Transitioning

Detail from mixed media WIP

watercolor, acrylic, ink on sketchbook 

Wow, where has this month gone?

We arrived home from Naples on May 10th and have been busy settling in and sprucing up our yard. 
It's great to be back in New England. The crisp ocean air and cool lilac scented breezes lift my spirits.

The Bird House

Speak of transitioning, I'm not particularly good at it.

I've long been itching to break out of my 'box' and do something very different. I love fiber and found objects and mixed media and pen and ink. So much stimulation, so little time.
I see wonderful art that speaks to me but when I think about doing something similar my inner critic nags at me about 'looking' like someone else, or copying other's ideas. It continues to hold me back and I know I have to wrestle it to the mat and just carry on.
I tell my students to be fearless and not to judge themselves. This is a case where I need to listen to my own advice without being concerned about the outcome of the piece. 

Here's a detail from something I'm working on involving herons and egrets using watercolor, ink pens and iridescent acrylic paint.  I love birds and am bursting to do abstract or mixed media with the bird theme. 
I'm not really sure where this piece is going so I'm trying to listen to the painting and let it tell me.

I'd love to hear how you all push past the blocks that derail your creative muse. Talk to me.

our beach 

Winter Light

"Winter Light" watercolor

It's not winter but that isn't relevant to this sketch done from a photo I took of my street late in December. Love the golden light on the phone poles and the deep shadows in the foreground.

Retro Beach Cottage

 

SOLD

This looks like it's on some Caribbean Island but it's right here in my neighborhood. A little flat roofed cottage that retains its 'back in the day' flavor sitting amongst the houses along the beach. The neighborhood is all makeovers and new houses created over the footprints of old beach cottages but the word is that there'll be no such thing happening to this place. The owner likes it just the way it is.  I zoomed in on this using the diagonals of the shadows to create a more interesting design.

Painting Safari

It has come to my attention that when my blog is sent out it appears against a white background making my text all but impossible to read because my blog template is set to a black background and I use light colors against it for readability. If this is happening to you click the Just Painting link at the very bottom left corner of the email which will take you directly to the blog. Who knew? Also, blogger is sending out a post I made from Sedona in May. Huh?
Today's Painting Safari was held in the dunes on the River side of the Rexhame Beach parking lot. Glorious day! Here is my demo. 

first block in (that's a shadow on the top edge)

Mid Stage

Finish

A visitor named Brady. I meet so many people and dogs out here!

Step by Step Marsh and River Demo

Using my new viewfinder I lightly grid my canvas and sketch in the larger masses.

 It takes me three strokes in the sky to get the value correct. 
The sky and the water are the lightest values.

The light on the distant marsh is lighter than it seems

The grass is a middle value and I've lightened 
the far tree line to push it back

The final touches

The painting in grayscale

Thanks for all the emails about the Painting Safari!
Tomorrow looks like it will be clear so meet me in the Rexhame Beach parking lot at 9:30 for an out door demo and painting session.Fee is $15 per class and we will paint until 12:30.

Value Studies in the Dunes

 Prompted by the value challenge on DPW this week, I headed out into the dunes near my house to paint some landscape studies using my new Picture Perfect value viewfinder. This painting was done on Monday in the late afternoon. I didn't do a step by step demo on this one but I'll show you that on the next post. Altogether, I did three paintings out there this week at different times of day. I'm taking a page out of my friend Kelley's playbook and doing a Painting Safari class out in the dunes between Rexhame Beach parking lot and the South River. Email me for times and details.

Beach Garage WIP

I had a great day painting this old garage in my neighborhood with my friend Nancy. Until I dropped this into the sand face down :(   I loosened those little brackets that hold the painting onto the easel a little too much while trying to work the edges. I'll wait for it to dry and scrape off the sand and finish it. It feels quite 'beachy', though ;)