Lingering on Locust Street

Now Showing at Gallery Augusta
purchase here

Tonight's paint out was anywhere within Augusta city limits.  Loving the view on Locust, I set up and started drawing.  I have run out of my larger papers, so had picked up a watercolor paper to fit a couple of new frames I bought (I was also out of ink frames).  The smooth surface drove me crazy, and the resistance to the water was also hard to navigate.  I will not be using this paper again, unless I cut it up for ATC work!  Painting number 2312 in 2312 days.

Ship on a Shelf

What a fun day this has been!  I have a new handmade watercolor sketchbook with deckled edges - and today is my very first entry!  Using a new tiny pan of watercolor paints (recommended by a friend)  and new watercolor brushpens, I armed myself for a morning of painting inside the Mission Antique Mall.  I've never used any of these supplies, so it was quite an adventure!  I first wandered around for an hour before picking a subject (I was so distracted by the antiques!)  and then, I sketched the ship out with my India ink pen on this fabulous paper.  It took me a minute to realize that I had to actually squeeze the pen before water would come out, and then it was right on to mixing my paints.  I finished this one and sketched out another, but alas it was time for lunch in the cafe - and it was wonderful!   A day well spent!  This painting is the 1400th in 1400 days!  It must be all smooth sailing from here :)

Prints and products are available here

Atalanta and Meleager study

Today was Art Mob day at the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art.  I LOVE that place!  It is so unbelievably inspiring to walk the halls, surrounded by masterpieces.  This very moving sculpture of Atalanta and Meleager grabbed me right at the start.  They have these little folding stools in every wing, which you can set up wherever you want.  This allowed me to get the best vantage, and I started sketching.  This is a wonderful way to study figures!  Only pencils are allowed in the museum, so this is my medium today.  I think I need to do this over in paint!  Drawing number 1330 in 1330 days, and then a delicious lunch was enjoyed by all in Rozelle Court :)

Mackay Hall in Autumn

Mackay Hall in Autumn
watercolor batik on rice paper, 6x8.5
purchase here

I spent a wonderful afternoon in Parkville with friends, to celebrate a birthday.  The fall colors were really washing over the town - oh why couldn't we have had this color last week when painting up there every day? I had not had a chance to paint Mackay Hall this year, so today was my chance - and this time is watercolor batik on thin rice paper!  I have come very late to my work!  Pilates, lunch and shopping out with friends, a little more shopping with my youngest son, followed by a Zumba party at the gym - all have pushed my painting window to the very end of the day.  As with all paintings of this kind, I am working "assembly line" style, letting the watercolor dry on one while working on another.  If the first still isn't dry, I begin another, and tonight I work on four.  It takes the very wet rice paper quite a while to dry!  Tonight, I grew tired of waiting (and didn't want to begin a fifth) so I pulled out the blow dryer to speed that process up!  It worked like a charm, and I was able to finish all of them.  Another trick for this very warm day - I had to put the paintings in the freezer after waxing, because the wax was staying too soft to really break off after the wadding up stage!  I also had to do that when up visiting my parents in Ohio this summer.  It also works like a charm!  This painting makes 1024 in 1024 days :)

French Street in Batik

French Street in Batik
Watercolor batik on thin rice paper, 6x8.5
purchase here

It has been quite a while since I have painting using this technique!  It is exhilarating to delve into something different, exploring new ways to bend the media!  This technique leaves the painting with such a vintage feel - I love it!  I am using very thin rice paper - this one came in a roll, instead of the pad I used yesterday.  I must handle the paper very carefully, when painting, the paper is so saturated that it feels like the soft brush will tear the delicate surface!  I put a piece of waxed paper under each piece of rice paper before I paint on it.  This allows the paint to fully saturate, getting very strong pigment where desired.  I leave it on this paper as it dries, so there is no tearing while it is wet.  I still keep it under the painting as I paint the hot wax onto the surface, this will keep the painting from sticking to the foam core (which I have underneath the wax paper as I paint).  The white surface of the foam core is perfect for helping me to see how the painting is progressing.  The paper is so thin, it becomes translucent with paint - and needs a white surface below it to see where you are at in the painting.  I remove it from the wax paper only when it is full dry and ready to put between the layers of newspaper for the final ironing. This painting makes 1023 in 1023 days :)

