Cucumbers in Colander (with Prisma filter)

These are cucumbers from our garden, picked yesterday. I took a picture and added a Prisma filter.

Rhododendrons (with Prisma filter)

This image began with a photo of rhododendrons that I took a few months ago.  I recently added a spectacular Prisma filter called "Watercolor".

Douro River from Dom Luis Bridge (Watercolor) as of August 29, 2020

This is my current project, a watercolor based on a photo that I took last July during my trip to Portugal.  We walked across the Dom Luis Bridge, from the Porto side to Vila Nova de Gaia, and I looked back and took a photo.  (My reference photo is posted here, July 22.)  It took several days to sketch in the composition, and it felt good to finally begin to apply paint today.

My Dad with Three Sisters (Posterized Snapshot)

This is a picture of my father as a young man, photographed with three of his sisters: Gertie, Lena, and Rita. (My father was one of seven children. Not pictured: his sisters Matilda and Celia, and his brother Barney.) My father's birthday was August 28, so I am posting this today to mark the date. He is not the center of the image, but then he never cared about being the center of attention anyway. This image started as a digital reproduction of a very well-worn sepia-toned snapshot. My Aunt Rita sent me the digital image sometime in the late 1990s, so it was a very small file as well. But I liked this photo, so I cropped this image out of the snapshot, cleaned it up in iPhoto and Painter, and added a bit of posterizing. I also used a bit of digital pastel to draw into the image as well. All seven siblings are gone now, but I have great memories of all of them. It's nice to see them as they looked when they were young. I especially love the image of the shy young man who became my father. His memory is a blessing to me, as was his life.

Just One Squash Blossom (with Prisma filter)

Here's another image from my recent morning photo shoot with squash blossoms.  I added a Prisma filter.

Squash Blossoms in the Morning (with Prisma filter)

We are doing more gardening this year, thanks to my daughter, who grew almost all the plants from seed.  We have squash growing, and it took me a while to figure out that you have to photograph squash blossoms in the morning, because they close up later in the day.  I added a Prisma filter to this photo.

Douro River from Dom Luis Bridge (Sketch for Painting) as of August 25, 2020

I continued sketching in the composition for my next painting. I am working from a photo that I took in Portugal last summer (posted here August 22).  Today my focus was the buildings in the foreground, although I did revisit the curves of the river.

Douro River from Dom Luis Bridge (Sketch for Painting) as of August 24, 2020

This pencil sketch is the start of a new watercolor painting, based on a photo that I took in Portugal last summer.  Mauro took me for a walk over Porto's Dom Luis Bridge.I took this photo from the Vila Nova de Gaia side. (My reference photo is posted here August 22.) Today I just tried to sketch in the composition.  I spent a lot of time on the curves of the river, trying to get them right.

Magnolia Blossom in August (with Prisma filter)

The magnolia trees in the front yard seem to think it's spring.  I took some pictures, and put a Prisma filter on this one.

Douro River from Dom Luis Bridge (Painting Reference)

I took this photo last July during my visit to Portugal.  On my last day in Porto, I walked with Mauro over the Dom Luis Bridge. We crossed the Douro River, to Vila Nova de Gaia, and that's where I took this picture.  I am planning to use this as a reference for my next watercolor. 

Tracery of Leaves (with Prisma filter)

Something very simple, just a photograph of leaves. I liked the patterns in of the veins. I added a Prisma filter that brought out the tracery in the leaves. 

Globe Amaranthe (with Prisma filter)

This is another photo that I took during our recent stop at the little farmstand run by The Garden School here in Beverly, MA.  I did some digital editing in Painter, and then added the Prisma filter.

Cocozelle Zuccini (with Prisma filter)

Over the weekend, we went on a brief adventure to find the farm stand run by The Garden School here in Beverly, Massachusetts.  Their farm stand is small but has a lot of charm. I bought a few things, and took a few pictures.  This is the cocozelle zuccini that I bought.  I added a Prisma filter to the original photograph.

Lovely Guimarães (Watercolor) Final

I have been working on this watercolor, based on a photo that I took in Portugal last summer (reference version posted here July 24).  So yesterday I announced that this painting was finished. But later I realized that when the paint had dried, the sky looked darker than I wanted it to.  That's frustrating, because it is hard to make colors lighter in watercolor. But today I removed some pigment with a stiff brush and water, and then added some layers of white watercolor to suggest clouds.  As the color lifted, so did my mood.  What remains is a sweet memory of a lovely afternoon in Guimarães, Portugal.

Lovely Guimarães (Watercolor)

This is the project I have been working on, a watercolor based on a photo that I took last summer during a visit to Portugal. (My reference photo is posted here, July 24.) Today I continued fixing small details, straightening lines, etc. I added some Payne's Gray to the sidewalk, created a shadow for the street lamp, and worked on the sky.  At this point, I am ready to say this is finished, although if I see mistakes, I will fix them.  I am sad to finish this because I have enjoyed my time trying the memory of my lovely afternoon in Guimarães.

Closeup of Lovely Guimarães (Watercolor) as of August 15, 2020

Here is a closeup of my current painting in progress as it looked yesterday.  I am painting from a photo that I took in Portugal last summer. (My painting reference is posted here July 24.) This is the second building from the right.

