Brave or Stupid?

I thought this would make such a great photo with
the ledge hanging out over the dramatic landscape. I had planned to get further out on the tip of the ledge but when I tried to go out further I felt like a cat that had been thrown into the water. I just could hardly scramble back out of there fast enough. I'm not really afraid of heights but this is really exactly what it looks like, really high up and no safety features other than my ear muffs!  My palms still perspire when I look at these photos! LOL!  I'm glad I got them though.  This is such a beautiful area to hike.

Colorado Monument

Its so strange how these paintings look pretty good to me until I see them on the blog. Then I want to change them.  I like the colors in this but I'm wondering about some of the marks now.  I have a pretty big mac monitor and I wonder how different monitors show the color and depth of layers.  I am particularly questioning the dark squiggle in the lower right.   I called this Colorado Monument because it reminds me of the view of the Monument I can see out the front door of my temporary home. Although I didn't have any such thing in mind while painting it. I guess I have a pretty good imagination! LOL!

The Monument

This is the painting progression  .

Changes on go fly a kite

After living with this painting I felt it was too busy so I changed it quite a bit.  It seems to work in every direction now.
Mixed media on Arches cold press  30"X 22".

Go fly a kite...

It started out like this... now it looks like this.  I really like this in person but am not liking the thumbnail version of it.  Seems like it should work well either way.  Hmm.... will have to ponder that.

     The other thing is I really liked the first version and let it sit for a week and then I got bored with it over the weekend and worked on it some more.  I'm thinking of Nick Simmon's words..."first do no harm"... I like both versions so don't know that I helped the painting any but I definitely removed the simplicity of the first, so did I do harm or did I make it better?

Polly Hammett And Virginia Cobb Show

Two of my favorite Artists and friends, Polly Hammett and Virginia Cobb are having a show of their work along with their daughters at the Jung Center of Houston.  If you are in the area be sure not to miss it! November 2-27 2009. Artist Reception Saturday November 7th 6:00 - 8:00 PM

Have several Abstracts in the works

Here is another small painting I have in the works.  Sometimes I sort of like the organized messiness.  I find if I try to clean them up too much, they lose the spontaneous parts and the nice textures.  I'm liking this one so far but it can always change when I live with it for a few days.
  I've been thinking of trying to incorporate some of my figures into the abstracts.

14 x17 Mixed media on Bristol plate

Get on with it already

This is the latest version of the little canvas from a few days ago. I think last you saw it sort of plaid looking.  I may still want to soften some areas.  The lower right corner is standing out a little too much maybe.  I'll let it stew a while and take another look.

14 x 11 Mixed Media on canvas

Some inspiration

The small man spends all day making cages for everyone he knows while the wise man, who must duck his head when the moon is low, spends all night dropping keys to free the beautiful rowdy prisoners.




I found this wonderful little tidbit on a great blog I just discovered www.jeane-artit.blogspot.com. This saying uplifted me from something I'm going through right now. Her work is wonderful as well! Check it out.

This painting found a home

I've been gone for two weeks taking care of some family business so haven't gotten to post anything new.  I did sell this painting just as I got it back from the Pearl Museum show of award winning paintings from the Watercolor Society of Houston's International show.  I guess "everyone loves a winner" isn't just a saying!  It made me very happy considering that I wasn't able to work for two weeks.

More on the Landscape

This is so painful! I am really not liking this painting yet, ... not unusual but I'm always hopeful that I will have that totally painless painting experience some day. LOL!  Anyway this is all I got done in class and the next one is tomorrow so will work on it more then.
  This is on 22X30 140lb cold pressed Arches watercolor paper.

Landscape

It's been a while since I've attempted a landscape in Watercolor.  I've been working mostly with figures and portraits other than the experimental abstracts that I've really had fun with lately.
  This is a painting I started as a demonstration for the
watercolor students at the Art Center.  I will mostly be working on it in class and then will post the results as it progresses.
  This is looking off to the Mesa, sky and clouds in the distance with the rocks and brush and red dirt in the foreground.  I have used watercolor and also acrylic as watercolor in this so far.

Changes

Did a little more work on this one and at least I actually like it now.  I particularly like the opalescence of the layers of paint in both the upper blue parts and the lower right lighter section.  It has a lot of nice detail and depth and I don't feel like the upper and lower halves are separate paintings now.  I will have to watch it a little longer and see.  I do like it better in person than on my monitor as it has sort of an aged quality that doesn't show here.
   I will post the progress of a  watercolor landscape I am working on tomorrow.

Interesting discovery

An interesting discovery when my husband set this painting up the other way than I originally had it posted on here.  I found that even though I still don't like the painting very much, I like it much better in this position.  My husband liked this one a lot.
  I still think it needs work. I like the top portion better than the lower portion.

Life Drawing in Colorado

Carly from life drawing. She was pretty inspiring.  This was a quick sketch, 5 minutes, I think. Not great but I like the colors.

Keeping busy

I ran out of my favorite Strathmore 4 ply 500 series Bristol Plate paper so while I am waiting for my order I decided to try out two of the "yes" canvases I bought for watercolor.  My friend Liz Hill really likes working on these canvases and I have to agree that the surface is pretty nice.  These paintings are still in progress.

  The top painting is not on "yes" canvas and is 11X14.  The lower two are 30X24 "yes" canvas with 1 1/4" gallery wrapped sides.









So far I think I like the bottom one best.

                                         

not finished after all

Okay, I worked on this one a little more. I didn't like the way the upper stripe seemed split in two parts so I consolidated that a little more and I made the focal point a little stronger and more interesting (I hope).  I'll see if that holds my attention.  I tried editing this down as per Nicholas Simmons's suggestion but then I couldn't zoom in and see the details.  I will work on my editing skills.

