Watercolorist

Mt. Tam By Day and Night

2012-02-17T12:06:00.000-08:00

I managed to get two paintings done for class this week. I decided to do the same subject with two different moods. Mt. Tam is situated in Marin County not far from where I live. The purpose of this first exercise was to experiment with texture, What better subject to choose - hence the closeup view. With so much texture going on in the mountain area, I decided to keep the sky very bland so as not to fight with, or detract from the textured area. Painted on hot pressed paper, the watercolors I used were, burnt umber mixed with a little Paynes grey, raw sienna and a very small amount of the sky color which was indigo, to carry the color into the rest of the painting for harmony. I dribbled granulation medium on the wet paint on the lower part of the mountain and let it run down the page. It is often hit or miss using this technique. The key is using colors that granulate well and not using too much granulation medium. In the watercolor below I tried to capture the mountain by moonlight using various blues, with a hint of warm color picked up from my palette. My instructor, Jerry Stitt suggested making the reflections on the mountain even lighter for more contrast. I have learned over the years that trying to fix a watercolor hardly ever works, so I may just leave this one alone and try it again.

Marsh Scene

2012-02-11T12:52:00.000-08:00

I did this painting in a hurry and under pressure to get a watercolor out for my Thursday class. It was an attempt to paint loosely. When it was done I didn't particularly like it so wondered whether to even take it to class. It's interesting that it was well received and got a good critique from Jerry Stitt, my instructor. Maybe sometimes we are too close to our work to have the ability to evaluate a piece.

Exploring Color in Watercolor

2012-02-08T11:23:00.000-08:00

Maggie Latham has posted the first of a number of free tutorials on her blog about the "Exploration of Color With Watercolors." If you have ever visited her blog you will be familiar with her lovely watercolors using different glazing techniques. The key to good glazing is knowing what color combinations work well together. She plans to post two or three tutorials monthly over a four-month period. In Maggie's own words, "ever wondered why certain artist’s paintings are always clean and bright? Ever wondered why many of your own washes end up muddy or opaque, or why certain washes granulate? Well, it has everything to do with what is in your tube and comprehending some basic color theory rules and painting techniques."

We could all do with a refresher course from time to time to enhance our painting experience. Don't miss this valuable series on color theory.

Low Tide

2012-01-28T12:07:00.000-08:00

At night, when there is a full moon on the bay and it's low tide, I often look out on this view and can see the mud flats and where the channel runs for the boats to navigate out to sea. There is something about seeing this scene in the moonlight that makes it more appealing to paint than in the cold light of day. When I took it to class my instructor thought the white area in the sky competed too much with the reflection in the water. Maybe he is right and the sky area shouldn't have been so pure. I think also that this should have been painted on cold pressed paper to better reflect lights on the water. I painted this watercolor on hot-pressed paper (9.5" x 7.75") using French ultramarine, Payne's grey and burnt sienna.

Bulrushes In The Marsh

2012-01-20T12:20:00.000-08:00

Recently I was trying out different colors to create atmospheric scenes. I start out with a loose idea of what I want to paint and always block in the sky first. I then stand back and look at the watercolor to see what I want to add to make it more interesting. After painting the sky, far hills and the flat marsh, I thought how boring the piece looked. Then I remembered what my art instructor Jerry Stitt always tells us when a piece has too many verticals or horizontals in it - use an opposite thrust. So I added the bulrushes in the foreground. It definitely made the piece come alive. That's what's so exciting about painting, you can start out with one idea for a piece and end up with a totally different result from what you planned.

Textured Woodland

2012-01-11T14:44:00.000-08:00

This is my first painting of 2012 and I was really pleased with the results first time off. I am trying hard to paint loosely. I like the semi abstract style with just suggestions of what the subject is. I bought an incredible book by Ann Blockley called "Watercolour Textures". She uses interesting techniques to create textures, including watercolor pencils, oil pastels, inktense blocks, india ink etc. Her style is loose and dramatic. I was so impressed with the book that I ordered one of her DVD's so I could see her at work. I am really inspired. I have learned so much from both the book and the DVD. It has helped me to look at how I approach painting a subject in a totally different way. I am taking this one to class tomorrow for review. I painted this watercolor on Arches hot pressed paper using indian yellow, neutral tint, burnt sienna, sepia ink and green gold - a new color I tried - which was used in the trees.

Happy New Year

2012-01-08T08:57:00.000-08:00

Wishing all my blogger friends a great painting year and much success in 2012.

Lone Tree At Dusk

2011-12-30T14:30:00.000-08:00

I wanted to share with you how useful my weekly class critiques are. After analyzing this painting in class using the elements and principles of design, watercolorist Jerry Stitt always asks the question, "what would make this a better painting . . . if anything? He put a piece of plexiglass over the painting and demonstrated what he thought would improve it. He drew in smaller trees to the right to push the eye towards the larger tree, which also creates a counter balance to the painting. I agreed it was an improvement and added the trees when I got home (see below). I think this subtle change makes quite a difference and creates more interest for the eye.

Tomales Bay

2011-12-16T12:58:00.000-08:00

Tomales Bay is about an hour drive from our house. It is another largely unspoiled area with large parts belonging to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. It's great that these areas are protected from developers. We have many unspoiled open spaces within driving distance. My paintings are usually all about the skies, but I also like to include local scenery. I used a limited palette of indigo, yellow ochre and burnt sienna on hot pressed paper. Took it to class yesterday and all Jerry said was "sign it."

