Kathleen E. Dworak - Watercolors

Getting ready to roll......

2011-07-11T20:39:00.003-04:00

When I began this painting it was quite cold out. It is now 89 degrees and so humid that I'm sweating in my air conditioned house. But I have made a fair amount of progress lately, so the end is in sight!
As I continue working on the painting, I think about the major decision I made before I started: changing the color of the bike. I am SO glad I did! I think having the color of the tank a bright orange would have thrown off the balance of the painting so much. Now it's cohesive.
I have been filling in all the details of the various chrome reflections using Payne's Grey, Indigo, Sepia, Cobalt Blue and some Daniel Smith Hematite glazes as well. The dark section on the bottom right......I have NO idea what that actually is! So I just painted the shapes that I saw in the deep shadows... and I like how the deep dark area sets off the chrome. Just what I was going for.
Now that I have a few weeks off before the next series of art festivals (phew), I plan to yes, finish the bike.
Before it snows.

Purple irises catching the sun.....

2011-06-23T23:06:00.003-04:00

Boy.....it pays to have your camera ready! The sun wasn't supposed to be out this morning, but when the clouds cleared and I headed out between thunderstorms, I spotted my purple irises. They survived the middle-of-the-night downpour in great shape...amazingly enough! When, (not if!!) I paint these, I'm sure Windsor Violet will be the predominant purple I'll use....with Windsor Blue as well. Both colors are staining colors and can be difficult to use, but they both are gorgeous. I can only hope I do these lovelies justice! And it does pay to keep your camera handy....because with more storms coming, these may be gone tomorrow!!

Spring bulbs and busy days....

2011-06-09T19:49:00.004-04:00

I've paused work on my motorcycle for the time being...getting ready for the Allentown Art Festival has taken over! While out watering my newly planted vegetable garden, I spotted this iris blossoming, and I knew I had to get a photo. I have no idea what kind this is, but I love it. Sometimes it seems as if the yellow glows...it will catch your eye from a distance- gorgeous!

The plant on the right?? I have NO idea what it is....and I planted it! It grows in the same bed as the iris above, and blooms at the same time. I love the unusual shape of the bloom. Doing each of these flowers justice in a painting will be a challenge! I love the colors in the iris, and it will be tough to get the intensity of the yellow without it looking too opaque in comparison to the other colors. The flower on the right has each little bloom opening straight downwards, but I think in the photo here I was able to capture enough of the interior color to make it accurate. With how busy I have been these past few weeks, I'm glad I was able to catch these beauties!

Further on up the road.....

2011-05-19T21:05:00.002-04:00

Yes.....it's beginning to look like an actual bike!
Due to our relentlessly soggy weather, I've been able to spend more time in the studio than I usually do this time of year. The gardens need to dry out, and I get to work on my bike.
No big major changes so far....just adding more details to the motorcycle and all the reflections.
The end is in sight!

Motorcycles and artistic license....

2011-04-25T08:48:00.007-04:00

When I began this painting, snow was everywhere. Now, there are daffodils blooming outside my door! I haven't been able to get much studio time in lately...life events and such. Hopefully I'll be able to finish this bike soon.

One big decision I had to make...and I suppose time will tell if I made the right one, was to change the color of the bike itself. As artists we all have artistic license...we can move things around, we can alter the reality we see to suit our vision. In this case....the tank of the bike was not a deep blue, but a bright orange! I've had this photo for a few years now....I had wanted to paint it for a long time, but the orange color did throw me. The way I had framed the photo, the orange of the tank only really appeared, for the most part, in the upper right. There weren't really any reflections of the orange tank to speak of in what would be the rest of the painting. Practically all the other reflections were of other bikes. So what to do? I decided to do what would make the better painting, and change the color. The subtle coloring of the rest of the piece would not be compromised by the garish orange that would only have appeared in one corner. And as the painting is going along...I am SO happy I made that decision- watercolor does NOT lend itself to quick and easy color alterations!!

Funny...one of the things that helped me make the decision was listing to film commentaries on DVD's. Listening to a director say..."We moved the tree here"..."We added rain and made it a cloudy day"...all to make the story, and the artist's vision, a better one.

Reflections on a Honda....

2011-03-02T10:07:00.002-05:00

I laugh as I look at the photo here. It really doesn't reflect (pun intended) all the hours I've put in working on it! But it has been fun.....working on a painting with so many reflections in the chrome....the bike within a bike within a bike!!

The pavement wash I laid down, on the lower left, was a wash of Daniel Smith's Hematite. I ordered a set of 3 of the Hematite colors a while back....and while I don't use them often, there are times when they are perfect. The Hematites are a natural compound, and the paints themselves are sedimentary, meaning they give a granular look when dry. Nothing better for pavement. They also never get really dark, so they can't be used for truly rich deep color, but they do have their place. I also have the Hematite Burnt Scarlet and Hematite Violet.

My next step will be to paint the leather seat, and I will use a different black mixture for it...not the same black as I use on the painted areas of the bike or the tires. And then it's just necessary to keep refining.....just getting the details of the bike down...adjusting the values as I go along.

There is snow outside right now......I sincerely hope I can complete this painting before it's shorts and t-shirt weather!!

The beginning of a new motorcycle....

2011-02-09T22:40:00.002-05:00

A cold and snowy winter is the perfect time to begin a motorcycle painting! The paintings themselves take months to do....no better time to begin than when the temperatures are in the single digits...with bitter cold wind chills!

I took this photo a couple of summers ago. I LOVE all the reflections that appear in the chrome on this bike! I began by doing a detailed drawing....and that took a while!! I wanted to make sure I got every detail correct...a necessity when painting a piece of machinery. After I felt the drawing was accurate, I began by laying down light washes of Cobalt Blue for the sky reflections, and also washes of Sepia for the reflections of the pavement in the chrome. I also like to put in some darks, using Payne's Grey in various places throughout the painting.

It sure doesn't look like much now. I remember a teacher told me that ALL paintings go through an "ugly stage" and to not give up! I think of those words often! With the weather forecast of many cold and snowy days ahead....I think I'll be able to get past the "ugly stage" soon!!

Scenes from the Toronto Motorcycle Show....

2011-01-26T18:51:00.011-05:00

A few weeks ago I was thrilled to attend the Toronto Motorcycle Show. I doubt there is a better place to see and photograph some of the most incredible custom cycles around. We arrived right as the door opened....so I was able to get in nice and close to the bikes before the crowds made it challenging. Many of the bike owners were still polishing their bikes and getting everything set up. It was fun to get to talk to them.....so proud they were of their bikes!

I was also happy to get to talk to some of the airbrush artists....the work on the bikes was incredible. The bike on the top had hundreds of skulls painted in a swirling pattern.....differing layers of red and yellow overlapping to create a 3-D effect. The photo barely does it justice.

The bike on the left was inspired by the "Underworld" movies. Scenes and characters from the movie were all over every available surface.....the amount of detail work was amazing.

The bike on the right offered quite a surprise to me. I recently completed a painting of this bike....it's easy to see it on my website. However, I noticed that some changes had been made since I had seen it the previous year. Blood drips, for one!! I had spent SO many hours staring at my photos of the bike while painting it, that I spotted the additional "blood work" immediately! A real work of art.

These photos are only a few of the over 300 I took at the show.
I wish I was able to do a painting of each and every one.

Christmas bass......

