Dinner In Pasadena

Here is the first night of dinner with art friends. I am sorry I did not take picturs but I decided to bring my big camera in case I could capture something for a winter painting project and it doesnt flash and is so heavy I did not drag it around. Unfortunately!!!! But here is a  picture of Joyce Faulknor, Laurie Humble, Guy Magallanes and I having supper and chatting like crazy! It was fun to meet so many artists whom I have been visiting with online but never met! This was the beginning of a wonderful 5 days with friends!

ACT International Invitational

I was invited by Karen Vernon to participate in the first Act International Invitational and there are now over 100 aritsts from 3 countries involved. You can read all about it at http://artguildtexas.org/act.html 

I wanted to take pictures as I went along on this process but it was my first time ever on Ampersand and it was sure a struggle back and forth...I think if one would stick with it you could get some amazing results! I tried to do my glazing but not sure it worked as well as I had hoped. But it is done and I hope to paint more on this board through the winter months and if I get the hang of it I surely will pass along the info to you!!! SO here is my entry, Evening Peony, and it is 12x12 on a 2 inch deep cradled board. It is watercolor on aquaboard.

I'm Back!

Well I am back from the Art and Learning Expo in Pasadena. It was not full like years before and that is in part due to the economy. many classes only had 2-5 students in them and so that was tough. I did meet alot of people including a few of you from here which was wonderful!!
I wanted to get back to the clothespins but a new deadline is looming. I have been asked to participate in ACT International Invitational 2010. It requires that I paint in watercolor on Aquaboard and the format is 12x12. I have it now and will begin today hopefully to figure out what I am painting so that I can hit it hard...as it should be shipped within the next few weeks...so I will be showing you that as it progresses. I think I am going to enjoy this new surface for something different and will try to talk through problems and what I learn in case any of you would like to try that surface as well. The fun part is the paint sits on top and so it is more brilliant and you can wipe down to white very easily. Also you varnish it so it doesnt need to be under glass. The piece I will be doing has about a 2 inch cradle in wood so it will be already framed once complete which is a very nice thing!! We will see how this progresses and then on to the clothespins as I have so many lining up here that I want to do it is overwhelming! That is why I do not mind winter and being locked in...I paint like crazy and it is wonderful! This year I am setting up my hulahoop near my studio and making myself really use it inbetween washes...ha! Hopefully it will keep my back in better shape with all this tight painting! Glad to be home!

Winter Has Come!

We really missed fall this year...winter has come 3 weeks early. It came in the night on high winds from the north. A few days ago I took a picture of the back deck...the flowers were fading but still color...the second picture is today...everything is black and frozen...cold and howling winds...oh boy...Pasadena is going to feel mighty fine!!!

Shipping To Pasadena!

Today I shipped a painting and 50 tracings to Pasadena so that is that. I still want to think about what I am doing a little...never had to actually have a workshop in 3 hours...usually that is a demo...but they want people painting etc...so this is strange. I will talk more in my master still life class on Friday. Egads...that is a week from today that I am teaching my first class! I got sick and had to go through urgent care and got a Zpack so hopefully I will begin to feel better...that made me nervous as I tend to get bronchitis so easy. Hopefully this will tide me through. I am really excited to see how this all goes. So many people to meet and exciting things to try out. I will try to take pictures and fill you in on all of it so you can see what these art and learning expos are like! I believe they are similar to the old art and materials shows...it just is a newer version. The picture shows me working on all those tracings for classes and my dear George sitting there on my art table watching the birds. He is now 14 and I am going to really miss him one day!!!

So Much To Do!

I am so sorry about how long it has been since I was here to update! It has been a little crazy here at my house! I am working on the demos for Pasadena at the Art and Learning Expo and am now in the process of doing 50 tracings so that we can just move into painting a whole lot faster. But my hand is not doing to great with this...there is pressure with tracing and that bad hand is not liking it too much!
Also have been talking to places about possible workshops so when those dates become available I will surely fill you all in. I do have one coming next fall to Calgary, Alberta so stay tuned for that! Canada is always a fun place to go.
In between tracings I get up and set up still life arrangements for new paintings this winter and have several in mind I really am liking so that always gets me excited when I see what I might be doing next!!! Unfortunately I have not been working on the clothespins painting because of everything else and then one is not excited anymore. I surely hope that I can get back to it even a little each day so I do not get so far behind. I have another painting I have to do for an international art auction and have not even considered it yet!!! ARgh!!! So that is on the agenda too. Hey guys...there are alot of you out there...want to come over and help me!?? Ha!

Redone WIP

This is a little closer to what it is like...there is more purple in those browns than the other picture was showing...this will have to do! The bamboo mats are very tedious and yet fun because I am trying to make a pattern of light on them that makes them more interesting.

WIP Still Progressing

This was taken outside just now and the sun is setting so it is far too yellow...perhaps I will retake it in the morning. It is a long ways from completion but at least I pretty much have all the shapes defined at this point...I have begun to play with the bamboo some. It was fun starting a light pattern across them and will define that more but have to put this aside and begin the demos for Pasadena...so will be posting that when it is done...

I am looking for a title however and maybe when it is done it will be easier...but since I have almost 50 regular watchers here...you can begin thinking maybe of what to call this. The ribbons are from my daughters hair when she was little...she is now 36. The dish was my husbands favorite when he was little. The seashell was a napkin ring my daughter made for her ocean beach wedding. The clothespins reminded me of my grandmother...so that is why I have been thinking of Memories, Remembered or something along those lines...any suggestions would be great!!!

WIP Continued

I am making slow progress. Mostly because I am drawing on other things for the Pasadena workshops and trying to guard my hand. You can see I am beginning to find the shapes of the other ribbon and more bamboo and clothespins...there is just so much to do to deepen what is there but I like to get things to the middle values all over before I do any final work. This will no doubt not be finished until I return from Pasadena in October but I would rather take my time as it feels like a strong piece and do not want to rush it. So I hope you will be patient. Once I get to the painting stages for the workshops I might post them here as well so you can see what I am doing. It sure would be nice to meet some of you at one of these...I think if you visit the website for this expo you will be pleasantly surprised by all the artists coming to teach short workshops. Alot of info going to come out under one roof!! Anyway, thanks for all the well wishes about my hand. It is better when I do not use it so much.

Clothes Pins WIP

I wanted to show you where I am on the clothespins painting. It is slow as it hurts to paint but I am trying to locate all the shapes gradually. There is still much more to do to the bamboo and more of it on the mid left of the painting. I am not sure I will go as dark as originally planned but I suspect I will go darker than this is now by several values for sure. I wanted to post this as I will not be painting for the next week and you can see where I am at. I have not used any new colors...just layering up back and forth with the same ones. In the dark shadows I started lighter in areas knowing I might want to add some highlights down there. I have begun to do that and perhaps I will like that...it is one way to try on the look and if I do not like it I can go dark completely. I really hope this one turns out...even though it is painful to paint I can still do small things and leave and bounce around and get something accomplished.

Going To Oregon

I am leaving Tuesday to spend a week at the beach in Oregon with my daughter. I have strict orders not to be using my right thumb as it is now in spasm and pain from over use I guess. I have two braces I use now. Also those paints have still not arrived!!! So stressing out. I want to get a picture of where the painting is at...but we have had 3 straight days of rain. I am not going fast as it is pretty painful to paint so it is slow moving!!! Hopfully a week of rest will help but they feel I need more than a month of not using it...which I do not have. So we will see how this goes. Everyone be good without me!

Clothes Pins Stage 2

Still no paint arriving here so I am becoming worried about this...so the last few days I have done some painting...not as much as I would like because we finally have some nice weather and I have been doing alot of gardening as well...moved a few roses I have wanted moved for 3 years! So that feels good. Tomorrow it is suppose to rain and if it does I will work more on the painting but my husband has also taken time off so then I do not get as much done. At least I am seeing progress! There still is much to do...alot of darks etc but I like to build my areas slowly...all of this will change again as I layer up on the different areas. This is not the complete painting either but it is not yet all drawn so felt I would let that be a surprise! Ha! My colors are Daniel Smith, Quin. Sienna, Quin Rose, Bt Sienna, Carbazole Violet, Transparent Brown Oxide and New Gamboge. The ribbon has not been completed as it is such straring that I have gotten headaches and backaches so will let that develop slowly I think. Anyway, it is moving along!!

Decided To Begin!

I decided to start the painting even though it is not completely drawn yet. This is just one side of it and all the lower drawing is still to be done...it is crazy how something can look so interesting and then you begin to draw it and your mind goes out to lunch! Why did I not think this would be difficult to draw I have no idea! Ha! Anyway, while waiting for the new paints to come I decided to start this as that surely will make the paints arrive sooner! We will see. They did not come today.

This old clothes pins were so neat at the second hand store so I grabbed them and started playing with them...we will see just how neat it is once I get into it but hoping it will make a nice repetitive shape through the painting. Right now I am mostly doing very light washes of Transparent Brown Oxide, Quin Rose and New Gamboge to try to establish the shapes...at this point something might change and I might want to lift some color so I do it lightly. In fact, I changed the shape of the ribbon in one place and was able to lift the Trans. Brown. That is why I love that color! It allows me to try on the color part and see the shapes better and stand back and see if I like it...if the shape is not working I can alter it some...yes, I creep into these things pretty slowly but that is just how I do it. I say move gently on the paper until you are certain it is exactly what you want. Anyway, I am going to work more on the ribbon today...and then the spoon area. Hopefully it will come together quickly and I can keep at it but if the new paint arrives I will have to stop and learn to work with it for these demos. Keep me in your thoughts!!

Time Keeps Rolling On!

Well my new paints have not arrived so I have not started the demos for Pasadena yet...hopefully next week I can be doing that...so the painting I started is sort of on hold until all this gets underway. So instead I thought I would show you a video for catlovers...this cat is pretty special!!!http://www.youtube.com:80/watch?v=zeoT66v4EHg&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fnew%2Emusic%2Eyahoo%2Ecom%2Fblogs%2Fvideogaga%2F27228%2Fkeyboard%2Dcat%2Dgets%2Dserved%2Dpiano%2Dcat%2Dis%2Dthe%2Dnew%2Dinternet%2Dstar%2F&feature=player_embedded

New Paint!

Well I was surprised yesterday to learn that when I am in Pasadena for the Arts and Materials show I cannot use my Daniel Smith paints so will be using W&N. So today I put out the request for paint so I can try it since I have not used them in over 9 years...so gang...you are going to know what I am doing...I tried to draw just a tiny bit today but it was hard as my eyes were dilated for an eye exam to see if the whole in my retina is healing and it seems to be...where it came from we do not know. So another thing I am juggling. I also purchased a video camera that has a hard drive so it can take movies for 86 hours I think it said...so if I ever find time to learn that I am going to do short demos for here...now do not think that I will begin this until October or later! Ha! Maybe but I am not sure I have time to figure this all out. I have to first make sure I have all the demos done for Pasadena. I am excited to go there to teach. Just filling you in on what I am doing....did not forget the blog...I just am not getting anywhere too fast!

