Landscapes in Watercolor
In addition to thinking madly about non-verbal communication through appearance, ushering for a musical, and getting ready for Christmas, I’ve also been continuing to learn to paint in watercolor. Recently I’ve completed these two landscapes:
If you like the one on the left, with the silo, you may want to visit the web-site of one of my instructors, where she is offering the original that we copied from for class. If you like the one on the right, you may want to subscribe to Sunset (1-year)
I did have a little bit of a set-back last week though: I discovered just how expensive it is to get a painting matted and framed. No wonder all these fabulous paintings sit in boxes and drawers in people’s basements! I’m already committed to taking class next quarter, but then I’m going to have to give serious thought to whether it makes sense to continue. Because I am not at all interested in simply producing boxes full of pretty paper!
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More Paintings
In other art - life news, today was my first session of beginning drawing at the senior center. In case I haven’t already told you - I’m so excited! - they don’t check your age at the senior center. The people couldn’t be nicer!
Is this a good time for me to go off on a rant about allowing ourselves to be chunked up into our peer groups to the degree that we either fear or disdain anyone more than a year or two different from us in age? Just wondering. More on that topic to come, no doubt.
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Put It On
I got an email recently from Sarah at Put It On.com, a new online home for undiscovered artists in art, music, fashion, and film. Although I have yet to produce anything worth joining the service to share, I haven’t shared any paintings with you all my friends for awhile, so here you are.
First, this portrait I finished yesterday. Accept except I forgot to take the tape off before I had my hero shoot it. I like it, but there are things even now that I can identify as needing to be fixed. If I were inclined to work on it anymore. But I’m ready to move on.
Second pictured is a landscape from Wendy’s vacation to Grand Cayman last November. This is the second time I’ve painted this photo: the first lives at a friend’s house now and this one is promised to a relative.
Today I take off painting. Tomorrow I hope to start something new. In the meantime, I’ve also been asked to do another bed for a show. I think my new “identity” shall be artist. More on that to come.
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Whose Face is That I Painted?
Some people have expressed interest in seeing my paintings. Here’s a picture of one.
Can you recognize who it is? (Hint: an actress. I’ve never seen any of her movies.)
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Maybe I’m an Impressionist
At Ellem’s request, I am posting a picture of my final painting from my beginning watercolor class. Recognize the image?
(Not like a person who does impressions. lol)
No. What I mean is a visual simplifier, like the impressionists who were accused of not finishing their paintings. At least that’s what my watercolor teacher told me last week, after he had us paint what to me seemed a pretty detailed colored landscape in under two hours.
Tonight I have my final in the class; we will have 2 1/2 hours to complete both a black and white painting and one in color. In the weeks leading up to the final, our most challenging assignment was finding “paintable subjects”. When I showed him a photo of one of my daughters that I really wanted to paint, he took one look at it and said “no way!”
Well, this week I painted it anyway. In sepia. In one hour. And if you lay it on the table and look at it upside down from 5 feet away, it is clear who is pictured!
Anyway, while this painting scenario had a good outcome, another left me rather frustrated. Let’s just say that Saturday was a long day of set painting where no matter what two colors I mixed together, the result was purple. Then I got home and watched an old movie where the sets were so hokey they could scarcely even be called impressionistic! Why is it necessary for us to work our tails off on so many overwhelming details, when professionals can just paint a styrofoam cone green and call it a tree?
Which is the same kind of frustration I get when told I must wear lipstick or accessories. Or when I think I should do more fun “extras” in the children’s program I administrate. I really just want the basics. Just the basics, done right.
Now, more than ever, I’m convinced this is a matter of being either a big-picture (global) thinker or a detail (analytical) person. Or maybe it’s right brain/left brain. I’m left brain global. Which are you?
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