Kelly - Painting 40

(Watercolor, 9x8 140lb cold press paper)

I saw this little Golden-crowned Kinglet back in January. It was snowy and cold, and he was as happy as could be. He's the same bird that appears in paintings 18 and 19.

Liz #15 Coming onto the Island, watercolor 12x16

There are so many wow views here in downeast Maine, I am constantly stopping to grab a quick reference photo - it makes being far away from everything worth all the driving. This is just after coming onto Mt Desert Island. I could not resist posting the pine trees to go along with all your trees. It was so much easier painting a landscape with watercolors for me than painting daughters, though there is the temptation to paint with acrylics over some areas, you know, to fix it....just a dab...or two.

Lorrie #11- City Trees

City Trees - watercolor, 6 x 9 inches

A subject that coincidentally is akin to Kristin's trees in the snow and Brinda's treetops in the city! This is a view from the old mission in downtown San Luis Obispo. The eucalyptus tree trunks were so graceful and simple compared to the human-made lines and sharp angles of the building behind them. I sat down on a stone staircase to paint, but completed it at home by darkening the windows with a few more washes of pigment, and tidying up lines (as much as I was willing to!)

Liz #13 and #14 Watercolor, Sisters, painting , dressed for photo, 16x12

My latest attempt with watercolors, working from a photo. I noticed it takes way more concentration to work from light to dark, I am thinking of doing this in acrylic because the whole time I was painting it, I kept saying , they were just so cute. The photo I worked from is 16 years old.

I batiked my way through high school and summers so when someone mentioned using mask with watercolor , it seemed a perfect match for me. Another learning experience, keeping mud at bay and looking for luminosity in colors. I know they are there...This was my first time making decisions constantly about the edge of each brushstroke because of the mask.

Liz Cutler #12 Sisters number two , Watercolor, 12x 16

By painting this scene again (see my # 5 using oil), painting in watercolor I hoped to be more decisive in choosing colors, and the shapes of the tones. Hah, I salute you watercolorists. I felt the color of mud lurks on my palette, waiting.

#4 Kristin, Snow Melt Sketch

5 x 8.5" watercolor

(c) 2011, klink

This is a quick sketch I did out the window of the snow melting in the yard around the aspen trees. The end result was more impressionistic, focus on basic color and patterns (I love painting shadows on the snow), quantity not quality. It is fun to work this way and look forward to doing more...

# 95 Tree tops

We went to the top floor of a building quite close to where I live. I looked out of the window looking down at the tops of the trees and saw this amazing array of colours, the Gul Mohar trees, a flame really, such vibrant and brilliant colours, the others with yellow and white  flowers,  full of lush and green leaves. Kolkata's saving grace really are its trees that grow in all parts of the city, lining roads, in between buildings and popping up almost everywhere. Looking out and seeing this made my heart soar!

Liz #11 Acrylic monoprint turned painting, 5x8

I reposted it, so hopefully you can see the brushstrokes over the print.

This started out as a monoprint , acrylic on glass, looking in the mirror. I liked the texture and that all the paint came off the glass, but not the lack of strong values, I think due to the extender. I added violets , another dab of green , then dabs of orange , more brush strokes and it evolved to more of a painting. While dabbing colors I stopped looking in the mirror and played more with the color values and surface texture.

#52 -"Beach Pigs Sandpail" Watercolor -Sheryl Hawkins

This watercolor is 18X24" on 140 lb cold press paper.  I collect these antique sand pails and found this one at an antique barn on Long Island.  I started collecting them years ago because of the colorful designs, and found they make fun watercolors.  The fact that they are usually rusty, just makes them more interesting to me!

Kelly - Painting 39

(Watercolor, 9x12 Arches Cold Pressed 140 lb Paper)

Chiggy always has to get in on the action. Here he is as "Chiggy Cottontail." Happy Easter!

