I recently finished this set of abstract mixed media panels. The top photo shows the initial base layer. Using a variety of heavy body and fluid acrylics, and various gel mediums add texture. Loads of fun to paint these.

Jean Pederson Workshop

I took a great workshop from Jean Pederson. The first photo shows the "ground" she taught us to make. This is textured, stenciled, collaged, gesso, paper. Then the actual painting is done over this surface. Another really great workshop!

Portrait and Figurative work

I have not posted for some time, but I continue to work on my art/ I have been taking workshops, and continue to attend a weekly open figure drawing class. This is the best way to improve! your paintings are only as strong as your drawings. This is the way I love to use watercolor, fast, loose, flowing colors.

Portraits

I took an excellent portrait workshop from Chris Stubbs, an artist from Oregon.  If you are looking for someone to study portraiture with I would highly recommend her.  She is organized, efficient, loaded with information, and a patient instructor.  Really this is one of the best workshops I have taken.

What Does it Take to create a good painting?


Some days it takes more than others!  Just thought I would share this pile of discards as these are what it took to paint the successful image.  Sometimes the paintings just flow off the brush, other days it is a struggle.  After not painting for some time I have to relearn!!  It is best to" keep your brush in the water"We always see artists successful paintings in the gallery, we don't see what it took to get them to that point. In the end I love this painting, so it was worth the effort to keep trying until I got what I wanted.

I just took a workshop with Bev Jozwiak at Kanuga Watermedia Workshops.  These are a few of the paintings I did there. Bev paints on hot press paper, which I had not really tried before.  Needless to say I learned a lot!  Using her techniques with thicker paint, darker paint, and the brushes she paints with helped with the learning curve!

Inspiration, then creation

Every time I walked past this room I was so interested in the sunlight and shadows created by the blinds.  Just looking at the photo doesn't convey that much interest or the feeling of warmth, but I really wanted to paint it.  So after considering how to paint it I tried two different techniques.  The first painting I did using tape batik, the second I painted on gesso applied to watercolor paper.  I wanted you to see this as so often I hear people lament that they don't travel, can't find anything to paint.  Truly ordinary objects, items that are around us all of the time can create beautiful paintings.