mushrooms watercolor painting

My granddaughter has been visiting me this week and we spent a couple of days painting together. (how nice is that!?!) She is almost 13. We sat at one table on opposite ends and shared the paints and brushes and talked and painted...had a wonderful time.  Back in May we spent a week together in the south of France where we also painted.

She took her paintings with her when she left today before I got to photograph them. I painted an ATC of mushrooms on illustration board. I love painting on illustration board- I love how watercolors behave on it. Very different than watercolor paper.

 

 ATC Mushrooms

 

I want to do a fairy landscape painting- and that's why I chose mushrooms- to practice on a back ground and the actual mushrooms. I think all fairy lands have mushrooms...they are so useful to fairies, if you ask me...



I love cupcakes!

At the risk of repeating myself...i love cupcakes! they represent happiness, celebration, good times. I made a new recipe of them today...cream filled devil's food with a ganache icing....wow are they good! I made them for tomorrow. My granddaughters are getting baptized and we'll have a lunch after church.

I painted this cupcake a few years ago. I love this painting...i want to lick the icing and pop that red cherry in my mouth...it's a watercolor on hot press paper 4x6.   I wanted to make the background colorful and happy...a celebration...which is why and when we eat them.

The daisies are in bloom here in NY...I love daisies.
This is a watercolor painting I did a few years ago (sold it on eBay). I have not painted in awhile. I tend to go in cycles with my art. I'll get around to it again when the muse moves me there! I follow my muse. I used to try and 'force' work- but when I force the work- it just turns out terrible!  Right now I am into PAPER in a huge way- mostly scrap booking- which is new to me. I never was a scrapper until these past few months. It was this paper that captured me- and ever since, I have been on this new paper and scrap book adventure!

Grapes on Black

I find painting black backgrounds not so easy. The richness is hard to achieve. Each of the grapes have about 5 or so layers of glazing to build up the shadows. Painted on hot pressed Fabrinao 140# paper.

fantasy watercolor

a peek in the forest

watercolor and pan pastel on 140# paper

(click to see large)

This is a fantasy watercolor. By that I mean I made it up in my head. I love the fairy paintings of make believe places and this is a glance into such a world. This weekend was a pajama weekend. I pretty much spent the entire weekend in my pj's painting. This is the result. I love the Chinese lantern plants and I knew that would be the focus of this little painting.

I painted it in my Strathmore watercolor art journal I bought for an online art journaling workshop of which I am participating. I wasn't sure how this paper would be, as the entire book cost me less than the usual sheet of Arches watercolor paper I buy. But I have to say I really was impress with the paper. It held up well. I even scrubbed a couple of areas to give it a test and it held up well. No tiny spit balls (what usually happens with cheap watercolor paper!)

I also love those round flat dollar plants- I don't know the name of them, but I think they will be in my next art journal painting.

updated my website with another cookie painting

4" x 6" watercolor on 140# hot press paper

It's not a new painting - just new to my website. I've been meaning to upload it for awhile now and finally got around to it today. I did post this painting on my blog when I painted it. I love this painting. I love to paint in the "Contemporary Realistic" style. Who am I kidding, I love to paint in any style...I just love to paint. I don't know why I don't paint more. It comes in fits and starts...why is that?

This cookie came from the local Monroe Bakery here in my town. And yes, I did eat it after I painted it! I am selling framed prints of this and other cookie and cupcake paintings at a local bakery, Lady Fingers Bakery.

time to make the donuts...

Don't you love donuts? Last night I had a great donut at the Albany airport's Dunkin' Donut. It made me think of my recent watercolor painting I did of a donut- what you see above.

I love painting watercolor in realistic fashion. It's a challenge that I really enjoy. This donut you see above was fun to paint- the chocolate is smooth and the donut is cakey - each texture being very different to paint.

I am selling prints of this picture on my etsy shop. It comes to you ready to frame.
I think this would look great in a kitchen. I am also selling the same print framed at the Lady Fingers Bakery in Monroe, NY.

getting ready to hang...