Rodeo Lagoon

2011-12-04T14:12:00.000-08:00

There are a number of lovely unspoiled beaches that belong to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Rodeo beach in Marin County is one of them. As you enter the beach you cross over the lagoon on a small foot bridge.The area is also a bird sanctuary where you can watch egrets, seagulls and ducks and many other birds feed on the rich sea life. Below is the photo I took of the lagoon on a misty day with no sun. I used artistic license with the colors in the marshy landscape. My colors were raw sienna, burnt sienna, indigo and French ultramarine on Fabriano cold pressed paper. I really like the way the colors came out on the Fabriano paper. I think I will buy more of this. I never get results like this on Arches cold pressed paper. That's why I always tend to use Arches hot pressed watercolor paper. On cold pressed the colors seem to soak into the paper and the end result after drying looks washed out. I need to experiment more with different watercolor papers.

Winter Scenes

2011-11-04T15:37:00.000-07:00

With winter approaching and all the snow storms back east I decided it was time to do a snow scene. I did the first watercolor on Arches hot pressed paper and the second on Arches cold pressed. I took them to class for critique this week and Jerry Stitt said he felt the snow was too gray and too warm. He thinks snow should be bluer, which he said makes it look colder. He also suggested a verticle behind the shed in the top painting, maybe a windmill or water tower. He always drums into us that you need an opposite thrust to create interest in a painting. I may add this piece soon and will repost it if I do. He also felt that the large tree in the second one was too uniform. I should have know better on that one, since we are always being told that uniformity is monotonous. He did like the sky in the second painting though. I personally prefer the first painting because it is more atmospheric and more in my style of painting. I used only three colors for both pieces, French ultramarine, Payne's Grey and light red.

More Flowers

2011-09-03T11:02:00.000-07:00

I wanted to try another loose flower watercolor since I really need practice in this area. I'm not a realistic painter, I like to do representational flower pieces. I recently bought two books by Ann Blockley, one titled Watercolour Textures and the other, Experimental Flowers In Watercolour. They are both great books full of wonderful examples for creating texture in watercolors and painting loosely. They inspired me to try this watercolor. I took this painting to class for critique by J erry Stitt. He liked the texture in the green area which was accomplished by flicking dark paint into the wet watercolor, then using crumpled tissue paper to create the illusion of leaves and greenery. When painting this I was mindful of something Jerry always tells us, "the fewer shapes the better". So although you see three flowers here, they overlap to form one shape. He said that if I had made them separate flowers the painting would have looked spotty. I was also mindful to make each flower a different size - another point that is is always drummed into us. Whether it be flowers or trees or houses, vary the shapes so they don't become boring. I painted this watercolor on Arches hot pressed paper using scarlet lake, brown madder, windsor green (yellow shade) and burnt sienna.

Marsh Abstract

2011-08-10T10:25:00.000-07:00

In class last week Jerry Stitt suggested an exercise for working loosely by choosing a subject and painting it as quickly as possible. I decided to try it but had no definite subject in mind, concentrating more on mood and color, thinking more in the abstract. I used burnt sienna, Indian yellow and neutral tint to create this watercolor in about 15 minutes. I started with the sky since I love painting dramatic skies. It was going to be a simple sketch with a few distant trees and a small foreground. The trees grew a bit more than I intended since I was working wet-in-wet on hot pressed paper. The foreground resembled a lake at first but I thought it a little boring, so I added some texture to make it look more like a marshy scene. I was quite please in the end with the result.

Something Completely Different

2011-08-01T09:32:00.000-07:00

Getting away from my atmospheric watercolors I decided to have another try at florals - something that does not come easy to me. I'm not a realistic painter so I prefer to create a semi-abstract rendition of flowers. I follow a number of watercolor blogs where the artists seem to paint flowers so effortlessly - wish I could say the same for me. I've been practicing the past two weeks and this is the best I've managed so far. I won't mention how many I've discarded. I made the mistake in this piece of throwing in some black India ink. I like the way it spreads because it is insoluble in water. However, I don't think it adds anything to this piece so I will have another attempt and leave out the ink. I used cadmium red, indigo, new gamboge and India ink.

Moonlight on Richardson Bay

2011-07-22T10:12:00.000-07:00

When the full moon shines over Richardson Bay in Sausalito it creates wonderful reflections on the water. I've always wanted to capture this in a watercolor but wasn't too confident I could pull it off successfully until I found a demonstration recently in a book published in 1973 called The Watercolor Painting Book. It had a section on how to paint moonlight. I used the technique described to capture the view I have from my deck at night. I used the colors suggested in the book which were hooker's green, French ultramarine and burnt sienna. Size is 14" x 10".

Overcast At The Shore

2011-07-08T11:54:00.000-07:00

We take our dog to Rodeo Beach, one of our local unspoiled beaches in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Often, in the morning, the fog comes in and creates a fine mist that makes everything look almost monotone and out of focus. It's really beautiful. In this watercolor I tried to create the misty atmosphere. It was a good exercise in attempting to paint an atmospheric watercolor. I will have another crack at this because I think I can improve on it - I hope. I was pleased with the colors. Size is 14" X 10".