New Drawing

I am working on a new drawing and have a ways to go yet before I can post it...I need to work for awhile longer before I show you what is next! I sure have had bad luck with booboos on my paper so I hope this time it will all go smoothly! I am also going to get a small drawing done on Ampersand for watercolor...it is a watercolor board and it will not be easy to paint on for me because it will not take glazing like I am use to doing...the paint will move but I am anxious to try! So will be posting that as I work through the problems! Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the summer!

Teaching in LA!

I would like to announce that I will be doing two of the 3 hour demos at the Learning and Materials show in Pasadena Oct 15-18th! http://www.learningproductexpo.com/pas/splash.html I will do Thursday from 1-4 and Friday 9-12. You can follow the link here to register and also see the other artists that will be there. It is a great way to see all the new materials the companies are putting out and try their products! Hope you can attend!

Safe Haven

I am also calling this one done as I can hardly wait to begin my next piece. I just really need to see some fresh paper! Ha! I darkened a few more areas on this and put in a few more yellow glazes...lightened above the one birds head to make it stand out just a little more and hope it will be ok. This late afternoon sun was hard to capture...so much goes into shadow and makes it hard to define even the petals as they begin to melt into one another. This painting really has no one focal point but that is ok with me...this began with the intent of designing another garden flag so the approach is alot different. Thanks for hanging in there with me!

Summer's End

Not sure about the title as it is only the end of spring when they fall apart but it does take a few months to get the big fuzzys...so the title is not definate yet. I just could keep picking away at it I know and it would never get done but I really need to get this one behind me and move on! I think it turned out well considering it began as a demo and so many things went wrong...I just cannot paint and talk at the same time! Ha!

Peony WIP

You saw the start of this and I just have not gotten back to it...it was the beginning of a demo at a workshop. Today I took the time to block in some more of the background. Now with a couple of days work it can be done which is going to be so nice...finally catching up after all that has gone on! Just to remind you, this peony has lost all it's petals and it leaves these terrific teddy bear like pods...which I love! Not sure of a title at this point but maybe by next time I will have something...any suggestions?

Dahlia Near Completion

Well for those of you who have hung in there with me I thank you!!! Ha! Just imagine I began in March only to be sick for 5 weeks..went to Oregon, had company and how many other things. I spilled pomegranate juice on it and used a ugly blue...thus the beginning of a rock wall and leaves! I am hoping this will inspire you to never give up. It might not be the best painting that ever was but I have rescued it and the labor of all the drawing...I pretty much hate it at this point because I have seen it way toooooooo long! Ha! But I am always glad when I do not give up and try to solve the problem...I always learn so much. Hope you did too!!! I have changed a leaf and darkened the birds since this photo...but there just has been no sun so the photos turn out rather dark...so will wait and hopefully the sun will come out soon!!! In the meantime...this is where it is and if anyone has a good title I sure would love to hear it!!! Thanks...

A Celebration of Light

I figured out how to add a button to purchase my book...I sure hope I did! I am getting pretty good at this now! Look out! Ha!

Products For Sale!

I think I figured out how to put a buy button on here for my products. There is a drop down menu for the products and you can select one....not sure you can select two the way I did it...it would have to be a separate order I think...I am sorry but I am not really smart on this! The button is on the side bar. Thanks!

Dahlias Updated

Well I might be slow but just like a turtle I keep moving along! Summer has arrived and with it brings many interruptions when you live at the lake...and then the heat comes and it is all hard as we do not have air conditioning...only need it a few weeks out of the year so just do not get it...but boy there are days!!!!
So this is where I am at on the dahlias. I still have alot of edges to work on and light against dark areas to stress...there is still a few things in the flowers that have not even been painted yet but all of this will begin to take shape now...I am hoping that it will become a garden flag and rug but we will see...they have to like it first!

Fading Peony Demo

My peony has these neat teddy bear seed pods on it after the petals fall and every year I cut some just to admire. They are quite large and so pretty! My plant is getting ready to bloom again and so I will be able to make adjustments to the painting if I see it is needed. Hopefully I can paint on this and make some headway as I want to finish up the dahlia that is ssoooo old! I think I have forgotten what colors I was using! I want that one done too because I am nearly done with the next drawing and really am anxious to get busy with it!!!
I am so glad to be back on track!!! Of course, if we get some warm weather I will have to do some gardening too. It has been unusually cold here and so everything is sort of frozen in time...a little sunshine will get things hopping I am sure!

Evergreen Products

I showed you the image that was selected to go on some garden products etc...this is the mailbox cover which I put up tonight so thought I would post it. It is magnetic and you can add magnetic numbers which is nice. I had painted my box so some of that is peeking out! Ha! There is also an outdoor indoor rug, windsock, large and small garden flags and I believe an address marker for the lawn. It was fun and I sure wish they would take another image!!!

Workshop Complete!

I am back from my workshop and this might have been one of my best groups ever! They were all just like me! Ha! they loved to laugh and were all supportive of one another which is a wonderful thing to see! So now I am visiting with my daughter from Oregon who leaves on Thursday and then I need to post a few things here! I hope to get back to painting Friday morning! If one of the workshop girls, Paula, gets any pictures to post I will definately do that. My camera was lost 2 days before the workshop so did not get any photos. It is strange, but seeing my summer stretching before me I wonder if I will be in the garden more than painting?? Ha!

On The Count Down!

I have completed the talk to 100 artists, did the two day painting demos, packed now and getting groceries as will be gone until Friday night teaching a workshop. Then I have a little down time with my daughter but will be back into painting again with fewer distractions! It has been a strange spring starting with 5 weeks of being sick...so I have really been slow here and do apologize for that...but hopefully will get back into the swing of things soon!!! I have friends who will be going to the Transparent Watercolor Society of America exhibition and perhaps they will take a picture of my painting there that they can post! Thanks for your patience! janie

I'm Back!

Well, the presentation to 100 artists went well. I now have a two day demo to work on and then a workshop for 3 days coming up in 2 weeks...then I hope to raise my feet in the air and review my life goals and weed the garden.
I did fiddle with the dahlia painting some more. Once I added the birdhouse to cover the pom juice I spilled, I realized the blue sky was too light...it fought with the light dahlias. I will be darkening them anyway now because this shifted the values alot but at least it will not have to be as much as if I had left a light colored sky. In the end this is going to be more of a painting to see if it can license for garden flags than for anything else...but I hope all of you will stick with your work and solve problems...it is always a neat learning experience...I found I loved the blue wash on all those leaves,,,so much blue and I wondered if those background leaves would even work but the veins being blue is working...and it just pushes me to think outside the box and make up things. I did take a photo before this to show the sky partially covered so you could compare but silly me. I did it with that new camera that I cannot seem to get a program to run to bring the photos in...so that one is there but unobtainable now...I will post it if I ever get it out. so here is where I am right now...alot of work now needs to be done on the flowers but that is not bad,,,the shapes are there so when I get time I will get into that and try to finish this up. still alot of work to do...deepen shadows in leaves and birdhouse etc...but I always adjust as I go to make sure I do not go too dark too soon.

Still Working!

I am still working on the big event this weekend with 100 artists. To talk for 2 hours on values is a real challenge...not because of lack of info but how to make it interesting. It is so important but for 2 hours it can be like beating a dead horse! Ha! Anyway, that is still what I am doing for now.
I did want to repost the painting that was juried into the Transparent Watercolor Society of American national show in Kenosah, Wisconsin. Remember I was trying to do a floral with an abstract quality to it...well it seems that it was successful and liked! Yipee!
I have done some work on the Dahlias but the camera I used to take the pictures doesnt seem to have a program I can upload the picture too?? I am totally confused so will continue to try to figure that one out! Sorry about that!

Delays Delays!

I have not progressed at all on the painting but it stares at me...really stares! Ha! It just has been a succession of things and what I am hoping is all that bad stuff is done and I can move on. Right now my 86 year old brother in law is in ICU. Been there for 12 days I think now. Keep hoping there will be improvement there or I might be headed to Oklahoma.
I have been working on a slide show that I will be presenting to over 100 artists on the 12th and also on several demos as I have so much coming up it scares me. But once this passes I think I have clear sailing...I really want to grow flowers for painting...unusual ones if I can. But so far the weather has been bad which is good as it keeps me inside working on these other projects.
I teach a 3 day workshop in Grand Forks, North Dakota the first week of June and then my daughter comes for a week...then my calendar opens up. I hope I have not forgotten how to paint!
What is hard is I already have a nearly complete full sheet drawing done and more new ideas than I can ever do...so once I start I will have plenty to keep me busy! Hope all of you are busy painting for me and enjoying spring. Spring has not really come here too much...still have 40 degree days and frost on the roofs in the morning but once it arrives, it usually just becomes summer!

What Blue Was That?

I have been asked what blue I was using in that background. It was Daniel Smith Verditer...supposedly low staining but I am not being to successful in it's removal...I only try to buy low staining colors for this reason. The other problem is it is a color mix...I wish I had the tube to look at what colors were used...I never use mixes either...so there is rule 2 broken. I also never use a new color in large areas until I have tested it...broke that one too! HHHa! Obviously not doing well that day! This blue is stunning but it separates alot, even in my little dish I made up of it. Also I think it might work better on 140# paper which would be less thirsty...the 300# was soaking it up pretty fast I think. Different papers react differently...I wanted to try this theory out but cannot find the tube and I think because I was working so fast I wonder if in turning the board my tube fell into the garbage can and got taken out because it has totally disappeared! Ha! Evidently I am not suppose to use that one again! :) I will not be working on this very much for awhile because I have a demo to work up for a group of about 100 artists. Then I have a demo for the RRWS and then a three day workshop all by the the first weekend in June and with everything happening as it has, I have not had the time to pull things together. I think what I will do is maybe post some of my thoughts on the demos to see what you think...hope I have the time. I will be discussing values for them and so have to work up the demo...a dear friend has lent me a photo actually because it showed exactly what I was thinking about and it will save time to use hers for now...it is sure great to have friends!
Also I have been asked what blues do I use...and so here is what is on my palatte right now...Indanthrone blue which is my favorite blue...it mixes well with everything. Indigo is there...just playing with it again because I normally do not have it on my palatte but it does help to go darker in mixes, Prussian Blue which I added recently and have not had on my palatte for about 7 years but testing it again, Phthalo Turquoise which I like to mix in my shadow greens, and Cobalt Teal Blue. I think this would change if I did more landscapes but since it is mostly still life work these seem to be the colors I need. I maybe need to try more landscape blues to see how they work. I have Cobalt but since it is a granulating color it is not good for glass etc so that is sort of my criteria. Hope this answers a few questions!

