A lot has happened

A lot has happened since my last blog.  My houseguest came and left, my husband retired (again) and he and I took off for warmer parts for a month.  I almost always travel with my sketchbook and sometimes my paints and rarely take the time to paint unless we are in one place for more than a few days.  This trip was no exception.  I packed a bag with sketchbooks, watercolor paints, brushes etc. and other than a little doodle time one afternoon with my sister-in-law, I didn't look at them except to move them from car to motel room, back to car again.

I also carry a camera and have been known to takes hundreds (ok thousands) of photos on one trip.  This trip I took few photos but did leave with wonderful memories.  Memories of sunshine and short sleeve shirts in March.  Memories of a touch of snow on cactus.  Yes it snowed outside of Tucson.  Memories of times visiting with good friends and time with my sister-in-law and brother-in-law.  Memories of dancing with my husband.  And, memories of driving many miles - over 3650 in one month.  We came home with the thought that yes, we could be very happy spending winters in Arizona.  The question remains as to where we would spend summers.  Also, I would find it very hard to be away from my grandchildren for any length of time.  So, no answers to what now questions, just a lot of good memories.

It's taken me a bit of time to get back into my studio but I did it.  I'm continuing to feel the urge to work with figures both in drawing and in painting.  These 18x24" sketches are what I've been working on.  You may recognize some of the images as I've painted a couple of these models during a workshop I took last year.

I have a house guest coming for a visit and I know I should be cleaning the house in preparation for her arrival but the paint and brushes lured me away from housework once again.  Both of these are done with watercolors and are 11x14" and will probably be tweaked many times before they are ready for my signature.

Watercolor's bad rap

I have to admit that I love painting both in oils and in watercolors.  Luckily when I started painting I had no idea of the reputation that watercolor had for being hard to work with.  If I had, I probably would have steered clear of it but I didn't hear that it was supposedly the hardest medium to work in until much later.  By then, I realized the reputation was not earned.  Sure, you can't scrape everything off at the end of the day if you don't like your painting but you can take it to the nearest sink and wash almost everything off.

You don't have to paint from light to dark as most people think.  You can lift the darks and add light paint at another time.  You can erase only it is called lifting.  You can also get muddy colors but as one who enjoyed mud, I don't mind when colors get muted.  Mother Nature doesn't mind either.  Just look out any window on a cloudy day.

This painting was lots of fun to paint and I intentionally tried to use a muted palette.  I especially loved the way the sky came together.

Self Portrait

All the figure doodling got me inspired to try a watercolor self portrait sketch.  I sure was tempted to make myself younger and thinner but I resisted!!

Practice, practice, practice

Many of my art friends are talking of the need to sketch each day and I couldn't agree more.  I'm trying to feel more comfortable with quick sketches done in watercolor rather than use graphite and my trusty eraser.  

Quick Sketch

Thursday night I had an opportunity to do some quick sketches from a live, undraped model here at our local art center.  We started out with a few 5 minute poses and then moved on to the "long" poses of 20 minutes each.  It is always a little intimidating for me to sketch people quickly especially if I'm with a group of really good artists.  They always seem to get into the flow right away while I often feel like a sputter a bit before I find my groove.  Most of the artists I was with had art degrees and years of experience and I, as you probably know, am mainly self taught with a few classes or workshops along the way.   I ended up having a fun evening and today decided that rather than doing a full painting in oil,  I'd practice with some quick watercolor sketches.

Disclaimer - Unlike many artists, I post my successful paintings as well as my not-so-successful ones.  These sketches are by no means masterpieces, but they were fun.

I usually begin by getting the shape of the head in then move on to placing features.  I wondered what it would be like to begin by painting eyes, the build out from there.  What a strange feeling it is to have a face staring out at me while I'm trying to paint.  I think you'll see what I mean.

Be willing to change

If you've followed any of my posts you have discovered that I will often go back into a painting later and change it.  Some times the change is for the better and some times it is not.  I think the important thing is to be willing to risk change even if something doesn't work out.

This painting below was done intuitively, meaning I did not have any reference photo or scene to work from - just my memory.  Memories are influenced by past and present situations and state of mind.  I have a feeling that I added the fall colors as my way of turning back the clock.  Rather than being in the dead of winter as I am now, I brought the fall colors into my studio and into my life.

Here's the before and the after.  What do you think?