Savannah Dawn

2011-05-30T13:41:00.000-07:00

In this watercolor I was attempting to capture the vastness of the African Savannah, interrupted only by the lovely Acacia trees which grow throughout Sub Saharan Africa. The terrain is pretty flat, save for these beautiful and uniquely-shaped trees - also known as thorn trees. The Savannah is mostly hot and dry so plants must find ways to retain moisture. Acacias have evolved to do this, by having their leaves divide into dozens of tiny leaflets which can be held horizontally to capture sunlight or vertically to reduce transpiration. I used an indirect glazing method for the sky. Maggie Latham made me realize I forgot to post the materials I used. This was painted on Arches hot-pressed paper using thin glazes of raw sienna, light red, cobalt blue and burnt sienna. The trees and foreground were painted using burnt umber mixed with French ultramarine. I also dropped some light red into the foreground.

Cottages On The Hill

2011-05-03T16:42:00.000-07:00

I'm on an English country scene kick. Mainly because I love the quaint little old cottages one finds in the English countryside. They evoke an atmospheric feeling that I like to create in watercolor. When I first painted this it was without the tree and broken fence. During critique in class Jerry Still felt it needed the tree and fence to frame the subject and tie the sky to the land area. I really don't like to go back and "fix" a watercolor because I usually end up ruining it. I need to do this over because I really don't like the tree. This was my third try after erasing the previous two with "magic eraser" - wonderful stuff for fixing a watercolor. Anyway, a third rub will probably make a hole in the paper, so I need to start from scratch. It will be a good exercise. I was very pleased with the foreground though. Hope I can repeat it. Size: 14" x 11" on Arches hot pressed paper. I used windsor green, raw sienna, burnt umber, burnt sienna and black india ink.

Solitude

2011-04-07T14:36:00.000-07:00

Well I have not posted in a while. Had a few dry weeks when nothing went well. As you know, I like creating atmospheric scenes and this one is of a quiet landscape in the English Lake District. There are lovely old cottages dotted around the area, sometimes evoking a feeling of remoteness. There is something very peaceful about these scenes that appeals greatly to me. I used indigo, raw sienna, light red and burnt sienna on quarter sheet of 140lb Arches hot pressed paper.

Before The Storm

2011-02-16T08:33:00.000-08:00

We have had some real stormy weather lately. Since I love painting atmospheric conditions, I decided to give a try at painting a stormy sky. I painted this on a quarter sheet of hot pressed Arches watercolor paper using raw sienna, burnt umber and Payne's grey. I decided not to put too much detail in the foreground because it could have distracted attention from the main focus of the sky. I always like the effect of a limited palette. I will see what kind of critique it gets in art class Thursday.

Critique:
Jerry Stitt does his critiques based on the elements and principles of design. Overall his critique was favorable. He liked the looseness and drama of the sky and the fact that it had good color harmony. At the end of his critiques always comes the question, "what would make this a better painting?" He is big on having an opposite thrust to create tension in a piece. So because this has a dominant horizontal thrust he suggested a large vertical thrust of perhaps a tree in the foreground or even telephone poles. Having said that the class discussed that in this particular piece it would distract from the central focus of the sky and he agreed. As he often says, the elements and principles of design are just guidelines and not rules and you have to know when you can ignore them.

Marsh Light

2011-01-21T09:14:00.001-08:00

I'm a great admirer of the Tonalist painters. The Wikipedia definition of this style says "Tonalism (1880 to 1915) is an artistic style that emerged in the 1880s when American artists began to paint landscape forms with an overall tone of colored atmosphere or mist. Dark, neutral hues, such as gray, brown or blue, would usually dominate such compositions. Two of the leading painters associated with this style are George Inness and James McNeill Whistler." Most of the tonalist artists were oil painters and since I love watercolors and want to stay with this medium, I try every now and then to create tonalism in my watercolor landscapes. I love the mood it creates and the harmony it brings to a painting. I was quite pleased with this attempt, inspired by the marshes in Mill Valley, CA, near where I live. I first did an underpainting of raw sienna on Arches hot-pressed watercolor paper. Over that I painted the sky with brown madder, burnt sienna and cobalt blue grayed with a little Payne's gray. The marsh was painted using burnt umber, burnt sienna and Payne's grey. I had to go over the sky with a glaze of cobalt blue to tone it down to achieve the atmospheric look I wanted. Size: 13.5" x 10".

Experimenting With Abstracts

2011-01-14T09:50:00.000-08:00

I had a lot of fun this week experimenting with abstracts. I think watercolors lend themselves to abstract art. One can achieve a variety of techniques to make an interesting piece. Unlike oils and acrylics, with watercolors one can splash with water or alcohol to get interesting results and then there are the lost and found edges that cannot be achieved with other mediums. The piece above was my second attempt after doing a smaller piece (below). The one above is 14" x 10.5" and I used burnt sienna, raw sienna and Payne's grey. For texture I sprayed some alcohol on the lower half when semi wet. When it was dry I dipped my fingers in the water bucket and splashed it onto the watercolor, thereby creating different size circles which I dabbed with a tissue. It's a great exercise in loosening up. I took these pieces to class this week and they were well received by both the tutor, Jerry Stitt and the rest of the class. I sensed there would be quite a few people bringing abstracts to class next week.
This smaller piece is 9.5" x 7.75" and I used the same colors as above.