The Fix!

Ok...for those of you seeing this...check out the picture below as well to see the mess I have and here I am going to explain what I am trying to do. First of all...just going dark was not the answer...it is a bright sunny day to begin with and secondly a dark color would have hidden the one bird completely. It was not appropriate. I eventually came up with this rock wall as I felt the blue could come through it and not be too bothersome. The blue is staining and so lifting as you can see in the far left edge is not easy and will abraid the paper. The rocks seem to be working and so will continue with that and then I will have to figure out the area above the tallest dahlia as I spilled some juice while I was sick...it will only darken with any washes over it...so that I am still thinking about. None of the painting is done at this point and now with the wall this dark it will mean that the flowers will need alot of value adjusting...but I am going to try to save this piece. Oh, I forgot to mention why I thought of trying such a bright blue! Not my normal color is it? Ha! I started to think this would make a great garden flag etc. and they usually want a bright color in them...I guess I learned my lesson...play with new paint and understand it. I never use new stuff as I know what my old palette will do. It was careless with such a beautiful piece to do this. I guess we can safely say I was not in my right mind at the time!!! Lesson learned!

My Apologies!

This area of my life has been put on hold. It has been strange how so many things can happen at once. I got back from my one week trip after being sick 5 weeks...only to have a dear friend dying and she passed away the 10th. In between that another dear friend was told her cancer was not operable...so that has been troublesome to me. Then another friend on Sunday when returning from sunrise services was in a car accident and lost her left eye, shattered jaw and eyebone area. I am hoping it will settle down but went for a massage today and he said that even on athletes he has never felt such tight muscles...all stress I guess because it is not that I have time to exercise! Ha! But things will improve...it is always those initial weeks that you adjust and move on.
I wanted to show you the mess I made of my background and then try to show you gradually how I HOPEFULLY solve it. I was pretty depressed the day I tackled it after the first news of my friend...and for some very odd reason thought I would try a new blue I had never tried...it is a mix and you know I stick to pure color and transparent. Well it separated even on the paper and it could not be made into a smooth wash...once I started with it I felt I had to keep going as it was shifting the values of the whole painting...so I will post that here for you to see and then post again as to what I am trying to do now.

Dahlia in Progress

I am sorry this is slightly crooked but it still is ok for this step by step. I finally returned from my daughters and got to paint a little today and thought I would post where I am. I am hoping to paint the sky a turquoise blue and so I am placing some of this color into the flower petals now. White flowers sure aren't white are they? That is what makes them a challenge and so much fun I guess. I have decided to leave the birds until the end because I am thinking that will allow me to think about them for awhile. I will paint them as if they are in sun...one is but the other I will decide in the very end where to throw a shadow over him so I sort of need to see the final painting before I do that.
Thank you for your patience...I still am not 100% at all but alot better than I was! Thank you everyone for your kind emails and words!

Dahlia Progession

While I have been sick I have not painted much at all but even a little slowly gets you to your goal. This is the lower left hand corner of a full sheet. I am working on the values of the leaves and adding some cool blues to reflect the sky color. Once I have all the shapes and the painting is pretty much done I will select what to move back into shadow. I like to keep my options open!
I hope to fly to Oregon on Tuesday and if I do I will be gone for a week so there will be no painting...so there will not be an update for several weeks now...thanks for being patient!

Happy Day!

My painting, "Saucey Grapes" was juried into the Missouri National Watercolor Show and I shipped it off just before the blizzard. Today they emailed and said that it is going to be the front painting for all the announcements. It is nice to be recognized in that way. I hope it does well in the show too!
Also today it is 47 degrees and melting like crazy! Two days ago it was -35 so quite a switch! Instead of painting I am having to shovel snow away from the garage to keep it from running in and flooding the garage. Strange how fast things can change...of course there still could be another blizzard but spring is trying to come! I also know spring is on it's way when I check out the hummingbird migration maps. I love to watch them come on shore off the Gulf. When they arrive they have expended so much energy they are half their body weight. If you want to see where the Ruby Throated Hummer is and figure out when to get your feeders out you can check it here! You can also see when they arrived in your area in other years. http://hummingbirds.net/map.html I cannot seem to make this an active link but you can copy and paste.

I Am Improving!

Slowly ever so slowly I am improving...still have plugged ears and a headache but a light is at the end of the tunnel. I do not know when I have been sick for so long! It will be good to be well.
Many of you have written and said they were surprised I was still painting. I was plugging along is more like it. Even if I could find one or two petals to draw and then paint the next day, it all adds up. I learned that while raising kids. I would do just one wash a day sometimes and complete only one painting a year maybe but it taught me that just like the turtle, I can win my own race if I just do not give up. So I encourage all of you to just do a little each day and you will be surprised at what happens!
My new problem is Blogger is not letting me upload pictures. I have had alot of people offering help and I am not coming up with anything so far...so I cannot post until this is resolved. Hang in there...we all have something to overcome...but with friends it is always possible.

Dahlia Continuation!

Well, ever so slowly I am advancing...at least I am finding the shapes and that will be a big help later. I might find only 1-3 petals in a day if I feel tough but it is all helping. Goes to show you that you can paint even a little each day and accomplish quite a bit!!! So no excuses guys! My colors I am sure are not great again but I did learn not to push enhance as that makes them blue which they are not! I am learning! So one will show more of the composition and the other will show the 3 I have been slowly working on.
As to my health...still coughing and very tired but I am improving and am very glad for that!!! I suspect that next week I will begin to feel much better! Thank you all for your kind words here and through emails as that really kept me going! I do have such fine friends here and you are greatly appreciated!

Health Update

Billie just wrote and I have been hearing from others asking how I am feeling so thought I would update you. I finally saw a Dr and I have bronchitis and ear infection...but it was close to worse so glad I went. I have been on meds for 3 days and very little improvement...that is how bad I was. But tonight I think will change things as it will be bringing me into day 4 and that can be a turn around day I understand. Needless to say that painting has been very hard. I have however tried and even if it is one petal, that is what I did. I will get a photo of where I am at when the sun shines again and I can go outside...I really feel bad as I needed to really pump this one out as I have another really great one partially drawn and will be gone for awhile in March to visit my daughter in Oregon...but the best laid plans....yup...interrupted! Ha! I have not been so sick in I do not know how long and I thank everyone for their concern...I am very blessed to have such good friends!

Drawing

I thought since I am sick I would write a little bit here about the drawing stage for my work. That is really the most important part for me. If my drawing is accurate and full of the details I feel I have finished half the painting because I am now familiar with what I am about to do and I have a really good map to get me there! I am a very studious person...I like to know that when I am done it will look like a white dahlia and not some strange daisy! That is just me. I loved biology and got a minor in that in college because I love to know how things work and look in detail. Knowing that about myself helps me understand why I paint the way I do! I have worked in abstract and in loose manners in the past but never was happy until I began to work in greater detail. So I needed to draw that detail so it was not lost in the actual painting process.
The part below took me over a day to draw and then I decided to paint it to a mid value because I did not want the lines to smear. Yesterday I drew in another dahlia...a partial one and will paint that today hopefully if I feel well enough. Then I hope to draw and paint aother one over the weekend which leaves one left! Yipee! I will try to get some pictures as I go but we have snowstorms here and expect it to be gray for a few days. Plus I have a new computer and cannot find the program to upload my images! I am working on that as well. I would love to get a small video camera and try to do some short segments for You Tube and that might help explain some of what I do! I am working on that as well! Trouble is I am no spring chicken and have to learn alot of stuff to do this! HHA! So hang in there with me.

Dahlia Beginnings

This is a full sheet painting but I just took a close up of the one flower I have started. I have been sick so this is going very slow but at least it is moving forward! I am using Indigo from Daniel Smith which is transparent and non-staining. I usually mix my own grays but being I feel tough I thought why not. It is a wonderful color as it can be completely lifted! So I am not a fan. This painting has 3 more dahlias and several buds and two fledgling sparrows. I think at the pace I am moving this will not be done until April! Ha! Hope I am wrong...I do like the composition but did spill some pomegranate juice on it...just one drip and boy that stains! It was in the sky too where I was going to do a flat wash...now there may have to be a leaf or something happening there...perhaps a bud...I nearly had a heart attack! Maybe that is why we should not paint when we are sick!
Since I have been sick all week I have played with Photoshop a little to try get the coloring more true...and this is where it is at..it is a little light in some of the grays but more true to the picture I hope.

Mailing List

I have been curious to see if this blog would work well enough to also be used as a Newletter. Those of you who subcribed above are now numbering near 140 people and so I would think this would work. I would be interested to hear from those of you who watch often to see if you think this is a good idea or do you use a different method for your newsletters? I surely am open to any suggestions! Thanks ever so much!
On a different not, I am beginning a large full sheet painting but since it is white dahlias, the drawing is so light there would be no way for you to see it. I will begin posting it's progress once you can see it better.

Painted Door

This is what I have been working on and I am calling it done. I am not at all comfortable with acrylics so it seemed to take me forever but I am sure if I do it a few more times I will get the hang of it better! This is a section of hollow door from a bifold door. It is cut also as the knob had to be cut so cut the piece in half making it about 3 feet by 18 inches. I primed it and then used a roller to put on the background. Actually two rollers as I put on the dark and light and then with a clean roller blended them. Then I thought, well if this works...why not draw it the actual size and transfer it on in case I ever want to do this again and figure out a way to make it all go quickly...well the transfer paper worked but it moved on this surface and it is impossible to get out...by using a damp cloth the other paint wanted to lift! Ha! So I say it has an antiqued look! Ha! I think this has possibilities as I can see florals hanging on the garden fence...this will go on my garage I think or at the back door. I still have to polyurathane it I think as I want it impervious to the elements. Anyway, this is what I have been up to off and on and it was a nice diversion!

Sweetpeas

This painting is full sheet Arches 300# coldpress. I wanted a different perspective and also an abstract quality so by using the stems of the Sweetpea plant as the focal point ratheer than the flowers I think I achieved some of what I set out to do. I think the fun part is setting up challenges for oneself and seeing if you can solve it. These are Daniel Smith watercolors again, the only watercolors I use.

Nearly Done!

I have been working on this and forgetting to post so will follow up with where I am right now. I have begun to deepen the values and define alot of the details. The picture was quite dark and also when otters are wet they are quite black...but I chose not to make him so dark because I felt there was a unity in the shape of his head with the shape of the furry angora hat. Similar shapes are always unifing as long as they seem to differ somewhat and do not become boring. I am hoping to keep the oval shape of her face and the otter's face working tightly so the eye stays there and wants to remain there. I want the water line to lead the eye of the viewer into the painting and make that circle. There is also alot of interest with texture throughout the painting so hopefully the viewer still has enough to look at to remain with the painting for awhile. I hope to be done soon...and will next show the professional photo of it...Yipee!