2011-01-11T18:49:00.002-05:00

Now that the holidays are over, I can update my blog with this painting. The painting was a gift for my father-in-law....fisherman extrordinaire! On our last visit to central Florida , we went fishing in one of the beautiful fresh water lakes there. We had all caught fish that day, but this fish was "the big one!" He caught it on one of his last casts of the day, and it was a beauty. We saved it, and released it into the lake at their apartment complex.

To begin the painting, I taped a piece of Winsor Newton 140lb cold press paper onto plexiglass. Next I began the drawing. I had the photo enlarged, so I could more easily see every detail. After the drawing was completed, I laid down a light yellow wash over the center of the fish....making sure to leave the lightest areas of the fish white. Next I laid a down a very pale wash of sap green....very delicate, just enough to give a hint of sea color to the body of the fish. After that dried, I worked on the fins...using some Payne's Grey, Cobalt and Turquoise Blue, and some Rose Madder Genuine for the bottom fins. Next,it was time to lay the blues down for the body of the fish. When looking at the fish close-up, the scales show quite a rainbow of color. No fish is monochromatic, so I used various blues, greens and greys all over the body. For the gills, I used Alizarin Crimson, Rose Madder Genuine, and some Windsor Blue. The eye of the fish is layers of grey, with the white reserved with frisket.

This painting was soooooo much fun to do! After doing a motorcycle painting for months, it was fun to kind of cut loose, and work on a fish! And for a fisherman, it makes a perfect gift.

Pink tulips.....

2010-11-29T22:11:00.003-05:00

With all the floral paintings I have done over the years, it's funny that this is my first tulip painting! This was done as a gift for a friend, and I was happy to paint these
beauties! The only reason these grow for me is because they are planted underneath a weeping cherry tree, surrounded by a ground cover that provides a great barrier for the rabbits that would want to have these for a snack!
To begin with, I took many photos of them, from as many angles as I could.
The painting is a composite from several photos. This is one huge benefit of
digital cameras. You can take a ton of photos of your subject and not have to worry about film costs!
After the drawing was completed, I first put down a glaze of Windsor Lemon on each tulip. I also used Windsor Lemon as the main yellow on the leaves and stems. Once dry, I then used Rose Madder Genuine, Dragon's Blood, Alizarin Crimson, and some Vermillion (discontinued....arg!) for the blooms. I always like to add some of the flower color to the leaves and stems, for whatever flower I'm painting. It helps to make the stems and leaves look more realistic.....rarely are leaves and stems just a solid color. Because I wanted the tulips to really stand out with full saturated color, I kept the background cool and simple. The actual background was brick with blue forget-me-nots surrounding the leaves. I thought simple was better here. These tulips are beautiful and regal and deserved to stand alone.

An approaching storm....

2010-10-28T08:39:00.003-04:00

The way our weather has been lately, I am so very glad we keep our camera out and ready to go at a moment's notice! Two nights ago, we had tornado warnings and my husband got some gorgeous video of the black clouds rolling in. No tornado, but for half an hour the wind was pretty remarkable! This morning, I was awakened by more wind gusts. When I looked in our backyard and saw the sunlit trees with a backdrop of storm clouds....it was a race to get the camera. The sky was actually more multi-colored that it shows in the photos! So if I were to do a painting of these scenes, I would definitely show that!

I love how, in both of these photos, the trees look as though they are glowing against the stormy sky. And now.....20 minutes later....the sky looks nothing like it did just a short time ago. The storm threat seems to have dissipated...in just a matter of minutes. Very glad I keep my camera at the ready....you never know when that one glorious "photo op" is going to happen!

Toronto motorcycle show....

2010-10-18T11:03:00.003-04:00

I'm having a fun time working on a commission at the moment, so I can't post photos of that piece. However, I decided to put up some photos of the motorcycle show I attended earlier this year. For anyone with a love of bikes....this was the place to be. The custom cycles were absolutely magnificent. So much work went into each and every one....I cannot imagine how long it took to not only build each one, but all the airbrused artwork on them took my breath away. I love the photo on right! The lighting on the bike is so dramatic that it makes for a wonderful photo....and hopefully a painting in the future.

The bike on the left has some wonderful airbrushed artwork. The portraits of Jimi Hendrix and George Harrison are beautifully done. Doing a portrait is challenging enough....I can't imagine how difficult it must be to do one on a bike!

Motorcycle madness nearing the finish line...

2010-10-03T19:48:00.002-04:00

Yes....the end is in sight!! It looks like this painting WILL be completed before the snow falls! *sigh of relief*

I left the tire and the black glossy floor until the painting was nearly done. I knew those areas were going to be difficult, but I needed to get the chrome of the bike firmly established with the correct perspective first. The painting wouldn't work if those areas were done incorrectly. The deep black of the tire and the black glossy floor had to look a different "black" than the black reflections in the chrome. I wanted the tire to read like it was made of rubber.....to be made of a different material than the other black surfaces. Not an easy task, for sure!

So I mixed a deep black, took a deep breath.....and laid down the color. I did wet the surface first to help the paint flow....and worked quickly to prevent backruns. I wanted to include the reflected gold color in the tire...I loved how it looked and it helped prevent the tire from looking like a dead solid block of color. Then I used a similiar mix of deep black and laid down the glossy floor. After painting those sections....I set the painting aside to dry....and to give me time to just look and see what to do next.

Now that those sections are done....I can see that I need to deepen other sections of the bike to balance out the values. For one....I want to deepen the red flames. They looked so bold earlier....before the deep blacks were painted. Now they look pale in comparison.

So I am not done yet........but I will be done very soon!! And no snow!!!

The madness continues....

2010-09-21T13:32:00.002-04:00

The madness continues, yes....but Oooooo so slowly!! The differences between the last post and this one are slight, but they do exist....promise!! The detail work on the gorgeous chrome wheel spokes, if that's what they're called here, is quite time consuming. Each one has a different reflection....and I wanted to take the time to get each one just right. I also take the time to adjust the values on the already "done" sections.....the done in quotes, because a painting like this is constantly needing value adjustment. You can think that a section is done, but then once the paint settles in and you complete another section near it, it can suddenly look not quite right. So with a painting like this, it's important to set it aside, and take the time to really look at it. Then what needs to be done.....shows.

For the flame work on the bike, I'm certainly not matching that line for line. The bike artist did free form flames, and I will do that also. When it comes time to do the tire and the black glossy floor.... the whole entire look of the painting will change. And I will need to adjust the values on the entire bike.....most definitely. You want the whole piece to jell.

I'm hoping to complete this within the next few weeks......hoping?? Fingers are crossed!

Motorcycle madness continues.....

2010-08-31T15:38:00.002-04:00

Like they say on American Chopper, the bike is coming together!
The detail work on a piece like this is amazing....sometimes I will work on it for hours, and swear that it almost looks the same as when I began that day! But that's all part of the process.
I've been putting a lot more darks in, which always helps to pull ths shape together. The cloth underneath is various washes of vermillion, alizarin crimson, and dragon's blood....with a bit of lemon yellow underneath to shine through. The black on the bike will take layers and layers of Payne's grey, sometimes with some Indigo added. I really like how the handlebars came out....when I saw the bike in person I kept thinking about how difficult a bike like this would be to ride! The most unusual handlebars I've ever seen!
The work I have left to do will be quite challenging! The tire is a deep black blending up to a deep grey, and the platform it is sitting on is a very shiny deep black. Oh boy. I think it'll be best to tackle all that in the morning when I have all day to spend in the studio.....'cause I think it will take many hours to get it all looking like I want it to! This will end up being quite a dark painting, and won't look much like a watercolor at all, I imagine. And I hope to finish it, like I said, before the snow flies!! So I'd better get busy!