New painting

Latest painting. I think it's finished.

New obsession, triking the mesa.

This is sooo much fun but also scary! Such a beautiful area, above Grand Junction Colorado

Richeson 75 figure/portrait show

Got my notice of acceptance for the Richeson 75 show for the Figure in Gray painting.

Figure in Gray

Not sure how I managed to delete this post but it is gone never the less.  I originally posted this as an entry in the "Just Figures Show". I have recently entered it into a couple of competitive shows. Will keep you posted as to how it does.

Geez, just one adventure after another around here! LOL!

Yea!!!! All Finished!!!!!

I took this photo just before this last panel went into the truck to deliver to the Pavilion.  Yea!  all finished!!!

Another two finished!

I am getting seriously tired of working on these panels but am happy to report that here are two more finished and I have only one to go which is in good progress already so I am seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. 

More Portrait Panels finished!

Well, two more panels refurbished thanks to help from my friend Cheng Lian!  Check out his website at www.chenglian.us 

3 Panels done! 5 more to go.

Well, I have three panels done with the refurbishing and have 5 to go. I have a lot of work done on the others too so it's not like they have to be done from start to finish. The boards have gotten so rough in the weather that repainting on the faces is very difficult now.  Wish me luck!

New portraits on the wall

Here is an update on the pavilion project. Finally

got this family done despite the poor quality photos.  The photo of the mother (lower middle) had to be reversed.  I've never met the family other than the mother so only had the photos to go by.  I hope they like them. Otherwise I will have to get new photos.

Watercolor Art Society - Houston (WASH)

I am so honored that juror, Judy Morris, chose this painting for a Merit Award ($200) in the 32nd Annual International Exhibition of 2009!

  The Show will be up until April 3, 2009.  The Beautiful new WAS-H building is located at Alabama and Mendell.  Hope you get by to see it as it is wonderful show.

First Annual all Figures Art Crawl

Come out and see all the great art!

More abstract experiments!

This is one of the last ones I did in the workshop.  I still have two in progress, one on paper and one on a 36"X 48 Canvas. Will try to get photos and post them later or tomorrow.   I had a great week and liked most of what I produced.  The process seemed more fun to me this time so maybe I'm catching on! LOL!

Virginia Cobb Workshop

Today is the last day of the workshop so gotta go but here are two of my favorites that I did so far.

I'm taking Virginia Cobb's workshop this week at Studio in the Woods here in The Woodlands.  It is very fun so far just as it was last year. She has a way of opening up the idea of abstract painting in a way that makes it understandable and accessible that I have never gotten before. Great class, wonderful teacher!  I will try to post some photos of my work tomorrow.

Saturday Morning Model Session

We had a great new model yesterday. It's always fun to have someone new to draw.  This is just one of the sketches I did.

Still unfinished!

I was hoping to finish this painting of our wonderful model George, but I could only stay an hour and a half before I went to my critique group so I will have to finish from my photo on my monitor.  Almost like being there.  Much better than just a printed photo anyway.

Saturday Model session

This is a pose that I transferred to an 8"X 8"  panel (mounted on wood frame)from a sketch I did in Saturday's model session.  I had planned to finish it out as an oil painting but I took it to my critique group yesterday and everyone there thought I should just leave it as is.  This is just what I intended to be the underpainting.  I was so looking forward to painting on it!  I will live with it a bit and see if I can resist. 

Wednesday and Thursday's Efforts

This is another area of the "Patron's Courtyard" portrait mural.  I've been working on this family for the last two days. Not finished obviously and missing one of the subjects who is on another board. 

  The portraits are catagorized by the size of the head from chin to hairline.  These are quite a bit bigger than the Hometown hero portrait of Tuesday.  HTH portraits are 3" and these are actually 5" so they take longer to do. 

   I find painting portraits in acrylic very difficult because the paint is hard to blend so I have taken to putting layer over layer until it looks right.  I know there are blending mediums and slow drying mediums but since the portraits are so exposed to the elements I like to try to keep them as pure as possible in hopes they will last better. When they are finished I coat them with a sealer.

Tuesdays work

This is one of the "Hometown Heros" from this past year.  It's acrylic on plywood prepared with gesso. I didn't finish his shirt yet because part of it is on another board that is usually installed next to this one and I want the paint to match on both sides.

   Hurricane Ike destroying the huge tent like cover over the Mitchell Pavilion which is now being repaired.  During the remodeling the 8 mural boards were removed to make way for the heavy equipment passage.  This is such a wonderful opportunity for me because I now get to bring the boards home to my studio and actually work inside to paint and restore them!  I have three now and have spent quite a bit of time mostly cleaning and resealing them and am now getting down to the fun part of getting caught up on the portraits.  Fortunately the boards were not damaged in the hurricane but the elements have taken their toll on the acrylic paint over the years.  I have until May to restore them before they have to be reinstalled.  Okay, back to work!

Mondays efforts

It's been fun getting back to oils in the Monday paint group. We had a wonderful model who will be sitting for 3 Mondays in a row so that we can do a finished painting completely from life.  I missed the first session and started this in the second session and will try to finish it next week in the last session.  I had a good start with my charcoal drawing and then laid in my value patterns with a thinned dark and all was well. Then as usual I got in a hurry as time was running short and rushed my colors trying to get everything blocked in.  When I got home I scraped everything off with my pallet knife to have a fresh smooth surface to start again next week.  This is what was underneath.  I chose to crop his head to divide my negative shapes and make them more interesting. This is something I picked up from studying with Polly Hammett.

More noodleing on the Cara portrait!

I couldn't help myself on a little noodling on the Cara portrait sketch. she is such a lovely girl and you just want to try to make her as perfect as she is....it's hard to just leave it, as you probably know if you are a painter. Sold