Otter continuation

I have been working on this quite abit and got behind in posting so will do a post for each step. Here I am blocking in the shapes still and finding the surface or area color starting with the lightest shades mostly. I always like to get the white covered most places to get a sense of the values. I am also trying to get the glass from the aquarium wall completed so that I know the values there. The texture turned out quite well using the salt but now I have gone in and glazed over parts of it and deleted some. I also have made some into the droplets of water that are running and condensing on the glass.

Otter Painting

This is a picture of my daughter at the aquarioum in Newport, Oregon. The photo is very dark because we are in one of those underground areas...darker outside than inside the tank. I maybe do not have enough information to really do this correctly...but I have decided to continue working outside my comfort zone for awhile and do what is not easy for me. So bare with me....perhaps it will make you try something new too!
In this beginning stage I did a salt layer to add the texture for the glass. It was full of water running down, bubbles etc...and so this is how I am going to begin solving that area. My next picture will show what I do with that to lessen it in areas.
The tank has an odd glow in the water so I tried to capture that too. I am leaving out any areas on the glass that show squares of light from the windows behind as I think that will detract. Soon I will post where I am now.

Sprinkler Final

I am calling this done as I just cannot take it much further without losing the small details in all the cogs. You might not be able to see all of that detail as it is truly very small but I do not want to put too high a resolution up here because of theft. Hopefully you can see it well enough. There were many problems to overcome in this painting. The biggest for me was that the sun was overhead and I was not going to have much for shadows...usually I like very strong shadows. I could not have them on the wall behind as it would have been too dark and I would have lost all the mechanics on the sprinklers. I decided on this and hope that it works well enough for everyone. I have UND and North Dakota on one license plate as that is where I gradutaed from college. I have one showing Minnesota with a "B" for Bemidji where I am from now. I have a small tag hanging down which is 3=20 which is my birthday. I usually try to add things that make my paintings more personal. Now I can move on and start a new painting which is already to go!
This painting is 9 x 30, watercolor and is titled "Waterworks" Thanks so much! Janie

Sprinklers Continued!

I am finally closing the gap. I took a good long time thinking about the background and not knowing photoshop I had to guess and hope it would work. I really had some wonderful suggestions but in many cases if that area was dark it would have been impossible to see the workings of the sprinklers so it had to be light...or a mid value to work. I have been wanting to add license plates to a painting for some time...but have never taken pictures of any. This was out of my head and now I love what is happening I will take some pictures for future reference. Most of you realize that when I post a picture in progress, obviously all the darks etc are not in. At this point I have established the mid values and lights and so can now go in and finish off the details and really get in some good darks. The direction of the sun is not lending itself to shadows and I think if they were places on the wall it might be distracting in this particular painting so I am steering away from that. This picture is 9 inches by 30 so I am not working with alot of space and the tiny cogs etc are really like trying to paint a miniature...it has been a test of patience!!! Also, you will note that yes, it is crooked again! Hopefully you can over look that and wait for the final professional picture which will be straight! Thanks so much for following along and for all the nice emails I have received!

Sprinkler Update!

I have been just staring at this painting trying to decide what to do for the shelf or bench that the sprinklers are sitting on. I had taken the photo on a wooden outdoor bench but looking at that strong horizontal line that would go across the entire page seemed wrong. Finally I started doodling and decided to break it up like slats of wood to give it more interet since this area was closest to the viewer...it needed that. It is not done in this area but now I can leave it and start to consider what will go behind the sprinklers...that really has me wondering. If I paint loose it will contradict the tight part of the painting. I do not see how I can paint a single color because there is so much to paint around...unless I try to mask it and there is just so much detail I am not sure I can! So I need to put my thinking cap back on! The picture wa staken quickly because it was -30 today and I had to take it outside...so ignore the slant. Also as priviously stated, this is not done, nor is any part of it done until I get the background in and can then adjust the values of the different areas.

Progressing On New Painting!

I have completed a picture of sweet peas but my photographer is out of town until next week so that will have to wait. So I began another painting and thought I would show you where it is at this time. It is 9 x 30 and I am using the Daniel Smith Primatek colors to get the granulation for all these rusty sprinklers! It has been difficult as these are only about 6 inches high so each area where all the mechanical parts are is quite small and they have become miniature paintings I guess. There is still work to be done on them but I am already scared of the background to go around all these little parts since I do not use masking!!! I will have to come up with a plan on how to proceed with that for when the time comes. I have included a close up so that you can hopefully see some of the granulation that occured.
These are copyrighted pieces so you are not allowed to be painting them for yourself. I am just showing you in hopes that it will inspire you to try these paints and do something similar! Good Luck!

Small Painting of Pomegranates

I tried my hand at a small painting a few weeks ago to see if I could do something in a day. I decided since I had not used acrylics in many, many years it was time to drag them out just for the fun of it. I love watercolor so much that I never have had a desire to paint with anything else since 1989 but lately I have been thinking it would be a medium that I could be looser with. I cut open a pomegranate to eat and decided to draw it out first and eat half and then paint it...ha! The painting is approximately 4x6, acrylic, and painted on multipurpose archival board.

Long Time No See!

Well, this time I have really been missing in action and I am sorry. I have done a few little fast things just for the fun of it so that I did not go completely nuts! Besides a dear friend discovering cancer and trips, my son moved home after selling his house! He wants to live in his old hometown but finding work has not been easy. It surely is a change to start cooking for a strapping young man again but such a joy. I just find that after all the cooking, cleaning and washing dishes I have little desire to paint...mostly because I am too tired! Ha! But I have been working slowly on a full sheet of sweet peas from my garden and I do believe it is really almost done. So once I get it to the photographer and get some shots I will post it. I am thinking this is a bad time of the year for such a thing as he very well could be in New Mexico skiing for all I know! So we will see how this goes.
I have 2 paintings running around in my head that I am anxious to do. I will be posting them and they are very different from what I normally do. Hopefully they will be fun. So apologies for my tardiness and hang in there...my New Year resolution is to be more faithful to this blog! Thanks, Janie

Thanks!

I would like to thank everyone for all the nice emails I have been receiving. I did not mean to ignore all of you but I had a family reunion and knee surgery and several other things going on and posting just got difficult. I am just beginning a new painting and hope to post something one of these days. It is going to be simple and just enjoyable until I begin another competition piece later this fall. I did take a week to work in the garden, which is where I ripped my knee!! I guess I was trying to do the impossible in record time! I guess gardening will wait another year now as fall is definately here and the hummingbirds have migrated south already. Mowing this fall is taking a long time as our yard is full of beautiful leapord frogs...some the size of a deck of cards!!! They are everywhere so one must do everything slower so they can decide to get out of the way. The cats have enjoyed a number of good chases after them and the grasshoppers so they are getting in the last of their exercise before winter settles in. Wish I could say the same!!
Thought I would show you one of my little friends again...this fellow must have 50# of peanuts now under the deck...he should have a good winter!
Thanks for your patience!

The Final Paintings

The final photos are back of the last two painting so thought I would post them. They both have been purchased and owned by the same people. They purchased the peony painting while yet a drawing when they viewed the drawing of their commissioned Norway painting. It is nice to have it complete. Now I am taking some time off to garden and enjoy what is left of summer. I am also reconsidering teaching or posting step by steps...I have alot of think on. Thanks for looking.

Copyright Issues!

It has come to my knowledge that my images are being copied and painted by others. I will no longer be putting up large images. I did that so you could see what I was doing and learn but it also has allowed people to print off these images and use them. This is an infringement on my ownership of this image. I am surprised that so many do not understand this principle. ALL photos are owned by the person who took them. So if you copy out of books and magazines you are breaking the law. Copying my images is breaking the law. If you are a true artist, you must create your own work. Many artists have copied in the past to learn...but then that piece is never shown because it is truly not their created piece and it must be stated somewhere in the title. It is also wrong to enter such pieces in shows...even those produced at workshops. These are still not your images or done completely by you. When you begin to get input on how to improve your painting and guidance, you no longer can say it was entirely painted by you and that should not then be entered into a show. Many art clubs help each other and have critique sessions and then upon those suggestions things are changed in the painting. It now is a club painting and should not be entered into a show. If a judge discovers that this is a copy or was a critiqued piece, it cam be disqualified and you can be asked not to exhibit there for 3 years. I hope I have impressed upon you the importance of doing your own work. Get your cameras out and get your own references...that is part of being a real artist. CREATE YOUR OWN WORK!

Getting Closer!

THESE IMAGES ARE COPYRIGHTED AND MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED!
This is the last step I will be showing until it is done. I think that if I had 4 days I would be done but Tues and Wed I will be gone so my aim is to be done by Friday of next week. There is always those last days when you clean up edges and darken here and there and it just takes so much time to bring it to completion. Here you can compare to the previous one and see I have worked in the dishes and am beginning some of the Hardanger lace. I have taken this in full sun so not sure if it looks washed out for you but hopefully it is ok...thanks for peeking and wish me good luck on finishing this one up!
I took a photo indoors and it seems better, you can decide and also a close up of the linens so you can see some of the work there.
Oh and by the way, I have been considering a title and it seems with the angel carved into the plate rack, a possible title could be Angels Keeping Watch or Angels Among Us...something to that effect. Any ideas?? I would be interested in hearing them! Thanks again!

Norway Painting Is Taking Shape

I posted the drawing for this when I posted the peony drawing and then set it aside until I finished the peonies. I feel like it is taking forever but when you are documenting someone's things, they do need to have some accuracy. The plate rack was pretty difficult but once I had it drawn it was easy to paint. I have begun to gray down some of the blues by adding Daniel Smith Transparent Orange and it is doing a great job. I wish I would have used that to begin with. If you have any questions, please ask. I hope to be done by the end of the month with this piece but will be gone for several days next week too. It is always hard in the summer to get things done isn't it? I want to go outside and play very badly! I am leaving August open just for that!

The Peonies are Finished!

THESE IMAGES ARE COPYRIGHTED ANDF MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED IN ANY WAY!
I have finished the peonies but still do not have a title for them. Since they were from my girlfriend, Susan Hoosier's garden, I have thought of calling them Hoosier Hotties! Ha! But perhaps that is not the best title so still thinking. If you have a good idea, please let me know!
I thought I would explain the background on the right. I did a pale wash of New Gamboge and let it dry, then a pale wash of Quinacridone Rose in places. When I do this the entire area is wet but I place the paint only in a few areas. Being the paper is wet it makes soft glazes and each glaze will shine through. The last coats which were 3, were a mixture of Naph. Maroon and Sap Green to create an interesting brown that was a unifing color with what I had already done. I like to use a limited palette when I can and use 4=6 colors and mix them with one another to achieve a cohesivness.
This was a full sheet and ended up about 21x29 whuch is a nice size to make a statement.

