"At the Bottom" & "Gliding By"

I signed up for another ATC exchange on WetCanvas. The project is for "Alternate Cards" so I'm doing something a bit different. Here are two cards that have reached their destinations. These were done with a gouache resist and India ink on 300 lb watercolor paper. I tinted the blank paper with watercolors and then painted on white gouache anywhere where I wanted a line or no color. The tinting allowed me to see where I was painting the gouache. When the gouache dried I painted over the entire card with India ink. Next I rinsed the card under running water, gently rubbing the areas that were covered with gouache. The black India ink was the only thing that was left on the card once it was rinsed. After the card dried I painted inside the lines with watercolors. I think it gets an interesting effect...sort of like a block painting. I've enjoyed doing them and will be posting more.

Beach Picnic

This is the final painting I did for Valri's WDE over the weekend. This was done in ink and watercolor. The original reference photo showed a picnic area with a group of tables, but I cropped it to show only one. I wish I could be sitting there right now!

Long Legs

This is 5 x 8 and was also done for the WDE on WetCanvas. I used watercolor and ink for this. I thin the ink helped accent this creature who needed to stand out a bit from the background.

Sultry Valri

Thanks to the WDE I am getting more confident at painting portraits. This was done for Valri Ary's WDE which is going on now. It is a photo of her from a cruise she took, and I am really happy with the way it turned out. This is about 6 x 6.

River View

One of the good things about living on Long Island is the variety of water views we have here. It was warm enough to head out in my car "studio" again yesterday and do a plein air. This was done at Sunken Meadow State Park looking toward a small river that flow through it. This is 4 x 6. It was nice enough outside that when I finished painting I went for a long walk along the boardwalk. What a treat!

Winter at the Lake

Our weather was warm enough yesterday to find a scenic place and sit and paint from the front seat of my car. This is 3.5 x 5 and was done in my little moleskin journal. I used watercolor and ink.

Olmeto, Corsica

I'm trying something new this month. There is a blog called virtualpaintout.blogspot.com. Each month they select a place to visit and using google maps you find a view to paint and then submit it to the site for posting. It took me a while to find a view in Corsica that I really liked, and here it is. This is 7 x 10 and done in watercolors and ink.

If you are interested here is the link:

http://virtualpaintout.blogspot.com

Bonnie's Dad & Wyatt

Both of these were done for the WetCanvas WDE from photo references by "artastic." Many thanks to Bonnie for such wonderful photos to work from. The painting of her dad is 4 x 6 and the one of Wyatt is 6 x 6. It is fun to try portraits and figures this way. Some day I'll get brave enough to try one of someone I actually know. lol

Mission San Juan Capistrano & Napping

I almost forgot to post these. They were both done for a WetCanvas WDE two weeks ago from references provided by "justjean." "Mission San Juan Capistrano is 4 x 6 and done in watercolor and ink. "Napping" is 4 x 6 and done in trasparent watercolors.

Peacock by Marloe's Peninsula

This was done for last week's WDE. I combined two reference photos to do this 4 x 6 in ink and watercolor. The peacock was originally standing on a concrete patio, so I moved him to the shore.

Limited Parking

This is 11 x 15 and was done from one of my Venice photos. I started this before I left for France, and finally got around to finishing it. I poste a WIP of it in the Watercolor Studio in WetCanvas. (http://wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=602008

All Legs

This was also done for the WDE. I really cropped the photo, because this part was just the upper edge of a photo of a group of baskets on the ground. This is 4 x 6. Many thanks again to Lin for her references.

Castle Entrance

This is 4 x 6 and done in watercolors and ink for the WDE. The reference photo was supplied by "oldrockchick" from WetCanvas. Thanks for the great photo, Lin!

Paris Flowers for Karen

This is 11 x 15 and was done as a gift for my sister-in-law, Karen's, birthday. I combined several of my photos of Paris flower shops and one of my small paintings done in Paris for the composition. Karen is going to Paris in March to celebrate her birthday, so I thought this would give her something to dream about ahead of time.

Deep Snow

This is one of my favorites of the snow ATCs that I've done and has been received so I can post it here. I was taking photos of the kids sledding when I noticed these two kids trying to walk in the deep snow. They kept falling over and knocking each other down in the snow. I think they had the best time of all!!

Sledding II

This is also an ATC (2.5 x 3.5) done for my Fall/Winter exchange on WetCanvas. I will upload more of this series as the cards reach their destinations. I really had fun painting the kids in the snow.

Ferry Passengers

This was done on the Cross Sound Ferry on our return trip from Maine. I think my perspective for the inside of the ferry is a bit off, but I was having fun capturing the people. This is 3.5 x 5 done in my moleskin notebook in ink & watercolors.

Pine Cone and Needles

This is 4 x 6 done from some Maine treasures.

Lobster

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!!!

A trip to Maine has to have a lobster dinner. This was before the poor creature was put into the pot. I had him sitting in a glass dish so he wouldn't crawl off the table. lol 4 x 6 postcard sized painting.

On Line

My husband and I traveled up to Maine to see family for Christmas. The easiest way to go from here is to take the Cross Sound Ferry from Orient Point, NY to New London, CT and then drive the rest of the way. I like taking the ferry because there is always something to sketch or paint to pass the time. Here are some of the passengers waiting on the food line. This is 3.5 x 5 done in my moleskin journal.

Sledding I

After our snowstorm last week I raced out to take some photos of kids in the snow. This is an ATC (2.5 x 3.5) done for the Fall/Winter Exchange on WetCanvas.

