2021 Christmas

 

I only got 3 small paintings done this Christmas.  The joy Angel was sold.  I really love painting Christmas joy and the meaning of Christmas.  Thanks for all the support during 2021 and Happy New Year. 2021 had a lot of blessings and miracles.  I am  praying that 2022 will be a great year for us all.  

Nativity Snow Globe

Jingle Bells

Joy Angel

New paintings and sketches

 I am behind again so I am going to make one post ...with the new work. The people were painted with gouache.

Louisiana Watercolor Society Show

I am grateful that the judge chose two of my entries for the show in November.  It will be in Covington LA.

Bad Hair Day and Purple Cactus were accepted.  This is my first time in their show.

Lucca Italy

The day we went into Lucca there was a little shop, with this HUGE tree over it, and the lime green caught my eye.  I am just now getting it sketched. We are going back to Tuscany in Septmeber 2020 if you want to join us! Now's the time to start saving. 
I drew this with a 551 Fude fountain pen in a 5x8 Handbook Sketchbook.  I painted with watercolor and gouache.

Southwestern Watercolor Society Show

I found out I got in the Southwestern Watercolor Society (SWS)
National show, coming up in September.
It is 22x28 and painted with gouache.  I loved this sign that we saw in Nashville!

Family Heirloom

This is a small painting of a friends Mothers Saddle. 11x14.  

She was an awesome Cowgirl! Her entire life she dressed the part. 

She was such a neat lady. I didn't do it justice, but enjoyed painting it anyway.

Savannah the Cat

This is Savannah, one of my friend's cats. She dresses her up and she doesn't mind at all. She is so cute. They are painted on watercolor canvas with watercolor and gouache. 5x7

Savannah in her necklace and Savannah in Pink

Underpaintings in Class

In our monthly watercolor class, we have been doing under paintings.  Last month we did a background under painting, then painted the pears. Then this month we did a complete under painting, then figured out where to put the bike and painted over the under painting. This is a lot of fun, but takes some planning and thinking.

 

 

 

 

This was the under painting that we did first. I find flower designs, and just use that for my designs.

Scrapbook paper works great for ideas.   It has to be painted lightly.  I had them try to mix their watery color about like iced tea...that transparent. It is just for interest, etc.

 Then with the bike drawn off on tracing paper so we could see through it, we put the bike on the under painting where we wanted it to work best, and then drew it off.  I had the basket come out by the center yellow flowers and used them as part of the painting. Everything else was painted over. I did use some gouache in a few places.

 

The Red Bike was what I worked up, then I did the blue one in class.  I have started giving away my demos because they stack up, and Faye picked out the red one!

 

 

 

 

 

This is an example of some under paintings.  Just experiment and you would be surprised at what you end up with!

Just Horse'n Around

I normally don't have problems naming my paintings but for some reason, I had trouble naming him, and it may change! The background and mane is gouache. The rest is transparent watercolor. Also, it is on 300 lb. hot press, which is a very different paper to paint on.  If you haven't used it, it is soft and when you put the color down, if you don't soften the edges immediately it just dries there. Very quickly.  It was a challenge because the photo was back lit and the sun was coming through his eye and whiskers. I was coming home from Portales NM, and saw him in Tatum, NM and I hit my brakes, and turned around for photos! He was just beautiful, but then I think all horses are!
 It will be 18x24 framed.

All Dressed up and No Place to Go!

I decided to do a painting of the frog sketch.  This is the fifth one of the 'Meet Me in the Garden' series.  I enjoyed painting each one. I love all the color!

Shopping

This is a silly Manikin at a store in Lubbock, TX. Their name is 'Chrome'. They had a lot of different and fun stuff! They are on 19th Street if you are in this area, and want to visit!  They also have some of the very weird shoes!
 I had so much fun doing this! I have some more views, dressed differently so there will probably be some more coming!  This is mixed media, using the phone book pages first, done on hot press paper...Then painted with Gouache and collaged with scrapbook paper.

Chef -Work in Progress

 Mixed Media

15x22

hot press paper, with gouache, and phone book pages

glued on first.

I still have a little bit yet to do on this.I took a picture of this chef statue in PA a couple of years ago, and I intended to put all of him in the painting but by the time I started drawing him on, there was no room left for his legs!

I haven't named it yet either, which is very unusual for me.Normally I have my paintings named way before the end. I think I need to add some blue writing on the right side in the background, but can't figure out exactly what I want yet.

