#41-63 Terry

 The School of Nursing at the University of Michigan where I retired from and painted for them.

 Our home - I always wanted a painting of it and decided to do it myself!

Most of these are 1/4 sheet paintings except for the crocus on which is 5x7.  I hope this doesn't overload you but I really wanted to catch up and see how close to 100 I can get.

#41 Autumn Splendor - Terry

Sorry that I've been off blogging for so long.  I've always tried to not use the paintings from Laurie's classes but have decided to go ahead and do so from here on.

Elva #91

Another plein-air painting.  I put out a pint-sized pool of water in a very dry campground.  Birds came immediately giving me lots of opportunity to paint at fairly close range.  Here four robins are at my pool.

Aquabee sketchbook and watercolor and pencil.

www.elvafieldnotes.blogspot.com

Elva # 90

I know I've been posting a lot of white birds .... that that is the way to get a handle on them.  I used to make my white birds all muddy.  I'm learning to use color in their shadows rather than greys.

This great egret was painted on location in the Klamath Basin in my Aquabee sketchbook.  We were back down in the Basin last week.  Such a nice time of year to be there!

Elva #88 and 89

Plein-air from the rim of Crater Lake.  There is a little island out there called 'the Phantom Ship.'  It really looks like a little tugboat going nowhere.

I sketched this one on the rim of Crater Lake just before the last full moon.  Too cold and damp to paint it then, but I took color notes:  "near cliffs are the darkest .. fading as they get farther away" (Crater Lake is six miles across).  I think smoke in the air was picking up moonlight and softening the distant layers.  I loved how the moon was shimmering on the surface of the lake.

Paintings from My Trip

Dowitchers

Elva # 84-87

My husband and I recently got back for a 5 night camping trip.  For once I had lots of time to paint ...  We found a spot where we could park near a variety of birds.  Dale photographed while I painted.  The spot was such a treasure we spent three sessions there.  For more about it go to my blog:  www.elvafieldnotes.blogspot.com

late afternoon sun on a white pelican

Another white pelican.  They all fell asleep before we left.

Two black-necked Stilts sleep.

All these were painted on location in my Aquabee Sketchbook.

More images of Oak Alley Plantation

I remember walking around the Oak Alley Plantation house as we waited for our tour and feeling like a little kid as so many details caught my eyes. I wanted to capture as much of it as I could, so I took oodles of photos to sketch and paint from later on. Having a son studying architecture heightened my interest in a lot of the details, and my own love of the outdoors and gardening attracted me to the garden with all of the manicured hedges. Throughout our tour, and walking around the grounds, I kept wondering what it must have been like to have lived in this beautiful home and peaceful setting.....

Elva # 82 and 83

Two quick color sketches, both inspired by smoke in the air.  While we were driving I realized the hazy effect of smoke is quite different from the hazy effect provided by moisture in the air.  Smoke is more even in tone .... and a dirty tone.  Moisture in the air is a cleaner color and tends to puddle in the valleys.

I keep art equipment within reach in the car so I can do quick ideas while my husband drives.  Not good for detail, but just fine for capturing an idea.

Watercolor Landscape #31 Dora Sislian Themelis

Blowing off resistance isn't easy but, I pushed through and worked on this latest watercolor painting while out in my garden. 

#31 Seed Heads ©2012 Dora Sislian Themelis
14x20 Watercolor, Arches cold press

Claire Paintings 16 17: More memories from NOLA Live! 2011

The signs of Fall are starting to show, and it reminds me of last fall when I traveled to New Orleans by myself to meet up with Laure Ferlita and others for NOLA Live! What a wonderful time I had!!! My journal still has many blank and half-filled pages, but I really want to fill them all up as I have so many fabulous memories from our experience together - and I don't want to forget any of them.

Quick Watercolor Landscape #30 Dora Sislian Themelis

A quick twenty minute watercolor landscape painting to keep me in the loop. It's been a tough summer of low motivation and inspiration. Maybe things will change now?

# 30 At the Park ©2012 Dora Sislian Themelis
5x7 Watercolor, Canson paper

Elva # 80 and 81

 A few days ago I watched an amazing sight.  Literally thousands of sooty shearwaters were heading North.  For more about the event be sure and read my blog.

I painted the shearwaters after I got home.  They were too far away to do a decent job of drawing them on location.

I sketched and inked this little painting on location.  I planned to paint it too, but suddenly the fog came in and totally erased any sign of the little island and of the sea lions and cormorants.  I could still hear them though.

Both were painted in my Aquabee sketch book.

Elva #78 and 79

One careful study and one quick sketch.   Baby toads are so sweet.  He was barely an inch long and had such a big head.  The toads have just recently emerged from their tadpole stage.  I sketched him from one of my photos and then added watercolor.

The turkey painting didn't scan as warm as the original looks.  I wanted to capture the golden grasses and the open oak forest  with lots of turkeys foraging for grasshoppers, lizards, seeds, etc.  Sketched on location and most of the color added after I got home.  Painted in my journal (which means it wasn't good paper).

Elva #76 and 77

I'm in experimental mode.  I got the itch to paint with gouache.  I hadn't touched my gouache for over a decade so most of my tubes are hard as rock.  But I was in 'experimental mode' so I made do with a very limited palette:  White, Cad yellow, Payne's grey, and a beautiful blue -- cerulean (?).  Note: no green.

I'm not used to how thick the paint is, but it is fun to be able to paint light over dark.  I just may have to go through my old paint carefully and figure out just what few tubes I need to buy so I have a more complete palette.  I think I'd like doing some of my field sketching with gouache.

Elva #74 and 75

Both of these are quick watercolor plein-air paintings done in my Aquabee sketchbook.  Otter often visit a small pond near here in the late summer, early fall.  For several days they feast on newts and salamanders.

The falls is less than a mile from the pond.  A lovely trail leads to it.

Elva #72 and 73

Sliver of Moon

We were driving back to town just a few days ago when I was struck by the scene.  The sun had just set and the moon was soon to disappear in the West too.  The sky was a murky golden and the pastures dried out and golden brown. The whole scene was warmed by a slight haze of forest fire smoke in the air.   I sketched the idea in my journal and jotted down a few color notes.  

Watercolor on Saunders Waterford 140# cold press.

Fiery Sunrise

Western United States has lots of forest fires going this dry summer.  Fortunately I live west of most of them which means the prevailing winds blows the smoke farther east.  But this morning the winds had switched, bring smoke into the valley where I live.  The sunrise was brilliant!  I had an important date (with two cheetahs) that morning, so I snapped a photo and went on my way.  Thank heavens for cameras.  It is hard to remember such brilliant colors.

Watercolor on Fabriano Artistica white 140# cold press watercolor paper.