done with a mix of cobalt blue and quin. pink.

The stems were painted with quin. gold and phthalo green, with quin. burnt orange and green glazed over later for the darks.

Created more depth with more applications of the same or darker colors.

Et voila - c'est fini!
Clematis Buds
28.5 x 40.5 cm. framable
$265.00 US
unframed


I was inspired to paint this after watching James Fox's documentary on the art of Japan.

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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 ...

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Another Process - Step by Step Botanical Study

I started with a thin wash of aureolin, let it dry then did a w/w drop-the-color-in type of wash with quin. burnt orange.
There is a tiny bit of masking on the upper right of the leaf.

I then went into the cast shadows, which were almost as colorful as the leaf itself. Again, I used aureolin and quin. burnt orange, with a soft black mixed with the orange, quin. violet and indanthrone.

I mixed a bright green with phthalo green and quin. gold, and did a dry brush application with that. I then glazed over the entire leaf with aureolin, and the shadow area with aureolin and quin. burnt orange. I find doing a gentle glaze, with a delicate touch after the original colors are dry, softens the painting, and gives it a more realistic look.  

Here it is with all the detail added.
The painting is 6 1/4 x 10 1/4 in. [16 x 26 cm.]
It will be available at Daily Paintworks.

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Just a Quick Update ...

Wet paint! Just finished up another botanical of blackberries that I started when working on the hawthorn berries.

Reference photo of Maggie. She is a very striking, almost eerie-looking dog ... very wild-looking. It must be those yellow eyes. And it is hard to get a good photo of her. She rarely is still. She has settled in well though - no more disappearing shoes or slippers, and no more new holes being dug in the yard. And she comes when called, at a flat-out run. :)

My drawing, done with a grid, has been traced onto watercolor paper and ready to be worked on though I don't think I'll have time till Sunday to work on it. 

I left the horse and rider painting here ...

Since then, I have darkened the horse [still need a bit at the front end]. The rider is done, though the tack and saddle pads need  some touching up. And I am working on darkening the background - it seems to add depth to the painting overall. This is a reasonable approximation of the colors and values, though I find that the more color and depth you have in a painting, the more difficult [if not impossible] it is to capture the actual look of the work.
I am trying to savor each remaining morsel of summer, spending a lot of time outside. And I start teaching my first class this Saturday, so I've been picking up a few supplies, and giving thought to what I will do that first session. I was nervous when I found out I had 8 students, but that has passed. I think we will do washes the first class, and I will chat with each of the students to find out their art experience and class expectations.

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Get Your Red-Hot Hawthorn Berries HERE

Hawthorn berries
8.5 x 5.5 in.
22 x 14 cm.
$93.00 Cdn. plus $10.00 shipping anywhere

Sorry, I am having the devil of a time to get a paypal button to show on this page, but it is available through paypal.