Motorcycle "madness......"

2010-08-12T10:06:00.004-04:00

Does it only seem like forever that I've been working on this bike? I do like seeing the progress I've made, especially comparing how the painting looks now to how it looked a month ago! I knew this painting would call for a deep background. In the photos I took of the bike at the Convention Center, the surrounding colors of the Center were reflected in the chrome of the bike, so I had to stay true to the photo to accurately do justice to the painting.
Once I had laid down more color on the bike, I knew it was time to tackle the background. I put frisket on the outer edges of the bike, even on the already painted areas. Then I gritted my teeth, and laid down the wash. Boy, I was not happy when it dried! I recall one of my teachers saying that all paintings go through an ugly stage. Man, she wasn't kidding! After a few days of staring and it and debating about tossing the whole thing out, I grabbed a brush and added another deeper wash on the background. That saved the day. The deep background was what was needed to pop the bike and really intensify the areas I have already completed.
Major crisis averted.....now I just need to finish the bike itself. Many challenges await...the tires....the tiny details on the engine...refining the handlebars....!
Will it be snowing when I'm done????

Some progress.....

2010-07-28T12:36:00.002-04:00

After working on other paintings, I'm back "on" my motorcycle!

This painting is going to definitely challenge me!! Most of my motorcycle paintings are not filled with so many different colors as this one will be. From the bright vermillion cloth underneath to the various golds and glowing blues, this will for sure be a departure from the others!

One thing I have decided is the background will be dark. I'm not sure yet when I will lay in the dark background colors, but I do want to get more of the bike done before I tackle the deep background. Once I lay the background in, I'll have to adjust the values of the colors throughout the piece. It is unusual for me to be working in reflections with lighter colors, and not the normal deep grays and blacks that I've used for most of the other motorcycles.

Man........I must have felt like I needed a challenge! Well, I've got one now!!

Pink hollyhocks....

2010-07-22T14:41:00.003-04:00

With all the summertime busyness....I was so thrilled to be able to finish another painting. Not a biggie, but one that is a favorite of mine. I have done a couple paintings from these beautiful hollyhocks that were growing in my friend's yard. So gorgeous! I can picture these growing in many an English cottage garden, along rustic stone walls, or bordering white picket fences in the countryside.
I began by laying down a very light wash of Windsor Lemon, then I used layer upon layer of Rose Madder Genuine. I know that many artists prefer Permanent Rose or Opera, but I adore the specific texture and hue of Rose Madder. One of my favorites, and one the captures the color of these beauties to a tee!
The stem and leaves are Sap Green, along with some Windsor Blue and Lemon Yellow. I also like to throw some Dragon's Blood in the stem and leaves for some interest and contrast.
Now if only I could grow one like this in my garden!! Veggies I can do.....flowers I seem to have more trouble with!

A new hollyhock.....

2010-07-08T14:13:00.003-04:00

With the summer art festivals in full swing, I haven't had as much studio time as I would like! With the outside temperature reading 92 degrees right now....I'm happy to be ensconced in my air-conditioned home studio!

The painting in progress on the left here is a commission. A few years ago a client purchased my "Hollyhocks II" to hang in her townhouse in Las Vegas.

She came to my recent show in East Aurora and wanted a smaller companion piece to hang along side the original. SO happy to oblige! I love to paint hollyhocks, and it is so wonderful to know that she loves the original painting so much that she wants another to hang right along side it.

It is about 3/4 done here. Washes of rose madder genuine make up the petals, while my favorite sap green -Maimerblu- is the "go to" green for most of my the stem and leaves. I used some dragon's blood and some burnt sienna as well, in the leaves, stems, and for some of the deeper shading on the petals. I will be finishing the stem and leaves, then adjusting the values to make sure the flower looks as 3 dimensional as possible.

It's wonderful to know that soon this will be going to a new home!

A new custom cycle has begun....

2010-06-09T15:02:00.002-04:00

I couldn't wait to begin a new motorcycle painting. That huge cycle show we attended in Toronto this winter was so inspiring! The difficulty for me was choosing which bike to do. I have so many photos of the Toronto Maple Leafs bike, with it's phenomenal airbrush artwork all over....that I almost went with that one. However, I just couldn't stop thinking about the bike I chose to do. I have barely begun to lay down some color, as you can see in the photo on the right. The detailed drawing took quite a long time......with mechanical objects rendered in a realistic work of art you have to make sure to get an accurate representation down. This bike was a custom cycle done for the Blade movie, I believe. The words Blade were airbrushed in various places on the bike. I won't place the wording in the painting, though, as I want the artwork to appeal to anyone without it being tied to the film.

I really liked the coloring used throughout here......silver mixed in with golds and some fiery reds along with the black colors on the motorcycle. I love the custom styling on the bike....the handlebars that resemble weapons, for example! This will be fun to do. And as I am beginning the piece....I'm realizing how hard it's going to be! And I thought the previous custom cycle painting I did was tough! Can I finish it before the snow flies?? I wonder!!

Irises in all their glory...

2010-05-27T11:03:00.003-04:00

Ohhhh how lucky I am to have a neighbor with a touch for irises!

The highlight of Spring for me is when I can take a simple stroll down our street and feast my eyes on the results of her green thumb. With the intense heat we are experiencing, these beauties won't last long, so I've had to drop everything and get the photos while they are in their glory. I've done a number of paintings from her iris garden, and I can't wait to tackle some more!

I like the white irises on the left here....painting white flowers of any kind presents a challenge, especially in watercolor! These will be a lot of fun to do.....rendering the shadows and leaving the white of the paper as the brightest, sunlit parts of the flower.

I'm anxious to get back to painting! The Spring gardening chores have eaten up a lot of my time...but once those tasks are completed, I can get back to my brushes. I'll have a lot of fun sorting through all the beautiful iris photos... and saying thanks to the neighbor with the green thumb!

Kauai's Polihali Beach....

2010-05-07T14:44:00.003-04:00

I've been working on a series of smaller paintings lately. Getting ready for the summer art festival season (and as I say this, there are frost warnings for this weekend)! The painting on the left is of Polihali Beach on the island of Kauai...the most beautiful place I have ever seen. I wanted to show just the vast expanse of beach here. People always focus on the NaPali cliffs, that are behind me and off to the right. And while spectacular, I wanted to paint just an empty stretch of beach, so this is the view looking out over the water. The island of Niihau, or sometimes called the Forbidden Island, is off in the distance. This smaller sized piece was fun to do. This is a painting that someone can buy as more of an impulse purchase....for themselves or as a gift for someone. Someday I will tackle a painting of those glorious cliffs! But boy....that will have to be a very large painting to do them justice!!

Purple iris is done!

2010-04-19T12:35:00.002-04:00

I just finished another one of my smaller "floral portraits." This iris was absolutely gorgeous,, and I couldn't wait to paint it. As I look at the photo on the right, the colors don't look as vibrant in the picture here as they do in the actual painting! Oh well.....guess you've got to see it in person!

For the purple, I used Winsor Violet......such a true and beautiful purple.

