On the Horizon (Acrylic Watermedia) as of May 31, 2018

I started another painting today, a mountain landscape created with acrylics used as watermedia.  These paintings are based in imagination and memory.  Like some of my most recent paintings, this is a more specific memory.  I grew up in Pueblo, Colorado.  The mountains were about 30 minutes away (Beulah, San Isabel, Colorado Springs) and going to the mountains was infrequent and a treat when I was a kid. But those mountains were always visible in the distance.  When I left Colorado, I realized that those distant mountains were in my mind's eye, and that I would always be looking for those mountains on the horizon.

Yellow Aspen Maroon Bells (Acrylic Watermedia)

This is the painting I have been working on, another of my "Mountain Daydreams,"  landscapes painted in acrylics on aquabord.  This painting is based on a specific place, the Maroon Bells near Aspen. Yesterday I realized that given the vantage point, I needed to include Maroon Lake, so I worked on that,  borrowing some techniques that I have used in my oil bar paintings. (Like George Constanza in Seinfeld, I am a bit freaked out by the collision of two worlds: in this case, my oil bar painting and my acrylic watermedia paintings.) This morning, I started by straightening out the shore line, which improved the composition right away.  (Browsing through the many, many stock photos of Maroon Bells helped me see that the apparent curve of the shoreline is an optical illusion caused by the reflection of the hills.) I also added some red-violet to the mountains, actually going for maroon. I also added a bit of outline and some pale yellow to add light to the mountains.  And I adjusted the shapes of the yellow hillsides. Finally, I added a yellow wash to help the two hills "read" as one horizontal band. I have made many other tiny changes all day, and no doubt I might make more. But now I am ready to call this one finished. 

Yellow Aspen Maroon Bells (Acrylic Watermedia) as of May 29, 2018

I worked on this painting this afternoon, another of my Mountain Daydreams, painted with acrylic on aquabord.  Although today was a bit of a struggle, I am happy with where this is going now.  I started by revising the mountain shapes again, for accuracy. But I also made them a bit smaller.  I needed to adjust the scale to make a little more room because I had decided that I really had to put in the lake at the base of this mountain.  And that was a struggle, but painting water is always tricky.  I borrowed some of the techniques that I use with oil bar to do this, and that seemed to work.  This is still a work in progress.

Yellow Aspen Maroon Bells (Acrylic Watermedia) as of May 28, 2018

This is the painting that I started yesterday. This is another mountain landscape based on my imagination and my memories of Colorado. Before I started painting today, I looked at more images of the Maroon Bells because I wanted to double-check those shapes. Well, no problem finding images! According to Wikipedia, the Maroon Bells are the most photographed mountains in the U.S.  And I had to pick this to paint!  Well, I had better get it right.  So my morning's task was refining and reworking the shapes of the Maroon Bells. Although I will need to adjust the rest of the composition, I left that for tomorrow.  To be continued. . . .

Yellow Aspen Maroon Bells (Acrylic Watermedia) as of May 27, 2018

I started a new painting this morning, and this is just in the early stages.  I am painting the mountains again, working towards my solo show in July.  I call this series "Mountain Daydreams", painting from a combination of imagination and memory.  In this case, the memory involves a specific landmark, "Maroon Bells" near Aspen, so I looked at some photos to see those strange shapes again.   I am going for the color of the slopes filled with those Aspen trees turning in the fall. To be continued. . . .

Colorado Front Range (Acrylic Watermedia)

This is the painting I have been working on, and now I think it is finally finished.  This is one of my "Mountain Daydreams," paintings of Colorado from memory and imagination.  For this one, I used one of my photos as a starting point, a picture taken from the road between Denver and Colorado Springs.  Both my husband and my daughter thought I should add more depth to the mountain range.  With a painting this close to the finish line, I was hesitant. So I did a little digital dress rehearsal by opening a photo of the painting in my Painter program and trying out some ideas first.  Then I went back to the painting and added some washes: green and blue to add shadow and pale dusty-orange to add light.  I think this looks better now, and I am glad I listened to my family members.

Colorado Front Range (Acrylic Watermedia) as of May 25, 2018

Here is the painting I am currently working on. This is another "Mountain Daydream," painted from my imagination and my memories of the Colorado landscape.  In this case, I am trying to capture a the look of  the Colorado mountains along the front range, visible along the highway headed south from Denver.  I am working from a photo that I took somewhere north of Colorado Springs. I also wanted to capture what I think of  as the characteristic color that gave the state its name: the dusty rose red that you see there, for example at Red Rocks or Garden of the Gods, and even in the soil along the roadside. Today I started by defining the silhouette of the mountain range with some magenta.  I also used some washes of dusty rose to try to simplify the shapes a bit.  And I fixed some small mixtakes. Although I am happy with this so far, I hope to add just a bit more depth to the mountains in the background. To be continued. . . .