Lovely Guimarães (Watercolor) as of August 15, 2020

I worked some more on this watercolor today. It is based on a photo that I took in Portugal last summer.  (My painting reference is posted here, July 24.) I continued adding detail, this time concentrating on the third building from the right, straightening lines, fixing mistakes, and adding reflections to the windows. I also added a layer of Payne's gray to the street.  To be continued. . . .

Lovely Guimarães (Watercolor) as of August 14, 2020

It was good to get back to this project after a couple of days away from it. My inspiration for this painting is a photo that I took during my visit to Portugal last summer. (That photo is posted here July 24th.) I have changed some of the colors and details, but I am trying to capture the charm of this scene, the windows reflecting the colors of the buildings on the other side of the street, and the happiness of being there. The basic idea of the painting is in place, but I am working on small details at the moment. I spent a little time modifying the color of the first building on the right, using some layers of white watercolor. Then I worked on the details around the doors and windows. I added some color to some of the other buildings, some tile to the rooftops, and some texture to the road, trying to suggest the texture of cobblestone. To be continued. . . .

Interlude with Hydrangeas (with Prisma filter)

Today was hectic, too busy to paint.  So I am posting this photo that I took a while ago of some lovely hydrangeas, with the Prisma filter that I added last week.

Closeup of Lovely Guimarães (Watercolor) as of August 11, 2020

My current project is a watercolor inspired by a photo that I took in Portugal last summer.  (My photo reference is posted here, July 24.) I didn't have a chance to work on this today, so instead I took a closeup photo of the buildings in the distance. I am trying to capture the colors and patterns that I saw on the streets of Guimarães, Portugal. 

Lovely Guimarães (Watercolor) as of August 11, 2020

I worked on this project this afternoon, a painting inspired by a photo that I took last summer in Portugal. (My photo reference is posted here, July 24.) Today I continued my struggle with the colors of the first building on the right.  I changed the colors of the window frames. When you paint in watercolor, it is sometimes quite a challenge to shift colors. To avoid the colors getting darker, I applied several layers of white watercolor first, before adding new color.  I think the colors are close to what I want at this point.  I also did some work on the sidewalk and road. To be continued. . . .

Lovely Guimarães (Watercolor) as of August 10, 2020

I worked on this project again this afternoon.  My inspiration for this painting is a photo that I took last year during a trip to Portugal. (My photo reference is posted here, July 24.) Today I continued work on the colors and lines, concentrating most of my attention on the first building on the right. I also worked on the colors reflected in the windows, which is part of what attracted me to this scene.  To be continued. . . .

Lovely Guimarães (Watercolor) as of August 9, 2020

This watercolor was inspired by a photo that I took in Portugal last summer. (See my painting reference posted here July 24.) This is the basic composition.  Now I am working on refining lines and colors, and adding detail.  Today I worked on the first and second buildings on the right, and did a bit of work on the street. To be continued. . .

Lovely Guimarães (Watercolor) as of August 8, 2020

This afternoon, I worked on this project, a watercolor inspired by a photo that I took in Portugal last summer. (My painting reference is posted here July 24.) Today I began my work with a pencil and a ruler, trying to straighten out some lines.  Then I did some work on the first building on the right, correcting lines and adding detail.  The color of the building is shifting a bit. What I am going for is the faded pastels that I saw on the streets of Guimarães.

Lovely Guimarães (Closeup) as of August 6, 2020

I didn't get a chance to paint today, but I am posting this closeup of my watercolor in progress.  This painting is inspired by a photo that I took last summer during my visit to Portugal. (My photo reference is posted here July 24, 2020.)

Lovely Guimarães (Watercolor as of August 6, 2020)

I spent a little time working on this project today. This watercolor is based on a photo that I took in Portugal last summer. Today I painted the house on the left, and then, with a very small brush, began painting in the iron work for the balconies.

Lovely Guimarães (Watercolor) as of August 5, 2020

I stole a little time to work on this project today.  This painting is inspired by a photo that I took in Portugal last summer. (My painting reference is posted here July 24.) Today I added details to two more buildings (2nd and 3rd from left), and began refining some of the detail on the other buildings. To be continued. . . .

Lovely Guimarães (Watercolor) as of August 4, 2020

I returned to this project today, a watercolor based on a photo that I took in Portugal last summer.  (My painting reference is posted here July 24.) Today I straightened out some lines, and then worked on the third house from the right, adding windows and a door.  To be continued. . . .

Lovely Guimarães (Watercolor) as of August 3, 2020

Today I returned to this project, a watercolor inspired by a photo that I took last summer in Portugal.  My painting reference is posted here July 24.  Time was short this afternoon. I spent some time with pencil and ruler, straightening out some lines.  Then I worked on the doors and windows of the second building from the right.  To be continued. . . .

Lovely Guimarães (Watercolor) as of August 2, 2020

This afternoon I worked on this painting for a while. This watercolor is inspired by a photo that I took last summer in Portugal. (My photo reference is posted here July 24th.) Today I started adding detail to the building on the right. I am trying to keep things light and loose at this point, to capture the feel of the place.  There will be time later to correct mistakes. To be continued. . . .

Lovely Guimarães (Watercolor) as of August 1, 2020

Although I didn't have a lot of time, I worked on this project for a while today. I am painting this scene based on a photo that I took last summer during a trip to Portugal.  (My painting reference is posted here on July 24.) Today I put in the background color for the sky and painted in the shapes of balconies and street lamp.  I am trying to establish the basic color scheme before I start working on details.