I used Rose Madder Genuine for the pink....with a little Alizarin Crimson for some of the deeper values. Indigo and Winsor Blue were mixed with some of the Windsor Violet for the deep purple/blues. I used some Vermillion (boy, I'll miss it when I finally use all of my stash!) for the center, along with Winsor Lemon. The green is mostly Maimerblu's Sap Green, with some of the yellow mixed in.

It's exciting to me to see the iris leaves poking up through the mulch. I can't wait to see the irises again....and to get more photos.

A new iris has blossomed.......

2010-04-08T12:06:00.002-04:00

With the summer art festival season rapidly approaching, I have been working hard to complete as many smaller sized paintings as I can. Paintings that are more of an impulse purchase.....something that someone might see that they know would be a great gift for someone.

I recently completed the single iris painting on the left. I took the photo a while back, and I just love the colors here. The top petals are a pale, bluish white, while the lower petals and center are a gorgeous yellow, coppery, coral. This was a lot of fun to do.

When I do larger paintings, I cut the paper down to fit onto the plexiglass I use as my backing. I save every last scrap of my watercolor paper (I use Windsor Newton paper exclusively). These smaller leftover pieces are what I most often use for my little paintings. Love to use every last piece!! For the blue, I used light washes of Cobalt Blue, with some Windsor and a little French Ultramarine. For the coral color, I did a wash of Lemon Yellow over all the coral sections, let that dry, then washed over with some Vermillion (discontinued.....waaaa!!!), some Dragon's Blood, and maybe a touch of Alizarin Crimson. For the leaf and stem I used mostly Maimerblu's Sap Green with some Windsor Blue and some Lemon Yellow.

One thing I always have trouble with, with these little paintings. They often sell quickly, so I don't get to have them very long! I actually miss them!

The beach at Poipu, Kauai......

2010-03-22T15:42:00.002-04:00

The calendar says March, already. Yikes!! Where has the time gone?!
With the summer art festival dates coming up sooner than I'd like, I realized I needed to paint some smaller sized paintings. I had a lot of fun going through all my photo references, and I finally settled on an image I took from our trip to Hawaii in December.
I drove into Poipu all by myself on one of our last days there. I was very familiar with the area, as we stayed there for 2 weeks on our first trip a few years back. This is part of the beach front at the Sheraton Kauai. Very beautiful. I love the dark lava rock jutting out into the ocean, and the gorgeous palm trees along the grassy bank. I did a quick drawing right on the watercolor paper, and then began putting down washes of color. I did the sky very quickly, and except for a few little additions of color, left it alone.
The water is very dark here, and I used French Ultramarine, with some turquoise added for that tropical water feel. The lava rocks I used Payne's Gray, some Sepia, and some other lighter touches of Burnt Umber for contrast. The palm trees I used a lot of Sap Green with Windsor Lemon and some Burnt Sienna. The trunks of the trees I used various browns and blues to give them some contrast. One of the worst things one can do is to use the same color for every tree trunk...same as for every rock or every leaf. Nature is more colorful than we think....and if you really look closely you can see so many color variations everywhere.
Back to work!!

Pit Stop

2010-03-14T15:59:00.003-04:00

Wow.......so glad to have finally finished my latest motorcycle painting! And I'm quite happy with how it turned out. Since my last post, I concentrated on refining the piece. I added some detailing to the leather motorcycle jacket, plus deepening the shadows in the folds. The engine of the bike required lots of fine detail work, and believe me, a biker will notice if I make any mistakes! So I work really hard to do the best job I can to get it "just right."

I like my bikers, too, off in the distance. I imagine they're discussing their ride, and planning out their next trip.

Now, with the weather finally breaking, I'm sure I'll see motorcycles on the road again. It's been a long winter!!

A motorcycle nearly completed.....

2010-02-24T09:31:00.002-05:00

It has been way to long since I posted an update on my painting! This flu season has sure slowed me down! Hopefully the Kleenexes have all been put away, and I can get back to some long days spent in the studio.....where every artist longs to be!

I have been able to get a lot done on the bikes, as one can see in the photo on the right. The leather jacket has been a lot of fun to do. I was sure that wasn't going to be the case, initially! It's coming out looking like a well worn and well loved leather jacket....I'm so pleased! As all watercolor artists know, watercolor has a mind of it's own, and it can do things you cannot plan or predict. In this case, the watercolor gods were with me!

Much more still needs to be done here. Several sections of the bike need to be filled in, and I need to deepen many of the dark areas with more layers of color....mostly Payne's Gray. Shadows will need to be placed under the people and the smaller bikes in the background, or else they will look like they're pasted on, or just floating in space.

More work to be done, but the end is in sight!

A new year, a new motorcycle painting......

2010-02-03T08:44:00.002-05:00

Another motorcycle painting in progress! I took the reference photo of this bike at the Jim Kelly motorcycle run for Hunter's Hope several years ago.

Before the start of the run, bikers gather at a local plaza to check-in, fill out paperwork, get the route map, and just hang out until the official start. I always bring my camera to these gatherings- there is always a great assortment of bikes. Several members of the Buffalo Bills always participate, and Jim usually has a few celebrity friends along as well.

I always liked the photo that I took of this bike, with the leather jacket hanging off the handlebar and the helmet balancing on top. I hesitated to paint it initially......painting chrome is hard enough, especially in watercolor, but painting a leather jacket, too? I wanted to convincingly capture the chrome and metal effects of the bike, but at the same time paint the leather jacket and have it look so much like leather that you want to reach out and touch it. Using a different dark mixture for the leather than I use for the chrome proved to be the answer. I love how the leather is looking "worn"- just the effect I wanted.

The actual painting looks a lot darker than the photo. It's quite overcast today, and I really had to use a flash. Next time I'll use natural lighting.

Back to work!

Waimea Canyon....

2010-01-22T19:37:00.004-05:00

More photos from one of the most beautiful places on Earth. On my last free day on Kauai, I awoke to clear blue skies. This would be the perfect day to visit Waimea Canyon. Some visitors to Kauai never get to see the canyon without clouds partly or completely obscuring the magnificent view. Luckily I had gotten to tour it once before in all its glory, but I could not resist taking it all in again.

So I began my ascent. Above is a view from one of the pull-over spots heading up the canyon.

The view on the right is from a lookout point higher up. The colors are spectacular. The Kauai red soil is so clearly evident all over the island, and the canyon is no exception. What a view! No clouds, so the clear blue sky so beautifully contrasts with the red soil, the various greys and browns of the canyon walls, and the deep greens of the trees and brush scattered throughout.

I like the photo on the right, below, in that it gives a real sense of the vastness of Waimea Canyon. So lucky to be there without any clouds! To get to see the vastness in all its glory.

I hope that I can capture this beautiful place in a painting that will do it justice.

Kauai on a motorcycle.......

2010-01-04T13:33:00.003-05:00

More on our Kauai trip. On the right is a photo I took while riding on the back of a motorcycle.....something I NEVER thought I would ever do! On Bob's one day off, we met up with a former co-worker of Bob's who lives permanently on the island. Howard and his wife, Sue, so graciously spent the entire day with us and gave us a tour around the entire island. We borrowed a motorcycle from another co-worker of Bob's....and off we went. Helmet laws don't exist on Kauai, however, I was determined we were going to wear them! When the only available helmets to wear are so small that our huge heads won't fit in them, the choice becomes either go helmet-less or don't go at all. We took the risk. People don't ride fast on Kauai- there is simply too much to see, and Hawaii is not a "hurry up" place to be.