Colorado Front Range (Acrylic Watermedia) as of May 24, 2018

This morning I continued work on this painting. This is acrylic paint used with water on aquabord.  This is part of a series of paintings that I call "Mountain Daydreams" because they are painted from my imagination and my memories of Colorado.  This one is based on a specific memory of the drive along the Front Range, and I am using one of my photos as a reference.  This morning, I began by modifying some of the lines, using my photo as a rough guide. I started the sky with some blue.  Then I added washes -- teal blue,  magenta, and dusty rose -- to blend the colors and make them more harmonious. I saw a lot of improvement today, but there are still some things I want to fix.

Colorado Front Range (Acrylic Watermedia) as of May 23, 2018

I started a new painting this morning.  This is another "Mountain Daydream," painted from my imagination and my memories of Colorado.  I started with a specific color in mind, that dusty rose color that gives Colorado its name.  I am painting for a solo show in July and want to include a painting inspired by the Front Range, mountains visible along the road from Pueblo to Boulder..  I looked through my photos of the front range and found a posterized photo, published here on Sept. 11, 2018 as as "Front  Range Memories."* I decided to use that as a reference for the composition, though the colors won't be as realistic. This is what I have so far; I am sure that the colors will change, but this is the composition. To be continued...

*https://flic.kr/p/anmtfj 

Flatirons at Nightfall (Acrylic Watermedia)

This painting, started earlier this week, is one of my "Mountain Daydreams" based on my imagination and on memories of the Colorado mountains. But this painting is unusual because the memory is so specific, the Flatirons near Boulder.  I referred to photos to get the basic shapes of the Flatirons, but after that, I worked from my imagination. My goal was to have this painting  read as black. (My show in July will be organized around the color wheel.) Yesterday I had tried to make the painting darker, but I was losing things in the process. So this morning, I went back to square one by using an earlier photo of  this painting (as it was on May 20) as a reference to restore the patterns of light and shade on the rock outcroppings. That was an immediate improvement.  In going darker, I had also lost the contrast of  the blue foreground with the slightly darker blue around the rocks,  so I used an ultramarine blue/Mars black wash over that area.  (With apologies to Professor Robert Daigle, my painting teacher who taught us never to add black to color.)  Next, I modified the sky.  I liked the pale orange light in the sky that I had at the beginning, but as I had made the painting darker,  that area had lost definition. So I reworked the shape of that area, and added a purple wash to the top part of the canvas for contrast and definition.  Now I am ready to say that this painting is finished, although I may still make small changes to correct small mistakes.

Flatirons at Nightfall (Acrylic Watermedia as of May 21, 2018)

This is the painting I started yesterday. This is one of my "Mountain Daydreams," landscapes based on my imagination and on memories of the mountains of Colorado.  But in this case, I am painting a specific place, the Flatirons near Boulder.  I am painting for a solo show in July, and trying to work my way around the color wheel. My intention was for this to read as black, but I may not get there.  Today I put down some more blue in the foreground, and some purple in the sky.  These are not the final colors because I want to make adjustments. As this painting gets darker, I plan to nudge the proportion of light to dark a bit closer to what it was yesterday, which I really liked. Not sure I can do it, but I do have a plan.  Stay tuned. . . 

Flatirons at Nightfall (Acrylic Watermedia as of May 20, 2018)

I started another painting today.  This is another "Mountain Daydream," paintings of Colorado from memory and imagination.  I am painting for a show at Galatea Gallery in July, which is why I am painting so many mountains.  And I am using the color wheel as an organizing principle. My last painting, "Colorado Snow Day," is primarily white.  I decided that I would try for a landscape that reads as primarily black, and thought of trying to paint the Boulder Flatirons at night.  Although most of my "Mountain Daydreams" are painting exclusively from memory, for this one I did look at some photos of the Flatirons to get the characteristic shape of the mountains.  Right now, the sky is a pale orange, which may remain near the silhouette of those mountains, but the sky will be darker.  

Shelli (Codfish Project) (At Marblehead Art Walk)

This is "Shelli," my entry for the codfish auction, to benefit Marblehead Arts Association.  Fifty area artists have decorated wooden cutouts, to be auctioned off in June to benefit the arts. This year, for the first time, all the codfish are on display together during Marblehead Arts Walk (this weekend).  So this morning I drove over to Marblehead.It was a lot of fun to see the various approaches and to see all the cod together!  I was also happy to see my "Shelli" on the wall, so I took this picture.