Getting Closer!

This stage is always very time consuming and challenging...but this part also reveals whether this is going to be a good painting or not so it can be exciting. I am glazing up the colors as I go to try create different values using the same colors. Hopefully you will see what I am doing...if not...ask questions!

4th Step on Peonies!

I am so sorry this is a little late but my computer just plain made terrible noises and so shut down until someone could check it...when someone finally came it just was the keyboard. Eveidently lightning had done something to it and now I am just fine with my new one! Whew! I was beginning to wonder what to do!
So here is the following snap of where the painting is as of a few days ago. I am continuing to find the shapes and fill in the local color and values but will leave alot of detail value work to the end. That is when I like to really punch in a few more darks. The peony in the lower left is being made up as in the photo it was so dark I could not see anything...so I just started putting petals on top of petals to make a couple of nice shaggy ones for variety. They will take alot more work I am afraid to get them to sit back under the white one. Hopefully in a few days I will have the next step ready. Summer brings friends, company and summer cabin people up here so I do get sidetracked some but still find time to paint a little everyday.

Third Step on Peonies

I have been working on the peonies some more and hope to post soon with the next step as well. In this step you can see I am beginning to block in some background. I am going lighter in areas allowing for any negative painting I might choose to do in the next step. Sometimes just getting in some darks helps one evaluate the values in the work you have already done. I never want dark near an area I might want to prime with water as it would bleed so I am pretty careful about that.
Some of you may be wondering about my colors. I am using Daniel Smith Naphthamide Maroon for most of the flowers and adding just a bit of Quinacridone Rose in places. The background brown has been made by mixing the Maroon with Sap Green. I often make my browns by using the pink or red I am using with Sap Green and get a nice brown that is unifing with all my colors.
Now on to the next phase!

Updating Peonies

THESE IMAGES ARE COPYRIGHTED AND MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED IN ANY WAY!
I am slowly progressing with the Peony painting. I cannot believe how long it can take sometimes but I have also learned that patience does pay off so I am hanging in there. I think that I am going to really love this one so I want to be careful not to hurry something and then regret it. I also took a close up of the white peony so you can see how I work. I have a map in my drawing that will ensure I capture that lovely flower with all it's petals.

Plein Aire Painting

For some time now I have wanted to take the time to learn to do some plein aire work but never found the time. While I had all this company however, I would wait for people to rise in the mornng and decided to use the opportunity to give my son-in-law a lesson even though I had not done it myself! For me the most interesting thing was the water and since we were going to paint for only an hour, I got my sketch in and started with the water. It worked well but I think all my years of layering helped greatly in achieving this. Since I took this jpeg I darkened the background a little more. I did this when I decided I would give it to the lady who lived in this cabin when I first moved here. She no longer is able to live here at the lake but I took her to lunch and she was thrilled with it. I really had fun and learned alot. I believe I will do more of this now as it was such a joy to be loose and not worry so much about the details. I love detailed work but sometimes I just need a break I guess so maybe I have found a new love! We will see. First I have to find the time to do it! Ha!

Peonies and Norwegian Collections Paintings

Well! Finally! Company has left and I am working on 2 commissions that need to be done...hopefully everything will go normal from here on out! I will keep you posted as they advance and if you have questions I will try to answer them.
The first is a grouping of peonies. The hardest part is over as drawing all those petals took forever! I believe that is harder than lace sometimes however, you can put a petal most anywhere but lace has to be pretty accurate to the pattern...so perhaps lace is technically harder but it was a challenge on the peonies as well. I thought I would try something different and try to establish this darker area first...I never do that because I fear bleeding back into areas that I wish to keep clean. We will see how it works. These darker flower heads are in areas where I will not be washing glazes too much so hopefully they are safe!
The second painting is of Norwegian furniture, dishes and textiles from the 1800's. I was asked to document just a small part of a very large collection. This is hard as it is a collection and requires some accuracy but I still will make some painterly choices as an artist. I like color and will not change my style so hopefully when it is done they will still like it!
We have been getting alot of rain with the company and the gardens are over run with weeds. I cannot keep up with the bird feeders either. They seem to be so hungry but the April blizzard we had killed alot of insects I guess so I feed them faithfully. I will also have to post a picture of all the pet chipmunks that are here. I have been feeding them organic peanuts and now you have to be careful where you walk! Some see them as pests and I suppose they can be but I enjoy them along with my large grey squirrels. It seems some days it is a zoo I am running! Ha!
Hopefully I will keep up with this better for you this time! Sorry about the delays but life happens and I do not want to miss out on anything! Life is to be lived!

SORRY!

I am so sorry that I have not kept up here! There has been so much going on. I was in Springfield, Illinois teaching. Made it there in time for the earthquake. My dog had to be put to sleep. I had a commission to get reference work for which took about 4 visits. I will post that and the update for the peonies when I get a day of sunshine! Here in northern Minnesota it has been cool...and I guess it was just over a month ago or less maybe we actually had a 2 day blizzard! Three foot drifts of snow and hundreds of dead birds. It has been hard on the wildlife and believe it or not...all the trees have not yet even leafed out! So we are very far behind.
I have company which is pretty common here on the lake in the summer. I will try to get a picture of each painting where it is and keep you better updated now as company leaves this weekend and I have to get busy painting!
I hope everyone has stayed well...Janie

Next On the Watercolor Board!

I have several things ready to work on. I have been delayed with sickness twice this winter and then a workshop just a week ago in Springfield, Illinois that I had to prepare for. Usually a workshop takes a few weeks out of the schedule. For those of you interested there is still Ouray, Colorado and Dillman's in Wisconsin. Visit my website to see the contact emails there.
I have completed a drawing of peonies...and plan to get busy with that shortly. I also have narrowed down the pictures of what I am working on for a commission. The house is all furniture, textiles and dishes from the early 1800's from Norway and Sweden and they want me to document a few things. Unfortunately the lighting is only for an hour in the early morning as the sun comes up because they protect all the textiles from the sun. I think if I could get lighting, I could paint in this house for the rest of my life!
I am beginning to learn that as an artist we also have to be wise enough to know when something doesn't bring us joy. There are always opportunities out there for us but many are not good for us. The wisdom comes in knowing what is right for you and being able to say no to those things. I am finding that I have been doing so much that the simple of joy of painting has been lost. My goal this summer is to find that back again. I believe I became burnt out doing the book too so needed to rest and figure out my mext move. My next move might be to just stay home and paint!!!Traveling and recognition is not always as wonderful as we imagine it to be. We have this romantic idea that it will spur us on to bigger and greater things when in fact it often steers us away from the very things that would make us happy. For me, a day spent driving in the car and finding subject matter to paint is far more wonderful that doing the computer and business end....and there is far too much of that now. As a wife and mother, there is not enough time. A man usually has a great wife who steps in to help with this and that allows them more painting time. For me, that just is not going to happen so I have to set some boundries. Lesson learned. I hope you can learn from me and not have to go through the struggle. Enjoy where you are and live each day to the fullest. It is not always greener on the other side of the fence! Ha!
As soon as I get some ground colors into things I will begin to post. Otherwise it is so hard to see. I did go into photoshop and enhance the black and white so you can see the beginning drawing for the peonies. Remember, this is not how dark the drawing is. It is actually quite light.

What!? I Finished This Some Time Ago!

Silly me, I finished this painting a month ago or more...but forgot to post the finish. I have too many irons in the fire! Plus, we seem to keep getting sick this winter and then I have had eye surgery...one thing after another. Somehow I must be better about sticking with blogging! I am going to really try this year to keep this up better starting today!! HEre is the finished painting which is titled "Papa's Pepper" after a book I read called "The Shack" I infact am going 3 hours from here tomorrow to pick it up from the framer and several of the giclees which are now framed...I hope you like how it turned out!
I have been busy getting ready for my summer workshops. If you are interested there is still room in a few so hurry. My schedule is at my website, www.janefreeman.com I would love to me you in Maine or Wisconsin or Colorado!

Another Step Closer!

I think by doing a few changes to the lines and getting some background in the book is not so much a problem anymore...Thanks Kim for writing...I was sorry I had not posted this so you could see it is progressing...I think I shall never do a book again! Ha! Anyway, here is where I am at now and hopefully before the week is out I might even be done!
Merry Christmas to all!

Prism Update!

I am showing you where this is at but am not happy with where it is. I was doing well until I saw the perspective on the left side of the book did not work...had to was it off with a toothbrush which I hate because from now on it will not paint the same. Hopefully it will work out ok. Then for some strange and unknown reason, I painted that stupid lace as I did...it was simply because the other had turned out I think...I was not following my plan and just did it...now I hope that I can make it work. I did the very thing I tell my students not to do...keep with the plan that you know will work! Ha! Well, I am the worst when it comes to following anything, orders, plans, maps etc...so I hope that it will still be ok but I know it will not be what it could have been. Nevertheless, here it is at this moment before I begin moving into the background. I am still not done with all the prisms but that had become too tedious and I needed to move on for awhile. If I can get some first coats of the background in, then I might feel up to finishing off the glass.

Step Three for Prisms!

I thought I better take a picture while the sun was still shining as one never knows up here when we will go into a long stretch of no sun. It is coming along but I have not devoted as much time to this like I had hoped! I am putting up the tree and decorating outside today and tomorrow to get that project done and have mailed the presents except for one! So I am getting things completed. Most of the Christmas cards have also been sent...at least to family...we will see how far I get with the rest. Sometimes we just can't do it all and be artists too!
I am trying Daniel Smith's Quinacridone Gold Deep which is a limited time only paint and I am really liking it. It makes the reds and browns and even the greens more lively! I hope they start to make this one all the time!
As I progress with this piece, I am seeing that it is actually Christmas colors! I was not inspired by the season but rather just using complementary colors but if this one works out I think it might make an interesting Christmas card for next year. I hope this week helps me get closer to filling in all the local color as I like to cover more of the white to help me with values but in this case, the dark background might bleed into a prism so I really want those done before I ever do the background. I suspect once that goes in there will alot of value adjustments but that part will be much easier...I have found all those shapes and that was the hardest part for me.

Step Two With the Prisms!

I am sorry about the delay in the next picture but we have had no sun so it just would have been too gray a picture. Today it is sunny but it is -20 degrees so freezing out there. I took a quick picture and hopefully will not have to redo it. I did crop it some because of a shadow falling over part but I think the part where I have been painting is showing up well enough to help you see what I am doing. Finding the shapes within each prism is really taking alot of time, more than I anticipated. But if I do it right the results will be worth it. I worry at some point I will become impatient and hurry something so it is not right...so I am trying to just do each part the best I can and take breathers. I am using Daniel Smith paints on 300# ARches. Mostly I am using Indanthrone Blue, Qinachridone Sienna, Transparent Brown Oxide, Sap Green and New Gamboge. The reds are Perylene Scarlet and Perylene Red. OVer glazing with Transparent Pyrrol Orange is helping to give areas some nice sparkle so far. I am enjoying that new color. I think it might just become the final glaze for some of the reds too as it really enlivens the colors.

