Painting #89 - Teri Casper

This image is from my daughter's house.  She has lannon stone steps going down to the pool area and one of her 'Johnny Jumps Ups' jumped into this corner space.  It obviously fascinated me and I have wanted to paint it for a long time.

This is the time thanks to Laure's journaling class.

Painting #88 - "Bishop's Cap" Cactus

I did this from a photo I took last year.  It is called a 'Bishop's Hat' and the shape of it IS this odd but it bothers my eye when I see it.  It is an interesting and different kind of cactus.
I tried a few different things on this painting.  I covered the wet paint on the cactus itself with an old t-shirt and it gave a wonderful texture that is very close to the real cactus.  Then I used acrylic for the line between the dark and on the top as it was a fuzzy kind of growth and of course, it looks better in the real painting.
Another fun experiment.

Bot Fly # 57

While most of you are painting flowers and ballet slippers and such, what is getting me excited -- a bot fly! For more about this dastardly creature be sure and go to my blog.

I photographed the bot fly last week, drew it lightly with pencil, then inked with a micron pigma pen, and finally added watercolor.

Painting #87 Garlic

I painted these garlic as a 20 minute challenge and am very please with how they turned out.

Oregon Logging # 56

I sketched this when we were up in the mountains yesterday. The Stumps in the foreground and the far off notch on the horizon are both 'clear cuts,' i.e. small patches of logging. The Umpqua National Forest keeps the clear cuts small in order to insure healthy forest management.

I sketched with my Pelikan pen and then used my waterbrush. I like how the combination gives me depth.

Painting #86 "Ballet Shoes"

One day a few months ago I was at my grands dance studio and saw a pair of toe shoes hanging on the wall so I snapped a pix for a future painting.  The future is today.

  I used D. Smith's new colors called, "Pearlescent Shimmer" and 

"Iridescent Aztec Gold" for the slippers.  First time I have used these colors and they really take some getting used to.  The shoes didn't turn out the way I envisioned but I am leaving well enough alone.  Their shimmer does not show up on the scan.
I do like the background.

# 29 Bottles

This is a painting for a 20 minute challenge. Bottles of pickles on my kitchen window sill to cook in the sun. The first is ginger, the second green pepper corns and the third small whole raw mangoes, all in brine!  I liked the different colours the brine takes depending on whats being pickled and also because the bright sun was hitting them from the outside! In the distance are the trees that I cam see when I look out. Painting this in 20 mins. helped me keep focused on what was essential for the picture!

Painting #85 - "Sun Hat"

This is my granddog, Mickey.  When we were boating on Sunday it got so hot we decided she would look good in my hat.  I just had to paint it!

Sedge Sprites # 55

Sedge sprites are exquisite, tiny little damselflies which we finally found just a few days ago. The colors should be more jewel like. The side of their thorax is tourquoise, a color I find hard to paint; and the top of their thorax is metalic emerald green -- another hard color. The pair is connected in a 'copulation wheel.' For more about this behavior, please go to my blog.

Pigma pen and watercolor in a Aquabee sketchbook.

# 28 Cactus again!

This is for the Cactus Monday challenge. It what we, in India, call 'mother in law's tongue'! I used the paint first and then the pen! I am enjoying using the pen and seem to be learning to get a control of the 2 mediums together.

Painting #83 and #84 - Teri Casper

Both of these paintings are from Laure's Artful Journaling class which I am totally loving.  I had no intention of adding the top one but people on Flickr went crazy over it so it must be better than I think. lol

The water lilies are blooming on our lake right now.

Onward!  

Painting #82 - "Orange Blossoms"

I painted this image for Cactus Monday.  This dark background is a first for me as I normally have trouble going so dark.  I really like how the blooms turned out.  Values!

The Wood Duck Box # 54

This is a twenty minute sketch done at one of my favorite dragonfly hunting sites. I did the little ball point pen sketch on Thursday because I was short on time and wanted to try to paint the light on the tree and box after I got home. I was too busy to give it a try.

On Saturday I was back at the same pond and had time for a twenty minute challenge ... only it was hazy by then. But since I had sketched the shadows on Thursday I felt I could capture the light and shadows. I think light can make or break many a painting. I also wanted to capture the wide range of greens, from the chartreuse lichens on the lodgepole snag to the dark greens of the background forest.

# 27 Looking out!

Its amazing how anything can make a picture, it all depends on how one observes it! This is a window above the stairs at a friend's place. I liked the picture the money plants in old teapots made with the outside greenery showing through the window! It was bright outside, and I have tried to capture that light.

Painting #81 - "Sailor Sam"

This is 'Sailor Sam', an image I found at Wet Canvas.  I got into a 'painting people mood'.  When I find an interesting expression on someone I am immediately drawn to them and feel the need to paint them.

Dragonfly in the Cattails #

I posted a field sketch of cattails recently and used it at inspiration for this little painting. I think I lost some of the spontaneity of the first painting, but did come up with a more finished piece. I purposely picked a simple dragonfly so it wouldn't steal too much attention from the cattails.

Critiquing welcome!

Painting #80! - "Blooming Butterfly"

I started sketching this a few weeks ago when the Monarch butterflies were looking for a place to lay their eggs.  Actually, I should say I started sketching this milkweed plant when a butterfly happened along to join in the sketch.

I had a lot of fun painting this and really like it a lot, probably one of my favs.

I have learned something with everyone of these paintings but this one was a major step forward as far as managing values.  I would paint and think it was done until I scanned and looked at the gray tones, then paint some more.  I think I added more color about 4 or 5 times.  I love when I know I made a major step.