...pictures, that is...

A wonderful local bake shop, Lady Fingers, will be hanging my dessert paintings. The shop has a shabby chic feel to it, so I wanted my frames to match. Since these are prints and they will be for sale as they hang, I wanted to make them affordable. Matting and framing can cost big bucks, even for prints. I was lucky to find a batch of matching frames with mats at Michael's this week. Only problem was that they were a shiny platinum finish- not exactly Shabby Chic...so I painted them! I first did a coat of gesso and then painted them with titan buff color acrylic paint...and now they look much better and will fit perfectly. I also don't have to charge a fortune to cover the cost of mats and frame- the best part!

Being the anal-retentive boo head that I am, I also covered the back of each frame with pretty paper and hung with eye screws and picture wire, so they are ready to hang...

frame before with shiny finish

frames after I painted them with Titan buff.

another cookie painting

Sugar Cookie

watercolor on 140# hot press paper

4" x 6"

We have a great bakery in town, Lady Fingers Bake Shoppe. I bought this sugar cookie there this weekend (OK, truth be told, I bought two and ate one) with the idea of painting it. It was harder than I anticipated. The sugar is large squares of red sugar that was not so easy for me to paint. But I loved painting the doily. I always love lace and doilies.

The cookie was delish...a nice chew and buttery...just what I like in a sugar cookie! On Valentine's Day inside the pretty red bag my sweetie had for my V-day gift were MORE of these cookies - he stopped at Lady Fingers and thought I might like them...isn't he sweet?

Prints of this painting available in my etsy shop with free shipping.

Painting Heart Cookies

for my Valentine

watercolor on 140# hot press paper

4" x 6"

I wanted to make a card for my valentine, so I painted this. Just as I was finishing the painting, he walked into my studio to see what I was up to...ah well...I told him to act surprised when he opens the card!

I thought it would be fun to paint the powdered sugar and to make the raspberry jelly look like jelly - the way it glistens. I am having way too much fun painting sweet treats!

Of course he asked if I was planning on baking these little beauties...sorry, just painting them!

Prints of this watercolor painting are available in my etsy shop with free shipping.

time to make the donuts

chocolate covered donut

4" x 6", watercolor on 140# hot press paper

On eBay there is a small group of oil painters who paint these darling little oil paintings of things like Twinkies, Pb&j sandwiches, a slice of pie, mostly food...and they look so real and so delicious. I decided to try and paint one, but in watercolor, as I don't paint in oils anymore. There is one person on eBay who paints small oils of the blue Tiffany gift boxes...they fly off of eBay! Art is amazing. People who buy art are amazing. To create art is amazing.

I am pleased with my results and am now going to paint some more fun food items...like chocolate covered strawberries? It's all about the YUM factor...anyone have any ideas (food or otherwise- please leave a comment- I am looking for ideas to paint.

Prints of this painting are available in my etsy shop with free shipping.

yum...

Yum,

5" x 7" watercolor

This painting has been sitting around unfinished for about 5 months. And today at 5:30 am I woke up and finished painting it. How and why do these things happen?!? And I could not wait to get going on it. Now that I am not working, I am on a stay-up-late, sleep-late routine, going to sleep about 1:30 am and sleeping until 9 or 9:30. I did go to sleep at 1:30 last night, but like I said, was up at 5:30 am to paint. who knows when the muse strikes. She woke me up! Anyway, I finished it. Now on to some flowers...

perfect day to paint

It's snowing outside and I am inside painting...a great way to end the year! Years ago I stopped all the hoopla about having to be somewhere on new Year's Eve. Now I just enjoy staying home. I usually stay up to bring in the new year and then head to bed. The party scene thankfully ended years ago.