I was amazed at how well the photos turned out! I love the image above. We were on the north side of the island- the rainiest side, and it is often cloudy and rainy here. We barely got sprinkled on, fortunately. I love the image here, with the lush trees and and misty mountains in the background. Of course, I love Bob's grey hair in the photo, too!

The photo on the left is another I actually took while we were riding along the road. It came out so well! It was so much fun to be riding along and have these gorgeous views just pop out at you! I never thought they would come out so clear taken from the back of a moving vehicle!

More to come....

More from Kauai....

2009-12-29T19:24:00.004-05:00

On the left is a photo of our cottage in Waimea. Absolutely gorgeous, both inside and out. This cottage, and all the others on the grounds of the Waimea Plantation were the dwellings belonging to the sugar cane workers years ago. Sugar cane is no longer grown on the island, but these cottages remain. Each one is different, and they make a great place to stay while visiting Kauai. You get a sense of "Old Hawaii" staying here- so different from the hotel experience. The photo on the right is the view from our front porch. What a view! That big, beautiful tree is such a

wonderful place to sit in the shade and gaze out at the ocean. The grounds are lovingly maintained here, with a wide variety of trees, bushes and flowers scattered throughout.

The Waimea Beach is on the left. Every morning and afternoon I strolled along this beautiful beach, and I was most often alone. The sand is a reddish brown here, due to the run off from the iron rich soil from Waimea Canyon. Because the sand particles are so fine, the water is murky. Ocean water that is so murky is completely off limits for swimming.......sharks find these waters excellent for hunting, so you'll never see swimmers and surfers here! But it makes a beautiful spot to be part of nature- quiet, contemplative, restorative.

More to follow.......!

Kauai........

2009-12-22T18:50:00.003-05:00

It has been so long since I've updated my blog! Way to long. After I finished a commission, I thought for sure I would have time to get back to things. Little did I envision a trip to Kauai.......2 weeks before Christmas! But when the husband has to go to Kauai for work.....going along seemed like the thing to do!

On the right is a photo taken at Polihali Beach. One of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. The sight of the Na Pali cliffs jutting into the ocean is truely breathtaking. We were there on a Sunday, and we were practically by ourselves! This beach is very difficult to get to. You have to drive through abandoned sugar cane fields on a rutted and rock strewn road. But so worth it at the end. I hope to do a painting of the cliffs one day. Oh how I hope I can truely and accurately portray this magnificent place!

On the left is one of the few surfers who dared to challenge the surf that day. They were so much fun to watch! It was nice to be able to photograph a surfer here- a good frame of reference to show how big the cliffs really are! I love the colors of the water here.

More blogs on Kauai to follow- Lots more photos to go through!!

Hydrangea leaves.....

2009-11-07T21:25:00.003-05:00

I've been working on a private commission lately, so I cannot post images of my most recent work. Nevertheless, I'm always on the lookout for reference material....as any artist should be! I never expected to find inspiration while raking the gazillion leaves in our yard. This hydrangea is growing on the side of our garage, and while dragging a sheet loaded with wet, heavy leaves, I spotted the sun hitting the leaves in such a way that it made me drop everything and get my camera. I think the hydrangea is prettier now than in the summer full of blossoms. I love the colors of the leaves, and I got so lucky that the sun was hitting the bush in such a way as to make it look like I had used some fancy lighting effects!

Doing a painting of "just" leaves might seem unusual, but

leaves, on their own, can be just as beautiful as flowers. I can't get over how spectacular these leaves looked today. I'm so glad that I had the camera ready to go. Painting these leaves, with their yellow green centers fanning out towards their wine colored edges will be a challenge....and loads of fun!

A Clarence Center Halloween.......

2009-10-30T20:22:00.012-04:00

It's one of my favorite times of the year. I love fall, and Halloween is so much fun- especially in our neighborhood! The photo on the left is on our front porch. The floating heads look so great contrasted with the pumpkins in the front. My husband carved the craft pumpkins- the scary cat one on the left, and my prized possession, my Edward and Bella pumpkin in the middle! After we took these photos, we then headed down the street to the Haunted House above all others.

The photo on the right shows the entire house, all lit up, at dusk.

He had just opened for the evening, and the smoke machines were just beginning to crank out their misty fog. What follows will be a series of the best photos we got this evening.

Halloween, Clarence Center style.....

2009-10-20T07:26:00.010-04:00

Another Halloween, and we are again fortunate that our neighbors, Gary and Margaret Server, are doing Halloween proud! We love Halloween, and how lucky are we that we live just a few houses down from one of the most fabulous Halloween displays I've ever seen.

I went down to get some photos on a recent sunny day- even before everything was up and running. The photo on the left has my husband Bob with his back towards the camera, and Gary coming out his front door . Putting up all this takes months of work!

In the photo above, you can see the entry to the dungeon on the far left. The photo on the right is from inside the dungeon. The attention to detail is amazing. As you follow along dark, narrow passageways, you come upon the witches cave on the left here.

So wonderful! I think everyone is going to love it. What I'm not including here are all the deep, dark passageways leading to each spectacular room. SO exciting! Hard to believe that all this can take place in a garage- an extra large and deep garage admittidly, but when you're inside, you feel like you're in a large, haunted mansion. The gargoyle tower below is one of two towers on either side of the driveway. What a great sight to see as you're driving down the road! We are certainly looking forward to seeing the whole display turned on- with all the smoke machines fired up, the music on and the lighting effects that make it all so dramatic and scary. Happy Halloween 2009!

The "brick irises" are done.....

2009-10-16T15:47:00.002-04:00

It feels so nice to get another painting done. I had a lot of fun with this one.
The last bit of work I had to do was to give the bricks some depth by putting some subtle shading underneath each individual brick. After that was done, I just had to put in some finishing touches; deeping some values and putting some textural elements onto the leaves, stems, and bricks.
I noticed that once it was finally done, that it really doesn't look like a watercolor! I'm pretty sure that some will assume it is a colored pencil, or possibly even a pastel or acrylic. At this point, I cannot imagine the learning curve involved in utilizing another medium!
I think I have my hands full with watercolor!!

Purple iris continuation......

2009-10-09T07:57:00.002-04:00

I've been able to get a lot of painting time in lately- hurray! I still have a fair amount of work to do on this painting, though.

The iris flowers themselves are mostly done, along with the leaves and stems. The brick wall is now my focus. I've laid in a layer or two of color on each individual brick- always making sure that each brick has it's own unique color pattern. Now I'm in the process of shading the bricks and the mortar, to give the bricks a three-dimensional look. Otherwise, they would look like brick wallpaper! This is picky and time-consuming work.....right up my alley!

The colors on the actual painting are much more intense, but it's so dark this morning, that I couldn't get a photo without using a flash. When I take a photo when the painting is completed, I'll make sure to get one without a flash. This is going to be one colorful painting!

Purple iris progress......

