Student Work: Fruit in Watercolor

This beautiful little painting was done by one of my Friday morning drop-in students, Lynn. She created this piece at home and brought it in to show the rest of the class. I thought it was lovely! The colors are rich and the mood is very sweet. Yes, this is a watercolor! Great job, Lynn.

Sweet Dreams - Watercolor of My Daughter's Cat

This painting brings back some very fond memories of kitty-sitting for my daughter. Trajan (Tra), her golden tabby, was sleeping in my bay window on some soft pillows when I snapped the reference photos for this piece. He is a pretty sleepy, relaxed cat and thoroughly enjoyed the bay window, which faces south and has sun shining through the windows all day. I am usually a pretty tight, exact painter, but I used a big wet-in-wet wash for the window of this piece. I wanted to create the impression that something was beyond, but I wanted all of the focus to be on Tray. I masked the bright white areas of sun-drenched fur, then painted layers of wet washes to create the golden, shadowed fur. If you would like to see this piece in a larger format, you can click here to visit the page on my website.

Hosta in Watercolor

Monday I am teaching a watercolor workshop in a local garden which features beautiful hostas. This painting was done last winter from several reference photos I took while shooting reference pictures for a Garden Portrait. The first thing I did when working on this piece was to paint the under-washes. The main focal point, the large blue/green leaf on the left, was underpainted with a light wash of Cerulean Blue. I dropped in some Permanent Sap Green wet in wet to add some variety to the leaf and to enhance the shadowy area near the stem. The yellow leaves were underpainted with Aureolean Yellow and Quinicridone Gold. Then, hours were spent layering in the brush work to develop the leaves. Indigo, Vandyke Brown and Permanent Alizarin Crimson were used in glazes to develop the deep shadow areas behind the leaves.
I loved studying the little abstract shapes and shadows around the nooks and crannies of the individual leaves. You can see some of the brushwork a little better in this detail.
On Monday, during the workshop, students will be able to work on hostas in an overall scene or very close up. We will try to work on two different pieces during the day to study the changes in colors and focus as the light changes throughout the day.
For more information on my work you can visit my website: http://watercolorworksart.com

Garden Pictures

The garden at my home has been really beautiful this year. We have had lots of rain which has really helped the plants get established. I wanted to share some of the blooms with you! I am amazed every year at the colors and textures that pop up in the garden. It is like a living canvas!
I will be at the Clarkston Garden Walk next Wednesday. If you are in town, stop by and say hello. If you would like more information about the garden tour click here. Hope to see you there.