Beach Play in Watercolor

This is a painting I did from a photo that I got from my best friend, Lynn. This was a picture of Lynn and her brothers on the beach in Michigan several (I won't say how many!!!) years ago. When I saw the picture I just had to paint it. Happy summer!
To see more of my artwork visit my webpage by clicking here.

Finished Waterfall in Watercolor

I finally completed the Franklin Waterfall painting. The photo doesn't show the colors as well as I would like, but you can see from the posting a few days ago that it is a bit more detailed than the little sketch I completed the morning of the Franklin Garden Tour.
I will be painting in another garden tour on July 16th in Clarkston, Michigan. You can get tickets in the library at the Community Education Building located at 6558 Waldon Road, in Clarkston. If you visit the tour, please stop by and say hello. I will be painting from approximately 12 noon to 7 p.m.
For more information about my work click here to visit my website. Or you can click the link at the left to visit my etsy shop where you will find original paintings, limited edition prints, greeting card sets and more!

Painting Tulips with my Class

Another group of student paintings from my Friday Drop-In Watercolor class.

Okay, tulips are beautiful anyway, but last Friday we painted these tulips from a photo reference that I brought of the flowers from my garden. We went step-by-step through the painting in class and the results were really very good.

We glazed with several layers of reds and then we glazed inside the bowl of the tulips with a transparent yellow to add depth to the shadow area and create a separation between the front of the flower and the inside.

As we painted we used whatever pinks and reds we had on our palettes. As you can see the results were similar, but varied. We left the background white to allow the pinks and reds to shine!

A very thin, wet wash of lavender was used on the outside petals of the flowers to again distinguish the inside of the tulip from the outside. The use of opposite colors helps to pull areas of an object apart a little in space to help create the illusion of three dimensional space.

Great job!!!

You can find out more details about my classes by visiting my website.

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Franklin Garden Waterfall Sketch in Watercolor

I haven't written in awhile because I have been pretty busy! Last week I painted in the Franklin Garden Walk. I made two small sketches (one is at right) and then I worked on a larger version. The garden I was painting in was truly peaceful and lovely. It was on an extreme hillside with a koi pond at the top of the hill just outside the back door of the home. Then a series of waterfalls led the water down the steep slope to this little waterfall and pond which is what I wanted to study and paint. The ravine went far beyond this little scene and was so steep it wasn't gardened, just wild. The water from the man-made waterfalls recirculated back up the hill from this little scene at right, to the koi pond again. A beautiful bolder pathway led you down through lush plants alongside the waterfall. Little frogs were everywhere as you walked along the path, jumping into the pools of water here and there. The home owners said I could come back anytime to paint again. I certainly hope I can do that!!! I have this little sketch framed and for sale in my etsy shop. The home owners will have first dibs on the larger, more finished work in a few weeks. To see the sketch in it's frame visit my shop by clicking the etsy shop link at the left of this page.

My Garden is Blooming!

We had a long, cool spring this year and my garden seemed to love it. Here is one view. You can see pink poppies, orange poppies, clematis, miniature iris, lambs ear, peonies, marigolds and lots of others. Gardening and painting are so very similar. Both ventures require planning, composition, color, texture, and lots of hard work. This particular garden is about seven years old now and has really become a joy!
I am looking forward to the Franklin Garden Walk this Wednesday where I will be painting in a garden. Come visit me if you can. The walk runs from 10 am to 3 pm, then again in the evening. For more information visit the events page on my website and scroll down to the Franklin Garden Walk. Click here for more information.

I will be at the Franklin Garden Walk

This coming Wednesday is the Franklin Garden Walk. The Franklin Garden Club holds one of the most beautiful and well-organized garden tours in the state of Michigan. It is my privilege to be a part of the tour for the fourth year in a row as a participating artist. The garden club members enjoy sponsoring local artists by inviting us to come and paint in the gardens during the tour.
The Broughton Garden, the painting shown here which I painted a few years ago, depicts the historical garden in Franklin, Michigan which the garden club maintains. To learn more about the garden club you can visit the events page on my website by clicking here. There is information about the tour and a link to the Franklin Garden Club. You may like to contact them for Garden Walk ticket information.

Watercolor painting of Lonely Boat

A while back I wrote about taking a boat ride at my brother's house to get some reference photos. During the ride I took the photos for the water lily painting, and I also took some random photos of water scenes. I was really attracted to this little row boat docked at the bottom of a hill along the water's edge. I snapped a few photos and came home to paint this little piece. I worked on it during a few shows and it sold last year. I do have prints available. Hope you enjoy viewing it as much as I enjoyed painting it.
To see more visit my website by clicking here.