MONARCH BUTTERFLY

   


 



     A little watercolor of another 'flutterby'
   One of the easier fun ones ... like when you were twelve and you found that special page in your coloring book ...and time stood still

 

Monarch Butterfly

PEN PAL ART

                Online I discovered 'The Sketchbook Project'.  They come up with little art assignments no matter what your skill level and get your art mobile in various ways so that it's enjoyed by a bigger venue.

                This project is Pen Pal Art where they send you a small canvas.  You slip a little note about yourself in with the art you create and send it with the goal that they match you up with someone similar and send their painting to you!  You have now met a pen pal in the world of art and can follow up with them if you wish. eHarmonart!   An oil might even meet and acrylic.  Great idea.

                     The catch was I procrastinate and there was a deadline so on the final hour of the final day I dug out the acrylics and ran with my goat to the post office.

                     Can't wait to see what I get in return.   They'll probably match up this goat with a jackass.

FLOWER CHILD

                                                                                                                                         

                        

                  This is a watercolor 16x20  based on a photo I saw on a site called Paint My Photo a great on line community where photographers put on their photos for artists to paint.

             The photo was begging to be painted in my opinion and was put on by a lady 'Lillian Lee.'  If you are a photographer or do art of any kind join Here and it will become a source of thousands of free photos to use in your work.  The community is amazing and interactive and there are lots of little niches to join and explore.

                 I'm essentially a 'closet artist' painting smaller pieces that I give to people as gifts.  Now that I'm taking out big brushes and waving them around and slopping on gallons of paint it's fun and feels right.  I see that term 'emerging artist'.   I think I'm still one of those.  Shame it took me sixty years! 
                                                                                                    

PEACOCK PAINTING

                  My days are so busy I hardly have time to spit.  Some of it is my own fault. This year however I made a resolution, which I don't usually do.  I decided to get back to the things I love.  Back to creativity.

                  A little of this creativity will have to be channeled into this old farmhouse to paint some walls and do a few updates, but I'll enjoy that too if I'm in the mood.  I will spend a little time on this blog, but  what I want  most, is to take more time for art.

                 The painting above is watercolor.  Many of my watercolors are intense and I use a lot of paint.   People tell me they look more like acrylics and I've tried those too but they're not as much fun.  Not for me anyway.  The best part about watercolor is the spontaneous way it flows and the color spreads and mingles.  That's when I turn up the music and hope for the best.

                      The peacock painting is not a wimpy little 5'x7' like I have been doing.  It's 16'x20' on Arches paper.  It's difficult to paint something as beautiful as this exotic bird.  You can paint a dull old brown dog and maybe mix up some color and make him look quite spectacular.  But there are some things you just can't improve on.  Sunsets are like that.  There are florescent paints on the market which might have made this piece more interesting, but my money tree isn't blooming right now, so I used what I had.  This portrait certainly isn't painted 'loosely' but I did get a little flow happening in the birds neck and background.  I'm not throwing stuff away any more no matter how it comes out.  Here it is, my expression of the muse, good or bad.  Someone can start a fire with it after I'm gone if they like.  (Chuckle)

                Do you paint or would  like to learn?   Have any questions?

TULIPS WATERCOLOR

                 I recently met up with some other artists and we spent the day painting.  I had arranged for a girl to come and do the barn chores for me, so oh what a glorious day that was.

                 This is a watercolor  'Spring Promise'  33x43 cm. There was a discussion and I've heard it before from other artists that you can make quite a decent green from mixing Windsor yellow and Paynes grey.  So that's what I tried here.  The leaves are just a mix of those two pigments.  Do I like it?    The green seems a bit dead.  Makes a nice dark green for evergreens but I like more variety I think.

                 Do you have any favorite mixes for greens or tips to share?
             

SLED DOGS WATERCOLOR

     

FROST AND SNOW

               This is a watercolor ( 33x42cm ) inspired by the experience I had with dog sledding a while back.

               The noisy energy of the dogs waiting to run amazed me.  They were bouncing and barking and jumping straight up until the command was given and they were released to do what they love to do.

               And then the magic happens.  That feeling of freedom.  Of just being whisked over the ground for the pure pleasure of movement through a country winterscape

               I loved the feeling of their energy and also the bright sunlight that was hitting the dogs and that is what I wanted to capture in the painting.

               The owner said they're names were Frost and Hazel but I've changed it to Frost and Snow because it just seems to suit. 

               Thanks to Snowpak Kennels of Truro N.S.  


               I've decided not to whine about my art and all the things I would change if I could paint it over.  Every piece I complete will be a journey and a learning experience and that's what it's all about.        Annie