Pumpkins in Batik

Pumpkins in Batik
Watercolor batik on thin rice paper, 8.5x6
purchase here

Yesterday was a super fun day in painting class!  We were so busy - I didn't even get a chance to take some photos!  This is one of the watercolor batik paintings I was working on - first sketching with india ink, then painting the pumpkins onto super thin rice paper.  While waiting for the watercolor to dry, I paint three others to the same stage.  Next, I painted the focal areas with hot wax, then lay in all other color and allow it to dry.  I then wax the whole paper, and wad it up into a ball.  After pressing it out flat again, and brushing off any chunks of wax, I then flood the dark brown watercolor into the cracks and crevices created in the wax.  Next comes ironing between layers of newspaper until all wax is removed from the rice paper.  This is what remains, and the irregular batik lines add so much character and depth to the painting.  I want to paint some street scenes in old town Belton - and treat them to a little batik for that vintage feel.  SO fun!  This painting makes 1022 in 1022 days :)

Tall Ship at Sunset

Tall Ship at Sunset
Watercolor batik on masa, 5x8
purchase here

Today I have discovered something new about this masa paper.  I started the same way, with a sketch in india ink, followed by painting the ship and sails in watercolor.  I next brushed hot wax on only these painted parts plus some highlights in the water.  Adding the remaining color to the sky and water, I brushed hot wax over the whole piece.  After carefully crumpling the painting into a ball, and brushing off any wax that crack off, I found the wax cracked and popped off better.  This masa paper has been resistant to the flow of paint until now, as if the wax was just not coming off well enough in the cracks.  The difference?  With our "arctic blast" moving in, it is colder in the house than before.  Thus, the wax reacts so much better!  The watercolor flowed into the cracks more efficiently and spread in a webbing type of motion with little effort.  I have had to work to get this effect before now.  Even at my parent's house in Ohio, I noticed how poorly the wax was behaving - in one instance, it hardly worked at all!  Well, they keep their house considerably warmer than mine ever is.  So, on those days when the temperature is up, I will try popping my painting into the fridge or freezer, to help that wax do it's work.  So rewarding to learn something valuable while painting!  Painting number 682 in 682 days.

Autumn in Batik

Autumn in Batik
Watercolor, ink, wax on masa rice paper, 8x5
purchase here

The leaves are really showing there color north of the river!  Another full day of painting in Parkville - and three more paintings finished.  I have just arrived home - and am too tired to worry about getting photos of my work without natural light.  So, I will have to get all six done in the morning be fore I head back out to paint.  On this painting, I am experimenting with the batik method on the landscape. This was a quick study, and the masa is more resistant to the watercolor applied after the wax than the thin rice paper.  I like the effect, but I will need to do a few of these to get comfortable with them.  This is painting number 656 in 656 days.

Poppies Batik

Poppies Batik
Watercolor, ink, hot wax on masa, 5x8
purchase here

What a day!  After my pilates class this morning, I headed straight for Parkville - and have been painting there ever since!  I couldn't get my panels stamped until 10:00, so I couldn't start as early as I would have otherwise.  I knocked out three paintings today - one in midday sun, another done at sunset - and the final was a nocturne which I couldn't start until it was completely dark since I had no idea of where the good lighting would be.  It was a gorgeous day to be out painting - in the 70's, and warm even at night.  I can work like a machine when I need to - and this event is over in two days - which means I need to!   It was my intention to post one of those tonight, but alas - I didn't get images and have actually left them in the trunk for the night.  I am too tired to fight the giant puppy to get them in safely!  He is very nosy and would likely lick paint right off the surface of them - which he has done before!  So, I am posting this poppy painting that I did a couple of days ago.  It is kind of crazy with it's dreamlike brushwork and the way the batik process worked (which is always a surprise because it is so unpredictable).  At first, I didn't like it at all - but it is now growing on me.  Well, this crazy painting is 655 in as many days and now I am ready to fall into bed :)

Pumpkin Batik

Pumpkin Batik
Ink, watercolor, hot wax on masa paper
purchase here

When I first started painting these watercolor batiks, I did not sketch my composition out first.  Then, I picked up my india ink pen, and started by loosely sketching before applying the watercolor.  Only slightly visible, it adds another dimension to the painting.  With the application of wet layers of color, this india ink lightens in spots - since I don't wait for it to fully dry before moving on to the next step.  The masa paper wrinkles up less than the thinner rice papers did, and the paper is a little thicker - creating a slightly different finish on the painting.  I like the "night"scenes on the masa - I think I'll do some more in this vein!  Painting number 653 in days :)