2009-09-28T19:25:00.002-04:00

I have made some noticeable progress of late on my painting. I've just about completed the irises, and only have a few stems and leaves to finish. It's been fun to have the rose leaves to paint, along with the iris leaves. The different shapes and varying shades of green have been a joy to work on.
I've had fun with the brick wall, too! I started laying down color on the bricks beginning at the bottom. Better to experiment with varying colors on the bricks that are behind the flowers and leaves, than to start at the top! I moisten only part of each individual brick before I put down the paint. Better to create the varigated look to the bricks that way. I've been using many different colors for the bricks, including Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber, French Ultramarine, Dragon's Blood, Lemon Yellow, Sienna, and more. No two bricks are the same, so they shouldn't be painted in identical fashion.
Boy, this will be a colorful painting when it's completed!

The irises are coming along.......

2009-09-17T15:53:00.002-04:00

Showing some actual progress on my latest painting!

I've been deepening the colors of the iris blossoms, leaves and stems. I love that rose leaves are interspersed among the iris leaves. They provide a nice contrast to the spear-like leaves of the irises.

I've been using Windsor Violet and Windsor Blue for the irises, coupled with the soft pink of Rose Madder Genuine. At this stage of the painting, I'm working on slowly building up the colors of the petals and leaves. I wanted to get those colors deepened before I work on the brick wall. That will be lots of fun.....and quite time consuming, to say the least!

Back to work!

A new iris painting has begun.....

2009-09-08T19:43:00.002-04:00

After finishing the heavily detailed painting of Quebec City, I was anxious to do an iris painting. It's been a while! I had originally thought I would do a single iris painting, however when I came across this photo- of gorgeous purple blooms against a brick wall.....I decided this would be the one for me. I had originally photographed these irises a summer or two ago. I fell in love with the beautiful purple blooms and the blue-green foliage all contasted against the beautiful tones of the brick wall.

I began with a drawing of the irises and the foliage. It doesn't matter which medium an artist employs- an artist needs to know how to draw. I wonder sometimes how many irises I've drawn in my career so far! But I love it!

After drawing the irises, I then began to work on the brick wall. A ruler was necessary! I wanted the rows of bricks to be level and the bricks to be the same size. The formality of the brick wall will contrast nicely with the tangle of the iris and the rose leaves. What I have laid down so far is just a light varigated wash for the bricks. I painted the bricks and the mortar first, before I laid any color on the irises and leaves. Now I've begun to work on the leaves and the iris blooms. I need to get more color down on the flowers before I go back and deepen the bricks. That will be so much fun! Lots of work awaits!

Drawing of "Edward Cullen".......

2009-09-01T14:36:00.002-04:00

Yes, I am aware I have OCD (obsessive Cullen disorder)! Too funny....!

Continuing...for several years I participated in figure drawing classes, and even ran the class for a few years. What a fantastic way to sharpen your drawing skills- there's nothing like drawing from life. It helps train your eye for accurately rendering perspective and spatial relationships so necessary no matter what media an artist employs. I was blown away by the talent in our local group. Some drew every day, and it showed!!

Wanting to get back to sketching more often, I bought a really nice sketchbook and a great drawing set- a Cretacolor from Austria. It has charcoal pencils, sticks, natural charcoal, and what I used for this drawing- graphite sticks, 6B and 9B.

Wondering what to sketch one evening, I eyed my Twilight Movie Companion book. ( Couldn't resist!) I saw the photo and thought it would be a good test. I didn't use any measuring device- I wanted to just eyeball it. While the likeness isn't completely perfect, it's darn close. Rendering eyes is tricky, but I always remember what my drawing teacher, Dot Huntley, told me- that the eye is always in shadow, as it sits encased in the eye socket and is shaded and protected by the brow and lid. How helpful that advice has always been for me. I notice some artists tend to make the eyes look as if they are stuck ON the face, instead of resting inside the eye socket.

I love the all graphite pencils. I didn't want to use charcoal as I was sitting in my family room and didn't want to get covered in charcoal. I love the depth of value charcoal gives, but I cannot use it without getting it all over me!

I know I want, and I need, to draw more often. Maybe, just maybe, I'll have to buy the "New Moon" movie companion book when it comes out........ !

A rose is a rose......

2009-08-26T07:34:00.002-04:00

Last fall, while on a trip to Valu, a local hardware store, I noticed a sale bin filled with bare root roses, above which a crudely painted sign read "Roses- $ 2.00." Well, roses have always been my favorite flower, so I looked through the selection and found one of my longtime favorites- a 'Kordus Perfecta." I didn't know that rose was still available! With a price like that, there wasn't much to lose, so I bought it and took a chance on a $2.00 rose from a hardware store.

Last fall I planted it right near my front door, never really expecting much. Right now it is about 3 1/2 feet tall, and even though we've had more rain than the Amazon rain forest, it is rewarding me with some gorgeous August blooms. The blooms in June were gorgeous, of course, but what a treat to see roses at the end of the summer.

Little watercolors are fun to do, and I think a nice watercolor of a single rose will be a lot of fun to work on in the dead of winter.

Moral of the story? You never know what you'll stumble upon at a hardware store!

Quebec City conclusion.....

2009-08-16T22:28:00.002-04:00

I'm very thrilled to have finally finished my Quebec City painting. Haven't settled on a title yet. This painting was fun to do, yet it did pose some unique challenges. Colors I rarely use were required for this piece. I had originally thought of changing the trim colors on the buildings, but then decided that I couldn't really do that and stay true the flavor of Quebec City. So I was forced to use the burnt umbers and warm, gold tones that are not my favorites.

Another unusual feature of this piece is that the center of interest, most often the part of a painting with the strongest contrast of color, is located pretty much in the background. I took the reference photo in the early morning, and I loved how the morning light shown upon the distant building, while the closer part of the street remained in shadow. Painting the stone road was certainly a challenge as well. I delineated the stones with pale lines before I put the varied washes down, so that the lines wouldn't stand out too much and look too prominent, or "painted on." I love the hanging multicolored balloon! Residences are interspersed amongst the storefronts and restaurants, and those residences were so lovingly maintained and artistically decorated.

So glad I finally got to do a painting of at least a tiny corner of a beautiful city.

The Lewiston Art Show "saga"......

2009-08-10T21:53:00.003-04:00

On the left is a photo of my booth at this years Lewiston Art Show.

Saturday started out so well!! The sun ( I did see it on Saturday morning) was out and it is so nice now that the entire street is closed to traffic- just like Allentown. People have so much more room to stroll the festival, instead of trying to squeeze along the narrow Lewiston sidewalks.

The photo on the right is the featured artist at Lewiston this year, Travis Louie, creating his own chalk walk piece. The photo can't do it justice.

The rain started around 3 or so, the crowds thinned as the afternoon wore on, so we packed up a little early, with hopes of a better day on Sunday.

Sunday began with a nice blue sky, even though the humidity was oppressive. The clouds quickly rolled in, the sky darkened, and then........KA BOOM!! The rain began with large, intermittent raindrops, then quickly it began to pour. People scurried for cover, artists lept to bring their pieces into the "relative" safety of their tents. It got even darker, the lightning got closer and the winds kicked into overdrive. My tent was screwed into the street and the winds lifted it up, and it would have blown away had we not been hanging on to the posts as tightly as we could. The rainwater turned into a current that ran about a foot deep behind my tent. Standing in my tent, hanging on to the metal posts, all the while under a tree while the lightning was hitting so close......was truely frightening. When Bob felt he could safely run for it, he ran to the car, pulled it up to the tent (even though the road was technically closed to vehicular traffic until the show ended) and we as quickly as we possible could, loaded up my "water"colors and fled. We were in the car racing away at 1 pm. I ended up leaving my rug. It was deeply underwater- no sense trying to salvage it.

