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

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

Small Watercolor Paintings - Dora Sislian Themelis

#54 Three Friends ©2012 Dora Sislian Themelis
7x10 Watercolor on Arches

#55 Shells with Peach ©2012 Dora Sislian Themelis
7x10 Watercolor on Arches

#56 Four Shells with Rock ©2012 Dora Sislian Themelis
7x10 Watercolor on Arches

I photographed these small watercolors at different times during the day. What a difference in daylight colors! I might have to re-do the first two, just too much blue from the morning light.

Closing in on my year and still trying to push on.

Three Twenty Minute Paintings - Dora Sislian Themelis

#45 Shells ©2012 Dora Sislian Themelis
8x10 Watercolor on Arches paper

#46 Sunflower Petals ©2012 Dora Sislian Themelis
8x10 Watercolor on Arches paper

#47 Rocks ©2012 Dora Sislian Themelis
8x10 Watercolor on Strathmore paper

The deadline for my 100 paintings challenge is quickly approaching and now that the holidays are over there are no excuses. If I can make it through with twenty minute paintings that's what I will do.

Throwing together some of my favorite shells and pebbles, and using a cropped area of one of the sunflower photos, I did these paintings. I used cast off watercolor papers not realizing one was of lesser quality and becoming discouraged by the way it handled my paints.

As I paint, I learn.

Winter Watercolor #42 Dora Sislian Themelis

#42 Winter Cardinal ©Dora Sislian Themelis
8x10 Watercolor on Arches paper

I thought there would be no way I could get to paint these last couple of weeks before Christmas. Somewhere in my day I found twenty or so minutes and decided this was it! I gathered a few items, went to my art table, arranged the table lamp to a more desirable angle and sketched quickly with just enough water to get color on the paper.

Still Life Watercolor #41 Dora Sislian Themelis

#41 Blue Vase with Sunflowers ©2011 Dora Sislian Themelis
15x20 Watercolor on Canson paper

It took twenty minutes each session to complete this watercolor painting of the last of the sunflower photographs. Some challenges were: different paper than I had been using and a larger size, individual sheets rather than a block, artificial light causing color confusion, I realized my art table is too high for painting and I couldn't get away from the work to see where I needed to go next.

Photographing the painting at the art table was awful due to the lighting so I moved it to my big dining room window and the whole painting changed. What a difference natural daylight makes!

Watercolor Still Life #40 Dora Sislian Themelis

Still Life Watercolor #39 Dora Sislian Themelis

#39 Four Sunflowers 14x20 Watercolor on Lanaquarelle paper
©2011 Dora Sislian Themelis

Another watercolor painting of the sunflowers from my photographs makes this work #39. Done in twenty minute sessions over a few days and it seems that process has been leading to finished work. Now if only I could move it along a little quicker, maybe I'd make the 100 paintings in time. At this rate I am not so sure.

Dora Sislian Themelis - #38 Watercolor Landscape

#38 Cooper's Farm  14x20 Watercolor ©2011 Dora Sislian Themelis

A couple of summers ago we vacationed on the North Fork of Long Island, NY near Greenport. It's a lovely area with wineries, farm stands and actual farms, fishing villages, and beautiful views of the Long Island Sound.  I took some photos at Cooper's Farm in Mattituck and decided to paint this adorable, blue tractor in the U-pick fields. Using twenty minute segments of time helped me push through and finish this. Next!

Watercolor #37 - Dora Sislian Themelis

#37 Peach at the Beach with Two Shells 14x20 Watercolor
©2011 Dora Sislian Themelis

Moving along in the challenge at a snail's pace for the time being, but I'd had enough of this work and had to end it here. I am done!

Watercolor Painting #36 Dora Sislian Themelis

#36 Afternoon Sunflowers 14x20 Watercolor ©2011 Dora Sislian Themelis

The latest watercolor painting is finished #36 Afternoon Sunflowers. Still painting in twenty minute segments moved this work along, but I'm finding that the bigger my surface gets the more work one piece needs and I'm not moving along as quick as I'd like in the challenge. Besides the bit of resistance I come up against now and then, I'm crawling along pushing my limits. I'll get there. Eventually.

#34 Watercolor Still Life

 # 34 Peppers on a Platter (c)2011 DST 11x16 Watercolor

I know it looks undone, but that's how it's going to stay. Color and shape heavy on the upper right corner, open, white and empty on this lower left. I am done. I had a small window of time and I used it to my advantage. No pencil drawing, just going in with paint, sketching the details with as little water as possible to keep going. Not a twenty minute work, but close enough. Some areas needed drying time. It is done.

Three Beach Shells #33 Dora Sislian Themelis

# 33 Three Beach Shells (c)DST 8x12 Watercolor

Painted in twenty minutes again, these beach shells were out an available and if I wasted the time I would not have painted at all. Twenty minutes and I was done. Learning to use less water on my brush if I'm going to paint quickly and it's been working out well.

Peach at the Beach-#32

Peach at the Beach #32 (c)2011 Dora Sislian Themelis
7x10 Watercolor

Beating resistance has been my toughest job ever. Taking on this 100 paintings challenge, and the idea of painting for only twenty minutes has kept me responsible and accountable. Rather than let too much time pass without painting (resistance mode) I know I must post here and I can stay in the game in a short time frame. I don't have to work on one painting all day long.

Moving away from painting from life every session has also helped. I wanted to paint these items at the beach last week, but without clean water (didn't want to use ocean water, or my iced coffee) I took photos and painted when I returned home. And for only twenty minutes. The piece here was finished at another short session, maybe ten minutes more. Done.

Peach Pebble Pepper- #31 Dora Sislian Themelis

Peach Pebble Pepper #31 Watercolor 9x12 

I'm back to it after another round of resistance, but here is #31 in my challenge sketched out without pencil, just watercolor, in twenty minutes. These small twenty minute paintings are such a helpful tool. I don't know what I would've done without knowing I could paint a finished work in such a short time frame.

Sunflowers on the Table -#27 Dora Sislian Themelis

Sunflowers on the Table (c)2011 11x14 Watercolor on Lanaquarelle

Worked in twenty minute intervals, I painted another sunflowers watercolor making this #27 in the challenge. Soon as I was done I put it away so as not to offer any chance to second guess anything. Finished and done.

Lonely Shell - #26 Dora Sislian Themelis

Lonely Shell 7x10 Watercolor Canson paper

Twenty minutes during a busy day yesterday afforded me just enough time to sketch this quick watercolor painting of a piece of broken shell retrieved from the beach last weekend. Thankfully my painting equipment is out and readily available so I can satisfy my whim to paint.

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.

The Underside - #11

The Underside (c)2011 8x12 Watercolor 

Here's the latest twenty minute special and #11 in the challenge- The Underside. I painted what I could in the small amount of time I had and was done with it. I know I keep painting the same items, but I think it's a good exercise in seeing things in every different way. You really learn your subject.

Other Side of Dark Apple- #7

Other Side of Dark Apple 

(c)2011 Dora Sislian Themelis

8x12 Watercolor, Arches 140lb cold press paper

This is the latest entry of my 100 paintings challenge, #7. Difficulty feeling like painting kept me from working and moving ahead. The paints, set-up, paper is out and available and still, I didn't paint. Today I was determined to keep at it. Thankfully, everything is ready for when I finally get myself together. I moved the still life to the other side of the table to see the items in different light and shadow. I like the apple for color, but I'm not happy with the colors. Still fooling around with these paints and maybe that's what is holding me back? Whatever the reason, it doesn't matter now because I painted and this is done.