Crazy Cactus

Here is another collage, watercolor that I am experimenting with.  You can find these on Daily Paintworks for sale.

Daily Paintworks

Cloudcroft Art Workshops

I am excited that I was invited to go to Cloudcroft NM and teach sketching at their wonderful old building and great little town. The weather is awesome and is so refreshing to be there.
The workshop will be June 3-6. There is a reception on Sunday June 2, at 6 PM.


http://www.cloudcroftart.com/artists/powell/index.htm


 



Watercolor and Ink Sketchbook Memories
Using your photos, pen, ink, watercolor, gouache and/or casein in the comfort of the studio you will create wonderful memory books that you and your family will treasure forever. This workshop is great for those wanting to create a sketchbook habit, or those struggling with sketching and drawing. Especially beginner sketchers. Your sketchbook style will become like your handwriting, your own personal mark. Suzy believes anybody can draw with practice, just like learning to write.

I will also furnish photos from Cloudcroft and we will work along together making a book with our photos, or you can bring your own photos and work from them.
Being married to a farmer, living on the family farm in west Texas, Suzy has been painting for 30 years working in pastel, pencil, watercolor, gouache, acrylic and collage. She didn’t attend schools that taught art. Learning on her own in her backyard studio has allowed her to teach what she loves and enjoys, in Texas, New Mexico, Italy and in 2020 Poland and Italy. Her favorite thing is keeping a daily sketchbook, and nostalgic and patriotic art. She has won numerous awards and teaches monthly watercolor classes, workshops using watercolor, collages and sketching. She has been in 3 of the North Light Incite mixed media books, as well as the Sketch Book Magazine when it was being published.
Christopher Cross, the singer, purchased one of her watercolor paintings to use on his Christmas album. She is signature members of SWS, AOT, SWA, NMWS, and WYWS. Affiliate member of AWS and NWS.

New sketches

I have been sketching each day. The Turquoise trail is a double page.The BB sign was in Memphis.
the old car was on the Turquoise trail near Albuquerque, NM.  The others are just random photos from somewhere!

July 4th drawings

Two new sketches for July 4th!  The Saddle shop in Post, TX and the little antique store in Comfort,TX.  The Saddle shop was painted with Casein paint,  drawn with brown ink.
The Antique shop drawn with platinum Carbon pen and black ink. then watercolor.

 

Wild Flower Sketches

 

Small Folding sketchbook

I made a folding accordion sketchbook, and sketches the wildflowers that we have here now, 

because of all the awesome rains! I have never seen that purple flower, 'Horse Mint'

It is truly a gorgeous unusual flower.

I am teaching a sketchbook class June 12-13. Come join us!

Sketchbook skool-storytelling

This past week the instructor was Melanie Reim and we were to go to a park or somewhere an sketch people. People are really a weakness for me. I had to go to a big town to the mall and dis office to get mine done. They aren't great but was a fun exercise for me!  I also sketched in our town on Friday. The old Motel sign.

Keri's Livingroom Sketch

This was done sitting on Keri's Couch. I was waiting on her, and decided to sketch that side of the room.  T-Bone was quietly chewing his bone with his legs all stretched out, and was still enough for me to capture him. (sort of). 
I really love this little sketchbook. It is Strathmore Mixed Media with 90 lb paper and it paints up awesome Not one ripple or wrinkle, even painting on the backs. I have been very impressed with it.
Enough that I got an 8.5x11. That will be hard for me to fill up!
Our Sketchbook Class is this coming Friday and Saturday.  I am so excited about it!
 I have room for 1-2 more if there are any takers! just let me know.

More Cloudcroft photos

The 3 day workshop was good. I realized that I really know nothing about oil painting!  Watercolors are still my first choice but it has been a good challenge for me. I signed up for the 30 day challenge again not knowing yet what I will do! Watercolor or oil?
These are the two paintings I did, along with some sketching.  The oil paintings are very beginner looking but is ok.  I am trying to do this post on my ipad so I just listed the photos. 