# 10 Liz Cutler "Sam " 9x12, acrylic on paper

My nephew was working on his painting , so I did a quick sketch of him with a limited palette.

# 94 Rice fields in Cambodia

This is from reference pics we took on our visit to Cambodia last year. Rice fields which were predominantly yellow and green glowing in the light of the sun, making huge areas a wonderful yellow!  I still cant believe I have only 6 more pictures to go to complete the 100!

Lorrie #10 - Vermilion Sunset for Earth Day 2011

Vermilion Sunset - watercolor, 12 x 14 inches

Celebrating Earth Day!! 
This was one of those unbelievably orange suns dropping into ocean haze along the rocky San Simeon (California) coastline. Who can resist trying to capture it somehow? I did a smaller "sketch" in a watercolor travel book (6 x 9 inches) and used that as the reference for making this one at home in larger format.

# 92 and 93

This one took a while to paint and is the second of a series that I plan to paint on boats on the river. There is something wonderful about boats, especially these, which are traditional fishing boats with their nets all rolled up!
It was early morning and the sun had just risen, so although the boats and trees were clearly visible, the background was still covered in a thick mist and there was no movement visible on the water.

The next one is another 20 min. challenge! Done during my walk at the lakes this morning. The pink of the lotus was so bright and almost shining, one could see them from really far off as well!

#3 Kristin, Dip Netting in Woods Canyon

16 x 22" watercolor

(c)2011, klink

I put the composition for this one together using photos and from memory. Dip-netting is a favorite summer activity I am looking forward to.

Liz Cutler, # 8 News from the Paper, 11x 14, oil on canvas

It 's only after the flu that I appreciate good health , and that appreciation is fleeting. It resurfaces when my friend reads the paper to me as I paint and I realise how good we have it. It felt good to be up and painting again, I did a few sketches but there is something about colors that I can get lost in that does not happen with graphite.

Pebble with Bits - #15

Pebble with Bits (c)2011

I experimented by working a little bit looser on this painting which is #15 in the challenge. More wet than dry application of paint made this somewhat harder to manipulate the areas.

#50 and #51 Sheryl

Two more of my recently finished ACEO watercolors.  These are something I will definitely be doing more of- fun little paintings and good to practice painting smaller sizes.  Sand pails show up in many of my paintings, and the Angel Trumpet is me wanting them to hurry and bloom.

watercolor 2.5 X 3.5" on 140 lb cold press paper

# 90 & 91 Both challenges!

This first one is for the 20 Min. Challenge. The trees are full of summer flowers here in Kolkata. I picked these up on my early morning walk and did a quick picture. The orange flower is a from the Gulmohar tree, or Flame of the forest, not sure what the names of the yellow and pink trees are!

The next one is for the April water colour challenge in Wet Canvas. A typical English countryside with an old barn! I used the pen again....which helped me define the picture better

One more in the collection of Beer Labels #11 - Claire

This is one of the latest beer labels I've done for my son. He decided  to brew a special batch for the end of flight training for he and his buddies in Florida. They have just completed training to fly a P3. He surprised me one morning with a photo of a line of the labeled bottles. Looked pretty cool. I really enjoy finding ways to share my simple pieces with others like this collaboration.

Kelly - Painting 38

(Watercolor, 9x7 Arches Cold Pressed 140 lb Paper)

I painted this little wildflower in the field. I wanted to see how quickly I could get something down and have it still be vaguely recognizable! I was able to get this painting of a Wild Phlox down in just under four minutes. I was using a very "wet" water brush and flew with the color... It was fun.