Winter Ride

This is 11 x 15 and was done from one of the photos I took last year when it snowed. I'm glad I painted it when I did because somehow I lost all the photos I took that day! This was the painting I used for my Christmas card this year.

"Tea & Cookie" for the snowstorm

We had at least 2 feet of snow this weekend. It looks lovely, but I definitely needed a warm cup of tea and a cookie after tromping around in the snow Sunday morning to take some photos. I guess I won't be sitting on my patio for a while. lol I will leave you with these photos of a white Christmas and wish you the joy and peace of the holiday season!!!

Ready to Bake

The cookies have long gone into the oven by now. Of course I couldn't resist a taste of them. 4 x 6 ink and watercolor.

It's a Wrap

I guess I'm continuing with the holiday theme here. This is a 4 x 6 watercolor done for my scavenger hunt. I needed to do "something used for wrapping." Rather than sketching just one item I did a small collection as a painting.

Decorated Tree

This is a section of my Christmas tree that I did in watercolors and ink for my Scavenger hunt. I needed something gold (ornament), peace (the dove) and an ornament (my Maine lobster).

Candy Apple

This decadent candy apple was a Christmas gift from my friend, Rhea. I think I was on a sugar high just looking at it. lol This is 4 x 6 done in watercolor and ink. I'm going to have to find several people to share this with.

Birches in the Snow

This is an ATC (2.5 x 3.5) done for the Fall/Winter Exchange on WetCanvas. I used my own reference photo for this.

Reeds by the Shore

With holiday preparations I feel like I haven't had time to paint lately. Between errands yesterday I stopped to do this quick plein air from the front seat of my car. This is about 3.5 x 5 done in my moleskin notebook.

Christmas Cupboard

This was done for the WDE on WetCanvas. I combined the figurines from one photo with the antique items in the cupboard photo, plus a few Christmas decorations from my imagination. This is 5 x 7.

Cappuccino and Treats

These ATCs were done for an exchange on WetCanvas hosted by Jeanne Grant. The theme is pieces, and all of mine are assorted subjects done as puzzle pieces. I think these three go together nicely.

I was asked to do an article for the WetCanvas Watermedia Forum on "Traveling with Watercolors." If you care to check it out, here is a link:

http://wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=596648 .

Kicked Off

This is 5 x 7 and was done for the latest Scavenger Hunt on WetCanvas. I decided to do an acatual painting of the shoes rather than just a sketch. Shoes are a challenge with all the shading on them.

Sprinkles on Top

This was done for last weekend's WDE on WetCanvas. I just couldn't resist those colors! It is a bit different from anything I usually do. I did this directly on a Strathmore greeting card in watercolor and ink, so someone will be getting it as a birthday card.

Celebrate with Flowers

This is about 5 x 7 done with watercolors and ink. It was an arrangement of flowers my husband bought me for my birthday last week. When he handed them to me he said, "I hope you're going to paint them."

Snowy Mailboxes

"Snowy Mailboxes I" and "Snowy Mailboxes II" were done in ink & watercolor from reference photos I took in Maine last winter. Both are ATCs (2.5 x 3.5) that I did for the WetCanvas Fall/Winter Exchange.

Fiddler

This is 5 x 7 and was done for one of the WetCavas Weekend Drawing Events. I was happy with the way this came out. Usually I make older people look to young, and age the younger people. This gentleman apparently goes each week to nursing homes to entertain with his fiddle.

Goodbye to France

Sadly, the trip to France is coming to an end. "Au Depart" was done in ink and watercolors at the train station in Avignon. We had to return our rental car by 10am and our train wasn't leaving until 12:30. That gave me a bit of time to capture a few travelers passing through. It is hard to decide on who to start sketching, because they often leave before I'm done. It has taught me to sketch much faster than I used to sketch, and to watch for someone who looks like they'll stay a while. "Looking Back at Provence" was actually painted in route back to Paris. I would look out the window and find a small section of the landscape or a feature to sketch, look up and do another small section, and then another until my page was full. Then I added the color. I did paint again in Paris before leaving, but those paintings were included in the Paris paintings posted previously. I enjoyed my painting trip through France, and I hope you enjoyed it too.

Lacoste & Bonnieux

These two little Provence towns apparently were at war with each other back in history. Each town can see the other one across the landscape. Lacoste is home to the exchange students from the Savannah School of Art and Design, and I met a few of them while I was painting in the town. "Lacoste Street" was painted in ink and watercolor while I tried to keep warm in the Mistral winds. It was fine when I was in the sunshine, but because the town streets are so narrow, as soon as the sun moved a bit I was in shade again. "Bonnieux Walkway" was also done in ink and watercolor. Both were really lovely towns.

Abbaye & Koi Pond

The first painting "L'Abbaye de Senaque" was done with a micron ink watercolor paper. I worked with the ink while it was still damp to make it bleed with my waterbrush, and then when the area was dry I used the ink for additional details. I'm not sure why I did the Abbaye in black and grey tones, but I think it had something to do with the fact that it was such a gorgeous spot, and I had just seen the photos inside of the Abbaye gift shop with all the rows of lavender in front of it. It looked breathtaking with all the color. (This spot is often photographed for calendars and postcards.) Of course I was there in October and the lavender is in bloom in August! For me the lavender banks were all just dirt banks. I guess I had to make it look different, and I like the effect I got with the ink. I was also there on a cloudy day, so it did look a bit somber. I would love to see it with the lavender in bloom. "Koi Pond" was painted on the property where we were staying in Rognonas. It had all kinds of hidden lovely spots. Both of these are 5 x 7.