This is the technique I learned from Kay Smith.  You glue phone book pages down, leave them for 10 minutes and then pull off what you can.  I am not crazy about the preparation of the paper, but the painting part is fun! I love gouache.  You draw your subject with vine charcoal, then use the gouache to paint, then collage parts of the painting, leaving some of the charcoal.  I like to use my torn paper technique on it.  His scarf, apron and buttons, are done that way.  The menu was a piece of scrapbook paper that I had, and I added stuff to that.

Carolina Opry

Last year when Keri and I went to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, we got to go to the Carolina Opry.
It was awesome. The music was the best! This guy was one of the many photos I took while enjoying the music and dancing.
This is the technique I learned from Kay Smith using phone book pages glued down, then painted with gouache. It also has some collage.  The saxophone is done with the torn paper like I do my other collages.

A Quiet Place

Keri and I found this place while we were in Wyoming or Montana, a few years ago.
 I am not sure which because it all ran together for miles and miles!  It was so beautiful and quiet there.
Art Colony has a challenge each month, and for April it was water, so this is my painting for this month.
It is done on Windsor Newton hot press paper and gouache. It has a different look than transparent watercolor.

Workshop with Kay Smith

Kay and her demo

Kay Smith-Suzy Powell

Painting-not named yet

Saturday I was lucky enough to get to go take a workshop from Kay Smith in Big Spring, TX.
She is becoming very well known, just got in Splash 14 among several other art books.
She is an awesome teacher. Be sure and go to her blog and check it all out.

We did mixed media. Using matte medium, we glued down 4 pages from a telephone book on hot press watercolor paper. After 10 minutes, we tore off what would come off, leaving some of the paper. Then after it dried, we sketched our images on using charcoal. Then we painted with gouache. Then we collages some. I used wrapping paper from a birthday gift. The image is a manikin. I took photos of her last week. I also used some gold leaf on her hat. I have a few touches I need to do yet.

The first photo is the demo that Kay did. This technique goes pretty fast ...after you prepare the paper. The bottom photo is the one that I did. For some reason I haven't named it yet! that is very unusual for me!

The Red Door

Another old pick up. I have 2 photos of different pick ups, with ths red door. I don't know why it is this color unless they made them like this one year. It actually just looks like rust in the photo.

Another fun painting for me! This has some gouache in the sky.

Texas Wild Flowers

Texas Wild Flowers

Since we haven't had ANY rain at all, I thought I would add these little wild flowers.  I took a picture of clumps of them, growing in the pastures just West of town several years ago.  They are so pretty when in full bloom. I don't know the real name for them, but they are beautiful growing in and out of the barbed wire.  Maybe we will have some blooming soon!

This painting was done first with transparent watercolor, then I painted over it with gouache leaving a little bit of the paint showing.  For those of you who don't know what gouache is...pronounced gwash...it is watercolor but it is opaque. It has a chalky appearance.

Daily Supplies

'Daily Supplies'

I painted this for the show in Clovis NM last November. I love western art. That is what I wanted to do when I started painting, but it is so detailed and hard to do, it didn't take me long to venture onto something a little easier! I am hoping to go back to doing more. Maybe because my Granddad was a cowboy and always had a story for us. He remembered all the names of his horses he had his whole life so maybe the sentimental part of me loves western art. He taught our son to rope, and probably gave him tips on riding, and caring for his horse. This painting is similar to another one that I did. I left the rope white on this one. It probably should be called 'New Rope'. The sky is turquoise watercolor mixed with white gouache.

Yoakum County Art Show 2010

"Wash Day"

We just finished our annual county art show,
and I wont Best in Show with my painting,
"Wash Day." This Old building is in O'Donnell, TX.
It is awesome, and the owner said it was built for a wash house.
(By her parents) in the 40's. I loved it the minute I saw it!
I have done two paintings of it. One with transparent watercolor, and this one
has gouache in the sky. The other one is in the show in Roswell, NM.
Their show opens tomorrow night. I won an award on an old truck that
I entered, "Don't Fence Me In" It is also on my blog. It was posted earlier.

Flag Day

"Calm Day'

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the
republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible,
with liberty and justice for all."


Today is Flag day! June 14th. Our flag is very special to me. I love to see it
waving ! It has a lot of history behind it! When it is folded each fold means something specific. There isn't enough room here to add it.
One of the most somber things is to see it being folded at a funeral.
We have seen it twice in my family, and you never forget it.

I am sure there are a lot of stories about our Star Spangled Banner! How it brought comfort, joy, sadness,hope, etc. When Ken was in Navy boot camp, he said he would never forget the feeling he had when he saluted the flag with his gun.

This painting is 12"x30" and is done in gouache, on watercolor paper.