My paintings all made it out just fine- thanks to the Herculean feats of my husband. Not a great way to end the art festival season! But now is actually a fun time for me. I'll be participating in some gallery shows in the fall, and I get to spend more time "in studio" where I truely long to be. No rainstorms in my studio!!!!

Art Park Gallery- Buffalo Society of Artists.....

2009-08-02T22:09:00.006-04:00

Friday night was my night to work at

the Art Park Gallery. Such a beautiful

gallery in such a beautiful spot- right on the Art Park grounds. The Buffalo

Philharmonic event that evening was Video Games Live- a symphonic performance of music from video games. I could recognize several themes- the Zelda music, especially! Spent many hours listening to that!!

The view on the left here is a selection of the artwork. So much talent on display here.

We had a sale the night I worked, and there have been steady sales so far- even in this economy. So many things are contributing to the success here, I believe. A wide variety of art is on exhibit- all media, and all styles- from abstract to photorealism with everything in between.

I'm breaking a rule and including photos of myself here, even though I acutely despise having my photo taken. Ugh! In the photo on the left, my fellow artist and friend Gail is on the right in the photo, and my painting "Jurassic Tree" is between us. It does help me to know that the gorgeous Johnny Depp and Robert Pattinson cannot stand to look at themselves in photos or on screen!! It was a very enjoyable time, and nice to know that people are still loving and buying art. The photo on the right is of me and the gallery director Helen Russell. She has done so much work to keep the gallery going, and the fact it is such a success owes much to her drive and dedication.

Naval Park and Erie Basin Marina.......

2009-07-26T19:12:00.004-04:00

A Sunday with nothing pressing, we decided, with cameras in hand, to spend a day at the waterfront. We had never toured the naval ships before, so what better time like the present!

I love the photo on the right- all the greys on the majestic ship matched in the threatening sky.

My husband on board the ship with his camera getting some shots, with the ever threating sky behind.

So nice to see the improvements in the waterfront. Touring the ships was so much fun! Following the yellow lines throughout the ships and the submarine, imagining what it must have been like sailing on those ships in wartime.

I took the photo on the left aboard the USS Little Rock. The cloud formation clearly indicates a powerful storm brewing.....what else is new?!

I'm hoping to do some paintings of our visit to the Naval Park. The ships, the beautiful waterfront, and the "interesting" skies we've had lately all would make wonderful paintings.

Day Lilies....

2009-07-20T09:21:00.002-04:00

I can see that I'll be doing some day lily paintings in my future!
We have had so much cloudy and rainy weather, that I was
actually suprised to see sunshine this morning! My day lilies are in a bed where I can spot them from my kitchen window, and when I saw them glistening in the sun, I knew I had to photograph them....and quickly! This summer, one never knows how long the sun will shine!
I think the photo on the right would make a nice painting.
I will use some deep greens and blues for the background, probably Windsor Blue and Windsor Green, with some Indigo thrown in. I will use some Lemon Yellow for the center of the flower, and no doubt some of my discontinued Vermillion, coupled with various pinks for the flower petals.
I'm so glad these lilies are blooming so heartily. I know they like dry weather conditions, and with the cool and moist July we've been having, I was concerned that these blooms would suffer. Glad to be proven wrong!

Art on the Riverwalk 2009.....

2009-07-13T21:31:00.004-04:00

Another "Art on the Riverwalk" has come and gone. Could there be a more perfect spot for an artshow? A grassy setting underneath large, sweeping maple trees facing the Niagara River....gorgeous!

The view on the left here shows my booth all set up and ready. With all the rain we've had this spring and summer, I was so thrilled to wake that Sunday morning to a cloudless, blue sky.

The photo on the right is the view I had looking out from my tent- directly across the river from the Grand Island hotel. What a sight to look at all day! The view on the lower left is a long view of the show. I love the photo at left- the dappled sunlight making patterns on the grass. The booths all nicely spread out under the canopy of the trees. We had a really nice time at the show. It's fun to catch up with friends, and I was surprised and honored to win an award at the show. Sales at the shows this year haven't been over the top, but people are still buying.

All in all, a wonderful show.

Purple poppy.....

2009-07-08T10:01:00.003-04:00

I have an outdoor show this Sunday, "Art on the Riverwalk" and I wanted to have another smaller sized flower painting for the show. My purple poppy isn't quite

completed, but I'm sure I can have it ready for this weekend. These poppies were growing in my friend's garden when she called me to say if I wanted photos, I'd better get over quickly because a storm was fast approaching, and these beauties soon would be gone. I sped over, took many photos, and yes, the storm wiped all these out the next day. I was so glad for her call!

I did a quick drawing on my Windsor/Newton paper and began putting color down, using Windsor Violet, Rose Madder Genuine, and some Permanent Rose. The leaves and stems have Sap Green, mixed with some Prussian Blue and some Aqua. In the center I used Lemon Yellow and some Naples Yellow gouache for the little stems. I will purposely leave the background white, as I often do on these botanical paintings. I think it sets off the flower and makes the colors pop.

I sold 4 smaller paintings at Allentown, and I am glad that at least I have been able to get 1 smaller sized painting completed before the show.

Oh.....to have more hours in the day!! :D

East Aurora Art Show '09......

2009-07-04T23:26:00.004-04:00

Another East Aurora Art Show has come and gone. Such a fun show to do! The view on the right is from my tent looking out upon the snow fence artists setting up. The snow fence is such a great option for those artists who don't have the whole tent and display set-up. Such a lovely setting. It's so nice getting to see friends who I may only get to see during this show. We all get there pretty early in the morning; so much work is involved setting up an art show. Caffeine is an absolute necessity!

The photo on the left is my booth at the show. Saturday couldn't have been more perfect. Sun and low 70's. A good friend and wonderful artist, Jane Stoddard, won Best of Show, and another friend won 1st place in watercolor. I was so happy for them-very well deserved. I won best of show last year, so I was so pleased that the wealth could be spread around.

If only Sunday could have been better. So much rain that we ended up leaving early. Last year was the same, too. Perfect Saturday, and rainy Sunday. What's up with that? My tent was so soaked that I had to hang it out to dry on my clothesline on Monday.......of course Monday was breezy and sunny!

There's always next year!

My McCartney Rose......

2009-06-25T12:11:00.002-04:00

I'm so glad I went outside to check on my flowers. We're due to get some rain later today (yay!) but I wanted to check on the flowers on the side of our garage. I hadn't watered them in a while, and I was hoping they were OK.

So thrilled to see that my McCartney rose is flourishing! It's almost 5 feet tall and looks as healthy as ever. Seems my fertilizing a while back was heartily welcomed! I love this rose: the color- such a pure, true pink; the gorgeous tea-rose fragrance; the glossy green of the beautifully shaped leaves. And to think I bought it because it was named after Paul McCartney!

I've already done a painting of this rose a few years ago. I just may have to do another one. Better get more rose madder genuine!

Allentown 2009......

2009-06-16T12:43:00.006-04:00

The Allentown Art Festival has come and gone for another year. How lucky we were with the

weather! The view on the left is of Delaware Ave. early Sunday morning, hours before the crowds appear. We got there pretty early to ensure we got a good parking spot- boy we wished there was a Tim Horton's nearby!

