Or Maybe

 

"Say What?"
6" x 8" watercolor
Arches 100% cold press paper

This one isn't perfect, but I sure had fun doing it; it felt less laborious than the last few paintings. I asked permission from Iowa nature photographer Carl Kurtz to use his reference photo for this. Carl, thank you for your gracious permission! (And if you're not familiar with his work, click on the link and considering ordering one of his books)

Maybe Not

 

Mines of Spain, Dubuque
10" x 11" watercolor
Arches 100% cotton cold press paper

Did I say in September that I thought I was finding a groove? Well, that groove disappeared. But I'm clunking along. And maybe this one will warm up to me over time, even though right now it seems over-worked. I'll tape it to the studio wall for a while and see what happens. 

Yeah, lately it feels like I've completely back-slid as a painter. BUT...I am sure am enjoying fall in Iowa. Maybe it's more important to go out for hikes and watch the color symphony. Heading out as we speak. 

P.S. After some suggestions from Andy Evansen, my online w/c instructor, I did soften the details on the middle evergreens and darken the reddish grasses. I think it helped--see below. Thank you, Andy! (I do recommend his year-long online watercolor course offered by Tuscon Art Academy Online.)

 

Finding a Groove?

 

Prairie in the 'Hood
7" x 11" watercolor
Arches 100% cotton cold press paper

Finally felt like I found a groove today, on this loveliest of early fall days in Iowa. I actually have an official studio now, in our home, with good lighting and a nice breeze. No excuses now! Hoping to make some strides on that learning curve. 

New Chapter

 

Canna Party
5" x 7" watercolor 
Arches 100% cotton cold press paper

It's been a year of big changes, so far, with the loss of my mother and a move from CA to IA, which means no more easy access to our CA VIPs--our sons, daughters-in-law, and grandsons. 

We always knew this day would come--that we'd retire back in IA, where we lived before our 6.5 years in CA. While the political landscape here seems precarious, there are still good reasons to be back for close friendships, our sibs, the lower cost of living, the saner pace. The prairie, for goodness sakes--it's gorgeous right now and it smells divine. 

And as a recent visit from two of our CA family members illustrates, we'll still find ways to see our VIPs, here or there or in between, or who knows where? 

During my mother's decline and little-care and our preparation for the move and our settling in, I lost touch with any semblance of a regular painting practice. Now I feel like I'm starting over. Which I guess only makes sense--it is a new chapter, after all. 

I did eke out this painting after our quick trip to Chicago, which included a side trip to the Morton Arboretum. That's where I saw these lovely cannas backed by the purple somethings. Wow, did I feel rusty, painting it. I know the final product has issues, but it is growing on me, and it's a symbol of my intent to begin a very regular painting/learning process.  

Change is stressful but can be good. Here's to our New Chapter back in Iowa. 

Day at the Beach

 

Day at the Beach
8” x 10” watercolor
Arches 100% cotton hot press paper

The blue umbrellas, and the shadows below—that’s what caught my eye when I walked by. This is my fourth attempt at depicting this scene. For some reason that I don’t yet understand, it helped to switch to hot press paper, rather than the rougher cold press. Plus I slowed down. Plus I tried not to go over my strokes: with watercolor, the more you fuss, the worse it can get. Slowly, I add these new bits of knowledge to my repertoire. And then I forget them and have to relearn. So it goes with the watercolor learning curve. 

Painting into the Corner

 

By the Shore
Watercolor, 7.5" x 11" on Arches 100% cotton cold press paper

As a writer and artist, I often have the sensation of painting myself into a corner. Maybe I’ve finished an essay or painting, and no other ideas seem to be on the horizon. Or maybe the work is so awful that it seems like I’ll never write/paint anything good again.

That feeling is an illusion, of course, but it can be quite strong. 

With this painting (above), created from a reference photo given by my current instructor Andy Evansen, I was in love with it after the first two washes--the light wash and then the middle-value wash in which I tried to connect everything, a la Andy's technique. (See that middle stage just below.) 

But once I added the figures and boat and painted in a few darks, as the top painting—meh. Not so excited after that.

I’d painted myself into a corner.

So I did what I often do when I feel there’s no way out: I opened my sketchbook and popped out a very impressionistic version of a house in our neighborhood here in northern CA (see below). 

This sketch has its problems: The shadows on the bushes and ground just in front of the house are way too dark, plus I worsened that heavy darkness by adding an extra layer of cobalt blue to the sky, plus in general there are too many cool colors and not enough warm ones. 

But. I’m out of the corner because this little sketch inspires me to create a more deliberate, but still loose, painting in which I’ll keep a lighter sky and shadows.

Suddenly, a new idea—a new inspiration. A way out of the corner, or so I hope. Stay tuned.

Spring