ITTG 1 Athens Terry

I did figure out how to rotate it on iPad.

Abstract Digital Painting-#15 Dora Sislian Themelis

#15 Artrage Abstract ©2012 Dora Sislian Themelis
Digital Oil Painting on iPad using fingers

Having a little fun while taking a different direction in painting for the moment using a new application on my iPad called Artrage. I needed a jolt of something new and this program allows an artist to change it up without the mess. It seems a brush type stylus has been developed and I think I'll need to try that out when it is available. Even so, using a finger on the screen to work out ideas and colors worked well.

Kelly - Paintings 17, 18, & 19

 I have a lot of catching up to do, both with my paintings and with reading everyone else's posts and seeing all of your paintings!! These three paintings of a Common Goldeneye go all the way back to January...

Oil Pastel

Oil Pastel

Watercolor sketchbook entry....even though I have Jan 2011 in the text, it's from Jan 2012 (I do that a lot in Jan and Feb. I usually get it right by March!)

Now I have to get busy and see all the new work out there!! I've missed the challenge and am glad to be back! Hopefully I'll have a new painting up in a day or two...

Lorrie #88 - Alizarin Valley

Alizarin Valley, watercolor 18 x 20 inches

Got Pink?

Still Life Watercolor #13-14 Dora Sislian Themelis

Two more still life watercolor paintings done. Another is already in the works! 

#13 Bouquet ©2012 Dora Sislian Themelis
9x12 Watercolor, Arches cold press

#14 Carrot ©2012 Dora Sislian Themelis
9x12 Watercolor, Arches cold press

Lorrie #87 - Sealife Spa

Sealife Spa, watercolor 9 x 12 inches

Along Highway 1 in the Big Sur region of California, there are many places to pull over and appreciate the view from high bluffs. Recently I did that and, with the aid of binoculars, spotted this idyllic little scene far below. A ring of protective rocks formed a calm pool of water where a sea otter floated motionless, sleeping (I presume), and looked suspended in air thanks to the wave-free clear water beneath it. Another otter was hauled out on a rock, brandt's cormorants perched on guano-whitewashed areas, and a trio of harbor seals rested. Some other critters came and went as well, that I didn't include here. This painting was done at home with guidance from a sketch made at the time in my travel journal.

CathyO - #18

I feel like I lost my concentration/direction on this one but quantity over quality!  Here it is!

CathyO #14 and 15

 #14 - I have been on a trip and am trying to catch up!!  Sorry for multiple posts!  While staying at my sons home I gathered up some of his treasures for a still life.

#15 - And another!

CathyO #16 and 17

 #16 - The moon was setting as the sun was rising.  This was my view (from my bed!) on the Monday after Easter!  I thought it made an interesting study!

#17 - As the weather has been warming up, I have been thinking about getting out into the garden soon.  Leafing thru some magazines, I saw a photo that inspired this study.

The New and the Old #41

I have a special fondness for snags. Here the roots caught my eye -- the old twisted roots and the new trees coming in to take over. I found this scene just a few feet from the rim of Crater Lake last fall. Painted from my laptop after I got home.

Stathmore 400 series 140# cold press watercolor paper.

Terry #8  "Nemo"
This was also from our trip to Fl. - one of the other decorations in the condo.  A friend said it reminded her of Nemo - hence the name.  I promise this is my last post for a few days!

Terry - Orange Blossom Delight - final repost today!

Here are the horizontal images.  Sorry for previous posts.  You must be totally sick of oranges!!

Terry - repost of orange blossoms

I wanted to post this again to show them horizontally instead of vertically. If it doesn't work with my iPad, I'll do it with my Mac. Thanks for your patience!

Terry #7 A Greeting Bouquet

5x7 in my journal. I got the idea from Dory Kanter's 'Art Escapes' book. It was fun and since I've done some notecards like this. I'm trying to get a bit ahead with posting since we'll be in upheaval here at home with redecorating jobs for the next couple of weeks. I'm sure the end result will be worth the turmoil? Or so they say!

Terry#4 Orange Blossom Delight

This is 11x15 on cold press 140 lb paper. I haven't painted this big for many years - when I went to a studio and got immediate feedback and suggestions. I'd like a critique and suggestions for this - how could I improve it? Should I add more pen &/or contrasts anywhere? I've been getting ideas for the background from Karlyn Holman's book-I'd like to learn to paint looser in time.

Terry #5 Backyard Blooms

This is 5x7 in my journal - just to capture the fleeting beauty of Spring color.

Terry #6 Quirky Bird

This was one of the decorations in the condo we stayed in in Fl. Just a fun exercise since I'm determined to improve my drawing skills.

Lorrie #86 - Santa Cruz Harbor Lighthouse

Santa Cruz Harbor Lighthouse, watercolor 6 x 9 inches

There is a lot more going on at the harbor than what is illustrated here (!) but once again I was drawn to watching the movement of the waves and trying to understand how to represent them. Moving water is always flirting, luring me into the challenge of capturing it in ways that are fun instead of crazy-making ...

Claire painting 13: Another Hibiscus

This is a hibiscus that I did after Laure's beach class. I had so much fun figuring out how to approach painting a hibiscus that I had to try another one. Last weekend when we bought our tomato plants for the year, I stuck a new hibiscus plant in the cart -- so I'll have more reasons to paint them this year!!

Claire painting 12: Beach

I'm in the mood for a trip to the beach. This image was done recently for Laure's Trip to the Beach class. The class sure gave me a fun way to counter the winter weather by dreaming of the beach!