Colorado Snow Day (Acrylic Water Media)

This is the painting I have been working on, and I am ready to say it is finished, although I may still find little problems to fix.  This is one of the "Mountain Daydream" paintings I will be showing at Galatea this summer, all paintings from my imagination and memories of the Rocky Mountains of my home state of Colorado.  By "Colorado Snow Day," I mean the typical look of a Colorado day post-snowstorm: sunshine, bright blue sky, blinding white snow.  This morning, I corrected a few lines, added a bit more blue to the bottom of the painting, and added some very pale pink to the ridges of the mountains.  This painting is a sentimental favorite: I call it my little love note to Colorado.

Colorado Snow Day (As of May 18, 2018)

This morning I kept going with this painting.  I am painting a lot of mountains lately, preparing for a show in July at Galatea in Boston. This is another of the "Mountain Daydreams" that I am going to show: landscapes created from my imagination and my memories of the Colorado mountains.  In this one, I am trying to capture the combination of brilliant snow and bright blue sky that I remember as the best of snow in Colorado.  This morning I added some very pale (almost white) blue paint towards the bottom of the painting, to create shadow.  Then I mixed some iridescent paint into titanium white and began to apply it, doing a bit of blending as I went along.  I also kept moving the painting into strong light to see what the iridescent effect would do.  Then I added an opaque white wash to the sky to lighten it a bit. This is almost done, just a few small things to fix tomorrow.  This is acrylic paint used as water media, on Aquabord, 16 x 20, 

Colorado Snow Day (As of May 16, 2018)

This is the painting I am working on now.  This is another of my "Mountain Daydreams," landscapes created from my imagination and my memories of the Colorado mountains.  I didn't have a lot of time today, but I did rework the color of the sky, adding a bit of manganese blue to give it a more turquoise cast. I like this better, but it might not be the final color.  This is acrylic paint used as water media, on Aquabord, 16 x 20, and is another of the paintings I plan to show in July at Galatea in Boston.

Colorado Snow Day (As of May 15, 2018)

This is the painting I am working on now.  This is another of my "Mountain Daydreams," landscapes created from my imagination and my memories of the Colorado mountains.  I didn't have a lot of time today, but I did rework the color of the sky, adding a bit of manganese blue to give it a more turquoise cast. I like this better, but it might not be the final color.  This is acrylic paint used as water media, on Aquabord, 16 x 20, and is another of the paintings I plan to show in July at Galatea in Boston.

Colorado Snow Day (As of May 14, 2018)

Here is the painting I am working on, another mountain landscape based on memories of my home state of Colorado.  I am trying to capture memories of the combination of bright sun, bright snow, and blue skies that you often see in Colorado.  I am trying to find a blue for the sky that will contrast with the blue shadows on the sun.  I used tried cobalt and ultramarine mixed with white.  Here is how it looks.  I am probably going to lighten that color, and maybe mix some pink tones in near the mountains.  To be continued. . . .

Colorado Snow Day (As of May 13, 2018)

I started another painting this morning.  I am working toward my solo show at Galatea in July. This is another "Mountain Daydream," painted from my imagination and memories of the Colorado Rocky Mountains.  To me a Colorado snow day is dazzling snow on a sunny day, bright white (with blue shadows.)  I had some iridescent blue paint left over from another project* and I decided to try using it.  I think it is going to work well, and I really like what happens when the light hits it.  This is acrylic on Aquabord, 16 x 20. To be continued. . . .

 *("Shelli", my submission to the Marblehead Festival of Arts codfish auction)

"Path to the Beach" (in Porter Mill Gallery)

This is one of my paintings currently hanging in the the "Artists of Porter Mill" show.  This morning, before Open Studios began, I peeked into the main gallery and took this picture.  This is oil bar on canvas, 20 inches x 20 inches. 

Lilacs and Peonies (Posterized)

This morning I received this bouquet of lilacs and peonies, an early Mother's Day delivery.  Of course I took pictures.  Tonight I opened one of the photos in Painter and used digital pastel to simplify the background.  Then I posterized the image, working in sections. Lilacs remind me of my mom and the lilacs growing in the yard in Pueblo. Peonies remind me of our house in Lawrence, Kansas.  The flowers are lovely, and I love to get them. But my favorite part of being a mom is being a mom.