Breaking Wave

2011-01-10T10:39:00.000-08:00

The last two weeks of classes were demonstrations by Jerry Stitt on how to create waves with watercolors. It ain't easy. My first attempt I made the sky too dark in my quest to reflect light against dark with the sky and wave. I am fairly pleased with this attempt but feel there is room for improvement. I used indigo, raw sienna, payne's grey, burnt sienna and French ultramarine. I also used a very rough Arches paper which I thought would leave more white of paper when scumbling on the sea. However, it is not as good as regular Arches cold pressed for this. Size is 14" x 10.25".

Bay Moonlight

2010-12-31T10:40:00.001-08:00

Another watercolor of the view we have of Richardson Bay in Sausalito from our house - this time by moonlight. The full moon leaves lovely reflections across the bay. I deliberately placed a cloud over part of the moon so as not to have this round orb dominating the watercolor. The idea was more the reflections on the bay. I used indigo, raw sienna, Payne's Grey and a little French ultramarine for the very distant mountain. Size is 9.5" x 6.75".

First Snow - Holiday Greetings

2010-12-23T08:17:00.000-08:00

Thought this would be an appropriate subject for the holiday season. I was practicing painting winter landscapes and tried a technique I found in one of my watercolor books "Watercolor Painting Techniques". A watercolor by Zoltan Szabo shows a technique to depict this snow scene. I was pleased with the result so decided to post it. I changed my piece around a bit and added foreground scrub and a darker effect with the trees and background. Watercolors used were burnt sienna mixed with French ultramarine for the sky and distant trees and Antwerp blue mixed with burnt sienna for the foreground trees, then sprinkled with salt for the snow effect. Size: 10" x 6.5".
I wish all my fellow bloggers a very happy holiday weekend and much joy and prosperity for 2011.

First Light

2010-12-13T11:01:00.001-08:00

We have been experiencing the most incredible skies early in the morning lately. Fortunately I get up early enough to see them. For this watercolor I did an underpainting with raw sienna and then used brown madder and French ultramarine mixed with a little payne's grey. I really like the effect the limited palette provides. Size: 12" x 8".

Dusk In The Headlands

2010-12-04T10:30:00.001-08:00

Back to my atmospheric watercolors. I like trying out different color combinations to create the atmospheric feel in my watercolors. I love the work of Caroline Simmill and the colors she used in wash #4 for the One Hundred Washes blog challenge. When I tried painting with these colors I could not get them dark enough, even though I used ivory black. For this watercolor I used raw sienna and indigo (which when combined with other colors makes nice darks) and a little burnt sienna on the foreground hill.
Size: 10.5"x9".

Winter's Day

2010-11-23T14:16:00.001-08:00

We have had a few storms and some really cold days in Northern California this past week. Thought I would try to capture this in another atmospheric watercolor. I used an underpainting of lemon yellow and when it was dry I painted the clouds with indigo mixed with burnt sienna and a little raw sienna in the foreground. Size is 13.5" x 10".

Fall Colors

2010-11-13T12:12:00.001-08:00

I always love the colors of fall - especially those of New England. I wanted to paint something a little abstract but which depicted the colors of the season. For this watercolor I used aureolin yellow, raw sienna, french ultramarine, burnt sienna and sap green. the size is 10.5" X 7.25".

Bay Sunrise

2010-11-04T16:36:00.001-07:00

I woke up early this morning and couldn't get back to sleep, so decided to get up and make myself some tea. When I opened the living room curtains I was stunned by the color of the sky just before sunrise (see photo below). I decided I had to try and capture it in watercolors. I muted and lightened the colors a bit so the painting wouldn't look too gaudy. I feel one has to be careful when doing sunsets and sunrises to avoid overkill. I may try this again and go a little darker on the darks though.

Evening Glow

2010-10-29T12:41:00.001-07:00

Another atmospheric watercolor inspired by red skies. I've discovered this effect can only be achieved on hot pressed paper. I first tried it on cold pressed and the colors just soaked in and looked washed out. I'm doing more and more work on hot pressed paper. I like the way it keeps the colors vivid. I used aureolin yellow, brown madder, burnt sienna for the sky and french ultramarine with burnt sienna with a little sepia for the trees.

At The Cliff's Edge

2010-10-15T11:39:00.001-07:00

I have not posted anything in a while. Had a dry period which seems to happen around this time of year. I am drawn to dramatic landscapes and this scene of a lone tree at the top of a cliff appealed to me. As I described in my previous blog, there are these really tall cliffs as one walks along beautiful Kehoe Beach in west Marin, CA. A number of trees have fallen down the cliff and lay at the bottom, along the beach. This watercolor was also an exercise in creating texture and I was rather pleased with the result. The underpainting was raw sienna over which I used a pale Indigo for the sky. For the cliff I used burnt sienna, burnt umber, french ultramarine and sap green. The distant hills are cobalt blue.

Kehoe Beach

2010-08-28T10:32:00.000-07:00

West Marin County, California has some of the most beautiful unspoiled beaches. Kehoe Beach is one of them. We took a walk with the family and our two dogs on this pristine stretch of beach. There was a slight mist over the beach that added to the peacefulness. High cliffs were to our right and the sea to the left. We could see cows high up on the edge of the cliff - no fence. I used artistic license with regards to the colors. I used indigo mixed with raw sienna, brown madder and some burnt sienna with French ultramarine.