I did some experimentation today. Using an old algebra page from an 1830's school book, I mounted it onto thick paper stock and then covered all with matte medium to act as a ground. I then used watercolor paints to paint on the old math page. I've wanted to do this for some time. The idea of using watercolor paints and collaged paper intrigues me. I want to expand on this idea.

finished a painting - more sunflowers

Sunflowers II, 8" x 10" watercolor on hot press watercolor paper


This was a learning experience...I started this painting with no thought to the background and then realized that...duh! I had already drawn and painted the main part and liked it so far...so I painted in a back ground...and hated it! It was wishy washy and just weak...

so I then proceeded to mask out the entire painted areas with liquid mask. Then I painted in a new background- total experimental. I picked grainy, opaque paints for the background. Since I was painting on hot press paper, I knew that the opaque paints will sit on top of the paper...so I just played with some color. I really like the back ground and how it turned out now. Then I removed all of the mask and continued on with the painting.

These sunflowers have seen better days. I wanted to paint them as almost 'done'...droopy and end of season-winter-is-coming sunflowers.

...I got to a point where it would become over worked if I continued, so it is officially finished!

Take a brush in hand...

"Take a brush in hand and begin...

the work is complete when you have no more to say."

~ Rembrandt

Isn't that just like him? Not only is he one the best, but he said it the best. How utterly simple and true are his words. They ring true, even today.

I've taken my brush in hand...I've been having great fun experimenting with watercolor technique- getting out of my comfort zone and trying techniques that are not my usual style. I tend toward tight and realistic in my watercolor painting. I love it. I love the realism; I love the challenge to make my subject look real and present it in a believable way. But sometimes I wish for a more spontaneous looser look and so that's what I am exploring. (hum: "I gotta be free")

As the basis of my digging for spontaneous treasure, I am using a really good book I got out of my local library. (side note: I think public libraries are one of the greatest institutions we have)

The book I am using and highly recommend for watercolor exploration (dare I say expedition- as I feel I am on one) is "Exploring Watercolor- creative exercises and techniques for watercolor and mixed media", by Elizabeth Groves. I could not find a website for her.

As it is midnight now, I'll end here and post some of my in-process-exploring tomorrow. Sweet dreams and don't let the bed bugs bite. (eeeewww - what a horrible thought!)

sunflower - up close and personal

"up close and personal"

5" x 7" watercolor on Fabriano hot press paper

I learned a lot painting this picture. It's a photo I took last summer. I plan on painting this one over again- as now that I've painted it, I want to try things differently to see how the effect will be. I want to try a different approach to the very white parts of the leaves and stem.

I have really been enjoying using hot press paper. I bought a large full sheet of it and have made a painting journal out of it. I cut it up and made a simple binding with waxed linen thread. I painted the cover a wild pink color using acrylics. It has become my "summer of '09 painting journal". Each page is 5" x 7". All of the paintings I have been posting since the poppies on this latest run are all from this journal. This painting is page 11 of 16 pages.

just the greens

water lilies at Disney

5" x 7" on 140# Fabriano hot press paper

A few years ago my husband and I went to Disney World (no kids, just by ourselves-evil, yes we know- but we sure had fun!) We stayed at the Mayan-something-or-other in Disney. It was beautiful! There is a huge lake in the middle and the hotels are all around the lake. I took a few pictures of lily pads- there were no flowers blooming on the lily pads- I guess November in Florida is not the right time for blooming lily pads...but I digress...I loved the pattern that the pads made in the water- sort of abstract.

difference of opinion

difference of opinion, 5" x 7"

These three are deep in conversation. They have a real difference of opinion. As you can see they are not speaking to each other anymore...

daffodil

watercolor on 140# Fabriano hot press paper


watercolor run through a photo shop filter

To be honest, I am not thrilled with this painting. It's a little muddy as I fiddled with it too much. But I love the result of running it through photo shop! I think I will make some greeting cards using this image. It reminds me of spring and summer with the colors.

poppies continued

this one is more about the background - using an semi-opaque color with a transparent color.