1.morning coffee in the camper 

2. Cloudcroft art sign

3.first set up and painting

4. Sketch of set up

5. Thursdays painting

6.small sketch

7. My new art friend Joy Cowan from Odessa, Tx

8. Sketch of Our supper last night. 

We will head home and I will be getting ready for my sketchbook class. Am so looking forward to getting together for this. 

Workshop in Plains

This Friday and Saturday we had a great 2 day workshop. The first big workshop in my new building. I loved it! The students were from: Artesia New Mexico, Midland, Lubbock, and Plains. They all created something that they will enjoy for years!

We have set up another collage workshop for March 6,7 2015. Put on your calendar if you are interested. I only have room for 10-11 so I will need to know as soon as you can. It is $80 for both days.

Kathy, Rhonda Carol

Georgie, Mary George, Liz

Ruth Ann, Donna and Danielle

Also, September 12 -13,next month...
 I am teaching a Sketchbook class. We will do some basic simple sketches and learn about sketchbooks and different tools we can use.  Also we will talk about making our own.  I am excited to do this because sketchbooks happen to be one of my favorite things to do! You do not need any experience, so don't worry about that part. It takes a while to learn to draw and this is a beginning if you have ever been interested. I have filled several sketchbooks over the years, and they are such fun to go back through.
The cost is $80 for both days. You mainly need a good sketchbook. This is a great brand--visual journal. They have watercolor, mixed media and smooth. I love them all. I watercolor my sketches, so this paper works really good. they have small and large. I would recommend the small to start with.  I draw strictly with ink, and that would be my advice to you also.  You can pick up a fountain pen, or a good ball point, etc. If you are worried about that, bring some pencils. colored pencils, etc.
I will make a better list in a few days.This 2 day workshop is $80 also.

More sketches

 I am still sketching at night. These are done in the watercolor Strathmore Visual Journal, which I love! it is the small one, and the black Tombow marker. The first sketch is from one of our trips. The chef fixing breakfast.

This one is from Wolfforth, TX and the mailboxes are from around Seminole, TX.  I don't remember where the building came from.

the White barn was from around San Angelo I believe. (it wasn't really white) It was done with my Lamy fountain pen and ink, then watercolor.

 The old camper is from Plains,TX. I love that old thing. I have taken several photos of it!

Happy Valentine's Day

A Sketch for tonight.  

Happy Valentine's day to all!

Two New Sketches

 'Old Barn'

 'Companions'

Tonight I did some more sketches. The old trucks were on the way home from the Lovington, NM trip where I took the other photos.
I don't remember where I got the barn photo. It is old.
They are both 4"x10".  I used bockingford watercolor paper, and some of it is tinted. The top one is cream colored, and the bottom one white.
I am glad I found a new and different paper, I love the way it paints.

The Green Roof

This is another photo I got while in Lovington, NM yesterday.  I told Ken I saw a house with a green roof, and we had to find it going home! So ...we did! there is a lot more cactus, mesquite, but just added a few. That is the fun part about the sketching- or ink with watercolor. Whatever you want to call it. I am still just using ink, with no pencil and eraser.  I encourage anybody who wants to improve to do the same. It is unbelievable how much it has helped me.  I am still trying to sketch each day, and I started Oct.13th, 2012!
This is 4"x10" on Bockingford watercolor paper. It is very pale mint green..

Best Friends

Today we went to Lovington, NM and on the way home, we drove around looking for photo ops, and found these old pickups! They could be Best Friends! They look like they have seen a lot of miles in their day.
Ken is so good about stopping, turning around, backing up, etc. for me to get a good picture! They are sketched with my Lamy Safar fountain pen, with the Lexington Gray Noodlers Ink on pale mint green Bockingford paper.  I  bought the paper to make some sketchbooks, and really like it. This is 4"x10".
Left over pieces from the sketchbook pages.