Lorrie #9 - Mojave Granite and Raven Nest

Mojave Granite and Raven Nest, watercolor 6 x 8 inches

I was in the Mojave National Preserve in southeastern California last week, to enjoy the desert habitat and whatever nature presented. One of the many yummy images was these huge, pale granite boulders, of which there were several groups decorating the sagebrush landscape. The foreground was a carpet of tiny purple wildflowers. I pulled the car over to paint, and soon a raven arrived, soaring around the rocks and then settling onto a rock -- and then I noticed the nest. Another raven arrived later, though nobody actually sat on that nest during the time I was there.
One of our 100 Paintings Challenge alumni, Elva Paulson, has just put up a lovely post about ravens, with descriptions and sketches of their remarkable aerobatics. (click Elva's name, to the left, to view that)

Lorrie #8 - Sea Otter Mom and Pup

 

 

 

Sea Otter Mom and Pup, watercolor 4 x 8 inches

Sea otters on our coast are still trying to maintain a decent size population--last two years there have been fewer. It's always a joy to see them, especially moms with pups all bundled up together. These were at San Simeon. Sea otters often have a single gull nearby that loiters for bits of food. I think of the gulls as the otters' "pets" and maybe they are! It was only possible to see this scene clearly with those trusty binoculars!

Shell Bits and Pebble - #14

Shell Bits and Pebble (c)2011 DST

This latest watercolor still life is #14 in my challenge. I will leave the comments up to you. Thanks for looking!

# 89 leaves

Among the many wonderful things that have happened to me since I started painting, is how my mind looks at almost anything and feels it can make a picture! I keep looking for subjects as I walk around or drive to work or do anything for that matter! So this morning when my husband and I walked to our car, there were these two wonderfully bright yellow leaves lying on the ground.....so of course I picked them up!! I have a bit of bark that I had picked up a while back, so together it made a wonderful picture!

.

#48, #49 ACEO Watercolors- Sheryl

These are two of the ACEO watercolors I painted this week.  They are 2.5 X 3.5" and I like to switch up my painting size, so these work in that area.

140 lb cold press paper

Bits and Shell #13

Bits and Shell (c)2011DST  8x12 Watercolor

I am still using these shells as my still life subjects in #13 of my challenge. Is it starting to get boring to see them over and over? Not for me. Every time I turn them around I find something else I want to paint, an interesting view or the shape of the shadows.

Thank you to Laure for her suggestion to put away the work and don't judge each one individually. It has helped me move on to the next painting much quicker. I painted this yesterday afternoon, and somehow found time to paint another today. Same shells, different angle.

On to #14!

#47 - Parador "Castle Cork"- Sheryl Hawkins

This watercolor is painted on 9X12" 140 lb cold press paper.  I haven't posted in a while, but have been busy painting!  Since we aren't supposed to comment/criticize  on our paintings as we post, I will leave that up to you!

#2 Kristin, signs of spring sketch

8.5 x 11" gouache and pen

(c) 2011, klink

After focusing on a landscape far-away view yesterday, it was nice to look at somethings up close. Here is a quick sketchbook entry of some signs of spring I put in my pocket on a walk down to the post office today. I was drawn in by the color of tannins in old decaying leaves contrasting with the bright green of left-over or new growth.

Liz Cutler # 7 self portrait Monoprint acrylic 11 x 14l

Another experiment with printing, I used a coating of gel medium so the acrylics did not dry too fast and would not stick to the glass. I had to paint quickly, the medium was slippery so the re is

Kelly - Painting 37

(Oil Pastel, 9x12 Sennelier Oil Pastel Paper)

"Avis Spei" is packed with hope, love, and the promise of summer. It's based loosely on the newly arrived Blue Gray Gnatcatchers. I really didn't know what to name it, so I asked Matty if he had any ideas. He thought we should come up with a new "scientific" name based in Latin because finding this bird in a field guide might be a bit iffy. With all the color and energy surging through it, he thought "Avis Spei" would do the trick -- Bird of Hope! :-)

#1 Kristin, McCarthy Creek Headwaters, acrylic

5 x 7" acrylic on gesso board

(c) 2011, klink

I am excited to join this challenge because I hope to reclaim the process of making art for myself. I look forward to having an excuse to tackle elements in painting that I haven't been able to find the time for. One thing I want to work on is my ability to paint landscapes. Above is a small acrylic painting from a photo. I was surprised how difficult it was to work small, and such a simple painting took me a couple of hours. In the end I am happy with the interplay of greens and purples, as well as the looseness of the brush strokes.

