First Day of Spring

Today is the first day of spring, and I am ready for it, except for the wind and sand we get!
I am ready for flowers, and blue skies.  I am still working on getting together a demo, and I think this is the winner.  NOW I have to draw off 2 more, paint one, and then take one half painted to the demo, so I can finish it and cut them up. whew! Hopefully they will enjoy it. I see a couple things I need to do different on the next set, so I will tweak it a little.

Another Experiment

 Yesterday I did another experiment, trying to come up with some more really different paintings.
a few years ago, I painted a small painting of these donkeys, on 140 lb cp paper, so I make a larger copy and drew it off on 140 lb hot press paper. I painted it as quickly as I could since it was so big. (nearly half sheet) using a size 36 brush.  After putting it together I was wishing I had cut the vertical cuts more narrow. I 'could' take it apart and cut them but I would have to be so careful getting the horizontal pieces back just right.  When I cut the area around the eyes and ears, I did cut them more narrow.
 The first one is done darker (not finished)

 the 2nd one is lighter (not finished )

Getting Ready for a Demo

 

I was invited to come to Midland and do a Watercolor, Woven painting demo. Most of the time, If I am going to weave a painting, it is usually because I am not real happy with the painting, and this just adds some fun texture.  Feel free to download the drawing and try it for yourself!  The drawing is done from the painting below it. It is the original I did years ago and nobody wanted it, so I  got it out, and traced another one same size.  I knew I had done this spraying it and splattering it, so I drew off 2 (saving the old original for demo).  I painted two quickly, using my spray bottle, splattering some as I went.  I tried to paint one light and one dark. or yellow and orange and red, but making sure the colors were NOT the  same.  You can tell by looking at the bottom photo where the flowers are different values.    You can use your own painting if want. If you do, please send me what you do! I would love to see it. Even if you use mine. You don't have to spend a lot of time, and try to do a lot of detail.

Original OLD ugly painting

 2 paintings woven together

After getting two painted, cut one in strips, different sizes vertically, leaving attached at the top. You can tape it or clip it to a board. You can use scissors or a rotary cutter. (I used scissors since they were handy, and the painting was small (1/8th sheet)

After cutting the first one vertically..(You can see I didn't cut all the way through) then cut the 2nd one horizontally. different widths, etc. (don't' worry about straight) then start weaving back and forth like you did in kindergarten, When we made placemats, You will have to leave some pieces out, to make the flowers and stems match up. (I just lay the next strip on top to see if it matches, if not, I lay it aside and cut another one. You have to keep them scooted together tight, and when you finish, turn it over and use masking tape and tape around the edges, so it wont' come undone.
You can do any painting this way! It is fun, and gives it a different look. You can not love it too much to cut it up.. If you do, paint something else.
This just gives it a different look, almost abstract look to it.

The Demo is April 9th in Midland, at the Palette Club. I may do this flower, or decide to do something different.  I am thinking I need to enlarge this one so that it will show up more as I  demo.

 

Workshop in Dallas, TX

This week I have been in Dallas at Artisans Studio with a dear friend, Naomi Brotherton and her partner, Pat Kochan. It has been an eye opening class for me.I feel like I learned a lot, if only I can remember and use the information!  The artist instructor was Ted Nuttall, a very well known, and awesome artist from Arizona.  You can view his work by googling his name.

Naomi and her son picked me up at the airport and we went back to her studio, and visited all afternoon. Plus we set up some of her stuff and sketched. It was such fun just to be with her and hear her wisdom.  I took a workshop in 2000 with Naomi and that is where we met, and have kept in touch and been good friends since.  She is a wonderful Christian prayer warrior! She has prayed for our family many many times. I am blessed to have such a mentor and friend in my life. Naomi has Macular degeneration and still paints and STILL teaches..Oh ..I didn't mention she is nearly 93! I hope I can still be painting and teaching when I am that age.  She is amazing.

Naomi Sketching

Naomi's sketch on the left, mine on the right.

My first painting in the class..needs some more work

the last day of the workshop

My Work featured on Carrie Wallers Blog

 An artist from Art Colony has featured my work on her blog.
Carrie Waller. Check it out, plus look at her beautiful watercolors while you are there!

http://carriewaller.blogspot.com/2013/03/friday-feature-suzy-pal.html

February and March Watercolor Class

We had our monthly class yesterday.  The Acrylic  Red barn Thelma Cheatham did last time, and I failed to get it posted, as well as some of the others.
This collage is from the students yesterday.
They all did a super job. I had to put the photo of the two little palettes! Good friends were sharing, and I love that photo too! They all have such different and unique styles. It is so exciting to see what they do.
 The other red barn Kathy did last week.
I am so proud of what they are all doing! I still get excited when I finish a painting, so I know they are too!
Each one got a small drawing of an old car or chicken, and we traced them off onto a 5x7, and they had 20 strokes to paint it. It was a fun challenge, it helps us not to over paint and piddle with each stroke. It also teaches us to use our whole brush, not just the tip, or side, etc.
 They can go back and put the finishing touches to finish them out and hopefully they will remember they don't need too many strokes.

Turn Your Radio On

When we went to Canton, I took all kinds of pictures of stuff just piled up.  This really caught my eye. The red behind all the old antique microphones! I did a sketch and loved it, so thought I had to do the painting. For some reason, I liked the way the edges were in the sketch so I tried to do it similar.  I added a couple more mics than what is in the sketch. I was afraid to use the trademark name behind the microphones, so i just made up some swirls.
This is done on 300 lb hot press Arches paper. I am thinking I like it! The 300 lb.paper is what is required for the workshop I am going to next week, so I had to practice!

 

Ink Sketch in sketchbook