Moving Right Along!

I have been painting on the prisms of the drawing below and it is coming along but I have not been able to get a good picture so far. That is because we have been having snow storms and it stays so gray outside it overcasts everything! I do hope to get a picture in the next couple of days however. So far I am very very excited! Now I just have to be patient and not rush from this excitment and ruin what I have begun! Ha!
I had an email from Jmancol from the Philippines this morning and he says that the purple waterlily below is called Midnight! Wow! This is so great to think you can put a question out into cyberspace and an answer comes back from the other side of the world! Thank you so much! I tried to email back to you but it bounces back to me saying something about the prefix of the email address. So I will thank you here and hope you get this! I believe it shall be called "Midnight Waters" and all thanks to you Jmancol!
Asnow storm is moving in right now again to drop a possible 10 inches of snow on us. The day before yesterday we got at least that much as well but it makes it so beautiful around here...who can complain!? I will try to get some nice pictures of the snow too if the sun would try to peek out! Have a good day!

Back on Track!

After many side roads and distractions, I finally have a drawing on the table and have actually begun painting! It feels almost foreign to me at this point! I do not regret doing all the clothes for kids however as they are selling well and art is not so it provides resources for me at this time to continue to buy supplies. I think we as artists often think we have to just paint but we might need to reconsider trying another creative venue on the side to help support us. Too many say that is copping out...I say it is a create use of our time. However you are creative is good for the soul. That being said, I am happy to be painting until January when I need to begin the spring and summer lines of clothing as I will be gone teaching so much this summer I need to have them done now...so I had better use my time wisely!
Here is the drawing. It is prisms in a vase on top of Cindy Agan's art book and in the top is a red pepper that is cut up...hoping that green and red combo is going to really set this off as complements often do! I hope to paint a little faster than I usually do so let's see how this goes!

Sorry About The Delays!

I have not been able to paint and am getting worried as next summer I have alot of workshops to give!!! Check out my website as maybe one will be near you!
I have been working on my fall and Holiday collection of clothes and am almost done. Thought I would post one of the sweaters so you could see that line. They have been selling well in the store in Oregon where they really appreciate recycled and reconstructed clothing. It is a niche I am filling and it has been alot of fun.
Today I go to speak at the college to the senior class of Fine Art students and to give them a reality check. For as successful as I have been in many ways, I still do not make a great income and I want them to see that I have to work in other ways to still support my art. That is the reality today for most of us and finding that thing that we can still be creative in and enjoy is the trick! I am lucky I found such a thing and yet it is upsetting that I cannot be just painting. We must do what is necessary these days to stay afloat however! Hopefully my next post will actually be a painting!!!
My book will be the selection of the month at North Light and you will see it featured in Watercolor Magic in this coming issue...so take a peek!

Finally It Has A Name!

The suggestions was given to me just a couple of days ago to title the grapes and silver piece "Saucey Grapes" which I liked very much. I wanted something to elude to the gravy boat and I just could not come up with anything. Of course, those serving pieces were also used for sauces too so that worked great. I had to have a title as it was at the printers and did not have a clue what to tell them...so Saucey Grapes it is!Now the question is should I use the sauce spelling and add a y...or what as I am not sure there is such a word as that. The word would be saucy which is impertinent...insolant...and I do not want it to mean that. So I think to keep it from having a wrong meaning I have to gio with this spelling? Any suggestions? There is the "well sauced" which is seasoned... so is it more correct to say "Well Sauced Grapes"...? Let me know your thoughts! J

Grapes and Silver Completed!

As you can see I still do not have a title for this! I like the idea of using Gravy Boat in there but nothing is coming to me. I am sorry it took so long to get to this point but seems I had a million interruptions and the company scanning it took their sweet time! Just the way life is sometimes I guess.
I know this could have had a lot more drama with a dark background but I am so tired of seeing that as the solution to everything by so many artists that I try to steer away from that as an option. I am hoping it worked well enough to make it seem airey rather than heavy which the dark would have lent to it.
The Workshop went well and the schedule is filling up. It appears next summer will be a blurr of teaching and airplanes and if my delays and cancellations this time are any indicator or what is to come...I will dread flying. I was left in Chicago this time for 12 hours~! Then I had to teach with a little 2 hour catnap...but I did better than I thought I would being so deprived of my precious sleep! Ha! Anyway, any suggestions for a title would be appreciated!

Workshop Schedule

I am beginning to list the workshops at my site for next year. One the first ones is in March to the Mexican Riviera aboard a cruise ship! For all the details you can go to my website at www.janefreeman.com and check out the workshops. I am now team teaching with Cindy Agan so it will be twice the fun I think. She does wonderful portraits and pets besides everything else! Again, it will all be in watercolor.
As for the scan of my last painting, when it came back it was not dead on with the colors so had to have it redone...so still waiting for the proof to ok it. Then I should get the slides and be able to put it up here. Sorry for the delay.
I will be in Michigan teaching a workshop next week and then things will slow down and I hope to be more active here. Thanks for your patience!

My Book Has Arrived!!

Yesterday afternoon my book arrived by UPS. It was very strange to see it all together as a book! I hope that you will enjoy it as I have also a page of instruction from 10 artists whom I call friends as I have known them now for a number of years through emails and encouraging words. They are: Cindy Agan, Peggi Bstcheck, Janie Gildow, Susan Harrison-Tustain, Paul Jackson, Laurin McCracken, Arleta Pech, Sueellen Ross, James Toogood and Marilyn Wear. My foreward is by Robert Reynolds, artist and professor of Art/Emeritus, Cal Poly University. He and I have also been friends for a number of years. So I have quite the list of A list watercolor artists behind me which I think will be of interest to everyone because they share a little about how they capture light as well! Wow! Now that is done and I have been booking workshops for 2008. I will be team teaching with Cindy Agan which should be great as it will you two instructos and twice the attention!
My proofs are suppose to be here by Wed and I hope the jpeg will arrive too so I can put up my new painting! It is yet unnamed so I might need your help again!

Off To The Printer!

My latest painting is off to the printer to be scanned and have slides made. As soon as I have the image I will post it. This is one of those paintings that I will not know if it was successful until I see it framed.
Lately I have been very busy with my second business which is reconstructed clothing for little girls. I have had to come out with the fall line and so that has been alot of work as with summer my seamstress that helps has been busy so.....I am doing all the stuff. Hopefully I will be able to juggle all of this without dropping the ball in either court. I hope to have an update by the end of the week but if anyone has an interesting title for the gravy boat with grapes, I would be very anxious to hear it!

My Book Is Available!

My book "A Celebration of Light" is available at Amazon for pre-orders! I was quite surprised to see it there already as it will not be available in bookstores until perhaos the first week in Sept. You can view it here http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_nr_i_0/105-3676027-9721251?ie=UTF8&rs=&keywords=A%20Celebration%20of%20Light&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3AA%20Celebration%20of%20Light%2Ci%3Astripbooks and hopefully you will want to order one to see what this old goat has to say!
I am nearly done with the gravy boat painting but unforseen things have kept me from finishing it of late but I believe it would just take a couple of days to get it done and off to the printer for scanning...so hopefully my next post will be of the finished piece! Thanks for your patience!

Watercolor Apologies

This blog has been dangling for way too long! I am very sorry but life just gets in the way sometimes and for me, if my mind cannot be on my painting completely, then I should not paint as I do a poor job when my mind is somewhere else.
My husband broke his foot and so I do all the yard work which means 3 hours of mowing every third day! We have had stacks of company which means I am a glorified maid and cook while that goes on. I am now under the gun and am hoping to get real close by Monday morning and I promise as soon as I get this thing done I will post it. It has been so complicated with the lace and when you are away from that for awhile it becomes unfamiliar and hard to find the lines again to retain the pattern. Hopefully this will still turn out ok and I will be ready to move on. Then off to the printers to scan and hopefully like what I see.
This brings up something for you artists...do you notice that once you finish a painting you can be tired of it completely and not like it? Then once I send it off to the printers it takes about 10 days and then I see the print and say...oh my...it did turn out after all! I think we need time away from our work sometimes to get a clearer perspective on what we have done. But not so long that we forget what we are doing! HA!
Thank you for putting up with the delays...I hope to post within the week...In the mean time...Happy July 4th! Janie

Watercolor Workshops

There is still space available in my workshop in Maine this year in July. It is right below the Arcadia National Park which is very beautiful and there are bike trails from where we stay right into the park. There is whale watching as well! You can view the site here and if you are thinking next year, I will teach July 7-11 for 2008 there. I will give you the link here to the workshop so you can see the area. www.acadiaworkshopcenter.com Thanks! Janie

Gravy Boat Step 4

I am so sorry this is taking so long. There have been a number of things that have traspired over the last few weeks that have kept me hopping! First I was signing a contract to license all my images which is final now so I hope that some good things happen! Second, my other business has taken off unexpectedly and so have had to make more time for that. I design and reconstruct clothing for small girls. It is a popular fashion on the westcoast where recycling is important. They have been selling well and I thought it was just going to be a fun thing to do for a few weeks and that was that! Hopefully this next batch of clothes will be done this weekend and I can get back to this painting.
Gravy boat has been a challenge because of the lace. There were so many folds that it was a case where I finally had to just find the shapes and patterns to make sure it would read correctly. I believe I have that now so it will go much better as I do not have to worry about the shapes but can just paint. Nothing is done at this point but it is reading lace and most areas are filled in so I believe it will be much more fun now and go faster. The colors in the lace are Transparent Brown Oxide, Quin. Gold Quin. Sienna and Carbazole Violet. I have tried to keep a variety of values even at this stage but now will have to go in and define things better and get more darks in so the holes in the lace pop better. Thanks for your patience!

Gravy Boat Step 3

Well, I am not setting any world records with this one but I am enjoying some other things now since I finished the book...so taking my time. I have placed the first wash into the background just to give it some substance. This will allow me to do the rest of the painting and then work gradually to the depth I want in the background without going dark right away...I like to wait and see if I can get by without using that trick. Going dark always adds alot of drama but it is not the only answer so I am going to work on it slowly to see if a lighter color will work as well. I will only work on the darker grapes at this point because once everything is done, it is sometimes surprising how little has to be done on those light bright areas...I will wait to determine if they[the lightest grapes] will need more color.

