Painting #62 Cactus Shadows

I love this painting.  It turned out way better than I planned.

I took my reference photo before we left Arizona because I loved all the shadows and wondered if I could get good results.

I painted the shadows first which I rarely do, then I used plastic wrap on the wet painting for texture.  (Reference idea came from Karlyn Holman's book, "Watercolor, The Spirit of Spontaneity")

I painted the purple prickly pear cactus in one sitting and quit while I still liked it.

Painting #50 - Blooming Saguaro

Painting #50!  Half-way there!!  WHOOHOO!

I really didn't know what I would paint for #50 but I wanted it to be special to mark my half-way point.  I had no idea it would be this one.  

My neighbor in Arizona has a Saguaro that was blooming and I insisted that my husband stop so I could take a photo.  Saguaros don't usually bloom this early so I was thrilled to find it.

It is one of the first paintings I did when we got back to Wisconsin and when I went to post it on my Blog I looked to see what number it would be and there it was, #50!

Funny how these things work out.

I have been reading a book about using more light in painting watercolors (Elizabeth Kincaid's "Paint Watercolors That Dance With Light") and am trying to do just that.  I am pleased with these results because I did manage to get the light in there.

Onto #51!

Painting #48 - A Very Different Cactus

I get inspired by the strangest things.

Last week Marthann's Musings featured the work of Guiseppe Arcimboldo: Fruit and Vegetable Artist (1527-1593).  It looked like so much fun I was inspired to try it and the result is a "Fruit and Vegetable Cactus".

I have a wacky sense of humor!  LOL

Painting #47 - Plein Air Landscape

Last week my husband went golfing and I went to a nearby park to paint.

The above painting is my favorite with the reflections in the lake and the mountain in the background.

As I looked at it I thought how interesting that in the space of a few hours I painted a lake with mountains in the background, a sailboat on the lake and two different cacti, all in the same location!  

I used a 6x6 inch accordion folded, 140 # watercolor paper for my plein aire sketches.  I love how it all seems to flow together even though they are all different.

I have other accordion folded journals for these subjects:

cacti

flowers

portraits

plein aire

and 

miscellaneous.

When they are done I will probably bind them together.

Painting # 46 -Mountain Pine

On Easter Sunday we took a ride up to Mt. Lemmon just for the heck of it.  I brought my painting stuff planning a big painting day.  Not!  I got altitude sickness at the >8000 ft. altitude and this pine is the only sketch I did.

I am getting so hooked on plein aire painting that I keep looking for and making opportunities.  Painting outdoors is just amazingly different than working from photos.

Painting # 41 Plein Aire Mountains

This location is two hours north of Tucson where I had the occasion to do a plein aire sketch.  It was very windy and the watercolor dried faster than I wanted.  It was the pot of flowers that first got me interested and putting the mountains in was just added fun.

Painting #38 - More Plein Aire

This is another plein aire painting I did in Sedona.  There was a Serenity Garden right next to the motel so I sat there in the sun and painted these stone animals and few trees.

It was not only a joy to be painting but I enjoyed the serenity of the place.

Painting #14 Tree Branch In The Sky

This is one more sky that I did and discovered that it fits well for "Illustration Friday's" theme word of 'focused'.  I have indeed been focused on skies this last week using wet-in-wet watercolors.

I didn't know what I was going to add to the painting after I did it until today when I saw the IF word and realized how focused I have been on painting skies. I just added the tree branch against this Arizona sky and when I was almost finished I thought a nest in the tree would look interesting so I added that also.

Now I feel I can move on to a landscape with an interesting sky.

Painting #11 Another Sky and Mountain

Okay, I am falling in love with doing skies.  They are so pretty.

This is another wet-in-wet painting (hmm, maybe it's the wet-in-wet that I enjoy so much).

I added the Catalina Mountains again but without the snow.  Those mountains are so much a part of our landscape.

Next.