African Bushveld

2010-08-05T15:20:00.000-07:00

Since my profile mentions the fact that I am influenced by my time living in Africa as well as other areas of the world, I thought it time to depict an African scene. This watercolor is reminiscent of an area known as the Karoo in South Africa. It is very dry, hot scrubland that hardly ever gets any rainfall. The size is 13.5" X 10". I used raw sienna, aureolin yellow and burnt sienna for the glazed unperpainting and raw umber, french ultramarine, burnt sienna and some alizarin crimson for the details.

Misty Morning

2010-07-16T12:14:00.001-07:00

We get a lot of fog and mist this time of year and I love painting atmospheric conditions, so here is another misty watercolor. I'm feeling really pleased because I was notified that I had two paintings accepted in a juried exhibition for the Marin Society of Artists show - running through July-August - titled Land and Sea.

Richardson Bay Sunset

2010-07-02T09:46:00.000-07:00

This is the view from my living room window overlooking Richardson's Bay, which feeds into San Francisco Bay. The peninsula has houses on it and there are many yachts moored here but I decided to leave them out because I wanted a more serene effect for this watercolor. I used cadmium orange, Indigo, Raw Sienna and Burnt Sienna. Size: 13.5" X 9.5"

Storm Clouds Over Drake's Estero

2010-06-25T12:04:00.001-07:00

I wanted to paint Drake's Estero which is situated in Point Reyes National Seashore here in northern California. Although the estuary is a very interesting maze of water at low tide, by itself it would not make a complete composition - hence the storm clouds. Point Reyes National Seashore has some of the most beautiful unspoiled stretches of beaches in California. Drake's Bay is named after Sir Francis Drake, who was supposed to have landed there in 1579. I've included a photograph of the estuary to show what inspired me.

Storm Clouds

2010-06-18T15:56:00.000-07:00

Last week in class Jerry's demonstration painting was of large clouds over water. I liked the subject matter and wanted to give it a try but decided to paint the clouds with a landscape backdrop. I am working on another watercolor with storm clouds over an estuary, and will post that next. I wanted to use neutral colors to create the storm clouds, which I find interesting. I used indigo and burnt sienna with a touch of raw sienna in places - so it was a very limited palette. Size is 12" X 8".

Mt. Tam Early Dawn.

2010-06-15T12:19:00.000-07:00

We get some great skies this time of year, both in the evening and early morning. The glazing colors I used for this one are raw sienna, indigo, Windsor red and Payne's grey for the trees in the foreground. Size: 9.5" X 7.5"

Desert Twilight

2010-06-09T09:37:00.001-07:00

Trying out different color combinations in glazing. It's difficult to decide in advance what colors will work well together to give the end result one is trying to achieve. I think this one worked quite well. Laura's comment got me thinking that I must remember to list the colors I use. For this one I used a light glaze of Raw Sienna and several glazes of brown madder and ultramarine blue. After glazing I painted in the landscape with brown madder mixed with paynes grey and used paynes grey neat for the dark bushes and splatters in the foreground.

Marsh Morning

2010-06-03T17:37:00.001-07:00

I wanted to use the glazing effect to depict a marsh scene. I'm fairly pleased with the way this turned out. Mostly warm colors with a contrast of cool blue in the distance. I used raw sienna, burnt sienna, and a thin glaze of French ultramarine over these glazes because the colors were a little too bright otherwise.

Early Dawn

2010-05-27T14:45:00.001-07:00

Still more glazing. I think I've found what I want to do with watercolors - for now anyway. I really like the luminous effect of glazing. I think it helps create more depth to even a simple subject. I took a few shortcuts with this one to see if fewer glazes would work as well. I was pleased with the outcome. Even though I used only two colors, indigo and Windsor red, I did at least five glazes with each color to give transparency to the piece.

Evening Light

2010-05-23T11:58:00.001-07:00

I've been working diligently trying to improve my glazing skills. I bought Catherine Anderson's two-set DVD on her glazing technique. She is a member of the American Watercolor Society and also a master at glazing. It does require a lot of patience because of the drying time needed between each layer of glaze. Don't like the noise of the hair dryer - though I did use it a couple of times with these. I decided I would do the exact same glazes using hot pressed and a cold pressed watercolor paper to see which surface looks better - the top watercolor is on hot pressed paper. There are about six or seven glazes making up each of these paintings. I used raw sienna, French ultramarine, burnt sienna, new gamboge, and a mix of French ultramarine and alizarin crimson for the purple in the sky and the mountains and tree. I do prefer the hot pressed paper. The colors appear more vibrant and translucent.

Fading Light

2010-05-11T11:05:00.000-07:00

I used an indirect glazing technique to achieve the background for this tonal watercolor. It takes much more patience because one has to wait for each layer to dry before adding the next one. I'm fairly impatient and usually like to finish a painting in one session.