Lorrie #85 - Little Flowers

Little Flowers, watercolor 6 x 9 inches

Walking in a local park the other day, I noticed tiny flowers in a well-worn grassy area. I wanted to figure out what kind they were without picking any, so sat there and, with the aid of binoculars turned the wrong way (acting as a magnifier), I could see some of the details my naked eye could not make out. A spotless lady bug walked by during this process, giving a lovely contrasting red to the blue flower. Back at home, with the aid of five (!) different flower identification books, I was able to finally identify them -- tentatively!! I'm sure of the burr clover, but no so much on the other two ... tiny flowers do not make the pages of wildflower guides very often.

Still Life Watercolor #12 - Dora Sislian Themelis

Out of the loop a bit by a family vacation and the Easter preparations so I reverted to using twenty minutes of painting time to get back in the process. I visited some of my favorite shells, again, hence the title of this small work.

#12 Shells Again ©2012 Dora Sislian Themelis
7x10 Watercolor, Arches cold press paper 140lb

Terry #3 Pear Tree

These Bradford pear trees are so stunning with their white blossoms which only last until the first big winds blow. They're still lovely when they're all green with their leathery leaves which turn beautiful rust and red shades in the Fall.

Terry #2 -Spring has sprung!

Spring is so colorful and beautiful here in Michigan! Our tulips start the color pageant.

Kristin 99 & 100, more from the Fake Journal

So I'm a week late in finishing the 100, but I figure better late than never. Keeping a fake journal has been really fun, more than I thought it would be. It gives me the opportunity to approach completely differently, without thinking about detail and just going for it.

All sumi ink and gouache. And I threw in a bonus sketch too...

Kristin 97 & 98: more illustrations

Some more things I've been working on, more traditional illustration style. Both subjects don't occur these days (or hopefully not often), so took a bit of imagination and creativity too.

 Pit House, traditional sod hut, watercolor

10 x 24" (c) klink 2012

Novarupta eruption, watercolor

11 x 8" (c) klink 2012

Selby Gardens - Terry #1

I finally got on the blogger. This is from Selby Gardens in Sarasota, Fl. during a recent visit. I struggled with the pot color as it was lost in the bench until I added the blue. It's 5x7 on Aquarius in my journal.

I'm thrilled to be doing this challenge finally. I've' lurked' here many times and been so inspired by all of your work!

Lorrie #84 - John Muir

John Muir - watercolor, 6 x 9 inches

A sepia toned sketch based on a black and white photo of the venerable nature explorer/writer, John Muir.

Please Welcome A New Challenger!

Please help me welcome Terry Allor, our latest challenger!

Terry is a retired nursing educator with very little formal education in art. She and I recently had a chance to meet in person and she shared with me how much joy she felt when she painted. Terry also mentioned that now that she had started she wants to experiment more as well as keep a pen, ink and wash journal.

Terry faces a lot of the same "issues" as you and I do, namely, getting inspired and maintaining that inspiration. Not always an easy thing to do with life's velocity increasing all the time! She often gets discouraged when she attempts to get back into painting if she has stayed away too long.

Terry is seeking to develop good, strong habits of staying active with her painting as well as learning more about her chosen medium of watercolor.

Please join me in welcoming Terry!

The View from Crater Lake #40

It is hard to imagine how high Mt. Mazama once was. Approximately 6000 years ago the top blew off, leaving beautiful Crater Lake. This view is from the southeast side, looking towards the Klamath Basin lying flat and inviting miles and miles away. In spite of way too much draining, the Basin is still home to hundreds of thousands of waterfowl during migration.

Painted on Strathmore 400 series 140# cold press watercolor paper.

Lorrie #83 - Davenport Mini View

Davenport Mini View, watercolor 6 x 9 inches

I pulled off the road at a little town on the coast (Davenport, CA) in late afternoon to have coffee in the car (windy outside!!!) and watch from a bluff-top parking lot for whales migrating north (success!). I did this watercolor sketch of trees on the bluff, instead of the ocean vista -- for a change -- as the dusky sky was beginning to turn orange. I didn't have any water in the car at the time, so I used some of the strong brew of Costa Rican coffee I was drinking to dampen paints and wet the paper and brush ... a very tiny amount that I was willing to sacrifice to the plein aire cause.

Still Life Watercolor #11 Dora Sislian Themelis

I am still working with the vegetable share photos and this is the latest work. My family and I have just returned from vacation so I am off schedule. Hopefully, next week will prove more productive!

#11 Tomatoes ©2012 Dora Sislian Themelis
9x12 Watercolor, Arches cold press 140lb

Kristin 93-96: Fake Journal Fun

So April is International Fake Journal Month, which I decided to participate in. My fake character lives on a little island in South East Alaska, though she is there after a much milder winter than this one so spring is farther on its way. That is all I know about her so far. My fake journal is a 8.5 by 5" book I bound with regular drawing paper (which doesn't take wet media very well). I am using sumi ink, gouache, and collage which is a technique that I have been having fun playing with as it is not very formal and gets to the punch quickly. Here are the first four pages.

Kristin 91 & 92: Hartney Bay

How to sketch in the rain? Well I tried to work from my car, which worked ok until the windows fogged up. Likewise it was so humid that it took forever for the paint to dry. Nevertheless it was fun to spend an afternoon painting by the ocean.

 5x8.5" watercolor

8.5 x 5" watercolor and pen with some colored pencil on top.

all (c) klink, 2012