Kelly - Painting 36

(Oil Pastel, 10x10 Sennelier Oil Pastel Paper)

"Spring on the Little Miami" honors the Blue Gray Gnatcatchers that have just descended into our woods. When spring rains come, these little imps are never far behind. Saturday evening after the rainfall was over, Rick and I headed over to the Little Miami River to see if the Gnatcatchers had arrived. We weren't on the trail very long before we heard their constant chatter and spring song. I didn't bring my camera, so I had to create this little bird from memory. I painted her a little bluer than she really is...because I was so happy to see her, and I added in lots of summer green, because I always think about them gleaning insects from the green leaves (sometimes the imagination is a little more fun--and dramatic--than the camera!)

# 7 , Liz -,Kitchen Goddess Tools, acrylic on paper, 9x12

I did a drawing initially trying to concentrate on the shapes of the negative space. When I had enough of the challenge, (why did I choose a wisk?) I thought a limited palette of thalo blue , white and raw umber would be helpful in distinguishing the shapes of values.

Introducing Our Newest Challenger!

Please join me in welcoming Kristin Link to the 100 Paintings Challenge!

Kristin is an illustrator as well as an artist working in watercolor, acrylic and digital art. Her goals include developing a consistent voice and practice in field sketching. Approaching artwork with a freedom to experiment as well as explore new techniques are also some of the goals Kristin has for the challenge. Telling stories, learning about our surroundings, natural history and landscapes are also important to Kristin as she develops her visual vocabulary.

As Kristin will be joining us from Alaska, her environment goes hand-in-hand with her goals! You can visit Kristin's blog by clicking on her link over in the sidebar.

Welcome, Kristin, to the challenge!

# 83-88 No time to post!

I have been travelling and rushing around since my last picture was posted and so have had no time to post....although I have kept up my painting, not as much as I would have liked to, but some! I am now carrying a small bag with a basic painting kit, so can do a quick picture whenever I have the time!

 The Banyan tree in spring colours!

 Stone Pestle and Mortars in Bangkok

 Flowers given to me in Assam

 The church in Shillong, a view from my window!

 A cobbled street in Portugal

Fishermen checking their nets in Portugal

#6 Liz Cutler, Spring Thaw, oil on 12 x 12 board over an acrylic sketch. I stood by the window- does that make it a plein air painting? Most of the snow did melt so there is a bit less color, I enjoyed figuring out the colors in the shadows, as the colors wer different on the snow and the grass.

Kelly - Painting 35

(Oil Pastel, 9x12 Sennelier Oil Pastel Paper)

"A Captiva Blue in Green" is a Great Blue Heron from our recent trip to Captiva Island in Florida. I love all the Florida birds...can't get enough of them! I also can't seem to get enough of the Sennelier Oil pastels. I love the way you can push around all the creamy color.

Kelly - Painting 34

(Acrylic, 16x20 Stretched Canvas)

"The Rush of Spring" is my first acrylic painting since I finished painting 100 of last year. I loved that little American Tree Sparrow painting, and I think (in the back of my mind) I might have been afraid to paint again with acrylics because I didn't think I'd be able to recapture the joy I felt from that painting...but...the challenge is all about growth and overcoming fears, so I decided it was time to break the acrylics out again. I jumped back in with a raucous representation of spring...a field of tulips bursting with color.

Shells With Bits #12

Shells With Bits (c)2011DST 8x12 Watercolor

This latest watercolor was done in twenty minutes. Thanks to our host here on the challenge, Laure, I realized I was scrutinizing and judging my pieces. I'm done with that and happy to find twenty minutes to paint the items available. Quantity over quality, and it's the process not the result. And there you have it, #12 in my personal challenge.