Watercolors!

I have been getting back into watercolors in preparation for my Intro to Watercolors class at the Y Arts Studio. Classes are pleasantly full, but still room for a few more people.
I'm really enjoying working with subtle layers of color; a big difference from my style with acrylic paint.

Good news yesterday

Just heard yesterday that my artwork in The Healing Muse Volume 10 received a favorable review. In fact the whole Muse Volume 10 received a great review by an online literary magazine source called NewPages. The reviewer described my artwork as restful and healing. Well, timing is everything. One of my paintings in the Muse is based on a photo taken at the waterfront at YMCA Camp Iroquois in Manlius. Five minutes before I took the photo the area was teeming with kids. Clothing, beach towels and camp gear were everywhere ( and I have to admit it was really colorful!!!). After the kids left, the entire mood changed, serenity reigned and I snapped the picture. A few weeks later it became the basis for the painting August Afternoon. Timing is everything!

Southwestern Moment

Despite the 3 feet of snow outside, I guess I must be still under the influence of San Diego.......well at least Old Town San Diego. Lots of warm color here!
This painting was done in the Studio at the Y. I was working along with a few of my students who elected to paint the still life. I didn't realize how Southwestern it felt until I started adding the details on the shawl. Now I can't wait to dismantle the still life and wear the shawl.

For my Painting Class; paintng in progress part 2

After bringing the painting home I began to work on refining the edges of the pottery, adding highlights where needed and finishing the top of the one piece of pottery (the piece lying at an angle in front of the red mug). I added the shadows behind the pottery and also some shadows around their bottoms. I had underpainted most of the shawl with a purple/magenta color and let it show through in a few areas. Because I liked the effect of the purple/magenta showing through I added a bit more of it in a couple of places on the shawl and in the shadows around the pottery. Using color in this way helps to unify my composition. I haven't started working on the spoon yet, that will be the next thing I do.
The orange table legs were meant to lead the eye up to the focal point, but because they were so long, they were a distraction and took emphasis away from the focal point. I added some dark shadows which toned down the orange table legs and brought emphasis back up to the still life.
The pattern on the shawl will probably stay as is, creating a colorful backdrop which enhances the overall feeling of the still life (kind of Southwestern, I guess) and does not distract from the focal point.

For my painting class: Painting in progress

Hi everyone,
Just before we left class on Tuesday night Carron took a photo of my painting in progress (hopefully she will bring that to class this week so we can compare). Anyway, I stayed another 40 minutes and got to this point with the Still Life.
The next day I took a photo of the still life to use for reference, then brought the painting home to work on. The next blog entry will show my progress and explain what I did and why I did it.

Poinsettia!

Lots of thick juicy palette knife work here. This is a sample of the type of painting we will be doing in the Advanced/Intermediate Acrylic Painting class on Tuesday nights a the Y Arts Studio. Registration is currently underway; classes begin the week of January 3. Visit www.ymcaofgreatersyracuse.org for more details.

Advanced/Intermediate Painting Class

Our Winter Session at the Y Arts Studio will include an Advanced/Intermediate Acrylic Painting Class. This class is for students who have some experience with acrylic paint. We will be using techniques including glazing and palette knife painting as well as working with textures and dramatic lighting.
The class is scheduled for Tuesday nights, 7:00p.m. - 9:00 p.m. We are registering now for the Winter classes which begin the week of January 3.