Gravy Boat Step 2

I am sorry I have not gotten much further but have another project going and this keeps taking the back seat...partly because it is so difficult to draw as well! The pattern in the lace has been tough so I think I will switch now to do the gravy boat and background which will make me feel I am 1/2 done and help encourage me to keep on with the lace. Hopefully that part will not take too long if I find the time to get to it. My second business has sort of taken off and so I am having trouble keeping up with everything! The photo seems to wash out the yellows and peaches that are present in this as I took the snap outside in the sunshine which seems to usually work ok for me. I guess true colors will not appear until the actual slides are done but gives you a pretty good idea. Thanks for looking!

The Gravey Boat

Not sure that this is the title however it is a gravey boat and found that to be kind of a funny title...we will see if it lasts. This one will take alot of patience and I am not sure I will last! Some have called me the Lace Queen but I am afraid this lace will be the end of that history! HA! I am also testing the transparent Lunar Black from Daniel Smith in this painting to see how it works and it granulates very nicely and I think will lend itself to sterling well. The grapes are Yellow Gold mixed with Phthalo Turquoise or Manganese Blue Hue depending on which grape and sometimes just straight Yellow Gold all of which are Daniel Smith. I hope this painting comes together as I have loved this photo for several years but hesitated to paint it because of all the lace. I will continue to post but it might take some time before there is a real noticable difference so you will have to have some patience too! Thanks for looking!

Waterlily Slide Scan

I just scanned the slide I had made and am not sure I am still getting the correct colors with this picture. I think sometime I need to project the slide itself and see if the colors are off somehow in the slide! I surely hope not but will post this so I can compare.
Now that it is up it is way toooooo blue but the purple is better. I hope that it is just my computer but these colors are just not correct. The water is quite gray, not blue but the lily is quite purple and that is not showing up either...hmmm I will have to improve this before I put it up on my website!
I just redid this again hoping it is coming up better!

Purple Waterlily Demo Finished!

My photographer just sent this jpeg. I might scan the slide when it arrives to make sure we have the most accurate colors so this might change some. The problems with the water were solved by a glaze of Indigo very lightly applied to allow some of the blues from below to come through. The shadows and ripples were needing some jazz so i applied some Phthalo Turquoise and yellow into the water in areas. I never am afraid of color to liven things up. The same with the purple waterlily. Being only purple was very boring so in the final stages I started using Quinacridone Rose and Quinacridone Gold to liven up some of the purples. Both in the pictures and in my drawing I did not see a problem with the lower leaves but they became a problem and I had to leave them rather undefined or they would have been too dominate. I did the same with the background leaves so that they had little interest but supplied nice shapes and values. I hope it worked well enough. Now I have to live with it for awhile as once I finish a painting, the problems are too fresh in my head and I cannot enjoy the entire piece for what it is. It feels good to have it done and I have begun the next drawing, silver and grapes with lace. Joel from the Philippines has told me that this lily is commonly called Midnight in the tropical countries. So thanks for that info and now the title of this waterlily is "Midnight Waters". Isn't technology amazing? Ask a question and someone in this world will give you the answer!

Demo of Purple Waterlily step 3

I have begun to lay in the water in this case, blues as I would like the blues to move through the last layers of gray that I will be adding. This has been a difficult piece because I am straying from my resource material and plan which is one of my first rules when I teach a workshop! I am setting myself up for failure. Not a complete failure but that it will not be the best it can be because I have no plan and I could make a big mistake in color choices at this point. I always work from the back to the front so I am trying to lay in any background colors and to find shapes before I proceed.

Purple Waterlily Demo 2

Well, I wanted to update you on the water as I am unsure how to approach it. I am changing from the photo I took so that the painting will have more color and I want the reflected blue sky to be showing on the water rather than the gray color that was actually there. I also am attempting...[and I strongly emphasize that!! HA!] to paint more loosely on this one and I will freely admit I am not comfortable at all doing this. Without a plan and being loose, I run the risk of ruining this wonderful start to what could be a very nice painting. So here is the blue added and then I will come in with the darks and show you how it is progressing. Hopefully it will not be ugly and scare the bejeebers out of you!!!

Purple Waterlily Demo

This will not be a complete demo telling you colors I use etc but rather one of solving a problem. This painting first of all has been on hold because of Christmas, company and then a friend moving. Now the days are mine again I need to get back to work. The problem is that I would like the water to express more blue of the sky rather than the grays that my photo is showing. It actually was very gray water that day but I want this to be more colorful. I run the risk of course of making it look unrealistic so I will proceed carefully. I have decided that I now have a few of my darks in and before I go any further with the flower, I want to see what the values of the water will do. It might alter what I think I will do with the flower...so it is essential to see this large mass filled in so I can more accurately gauge what to do with the flower. I could go to far with the flower and have a very dark painting. I want the flower to stand out so that is why I choose to now switch to the background to help me make some decisions. They might be wrong...but I find this lessens my chances of error. So the stage you are looking at now is before any water goes in. Hopefully having shown you this will spur me on now to work faster and get the water in to show you how this will progress! I just peeked and of course I loaded the picture sideways!!! Leave it to me...but the rest will be the right way I promise! HA!

Wishing you a Merry Chirstmas!

I have been so busy that I have had little time to think about blogging! I know all of you are having the same problem as this time of year all we do is play catch up it seems!
I have begun a new painting of a purple waterlily which I am anxious to get at but cookie baking took me away yesterday and then there was wrapping presents one day and shopping...the list goes on but at least it is there on the drawing board, ready to go when the opportunity strikes!
I wanted to mention a new blog I have started for artists. It is at http://artcolony.blogspot.com and hopefully it will grow with artists who can share thoughts and ideas. We all need encouragement from time to time and hearing what others are doing can often get us off the couch to paint!!!
My book is about done and the title has been chosen, A Celebration of Light, and there is also a subtitle but cannot recall it. It is about texture however. Ha! It doesn't come into the bookstores until next October so by then I will have forgotten I even wrote a book!!! But it feels good to have accomplished that and now I am ready to move on. I am teaching a few workshops which I will talk about later. Hopefully I will meet some of my internet friends at them!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Merry Christmas!

Well, Christmas is upon us and this is a most unusual one! We woke up to 30 degrees at 5 am and melting snow. That is highly unusual for northern Minnesota where we could easily be -20 in late December! So this is going to be a great day to get outside and enjoy a nice walk in the woods!

I am sending you a Christmas card and hope that the New Year will bring you many blessings and bountiful laughter and joy! May there be peace in this world and in our hearts and remember to be kind to each other.

This is my cat hiding in the Christmas tree thinking he cannot be seen...what a silly fellow he can be but perhaps he is just a poser and knew I would paint his picture! Ha!

A Celebration Of Light

My newest painting is hot off the board and is off to the printer as we speak! I am hoping that it also will be a step by step demo in my new book out next October. I had taken this photo several years ago and was afraid to start painting it because I knew if it did not get just right it would not be one I would ever repeat. In the end I had to do the fabric freehand as the deadline was looming over me. It turned out and I am very happy with it.

Creating the look of light is something I try with all of my paintings but in some it is more dramatice because of the cast shadows. This is what very often sets apart a painting and catches the eye.

Working with only transparent watercolors works for me because I never worry about not being able to lift an area. It still will leave a slight stain but it allows me to try somethings that I would never try with an opaque staining color. Plus, transparent paints allow the white of the paper to glow through creating the illusion of light!

October and Pumpkins

I cannot believe it is already into October because I really do not remember having summer! I was so busy with my book this year I think I have lost alot of months along the way but now with winter returning I see I have come full circle and another year older and hopefully wiser!
This is a painting I completed for my book to demonstrate how complementary colors can really make things pop! This wagon I purchased at a garage sale and yes, it really was this color! I immediately knew it would look gorgeous with anything orange in it so settled on this composition but next fall think I will use alot of mums in the wagon and maybe George, my big black kitty.
Some have been inquiring about my book and when it will be out and I have been told that will be next October and the title has not yet been picked so will keep you informed.

Rejoice

This is one of the paintings I completed for my new book out next October. I always see hollyhock flowers and think it looks like a chorus of singers with mouths open wide singing at the top of their lungs so thus the title. I wanted to show complimentary colors and how they work to create an exciting contrast.
How is the weather in your area? We have been so hot and with the county fair on I was very concerned about all the animals in the barns. I guess they made it but it must have been hard on them. Today we are cooler and so I hope it makes its way to you as well. The house is cooling down and the animals all wanted to go out this morning so that was a good sign! Rejoice, Fall is on it's way!

Newest Painting

I have just completed my newest painting for my book. I have titled it "Prize of the Patch" for now unless you have something marvelous that you think works better! I think naming a painting is the hardest part sometimes because there is often the obvious but boring titles and to come up with something different seems impossible. I know one person who actually visits the lipstick counter to seek out titles which maybe is a good solution! HA! They are very creative I suspect as well as fingernail colors. Well, I think there might be a better way but have yet to find it. I now have only 7 more mini demos to go and some rewriting and if I am lucky, I might get one more full painting in as well. It all depends on how the writing goes from now on. I have to teach one more workshop in Redwing, Mn and a small family reunion, otherwise the calander is clear and hopefully things will wrap up on Oct 9th right on schedule! I will keep you posted.
I wanted to mention that sometimes people ask me questions on this blog but I am unable to answer that way so if you have a question please email me through my website at www.janefreeman.com Thanks!

Importance of Drawing

I am sorry I have not been blogging like I should. The book is going well. Only 4 months to go and that will fly by quickly as summer always does. Of course, being raised on a farm, it is nearly impossible to keep me indoors but I will velcro my butt to a chair if I have to so I can finish this up properly!
I completed a drawing as a study to show in my book as well as to compete with. It was completed in 3 days working very long hours but it was worth it. I use to draw all the time so it was nice to find the time to do it again but now painting consumes my time with only a drawing to begin the painting.
This is a set up I did to possibly paint. It has 3 vases in it but I chose to draw just one. I think if I paint it all 3 will be in it. I have saved it to do this coming winter as I want it to be quite large to go above the fireplace. It has alot of potential as there are so many textures in the water with reflections etc and you all know how much I enjoy a good challenge!
Keep your brush in the wells!

Questions From Viewers

I have been receiving art questions but cannot answer them as they are originating from this blog so there is no return. If you have questions for me about painting or workshops, please email me. You will find my email address at my website which is www.janefreeman.com and then I will be able to answer you.
To Linda, I suggest that you view a video by Susan Harrison-Tustain if you are interested in learning to paint roses. Hers are wonderful. I will have a book out next summer and a video at that time as well.
Thanks for all the emails!

Watercolor Workshops

I have two new watercolor workshops coming up so thought I would list the information here as well as on my website.
I will be in Charlotte, NC May 5-7 and the person in charge is Barbara. You may contact her for any information at bhorack@charlottepipe.com
I will also be teaching July 25-27th in Redwing, Minnesota and the contact person for that is Peggy at p_simonson@hotmail.com
I thought I would show you the latest completed painting that will hopefully be used in my book called Beltrami County Fair. Hope you like it!