Fog at Lynch Park

Yesterday we went for a late afternoon walk at Lynch Park.  There was just a suggestion of fog as we left the house, but the fog got thicker as we got closer to the ocean.  What I love about fog is that it makes you look hard!  I liked the contrast of the softness of the fog and the clarity of this chain link fence, so I took a picture.  Today I edited the original to get this composition.

Shelli (Codfish Project)

This is my fourth year participating in the Marblehead Festival of Arts cod auction. Some fifty area artists are given wooden codfish cutouts to decorate. The decorated codfish are then displayed and auctioned to benefit Marblehead Festival of Art. This year, I decided to decorate my fish with a pattern of seashells (instead of gills), and I named my fish "Shelli". Today I touched up the blue background, including sides and back, fixed a number of tiny mistakes, and then attached hanging hardware and signed the back. So now I am willing to say this is finished (not perfect, and if I find a mistake that I can fix, I will). I put Shelli up on the wall and took this picture. It is almost time to say goodbye. This week I will deliver Shelli to Marblehead. All the codfish will be on display together May 19 and 20 at the Old Town House on Washington St. in Marblehead and will be part of the Marblehead art walk. During the week of June 11, the decorated codfish will be displayed in various stores in Marblehead. And the auction (online) opens on June 16. You can bid from anywhere. I hope she finds a good home. Stay tuned! I will keep you posted.

Sunlight on Shelli (Codfish Project as of May 7, 2018)

I am continuing work on this project, a wooden codfish that I am decorating for Marblehead Festival of Art.  Fifty area artists are decorating these wooden codfish, which will be displayed in Marblehead and then auctioned on line.  I am using a seashell pattern to decorate my fish.  This picture was taken yesterday, after I applied a second coat of iridescent blue.  I like the way "Shelli" looks in the sunlight, so I took this picture. 

Shelli (Codfish Project) as of May 6, 2018

This is a wooden codfish cutout that I am decorating for an online auction to benefit Marblehead Festival of Arts.  This year, I am decorating my codfish with a seashell pattern.  Here is my codfish project ("Shelli") as she looked yesterday, when I finally finished repainting all the shells!  This was slow-going but definitely made a difference.  Almost there. I need one more coat of iridescent blue, and also want to paint the sides and the back....

Closeup of Shelli (Codfish Project) as of May 5, 2018

Here is a photo of Shelli as she looked yesterday. Shelli is the wooden codfish cutout that I am decorating as part of a fundraiser for Marblehead Festival of Arts.  Some 50 area artists were invited to decorate these wooden codfish cutouts, which will be displayed and then auctioned. (The auction starts in June and takes place online; you can bid from anywhere.)  I am decorating Shelli with a painted seashell pattern, trying to make the seashells look like fish scales.  But more than that, I am trying to make Shelli look beautiful.  So I have been going over the rows of seashells, one by one, making each shell look as good as possible.  This is slow going, but I am getting there. . . .

Bouquet for the Table

Today we had brunch at a local restaurant (Bonefish Harry's, Beverly, MA): https://www.bonefishharrys.com/ This was my first visit, but I knew right away that this was my kind of place. There was a box of chalk on each table and the tabletops were made of chalkboard. The chalk was big, like sidewalk chalk (over an inch in diameter) and the colors were limited, but I had a great time anyway. This is what I drew before my food was served.  

Closeup of Shelli (Codfish Project) as of May 5, 2018

This is Shelli, my codfish project, as she looks today. I am decorating this wooden codfish project as part of a fundraiser for Marblehead Festival of Arts.  Wooden codfish cutouts decorated by some 50 area artists will be displayed and then auctioned (online) as a fundraiser for Marblehead Festival of Arts.  This year  I am decorating my codfish with a pattern of seashells (instead of scales).  I am using iridescent paint and metallic fineline marker. This morning I kept going with the second round of painting the shell pattern.  When I took this photo, I decided to keep the strong overhead light on, to show off how Shelli shines when the light plays on her.

Closeup of Shelli (Codfish Project) as of May 3, 2018

I have been traveling so have been away from this project for  several days, but returned to it this morning.  I am one of about 50 area artists who are decorating wooden codfish cutouts to be displayed and then auctioned as a fundraiser for Marblehead Festival of Art.  This year, I am decorating my codfish with a painted pattern of seashells (taking the place of scales).  I call my fish "Shelli".  Today I kept going with my second round of painting the shells.  I am using white acrylic paint and a fineline marker with metallic gold ink.  It is slow and tedious, but I did two more rows today.  To be continued. . . .

View from the Greenway (Nashville)

Another photo from a walk on the Greenway in Nashville.  The colors were amazing, so I took some pictures.  I edited this one to get this composition.