Breaking Waves

2010-04-19T17:08:00.001-07:00

I have to come up with at least one painting a week to take to class for critique. I'm afraid I don't always meet the deadline. I think I experiment too much. This week I decided to tackle a subject I don't usually paint. It took me three tries to get to this stage. I'm happy with the waves but need to have the foreground slightly lighter so the emphasis is on the rocks and waves. I may try to lighten it before class on Thursday. Will report back what Jerry has to say. Size: 13.5" X 10". I used yellow ochre, French ultramarine, Payne's grey, burnt umber and burnt sienna.

UPDATE: I knew exactly what Jerry would say about the first watercolor. The three waves and the space between them are too even in size. Jerry also suggested shadow underneath the breaking waves. I decided to paint this watercolor again using just two waves. They are still somewhat the same size but not the same shape. Will definitely have another try at this. It's quite difficult because it has to be painted without drawing out the waves but rather leaving the white space as you do the sky. That way you don't see any pencil marks afterwards. I also darkened the sky a little more in the second try which makes the white waves stand out better. I think the shadow under the waves makes all the difference too. Size: 13.5" X 10".

Morning Light

2010-03-09T08:12:00.000-08:00

I wanted to try a very limited palette to create a mood painting. I used mostly raw sienna and paynes grey with a little burnt umber in the foreground. I got the idea for this color scheme from one of my John Blockley books. He does lovely mood landscapes, especially when painting English country cottages. He is a master at creating mood in his paintings.

Thank you Saundra for the sunshine blog award. I found it really difficult to choose who to pass this award to. That got me thinking and I would like to award it to all of the artists that follow my blog. They are all unique and deserving of this award. Thank you all for following my blog.

UPDATE: I took this watercolor to class today and Jerry's only comment (and I knew he was going to say this) was that with all the horizontal planes it needed a vertical plane to create tension and interest. While I get the point of this, I was aiming more at atmosphere and felt a large vertical would detract from the serenity of the watercolor. He covered my painting with a piece of perspex and drew in a near tree, which confirmed my feelings. I don't think I will take the advice this time.

Towards Darkness

2010-02-21T11:43:00.001-08:00

I like painting low key watercolors. I wanted to portray the landscape just before sunset. I think the clouds are a little too dark. I painted this on hot-pressed paper. Will now try it on cold-pressed to see if I get better results.

I tried redoing this on cold pressed paper but it was not successful so I redid it larger on hot pressed paper. I like this one better and Jerry Stitt likes it too. I think the distant mountains have a better shape and the color harmony is better.

Tomales Bay

2010-02-14T08:42:00.000-08:00

This is one of the little beaches on Tomales Bay in Marin County, CA. It's not my usual color scheme. I was trying out something different after a demonstration in class on how to paint sand by first putting down raw sienna, then over-glazing with a mix of pale gray made with a mix of cerulean blue and vermilion. Since the sky took up three quarters of the painting, I felt it had to have some drama in it. I think this ended up being too much sky and not enough beach. Need to try it again.

Mist Over Mt. Tam

2010-01-31T13:00:00.001-08:00

I just realized that the last three watercolors I have posted are all in shades of blue. I guess I'm exploring painting winter weather in all its forms. Mt. Tam is a very imposing mountain and one can see it from just about everywhere in southern Marin County. It dominates the landscape. The mountain is often shrouded in mist this time of year and has these lovely blue hues. This is a mix of ultramarine grayed down with Paynes Grey. I really like the various blues one can achieve with this mix. The sky has a hint of pale raw sienna and rose madder under the blue. I will take this watercolor to class this week and see what the critique will be.

Critique: I'm pleased to say that Jerry Stitt really liked this watercolor. He made particular mention of the dark, medium and light values, and the lost and found edges which he felt made the painting work well. For the first time since I have been attending his class, there were no suggestions as to "what would make this a better painting". Hope I can keep this up.

Winter Sky

2010-01-29T11:24:00.000-08:00

With all the rainy weather we have had I decided to do a watercolor of a winter sky - this is a view I have from my living room window of Richardson Bay. I also took the watercolor to class this week for critique. Jerry Stitt liked the painting. He said it had good color harmony and he liked the way I used lights against darks, and that it had a subordinate of lights over darks. He has this sign up in the class that says "what would make this a better painting". The only suggestion he made was a counter-balance on the left of the yacht - something slightly larger, like a distant mountain.

Black and White Plus Red

2010-01-03T12:39:00.001-08:00

I recently joined the Marin Society of Artists located in the Marin Art and Garden Center. It has been in existence since 1927. They have juried exhibitions each month between February and December. The theme for February is "black and white plus red" - quite a challenge for watercolorists who typically never use black or white paint. I thought I would play around with the idea and this is my first stab at it. Not totally sure whether this will be my entry or not yet. I have a month to work on the theme.

Morning Mist

2009-12-13T12:09:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago in art class instructor Jerry did a demonstration on how to paint mist in watercolors. It took me this long to get around to trying it. I am happy with the mountain mist but I think the trees got a little overworked. Will have to try this again.

PS: The critique in class of this watercolor was that the yellow foreground should have a cool glaze to make it blend into the trees. Jerry said that the eye goes straight to the foreground instead of the misty scene behind.