Pumpkin in the Vines

Pumpkin in the Vines
Ink, watercolor batik on rice paper, 7.5x5.5
purchase here

Autumn brings the most wonderful, orange pumpkins to the local patches!  Today finds me painting this orange beauty on masa (rice) paper, after inking in the sketch.  On top of the cool wax, this time I left droplets of brown watercolor to dry (after the process of brushing the brown into the cracks for the batik effect).  When I ironed the painting between layers of brown paper, these droplets fused into the painting in irregular ways.  I think it is cool - adding another layer of unpredictable paint/wax mixing.  The batik effect adds something rather mysterious to this painting, my 644th in 644 days.

Electric Sunflowers

Electric Sunflowers
Watercolor on paper on board, 6x4
Purchase Information

Yesterday, I spent so much time priming panels for oils and for watercolors.  For the watercolor ones, I first brushed Golden's gel medium on the panel.  Wetting the paper and just letting the shine come off, I then laid that paper over the panel - pressing to assure no air was trapped.  One by one, I stacked these with plastic wrap between them, and weighted them down with Michael's heavy metal poker case!  This morning, I removed them and all were completely dry.  Now, I am experimenting with the paints on this surface.  The first thing I notice is that the surface stays wetter, longer - probably because the back is sealed.  I have more time to drop different colors into the wet areas before they dry.  The paper wet with paint, did not start lifting even the slightest bit from the panel beneath - good adhesion.  I will let this painting dry a day or two, then spray with Krylon gloss Conserve.  Afterwards, I will top it off with the Golden gel medium.  This should give it a waterproof surface that will not need framing under glass.  Experimenting is SO fun!!  Painting number 618 in 618 days and Day 9 in the 30 Day Painting Challenge.

A Chair Among Flowers

A Chair Among Flowers
Watercolor on 100% rag paper, 6x4.5
Purchase Information

I am trying something new today - painting a street scene in watercolor!  And, I am trying a new paper - 100% rag by Whatman.  Well, let me just say that the paper accepted the paint wonderfully, and I loved the texture.  Then, it came time to rub off the Pebeo, and yikes - the paper absorbed the pale blue shade of the resist!  So, where I wanted white paper showing, I now had pale blue!  Also, the rubber cement remover did not work well, so I used the rubber-like wine cork to pull off this resist - and a little color at the same time!  The cork is a subtle eraser, removing paint without damaging the paper - but I had to go back in and darken areas which had been fine until I removed the Pebeo.  It is pretty unnatural for me to paint a street scene in watercolor!  I have only used oils for this, and the method is SO different!  I think I like the results, and the french flavor of this painting - I'll just have to let it rest and see how I like it tomorrow!  I will not be using this paper for applying resists again - but it may still be a good watercolor paper.  Painting number 600 in 600 days!  Hooray!

Hydrangeas and Lazy Susans

Hydrangeas and Lazy Susans
Watercolor on paper, 10.5x7

This was my second painting on Friday - spent in Helen's yard on Spruce street.  These beautiful hydrangeas were flanked by lazy susans, catching the morning light like jewels.  This is the first time I have taken watercolors to the field - and I was minimally prepared.  I did not take my easel out of the car, so I had my palette and water cup on the ground.  Each stroke, I had to bend down to dip my brush first into water and then into the paint.  There was a lot of up and down motion involved in getting this painting done!  I'll have to involve my easel next time!  Painting number 573 in 573 days.

Allium Seedheads

Allium Seedheads
Watercolor on paper, 4x6

Another experiment in watercolor for today.  This has been such a crazy busy day - not even time to breathe on this one!  Once again, I have used the drawing gum with a plastic brush handle to "paint" on the places I wanted to remain white.  I washed over this dry gum with color, looking more at the shapes and the values of the background garden.  I like the loose, crazy flow of this watercolor, how one hue melds into another, creating their own shapes and flower heads in the distance.  I can hardly wait for my supplies to come in - I will have so much fun getting these paintings out of my head and onto the paper!  I am headed out to meet with high school friends for a little celebrating - so I have to make this short!  This painting makes 529 in 529 days - and tomorrow is going to be a full painting day beginning in Independence and ending in Lee's Summit :)