My Wild Cat Rescue Continues

I began caring for a stray cat before Thanksgiving and at that time he was so weak he tipped over from lack of food. He then began to live in my garage and loved to be held. He knew how to use a litter box so I knew he had been someone's pet. The day came when we started the snow blower and he became so scared he ran away. From that point on he only came in the night to eat in the garage. Unfortunately, so did raccoons and a fox! I would see Nicky every once in awhile but having such a mild winter I was not too nerveous even though he was apparently living under decks at area cabins. This last week however, it dropped to -50 to -60 degrees with windchill factored in and I became alarmed and did not see him for 4 days and no food was eaten. I thought he either froze or the fox got him but guess what!? Nicky appeared again and he is eating on schedule. The dish is empty this morning. He is a miracle cat and I hope to tame him but as time goes on he is becoming more wild. Hopefully by spring when I can be outside more, he will become use to me again.
The book is coming along well. I am working on chapter 4 and hope to get an editor one of these days to read over things so I am not suddenly surprised with alot to redo!!! I am sorry this seems to be a once a month log but I hope to get better at this...I need someone to write to me and remind me! HA!

Studio Painting Alert!

What I say here is in jest but I feel there is some merit to what I am about to say! As you know I am working on a book so I seem to be in the sitting mode most of the time. I have come to the conclusion that this can cause one's butt to take the shape of the chair it is sitting in! HA! Therefore, be careful that it has a nice shape and that it is not a stool that could cause you to droop over the edges or to cushy to cause you to become fluffy as well! It is just a joke but sometimes when I stand up after sitting so long I think it might be true and think we should invent a chair with a nice butt shape in it. My theory is it would work like retainers for teeth, keeping things in alignment! HA! I have named it the Tush Push!
I am progressing and have completed most of chapter 3 at this time and one complete painting with progressive steps and several demos. I have drawn 3 more complete paintings and one is 1/3 painted so as you can see, I am making some headway be it ever so slowly.
Thought I should post something for you to look at so will post a Christmas tree I had outside this year. Actually, I had three done like this and it was fun to see them lit up at night. I miss them now but we hardly have any snow left so they would have looked rather silly if I had kept them up. It has been a very mild winter for us.
I will try to be better about this blog and keep you more informed...that is my New Year hope anyway!

North Light Books---Here I Come!

I have been asked to write a book for North Light about how I paint. That was a tough one as there are some things we do by instinct and then we do not think about why or how, we simply do it. I am finding it is going alot faster than I had expected. Now maybe it is because I know more than I thought but I doubt it! HA! I think the process is teaching me to look at how I paint and to answer these questions, often for the first time. In the end I shall know alot more just because I had to put it into writing. I think the process will be very fulfilling and enriching for sure! I am boxing up most of chapter one today and will mail it off tomorrow. Once I begin chapter two, I will feel like I am moving forward. Needless to say, I will not be completing many new paintings but will work on alot of demos instead. I will have to post pictures from my website when I can. Stay tuned!

Life Has Seasons

I have been very remiss in writing here in my blog but for very good reason. Mostly I had nothing to say! I had a friend who was dying of cancer and his wife is my best friend. I just did not paint, making myself available if she should call. She did not call often but I was always ready. Instead I spent time in the gardens and completely removed one, sending the perennials to the ditch to bloom there. All in all, I think what I did was take a break from everything and spent more time in thought about what I really want with the rest of my life. I am not sure but the time gave me new avenues to investigate. I managed to make 160 blankets for the police and social services for the purpose of placing around children that are removed from homes where there is rape, incest, domestic violence and meth lab situations. I would never have had time for such a thing if I had not put my art on hold.It was an opportunity to give back to my community. The picture above shows the last load going in of 80 blankets.
We all go through seasons in our life and rather than beating ourselves up about it, step back and use the time to look at the life you lead. Is it of quality and full of happiness and blessings and friends or do you need to spend some time in one of these areas? Friendships take time just like marriage does. Time to talk and bond and support one another. I am so grateful that I had this time. I could easily do it again next summer just to enjoy the gardens and get up at 5 am and weed the garden while listening to the loons call across the lake. It was "soul time" and I feel enriched to have had to opportunity to try it.

Chipmunk Challenge

I have been rescuing this small creature for two years now. He or she lives under my deck and has a routine that includes teasing my two cats. The cats take it for awhile but the little rascal gets closer and closer and before you know it...either George or Gracie have it in their jaws. Luckily I am there and can tell them to drop him and off he runs...to this fish at the end of the deck and continues to chip and squack away. He seems to be telling the cats off for awhile and then goes away for an hour or so. Then the routine begins again. I see his determination and even some sense of humor and think about all the creatures out there. Many have personalities and voice their opinions. This guy definately has an opinion and that opinion is that the cats should stay in the house and not come on his deck I guess! HA! Anyway, I thought you would enjoy seeing my little friend. Perhaps one day he will be in a painting and immortalized.

The Creative Person

I have not been painting. Not because I do not want to, but because there are other things that I also want to do that are coming first. I think many artists think they must paint everyday. I do not find that to be true for me. I really love to paint and do so whenever I can but I also love to garden and take long walks. I have friends with cancer who I love to spend time with. I live by a lake and love to go out paddling on the water and enjoying the beauty that surrounds me. I feel each of these is a creative venture as well and should not be overlooked, for we are not just one but many faceted people. It would be a shame to only nuture one part of ourselves and leave the rest unattended, thinking it is unimportant, when it, in fact, can make us whole. To be complete as a person, we need to pay attention to all our interests that make us who we are.
I painted the kitchen last week. I hope to do more of it and think that we need to make our enviornment as pleasing as possible, which I think makes other creativity possible. It is hard to be creative in dreary surroundings. Make your world a happy place and it will make you happy as well. I think this is critical for artists who face long winters such as I do. We do have a tendency to get depressed and it is important to make the world we live in as bright and cheerful as possible so the winters are not so gray! Yes, there are many beautiful shades of gray but they do not belong on my walls!
Spend some time thinking about those areas of interest that you have, that you shove to the back of your mind. Are they something you think might be worth investigating? Will doing one of them increase the quality of your life or give you greater happiness? Then get off your butt and do them, for we only go around once. I am more than an artist who paints in watercolor. I would be selling myself short to leave it at that. So would you. Nourish those forgotten creative areas that you have hidden and see how happy and full your life can be!

Painting Lace

Lately I have been getting emails asking me how I paint lace. I am sure it appears to be difficult but it really is not. You are basically painting the holes in the lace and that is what makes the pattern. Therefore, it is very important to see the pattern the holes make. By following this, you get some very believable looking lace with little effort.
To do this seems daunting but I find that if I blow that area up in a photo or on photoshop, I can see this easier. I also isolate that area so that is all I see. Once you find a starting place it becomes easier. Just hold your finger in that place and move it only as you complete each hole...then move your finger to the next hole and draw that. By never moving the finger off the photo or computer screen, I do not lose my place. Otherwise, there are just too many holes and it all becomes a blur. This little trick has helped me alot and I use it any time there is something complicated that I am trying to paint.
Another thing I do is use jeweler's glasses for magnification. That has been a life saver and I think as we age, anything that helps us see is fair game! HA! I love detail and I want to know what is really there, even if I choose not to paint it. I think getting all the information helps me paint a better painting.
Hope this will help and encourage you to try some lace!

Frustrated Artist

I am frustrated. Not that I am unhappy or anything bad has occurred...I just want to paint and it seems impossible to do! How often has that happened for you? You might say..."Well, just do it!" and that is all well and good but perhaps I need to explain why!
Living in northern Minnesota is often joked about as 9 months of winter and 3 months of tough sledding. It is not that bad but when spring arrives...no one is indoors unless their job demands it. Everyone is outside. Even my cats can't resist sitting on the decks and just looking and smellingand rolling in the dirt. That is what I am doing as well. The hummingbirds arrived yesterday and I saw a first Oriole today trying to eat out of the hummingbird feeder. Everything comes alive at once here as the countdown has already begun! Each duck must get her eggs laid and each bird the same. I have to run to every greenhouse for miles around to gather in the goodies I will plant and hopefully they will be as beautiful as I imagine so I can take pictures for paintings this winter while locked away in the house. So in away, I may not be painting but all this work is in preparation for paintings I will do in November and December and January! My fingernails are gone and my skin is already tan even though it has not been consistently warm...we are out regardless as we can almost hear Mother Nature's clock ticking away the minutes until things will die back and winter once again decends. So...that is why we only come inside to go to the bathroom or to eat. The season may be short but it is anticipated for over many months of gazing at flower magazines and catalogs. I think that is why we love it so. It is a rare and sweet gift that we get and we do not waste a minute of it! I hope you will take advantage of your days in the sun and enjoy each one. We are only given so many on this earth and we need to use them wisely! I can dust and clean all winter. I can paint then too! But I only have NOW to plant. I only have now to enjoy and relish the sun and warmth and dirt.
My kids will be home this week. My daughter lives in Oregon and son in South Dakota. I will try to post the picture of my daughter's wedding when my son was holding her...he looked over at her husband and said "Remember, I held her first" and we all cried!

Growing Roses

Growing roses in northern Minnesota can be a challenge but for me it is only for the flowers to paint. Then each year, I plant new ones so I have new painting material again. It can get down to 40 below zero here in the winter so roses need alot of protection to make it. Some people actually dig trenches to place the plants into and cover them up. That is too much work for me so each year I begin anew. I have found some Canadian hardy roses that come again each year but they are not the same as the lovely tea roses that I love to paint. This painting I entitled, Aglow, as the sunlight lit it up so that it appeared to be glowing in the garden!

Romanian Well

I have not posted a picture yet and will try to do so to go along with this post. I am learning ever so slowly!
I just completed a painting of a well in Romania. The money that is received from the prints will be going over to them to help them with projects. This is the first I have done such a commission but if it works, I hope to do others to help out worthy causes. To view this painting for now, please visit my website at www.janefreeman.com, it is 1/2 way down the page, as it will not load here for me. I will try again after I speak with someone as to why it is not loading. Thank you for your patience!

For The Love Of Watercolor

I have been a watercolorist since 1989 when I first tried using them. It just felt right and I have not turned back. I graduated with a BFA in fine art in 1971 from the University of North Dakota and taught art for awhile. I worked then in oils and acrylics.
I now teach art on a national level doing workshops. I also compete in national exhibitions and have received my signature status with the Transparent Watercolor Society of America , Missouri Watercolor Society and Red River Watercolor Society.
I hope to be adding to this and developing an interesting blog as time permits. Hang in there with me!