Its been a busy and artistic November ...

I have been busy in the studio this month. Really it started in October with the preparations for the Annual Arts and Flowers week-end. They had a nice turn-out and I so enjoyed visiting with new and old friends. I also met some new vendor's I hadn't seen before ... that's always a treat!

For me it was a successful Halloween Saturday and it wasn't spooky at all. I was happy to not only sell a lot of my note cards, but this original as well.

Also .... I have also started teaching a 6 week watercolor class and we have just completed our third week ... and I think, speaking for all involved, they have been successful classes. I've taught one workshop prior to this, but a workshop is different than on going classes and I was a little timid. But, I shouldn't have been. My students are eagar to learn and have made my teaching easy. I had heard that teaching is a great way to learn and I will agree ... not only learn some new things but it has been a wonderful refresher coarse.

I am still working toward the annual Holiday House Bazaar, the Saturday after Thanksgiving, here on Harstine Island. I have some new display panels I'm anxious to use to exhibit my work. I've used a bi fold pegboard to display my work for the last number of years, but, I think these new panels will showcase the richness of my work much better. I will have some new note cards of my bird series and I'm hoping to have a new painting done that I will use for my annual Christmas card on display ... I'm running late on this project!

Busy, busy, busy!

Some preliminary work for a painting...

Here are a couple of preliminary thumbnail drawings I did today.

I love the green upward movement of the trees with the formation of the clouds in the background. I think this would be a fun painting to attempt in a loose style that I'm always wanting to master.

Autumn leaves are all around ...

I'm finding it hard to believe that Autumn is in full swing and that we only have about 9 days left of October. This year seems particularly beautiful with more gold and yellow leaves with some occasional red hues thrown in. We are also enjoying the mild temps we've been having ... this makes walking in amongst the leaves a lot more enjoyable.

During the first week-end of October, Harstine Island has an Apple Squeeze celebrating the season with fresh cider, numerous crafters and a country band. This also marks the last of the Farmers Markets for the year and although I didn't participate in any of the earlier Farmers Markets I did take advantage of this event and set-up my tent this week-end. It was beautiful out and there were a lot of folks enjoying the days events. Along with my note cards, I had taken and displayed a few of my newer works and was so pleased when someone bought my "Jarrell's Cove Store" painting.

Lately I've been asked if would consider teaching some watercolor classes and I've heard from so many artists that this is a great way not only to share your knowledge with others, but to grow as an artist also. Sooooo, I'm in the process of deciding what all I need to do to get ready for this latest adventure. Please, I accept all suggestions ....

Where I'll be:

• On October 31 from 10-3, I will be at 'Arts and Flowers' here on the island for their annual open house. I'll have a few new things as well as my cards to show. Drop by if you are in the area.....
• Also, on November 28th from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. I will once again be at the annual Holiday House Bazaar here on Harstine Island. This is a huge event that everyone looks forward to....

Hope to see you soon .........

This constant, unproductive preoccupation with all the things we have to do is the single largest consumer of time and energy. ~~~ Kerry Gleeson

Summer sketching ...

I can't remember when I've had such a busy yet relaxing summer. The fact that I refused to put pressure on myself to paint any masterpieces has certainly helped. I do have plenty of projects I'm working on as far as the way I keep records, photo's of work and other parts of the business side of art. And while all of these are time consuming they are very rewarding when I accomplish these tasks and can cross them off my list.

Although I haven't been doing much serious art recently, here is a recent sketch from my 8" x 8" sketchbook I made some time ago. I used Arches 14o lb. paper with mat board front and back cover and I had it spiral bound at Kinko's.

Can you 'beet' this weather ...

It was another hot day here and although I haven't been doin' what I think I should be doin', playing around with watercolor on the back of some printer paper made me feel I was at least doing something in the studio today.

After we had bought some beautiful fresh beets in a local farmers market this week-end I was tempted to do a watercolor sketch... problem was I had already eaten them when I came up with this idea. Today I found a picture to work from. Whew, it's not easy once the subject is long gone. *wink

Finding My Creative Mood: Trying to Get Back in the Groove

Although my last commission almost painted itself, after coming back from vacation I am finding it hard to get myself back in the art producing spirit. In order to over come my less than creative mood, I thought that in preparation of my other commission I should just paint something that I've been wanting to explore to get me creatively energized.

Back in May, I mentioned that I wanted to explore water and reflections this summer. So I looked through some photo's I had taken on our vacation and found a photograph of some water and rocks that looked challenging yet if I cropped it down it may not be impossible for me to paint. So, on the back of a used ready to throw out really awful painting, I took my pencil and roughly drew out an 8 inch square and proceeded to draw what I wanted to show in my painting.

In the first photo you can see where I've started my drawing and have started masking out the areas I wanted to keep light.

By the time I took the second photo I feel I'm feeling I'm in over my head. I knew at this point I should have added darker first washes before I took off my masking. Really get what I wanted from the start. I don't us masking too often and I think I just forgot to think during that step of my painting. I was feeling a little frustrated by then and decided to start on the rocks. Later I realized I really shouldn't have. I would have done better to continue adding depth to my water area, finish that area and then move on.

When I started working on the rocks I lost most of my pencil lines yet should have stopped and drawn them in so I wouldn't wander aimlessly. There are so many factors I should have considered ...

Below is the painting. Along side the painting you can see my photo reference. I cropped the photo about middle bottom for my painting. I'm not going to continue. It's too far gone for that, but I have accomplished finding my creative spirit once again. Just getting started at a painting seemed to make me want to keep painting. Also, because I do want to do more work involving water I'm feeling confident that I could paint this again and do a better job.

Yes, mission accomplished!

What's the hardest subject to paint?

Toddler - watercolor, 8"x 6"

After finishing the dog commission I posted last week, I think, by far, that a portrait has to be the most difficult subject for me to paint. Because we have met this person or studied the likeness we strive to make sure they are recognized as that person. The features need to be recognized by friends and loved ones. The portrait needs to be personal. And that's why I think they are the most difficult subject for me to paint. But, when I see work done by talented artists such as portrait and figure artist Peggy Habets they make it look so easy.

This painting is of an adodrable grandaughter of a woman I worked with, one of my first portraits done a few years ago.

Where did I go wrong?

Looking back at a sketch I'd done a few years ago I have to wonder what this was all about. I hadn't finished this sketch when I put it away for the day ... week, month, ok, truth be known it's been 3 years since I've picked it up. And now when I attempted to add some finishing touches I'm pretty lost. I had neglected to make some important notes, such as:

• Time of day. Was it morning, afternoon or evening? I should have written this information in a margin.



• What direction was the sun coming from? A small arrow in one corner of the paper would have helped with this. How could the sailboat be in that much shade?



• What was the temperature when I started this sketch? It appears to be a hot sunny day by the color of the sand and shadows of the trees in the sand, but, I really don't remember. Another small note in the margin would have helped.



• Where was this? It looks familiar to me, yet I can't remember the name of this cove.
  

As you can tell, I'm not in the habit of taking notes when I sketch, but, I think if I would write some improtant facts down on my sketches it would in turn help me 'see' those important details in my paintings.

Do you have any suggestion's as to what else I should note when sketching? Do you take notes when you sketch? Are your sketches an important part of your paintings?