# 26 The Bells on Nanda Devi

I've just crossed the quarter mark in the challenge and want to share my feeling of achievement.This challenge has been excellent and I have certainly benefited, so THANKS. This painting proves that I have finally begun to paint in the way I want to, using many washes and keeping the colour translucent! The reference picture for this was taken during a trek to Nanda Devi Peak in the Himalayas. These are prayer bells and prayer flags! Another thing that has happened is that when I use a reference picture, I am able to disregard the unnecessary details in the photograph and concentrate on the central theme!
Will appreciate your comments on this picture.

# 25 The green wheel barrow

Its Monsoon season here in India, which means constant heavy rain. In spite of water logged streets, I love this time as everything is dust free and has a wonderful washed look and trees and plants are lush and green. I did this picture of a part of my friend's garden yesterday. I loved the colours of all the plants and the slightly mossy wall with the old wheel barrow under the tree, made a good picture.

Painting #79 - Sunset Sunday

The sunsets over our lake can be quite spectacular when the rays bounce off the clouds.

I painted this from a photo I took last year when the tree tops framed the lower view.

Cattails # 52

I love cattails at this time of year. The new are just turning brown and the old are fluffing out. I was quietly waiting for an otter at the edge of a small pond and realized I had time to try to capture the wonderful colors of the back-lit cattails. My otter never showed up so I was glad I used the time painting. For more about the otter and the cattails, please go to my blog (link at the left of this page).

I hope to find the time to paint a more finished piece from this field sketch. ,,,, summer is such a busy time!

Watercolor in my journal, i.e. on inadequate paper.

Painting #78 - "Homer"

I found this image on Wet Canvas and his face is so interesting I wanted to paint him.  He just looked like a Homer to me.

He is squinting into the sun and I like the play of shadows but I was on the way to seriously overworking it so I quit.

I am trying to improve my shading for more depth.

#24 sunlight on the windowsill

I did this very quick picture for the 20 minute challenge. I was looking out of my bedroom window and suddenly the sun came out from behind the clouds and poured into the bedroom, high lighting this little metal container. I didn't think, just got out my paints and sketch book and quickly painted this picture...the objective was to catch the light! Since the sun in India is really hot I have a bamboo screen to cut the harsh glare, and that's what you see in the background!My initial reaction to this completed picture was that I like it. It made me think that maybe it was the spontaneity of the whole exercise, that I worked more with a feeling than with trying to get accurate lines and exact colours....what do you think?

Painting #77 - Monarch Butterfly Plein Aire

I painted this image while fishing on the boat.  And then 'tweaked' it at home.

A Monarch butterfly was floating around and landed on the anchor (to rest?).  I just happened to have my sketchbook in hand so I did a quick layout of the butterfly on top of the anchor (either the anchor has to be larger or the butterfly smaller for better proportions) and painted the anchor when it flew away.

The sun was very bright and left the anchor with great shadows in the corner of the boat.

I painted a swatch of yellow across the sunlit area.  

I added the journaling while on the boat and it was fresh in my mind.

Painting #76 - Daylillies

A few weeks ago I was sitting on our porch and I sketched the daylillies on the fence.   Two weeks ago being the key word here.  I must have lost interest because after I finally painted it the only thing I like about it is the fence.

Onto the next one.

Lots and Lots of Seabirds #51

Common murres and chick:

I spent a lovely long day field sketching under less than ideal conditions at Yaquina Head, on the Oregon coast, a little over a week ago. The wind was trying to tear the paper right out of my sketchbook, but then I got smart and turned the sketchbook upside down so the wind was hitting the spine. Sketched with my trusty Pelikan pen and water brush.

For more about that wonderful day, please go to my blog (see link to my name on the left side of this page).

Painting #75 - Bag of Blooms - Plein Aire

I have been so busy with company and taking Laure's Artful Journaling class, I feel like I am falling behind.

I did this painting when I knew I had a long wait for someone.  The long wait was made short with all the detailing and painting.  It is one of those hanging bags with petunias growing out of it.  They always look so pretty.  I hung all the words together, a spin-off of something I learned in her class.

Now that life is getting back to normal I will be doing more painting.

#23 Still life in blue

This was one of the pictures I painted at my weekly painting class. We do still life pictures a lot as our tutor feels it's a great way to develop our skills, especially our powers of observation. I must say I do enjoy them. I never seem to get the folds of fabric properly when I paint. I took a photograph of the still life and then used that to guide me to paint the cloth...which was a good idea, as I feel I have managed to paint the fabric better in this picture.

#21,22 Sunflowers!

I did these from a reference picture. The idea was to paint it in a given time and I did the first one  in an hour. The second one was done in 30 mins. I painted it without any drawing! T I so loved painting these two pictures as I love sun flowers, they are such cheerful flowers...Since I decided to concentrate on impressions and not too much detail...I am happy with the result!

A Trio of Mt. Thielson # 51

My husband was busy photographing and I realized I had the opportunity to do a "twenty minute challenge." At that point I had no idea I'd have time to do three of them ... it just happened. I couldn't bear to think of paint for the first one. The mosquitoes were so bad I had to leave time to swat. I actually have two bloody spots in my sketchbook which I unintensionally left when I accidentally squashed mosquitoes.

The first is pelikan pen and water applied with a waterbrush.

The sun came out and enough breeze to chase most of the mosquitoes away so I got out the paint. .... watercolor.

Dale was having a very good time photographing so I started a pencil sketch, but then realized it was a watersoluable pencil I had grabbed. I couldn't resist adding some color. Once again the waterbrush came in handy. Until I saw Laure's video on her blog it had never occured to actually get into my paint with it. What fun!


I think they each have their merits and their problems. It was very interesting tackling three techniques back to back.