Saturday, December 14, 2013

In Three-Quarter Time

For the December 2013 paint along project on Yahoo's Watercolor Workshop. This photo was taken by Sue Drennen and she assigned the December project for us. Thanks Sue!
Watercolor on Arches 140#CP. 

Rabbit Trail ...."Eyes of Love"

Actually it's a cat trail if you will pardon me while I slip in an oil painting here that I named
"Eyes of Love" a cat reference that I found on Paint my Photo by:  Jen Melnick.
This oil painting was wrapped canvas following the exact technique like in my link for "Promise"
            

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Best Friends

Photo Ref from Paint My Photo
taken by Freda A. Nichols

All That Glitters

November 2013 project for Watercolor Workshop

Free Fall

For October 2013 Project to Watercolor Workshop; I enjoyed painting this and was quite happy with the outcome.
 
The following link will take you to photos of a card I made with prints of this painting.

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Afternoon Delight and Harmony

"Harmony"
August 2012
 
"Afternoon Delight"
Watercolor on Arches 140 # CP. Painted from my own set up plein aire and photo. A nice way to spend a summer afternoon, and a fresh cold slice from the fridge was an afternoon delight.

Monday, April 15, 2013

Quaint

This was painted from a photo taken by John Warren on Paint my Photo; he said it was a house in Alacati. I am calling my painting Quaint.

Winter Tree

 
Winter Tree
Project for Yahoo WC Workshop
March 2013

Monday, April 01, 2013

Homepage spot

I was thrilled this morning to see my painting of the Mountain Lion (Numbers24Nine) on the homepage of Yahoo's Watercolor Workshop. Thank you again Mark Nesseth for letting me use your photo as a reference!

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Berries & Bowl
 
One of the things I want to be working on this year is crystal, so I was excited to get started doing it. The crystal bowl was a gift to me from my dear husband. I worked from my own photo. When I took a photo of it today it buckled up immediately, I think because it was so freezing cold outside and the painting was wet. I'll probably chage out the photo when I get it fixed.

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Numbers24Nine


As the lion or lioness - who dares arouse him?
size 11 X 14 
My Nephew, Mark Nesseth let me use his photo for a reference in painting this Mountain Lion; thank you Mark!

Friday, March 08, 2013

Times and Seasons



This is the finished painting, a project on Watercolor Workshop last July 2012, but I didn't do it then and it fits the project requirements for March 2013.

Photo by Brian E

 Times and Seasons
This is my first WC in which I adhered the paper (Aches 140 lb CP) to a piece of hardboard, in this case a gessoed art panel that I've had for awhile.

I loved taking this out of my Clearbag and it was ready to go. No messing with taping, stretching, mounting, stapling etc. As I wet the paper with my brush, it did not lift or buckle, never through the whole thing. I'm going back in now for a 2nd sitting to tweak this painting and will continue to report to you how it went. I can see this mounting technique would work for me even if I didn't intend to varnish it. I am smiling!

Follow this link for how I prepared the board for this painting
Two days later: I have now given this one and the wrapped portrait 3 coats of varnish. I used Golden Polymer Varnish with UVLS (Satin), put some in a glass jar and added approximately 1/4 of volume of water. I used a new brush for the first coat but found it to wash out easily enough and was able to dry it for the next coat; this product isn't nearly as sticky and brush destroying as the Golden Soft Gel that I used to glue the paper to the hardboard in the first step. My plan is to switch to using a sponge applicator for that glueing process in the first step.
My observations so far: (1) I like the soft sheen which as far as I'm concerned, did not change the color at all. (2) I think diluting it down is definitely necessary; small bubbles were present but disappleared as it dried. (3) The first coat made the paper buckle slightly, not on this painting but on the portrait. It flattened back out when dry, then buckled less on each subsequent coat. (4) I plan to give them both the fourth and final coat tonight before bed. Drying overnight or all day is long enough in our Minnesota dry climate; consequently I will do the varnishing in two days as opposed to four.

Thursday, March 07, 2013

Stop and Smell the Roses

This is WC paper soaked, wrapped and stapled to a stretcher frame like you would stretch canvas onto. I have yet to decide if I'm finished painting it so I haven't put on the varnish yet. I have never tried this technique, but so far I enjoyed the clean professional feel to the paper. It is no more work than stretching paper or taping it down like I've been doing for years, and in the end, the painting can be hung without glass, and even without a frame. It was so different going around the wrapped edges like a gallery wrap, but how fun.
My thanks to my friend Brenda for allowing me to use her beautiful photo; very enjoyable to paint.http://emotiveexpressions.blogspot.com/search/label/gallery%20wrapped%20watercolour

Here is a link which explains this technique, which I can't take credit for:
http://emotiveexpressions.blogspot.com/search/label/gallery%20wrapped%20watercolour






Saturday, February 23, 2013

Jeremiah One Eleven

"Jeremiah One Eleven & Twelve"
SOLD!  For prints visit Fine Art America

I enjoyed doing this painting and can't wait to frame it. I haven't felt that way about my art for a long time. These are almond blossoms, painted from a photo taken by Roger Brown. Thank you Roger.

Jeremiah 1:11-12 "Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou? And I said, I see a rod of an almond tree. Then said the Lord unto me, Thou hast well seen; for I will hasten my word to perform it."

Paddling Upstream

 
January 2013 Project on Watercolor Workshop; the challenge was to do a painting using our non-dominant hand. It was like paddling upstream for me, thus the title.

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About Me

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As a child I began designing my own clothes while in 5th grade. Grandma let me use fabric from her stash and showed me how to use the treadle machine. My love for art and the creative began at that point, always having a current project of some kind. Painting has provided a unique creative outlet for me that I am thankful for, an exciting journey where there's always something new to learn.