Just Before Sunrise

2009-12-07T17:27:00.000-08:00

This is the watercolor I am taking to class this week. I was pleased with the back-lighting effect. It will be interesting to hear what instructor Jerry has to say. I am learning a lot about what makes a good painting, whether it be abstract, impressionism or realism. I'm really enjoying the challenge. Last week I took "Full Moon Over The Marsh". I was told the marsh should be cooler in color, more like the sky. I have redone it once already and still prefer the original. Will try it again with a different color blue though, because I tend to agree with the criticism.
PS: Jerry said I should have made the upper sky a bit darker which would have made the lower part glow even more. He liked the simplicity of the design, with just three elements.

Full Moon Over The Marsh

2009-11-29T16:04:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago in art class Jerry did a demonstration of a marsh painting. I thought I would have a crack at one myself since I could incorporate some abstraction into the equation. Close to where we live is a large expanse of marshland in a place called Mill Valley. I've always wanted to paint it. Because it is a large expanse of flat area, I used artistic license and added distant trees and used moonlight for contrast. I quite like the results.

Clouds Over The Bay

2009-11-15T16:25:00.000-08:00

We get some spectacular skies this time of year over San Francisco Bay. I used artistic license and emphasized the colors a little. I think I will take this one to my art class for critique on Thursday. Will be interesting to hear what the criticism is. It's usually pretty good. I've learned a lot from the class. Will let you know what Jerry Stitt (AWS) has to say.

PS: Jerry liked my painting and the only suggestion he made was to raise up the hill on the left - which I did - so as not to have too many background hills all the same size. I guess I should have left the before pic up to see the difference, but I have saved over it now.

Abstract Mountain Range

2009-06-13T08:55:00.001-07:00

I have to get this abstract thing out of my system - or maybe not. This watercolor was painted on Arches hot pressed paper. I wanted to see if I could get similar results to what I got from painting on Yupo. Hot pressed watercolor paper is so different from cold pressed. It's easy to get blooms if you use watered down colors. I found the best results came with a slightly thicker mixture of watercolor paints. I was trying different techniques of applying the watercolors and was quite pleased with this result. Would love to hear your comments.

Abstract Watercolor - Sea Life

2009-06-02T16:38:00.001-07:00

Saundra Lane Galloway posted a photo she took on her blog and said, "The picture I am offering you today is for those abstract lovers out there. It is a pic I took at the local aquarium one day. If it appeals to you, have fun with it."

I have been experimenting with Yupo as a medium for abstract watercolors. I thought the colors in Saundra's photograph would possibly make an interesting abstract - so I did what she suggested and gave it a shot. Yupo is interesting to paint on - especially with fluid watercolors. The paint flows on this very smooth plastic surface and can be manipulated in a controlled way. A mistake can be wiped off and fixed, unlike regular watercolor paper. Yupo is made from polypropylene by the Yupo company who say they use 100% recyclable materials. One has to be careful handling it. The natural oils from one's hands creates an impenetrable surface. I had to use plastic gloves when handling the material. After taping it down to my table I was able to remove the gloves and was careful not to touch the surface while painting on it. I used an acrylic fixative to seal the watercolor once it was dry.

Watercolor - Sonoma Landscape

2009-04-03T12:23:00.000-07:00

As you drive up route 101 north from Marin County, you travel through the wide open areas of Sonoma and beyond. It is an area of unspoilt plains and hills. In the hot summer months the vegetation dries out to a lovely wheaten color. The only greens are provided by the dark live oak trees and some small evergreen scrub. It's very much the colors of California in the summertime - beautiful but also a reminder of the ever-present fire hazard.

Laurel Canyon Watercolor

2009-02-13T14:20:00.000-08:00

I just arrived back from a family reunion in Los Angeles. I've always been intrigued by the funky little streets and houses in the area of Laurel Canyon. Most of the canyon houses were built as weekend cottages in the 20's and 30's. The streets are very narrow, windy and twisty in parts and you sometimes have to pull over to let a vehicle coming in the opposite direction pass. They don't appear to have ever been repaved.

I looked up Laurel Canyon on Wikipedia and according to their info "Laurel Canyon has been mentioned in many films and is the subject of a book, Laurel Canyon: The Inside Story of Rock and Roll's Legendary Neighborhood. " Many famous people have lived there, including Frank Zappa, Jim Morrison, Errol Flynn, Elliott Cass and George Clooney amongst others. It's a fascinating neighborhood with lots of history. It's dotted with rows of funky mailboxes in different states of deterioration, precariously propped up on wooden posts, at the end of an unpaved pathway or street. The one I painted here was featured in the movie "Laurel Canyon."

Watercolor Book Reviews

2009-01-28T15:51:00.000-08:00

Over the years I've bought a number of how-to watercolor books and DVD's. Most are sitting on my shelf without a second look. The titles sounded good but the contents did not turn out to be that helpful or inspiring. A few books stand out, however, including two that I picked up at yard sales. I thought I would share my list with anyone looking for some help with watercolor techniques.

A while back I did a review of my first pick, Jeanne Dobie's "Making Color Sing." This is my watercolor bible. I refer to it constantly - see my review in the November 30, 2008 posting.

My second pick is "Watercolor Painting Outside The Lines," by Linda Kemp. This is about the technique of negative painting. Chapters cover everything from basic supplies to picture planning, underpaintings, working with glazes and building nature's complex shapes. There are many visual demonstrations at different stages of the painting. It's a very good read. While I still have not mastered the technique, I delve into the book from time-to-time and keep trying. Hopefully I will eventually achieve something worth posting. The book has great examples of her technique that makes one want to master it.