The Long Ride

The Long Ride
Charcoal on pastel paper, 8x10

Wanting to work on this image today, I chose the "vintage" medium of charcoal.  Having learned so much about drawing when a child using this medium, I have only done a sprinkling of these charcoals in recent years, and am exploring a bit with paper.  Passing over the bristol, I had these Strathmore pastel sheets in assorted colors - and picked a white one.  I don't think I've ever used them.  Right off the bat, I didn't like the texture - like tiny pockets all over the surface.  Since the tooth should aid the charcoal - I forged ahead.  I got an early birthday present from my middle son - powdered charcoal - and I tried it out on this piece!  The really cool thing about the powdered charcoal is that I can dip my finger in and spread it on for quick coverage of larger areas.  I even dipped a tortillion in and spread it directly on the surface of the paper.  Wonderful control of a messy medium!  I drew this with reference that I took the day of the civil war reenactment last August - this man acting as Quantrill.  This is artwork number 447 in 447 days. So fun to play with new supplies!

The Dragon

The Dragon
Graphite on paper
by special request

This one is for my children who think I am a "boring artist".  "You already have the skills, mom, just apply them to something cool!"  So, today I am reaching WAY outside of myself to render this imaginary creature.  I pulled out drawing paper - which I haven't used for decades, not wanting to use my bristol.  My intention was to just try to figure out what I wanted as I sketched.  As I worked, I added more depth, trying to give realism to un unrealistic subject.  Just as I do with portraits, I started with the eyes.  If I couldn't make eyes I was happy with, I would have left the rest undone.  I feel like this drawing is crazy, and am shaking my head as I post it.  But alas, I will not have time to do another.  Artwork 248 in as many days, and Day 8 of the painting challenge.

Suzie and the Pony

Suzie and the Pony
Tinted graphite on bristol - vellum
not for sale

I drew this from an old photograph given to me by my husband's parents.  It is of his older sister, Suzie, and their pony named Stony.  With this drawing, I am playing with tinted graphite.  They come in a handful of colors, all weakened as they are simply tinting the graphite. I normally use mainly 8B, and these are definitely harder.  I love the soft color they give the subjects, vintage in a way.  The tinted graphites are very tight in their application - and have quite a bit of color, where the tinted charcoals are loose and the natural darkness of the charcoal overpowers the little bit of tint in the color.  They are both fun to play with - sometimes you just have to shake things up.  I have another painting half done, and a second sketched out.  Maybe this week I can get ahead a little (instead of finishing at the 11th hour every day!).  I've picked out a portrait of one of my grandsons to paint tomorrow.......unless I change my mind over night!  This makes 185 days of artwork.

Arms Full of Love

Arms Full of Love
Charcoal and white pastel on mi-teintes paper

Tonight I am playing with my childhood friends, the charcoals!  I don't think I have ever even used the white charcoal before tonight, and honestly, I am unimpressed.  It simply didn't have any real highlight power, when laid on top of the black charcoal.  So, I pulled out one of my white pastels to push a little light in.  I feel like I am just beginning to learn how to work with these charcoals.  I think I will much prefer working on art spectrum sanded paper - but I simply don't want to take the time to dig it out.  If I am going to start using the charcoals frequently, then I need to do a little exploring down the paper isle at the art store.  I am using simply what I had on hand - and I'm not sure why I even bought them in the first place.  I plan to use this charcoal drawing as a study for an oil painting.  For the painting, I think I will crop in a little closer - to add a little more drama to the piece.  That is the great thing about drawing the study first - I can clearly see the needed adjustments.  This is artwork number 176 in as many days :)

Mare and Colt

Mare and Colt
Charcoal Study on mi-teintes paper
Jeek's Farm

I have drawn this tonight from photo reference taken at Jeek's Farm in Augusta, Missouri several years ago at an estate paint.  I am planning to do this in oils, but the charcoal on the tinted paper has such a vintage, timeless feel.  I don't know where my time went today!  It started with running one daughter to work, stopping for tea at another daughter's, then shopping for am upcoming trip, then a baseball game cancelled on the field, to a house full of company until 10:30.  That is when I pulled out my charcoals!  This is painting number 174 in as many days.  I hope tomorrow is not as crazy!