Landscapes: using the white of the paper

In these landscapes, I was trying to use the white of the paper as part of the composition.  The top one is 10" x 14" and the bottom one is 14"x 10".  Both are water colour on Arches Aquarellle paper.

Cotton and Pussy Willows

Cotton and Pussy Willow Still Life, 8 1/2"x 101/2"water colour on Arches Aquarelle
In this piece the challenge was to use the white of the paper as part of the composition.

Sketches

Roofline of Bonsecours Market - pen, ink and graphite wash - Moleskin water colour sketchbook

Sunflowers - graphite wash, Moleskin water colour sketchbook

Holiday Water Colour Sketches

View to Cape Porpoise Pier, 6"x 10" water colour.

Family at the Beach, water colour.

Unlike models, random people in your scene are not cooperative.  They move!  Fancy that!

Clouds and Sea, water colour in moleskin sketchbook

I painted these sketches in August, either on the beach or from the porch of the place we were staying in Cape Porpoise...It was beautiful!

Birthday Card Painting

Birthday Card Boat, oil on canvas, 5x8
I painted this scene from a photograph for my brother's 60th birthday.  He loves his little Tanzer and he's a great sailor!

Winter Landscape!

Winter Landscape, oil on stretched canvas, 5"x 8"

I painted this from a photograph.  In this heat my mind is wandering to all things winter!  Not exactly what you would call being "in the moment!"

Vase with Lilies

Vase with Lilies, water colour, 10" x 14" on Arches Aquarelle. 

Last of Spring Flowers

 Lilacs, water colour on Arches Aquarelle

Tulips, water colour on Arches Aquarelle

These are the last of my spring flower paintings.  Summer ones to follow, as well as some landscapes and figures in oil! 

Flowers, Flowers and More Flowers!!!

Thanks to Elizabeth Galante's magnificent flower selection!  The top painting is of a Proteus, a flower I had never seen before.   It is most extraordinary, what I would call a space flower!  All water colour on Arches Aquarelle.

Secret in My Pocket

Blooms x 3; 7 x 10 1/4" each; Water colour on Arches Aquarelle
Each flower  holds its own secret and might share its secret with you if you look at it long enough! 

Cutting Loose: More blooms, bigger paper

Blooms, both 15"x 24" Water colour on Strathmore paper

It was fun to work on slightly larger paper than usual.  It was also drawing paper, so it behaved a little differently with water colour paint, sitting on the surface rather than sinking in. I enjoyed just cutting loose with paint on paper, trying to capture a sense of the profusion of blooms and colour.

Flowers

 Lilies 10 1/4" x 14 1/8" Water colour on Arches Aquarelle

 Irises 11 1/4" x 15 1/8" Water colour on Arches Aquarelle

Bouquet 7" x 10 1/4" Water colour on Arches

Tulips and more Tulips!

Two Tulip paintings, both 7 1/8 x 10 1/4" on Arches Aquarelle.  Who can resist such amazing colours? 

Flowers in a Frame

Pink and Purple, 7" x 7 3/4" water colour on Arches Aquarelle.  I haven't posted in awhile, but I have been painting and have lots to post!  More to come!

After Matisse

Goldfish, after Matisse,  10"x 14" water colour on Arches Aquarelle.  Once again, I was using a limited palette of Burnt Umber, Burnt Sienna and Cadmium Red Light. 

Limited Palette

In these paintings, I was working with a limited palette of blues ( Ultramarine, Cobalt and Cobalt Teal), and Burnt Umber. 

Bending shapes and planes - Abstract

Abstract Shapes:  10" x 14" water colour on Arches.  Here I was trying to have the shapes and planes bend, creating the illusion of "over" and "under".  I like the sense of jumble in this and the colours.  I do think I need to darken the right hand corner a bit and decrease the size of the white space on the right hand side.

Oil sketch - reclining nude

Reclining Nude, oil sketch on Arches paper (for oil).  58" x 39".    This was painted in about half an hour, with no time to go back in and refine. 

Live Model, watercolour and pen; watercolour and pencil

The top sketch is watercolour and pen;  the second is watercolour and pencil

Live Model

In these watercolour sketches, I was working from a live model using various techniques;  the first one is using a dry brush, the second, working on a pre-stained ground, and using a brush to paint the model, and the third, working on a pre-stained ground, then drawing the figure with pen and brush. 

Working from photos / Wet on Wet

 Bonsecour Market -  Janet Sargisson ( Watercolour on Arches Aquarelle)
This is a quick sketch from a photo of Bonsecours Market;  the perspective is  off, but I like the mood evoked by the colour.

The View Out Back - NDG Lane in Winter  - Janet Sargisson (10.5" x 14.5" Watercolour on Arches Aquarelle)  This is another very quick wet - on wet sketch from a photo.  Montreal and its variety of architecture!  I think I could go in on the second one to put in a little more detail.

Early Spring

Daffodils by Janet Sargisson.  (10" x 14" water colour on Arches Aquarelle paper)

Do Have a Cup

Tea pot and Cup by Janet Sargisson ( 7" x 10" watercolour on Arches Aquarelle paper)

This is a small water colour painting done very quickly, but I think it demonstrates how sometimes through speed we cut to the essentials and end up with a satisfying piece!  I like the freedom of this  and the colours.  It makes me want a cup of tea!

Far Away Places Right Here

I painted this based on another photo of Monet's Garden from my old calendar.  I guess you could say that it is more about the feeling of the image than the architecture itself.  The photo was much more complex in that sense. 

Still Life with Roses

Again, I was working wet on wet, then I used a dryer brush for more definition through line.  The challenge, as always, is not to close in all the forms, but to leave some breathing space in certain areas. 

Working from a photo

For this painting, I worked from a photo of Monet's garden, from an old calendar.  I worked wet on wet and then went in with a dryer brush for more detail and line. 

Simplicity and accidents

For me, the hardest part of water colour is knowing when to stop.  So often, less is much, much more.  In this painting, I worked wet on wet and then with a slightly dryer brush for more specific lines to define certain edges.

Trying to loosen up with wet - on - wet

From teapots to flowers, anything makes a good subject for painting.  Here are even more experiments with wet - on - wet techniques, some more successful than others.  The paintings vary in size, but all are water colour and were a great pleasure to paint!  Some are much looser than others.  It seems to take me a good hour or so to get to the very loose stage, when the best work happens.  I love the accidental element of this kind of painting;  it is very exciting to watch the paint flow and dry, if you can believe it!  I am trying to leave forms somewhat open and not to close all the edges, where possible, as well as to use white space and to allow beautiful accidents to happen.