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[Tags: Art Auction Saturday, Artwork, landscapes, miniature painting, watercolor painting
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Posts Tagged ‘miniature painting’
Art Auction Saturday
Saturday, February 27th, 2010Watercolor Demo - Lilacs in Bloom Part 3 Final
Friday, February 26th, 2010
I’m trying something new and this is the first - a short snippet of my painting process. This is my first attempt at doing a video, editing and posting. Bear with me… next time I hope for a better quality video.
Anyway… as you can see I’ve continued to apply layer upon layer of color (watercolor washes) always referring to my color study as a guide in my color mixing process.
While some artists are confident enough to apply dark, splashy washes with only one or two applications of paint, I tend more toward the “building process.” Building by applying one wash of color over the next (drying each layer thoroughly) until I get the desired dark value.
The beauty in creating art is that there’s no right or wrong way to get where you want to be. It’s all a matter of personal preference and style. I suppose that’s what I like best about art - in math 2 + 2 is always 4, but when I’m painting the answers are what I want them to be!
Once I have my foliage and such as dark as I desire I will then remove the masking fluid by erasing or rubbing it. I find using an eraser is cleaner as the oils from your skin can leave a residue on the paper that is hard to remove. Once those whites (your unpainted protected areas) are exposed then it’s time to paint those lilacs and make them bloom (as seen in this video)!
Something important to remember is that while our brain knows these lilacs are made up of hundreds of small blossoms in each bunch we need only focus on painting a “shape” that says “bunch of lilacs.” I have found keeping that in mind - paint a shape that says what we want to say - is freeing and keeps me from getting caught in fussy little details when a shape and color is all you need to say what needs saying.
What I wanted to say with this painting is, “Wow I just saw this beautiful, old country home with mature lilac bushes in full bloom. So vibrant and beautiful! Here look . . . see what I mean?” That’s my message. Can you smell them? Can you feel them tickle the end of your nose as you take in their sweet aroma? That’s my message. Sharing what I see and how I see it through my painting.
Creating Your Own Reality
Sunday, January 3rd, 2010
Last of Winter, Watercolor, Image Size 3.25 inches x 2.25 inches (Miniature)
Sitting here in my upstairs perch I watch as a cold, bitter wind tosses snowflakes in swirls past my window. The gusting wind and snow started yesterday evening and today at 5:34 p.m. it’s still snowing. Days like this remind me just how lucky I am to be an artist, albeit part-time, but an artist nonetheless.
I wet my watercolor paints and grab my favorite brush with the knowledge that my art can transport me to any place of my choosing. Only this morning over coffee I’d “stood” on a hilltop taking in the distant mountains while observing the last remnants of winter snow sure to be gone in a day or two (see “Last of Winter” above).
And then this afternoon I choose to get away from the cold winter wind and head to Vermont for a walk through a field of wildflowers. As I recall it was last July, during a visit to Jonathan and Calico’s, and I’d taken lots of photographs hoping to later use them as reference for some wonderful paintings. I can’t think of a better time to “walk” again through the fields of lupine, daisies and ferns to escape this bone-chilling winter day.
Lupine, Daisies & Ferns, Watercolor, Image Size 3" x 2" (Miniature)
As I began to paint - building one watercolor wash over the next - I’m there in that field. It rained on and off that day and as we walked droplets of rainwater dampened our hair and clothing. No room for worries though as the rain fell softly on the field of wildflowers. It sure was nice to get away to Vermont for a while this afternoon. Today Vermont, tomorrow who knows.
The wonderful thing about being an artist, reading a fine book or writing a short story is we can create our own reality. We can go anywhere, do anything, be anyone. The only limit is our own imagination. So today while outside it was harsh and bitter, inside my head there were fields of daisies and the warm summer sun.
Remember that the reality you create is yours alone to conjure. I’m glad to be back at the drawing board where anything is possible.