Third on my list is a book I purchased recently titled, "The Watercolor Artist's Guide To Exceptional Color," by Jan Hart. I think most of us have had failures that can be attributed to using color combinations or mixes that did not work. It is such a vast subject with so many facets. I find it both fascinating and overwhelming at times. This book is very comprehensive and covers just about everything one needs to know about color, from pigment properties to the choosing of a palette for your watercolors. The section on "Pigment Aesthtetics" covers: the primary palette; six-color palette; analogous color pallete; complementary palette; tetradic color scheme; tertiary colors; high and low key colors; color value; neutrals and color temperature.

In the section, "Choosing Pigments for Painting," subjects covered include: light; shade and shadow; backgrounds - something I still have problems with; skies and clouds, waterscapes, landscapes and trees, buildings, animals and portraits. It is well laid out with many watercolor examples of techniques covered.

My fourth choice is "Watercolor Painting Techniques," edited by David Lewis. This is a useful reference book that covers many different watercolor techniques including: painting diffused light; rainy weather; peeling paint; rust-stained surfaces; wood and vegetation; windows and interior textures; cobwebs; grasses; mushrooms and rock surfaces amongst other things.

Watercolor painting is a constant learning process for me and I find that being exposed to the work of other watercolorists has helped inspire ideas for my own work. I've discovered that painting is like handwriting in a way - no two peoples' work is alike.

Watercolorist Linda Kemp

2009-01-05T17:00:00.001-08:00

One of the many watercolor books I've bought over the years is Linda Kemp's "Watercolor Painting Outside The Lines." I was so intrigued by her technique of negative painting that I had to try it. Her demonstrations make it look so easy, but I have yet to master the technique. I like her work so much that I wanted to share it with my fellow artists. This painting by Linda is an example of her technique.

Here also is a link to her website where you can see more of her paintings, view a short demonstration of negative painting, or order her DVD or best-selling book, and see her list of workshop schedules.

For a complete demonstration of two negative paintings - one a landscape and the other a Wisteria plant - scroll down at this site and look for her name. It is really worth watching all eight demonstration clips. It's a totally different approach to watercolor painting.

Bird in Flight

2008-12-08T17:01:00.000-08:00

This was my first attempt at abstract watercolors. I didn't start out with any preconceived ideas. Just wanted to give it a try using the three primary colors to keep it simple. The green was a mixture of Windsor and Newton's payne's grey and aureolin yellow. After staring at the finished painting for a few minutes, trying to decide what title to give it, I realized the dark area resembled a bird in flight - hence the title. I would like to work more on abstract designs with watercolors.

A few of my favorite Etsy watercolorists

2008-12-06T11:31:00.000-08:00

There are so many watercolor artists trying to sell their work on etsy these days that it's not only difficult to get your artwork noticed, but it's also difficult to find what you are looking for. I thought I would feature a few of my favorite etsy watercolorists.

Etsy

A really useful watercolor blog

2008-12-03T20:16:00.000-08:00

I found this really good blog by Joe Cibere who shares his expertise with other watercolorists. As he states, "This site is for students and artists of all levels to share information and hopefully a little of themselves. Please feel free to ask questions, make comments and enjoy. The goal is “to achieve satisfaction, not perfection”.

Water color demonstrations on Youtube

2008-12-02T16:58:00.000-08:00

I spent a few hours on Youtube because I was curious to see what they had on watercolor painting. Quite interestingly they had a number of how-to videos which were informative for anyone needing tips on technique. Here is a link to a demonstration on painting a floral spray. Nicely done.
Floral Spray

And a demonstration on painting sky and sea.
Painting Sky and Sea

Watercolorists I admire

2008-12-01T20:55:00.000-08:00

I'm always trolling the web for good watercolors. Here are links to a list of watercolor painters whose work I admire.
Gabriella Fiabane
S. Georgieff
Edith Dora Rey
Miki´s Sketches

Making Color Sing: A Watercolorist's How-to (Book Review)

2008-11-30T09:24:00.000-08:00

In my quest to be a good painter I have bought many books and how-to DVDs on various techniques in watercolor painting. While some of them were helpful, one that really stands out and is my constant companion and reference book, is Jeanne Dobie's "Making Color Sing." As listed on the cover, it's "practical lessons in color and design."

This book is a must read for any aspiring watercolorist.

Dobie encourages you to forget the formulas, rules, and triads that she feels restrict your creativity. The book features many of her paintings which demonstrate her unique ability to make something as ordinary as a refrigerator become a most appealing painting. I was first drawn to this book by the beautiful cover picture of an English village. I knew that anyone who could paint like this would have something useful to say.

Chapters include: Mixing Powerful Color; Achieving Luminous Grays; Facing the Challenge of Green; Creating Distance and Atmosphere; Layering with Glazes; Creating Transition Between Colors; Invoking Visual Tension. These are just a few of the 31 chapters covering extremely useful guides to becoming a better watercolorist.

Welcome to the Watercolorist!

2008-11-29T12:57:00.000-08:00

This is my new blog, which features my watercolor art and the art of others that I like. Thanks for stopping by.

For a sampling of my watercolor work, visit my presence on Etsy.

Here goes...