The photo on the right is the view looking into my booth. And yes.....that is a painting hanging on a tree! While setting up, I noticed a screw in the tree and decided to hang a painting on it. Later on I asked my husband if he had put the screw there last year. I didn't really have to ask! Engineers are a resourceful bunch! I ended up selling that painting, too!

The photo on the left is taken at the award ceremony Saturday evening. My motorcycle painting is in the center with a blue ribbon on the upper right. What a thrill, an absolute thrill. The award ceremony is so nice- they do such a great job. At the end of the day Saturday, we are all so exhausted- hot, sweaty, hungry, etc.. and they have great pizza, cookies and drinks for us to munch on before the ceremony begins. SO thoughtful!

There I am on the right getting the official photos taken.....and I just LOVE having my picture taken!! (Grrrr.!!) For some reason, I never look like Angelina Jolie in the photos! Damn.

A wonderful festival all around. A good friend of mine won second place after me, and another friend on 1st place in abstract watercolor. It makes it so much better when talented friends win, too.

Returning to Quebec City.....

2009-06-10T11:27:00.002-04:00

It's been nice to get back to painting again! I laid down some tonal washes on the old stone walls of the buildings, plus I got in some detail work to help establish some darks. The buildings on the upper left have a lot of woodwork- boy will that take some time to do! The windows will also require a lot of detail work.

For the gold trim I'm using burnt umber, burnt sienna with some sepia thrown in. The stone road and building washes are a mixture of burnt umber, burnt sienna, french ultramarine, sepia, and a little cobalt blue. The green in the flower basket in the front is mostly sap green with some windsor yellow and a little indigo and burnt sienna.

I'll have little time to work on Quebec City this week, with the summer art festival season beginning this weekend with the Allentown Art Festival. I have no idea how it will be this year, and I'm definitely anxious about it. Will people be looking to buy, or will they be "just looking?" The amount of work required to do these shows is enormous....yikes! Not sure if I'm ready for all of it! We shall see!

My favorite columbine......

2009-06-02T15:47:00.002-04:00

I love my columbine! I had never known that these gorgeous wildflowers even existed! When my kids were little, they would give me handfulls of these beautiful wildflowers that they picked in the woods behind our house. All moms know there is nothing better than flowers presented so lovingly in little sweaty hands! Plus, I had never seen columbine before! I love their unusual shape and soft white color.

I worked very hard to create a columbine garden in the shaded area behind our garage. These beauties love shade, so the north garden worked perfectly. I am so glad that the columbine have flourished there. I'm trying hard to keep them going. Anytime I see columbine in the stores, I never see my white variety for sale. I think it's important to save and protect native wildflowers. Lately I haven't seen any more growing in the woods. Important to nurture my garden all the more. Plus, I love the memory these flowers give me of those "flowers for mom" days! Now if only I could do them justice in a painting!

It's iris time.....

2009-05-28T10:39:00.003-04:00

I've been busy with my camera these past few days! When the irises are ready, I have to be! My work these past couple of years making a new perennial bed have begun to pay off.

These irises have adapted quite well to their new environment. I'm not sure of their names- I just know that I like them! I really enjoy doing simple paintings of single irises. For the yellow iris I will probably use a lot of Windsor Lemon, with a little Dragon's Blood for the rust colored sections near the base. The blue iris will call for Cobalt Blue with some Windsor Blue as well. I like that the foliage is slightly different shades of green for each iris. These will be SO much fun to do!!

First iris of the season.....

2009-05-21T07:36:00.002-04:00

The first iris of the season is always a surprise. This beauty is in a new perennial border garden that I made to surround my large vegetable garden at the back of our property. We had to fence in the garden, due to the hungry critters who would snack on our veggies! I didn't like the look of the ugly, but necessary, metal fence, so I decided to create a perennial garden to help disguise it- and I thought it would be nice to have flowers back there keeping me company while tending to the garden. This iris really surprised me. I had looked out there the day before and hadn't thought the irisies were close to blooming. The next morning I saw the bold blue/violet color catch my eye in the morning, and I was so excited to see that iris time is upon us.
I'll be taking lots of reference photos now. My neighbors very kindly let me come over and take photos. I'm hoping the weather reports are accurate (!) and that there will be sun and warmth for days to come.

Tulips, apple blossoms and more.....

2009-05-14T09:14:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was a gorgeous day. There were rumblings of stormy days to come, so when I had a few minutes and saw that the sun was shining, I grabbed my camera and headed out to get some photos. These tulips, pictured on the right, grow beneath a weeping cherry tree in my front beds. I love the dappled sunlight that comes from the tree above. Not sure what the name of these tulips are, but I love them just the same. I love the blue of my forget-me-nots contrasted with the pinkish-coral of these tulips.

I have 2 apple trees in my back yard. In all the years that we've had these trees, I've eaten a grand total of 1 apple from them! I guess the squirrels and deer and other assorted wildlife back there dine before I do! I love apple blossoms. Their delicate beauty and their equally delicate fragrance. To get this photo, I clicked on the flower icon on my Canon camera to get such a nicely detailed close-up. I use the flower icon when getting most of my close-ups.

This will make a nice painting- pretty flowers against a blue sky.

Considering that today is stormy- lots of wind and rain, I'm glad I took the time to get these photos. These flowers may be gone tomorrow!

Florida vacation.....

2009-05-08T11:02:00.004-04:00

It was so nice to get away to Florida. I didn't do any painting while we were there. I brought a sketchbook which I got to use, but this trip was more for relaxation. I always suggest to fellow artists to keep you camera with you wherever you go- you never know what a fabulous photo op will occur! This gorgeous sunrise we witnessed while sitting in a fishing boat in the middle of Lake Placid. With digital cameras getting ever better, and smaller, it's so easy to stick one in your pocket and carry it along....even while fishing! Fishing was good, and the sunrise even better. Now if only I could do it justice in a watercolor.....sigh!

We went to visit former neighbors who took us to lunch at a fun, beachside restaurant at Flagler Beach. Couldn't resist getting a photo of some motorcycles parked there. No surprise there would be so many bikes, so near Daytona! The Tides restaurant has great seafood and you get to dine overlooking the ocean. Ahhhhh!

The photo on the left I took while fishing. Never in a million years did I ever think I would be that close to an alligator......and not be at a zoo! That was really something to see. That section of Lake Placid reminds me of Africa. A very still lake surrounded by trees, some of which are dead, that host very large turkey vultures and eagles who silently perch and survey the area. SO quiet and still, with all the wildlife around you, the bird noises and the fish jumping and the alligators silently cruising their lake. And I emphasize the word "their." For you feel so strongly while there that you are just a visitor in their home. Beautiful place.

More springtime beauties....

2009-05-01T14:36:00.003-04:00

I just love my grape hyacinths. My next door neighbor gave these to me, and I just love the intense blue-violet color. These are spreading quite a bit, so I may have to thin them down. I would love to capture these blooms in a watercolor. Windsor Newtons' Windsor Violet would be the main color I would use. It would be a difficult painting to do, that's for sure! Lots of detail here!

The daffodils on the right are in a

new perennial bed I made last year. I like these daffodils better than the solid yellow ones that are more commonly seen. I like the subtle color and shadings in these flowers, and consequently these would be a better subject for a painting. With all the springtime chores and activites waiting for me, it will probably be a while before I can work more on my Quebec City painting. That can be a blessing, for when I go back to it, I will look at it with fresh eyes.

Nice to know that it's sitting in my studio waiting for me!

Spring beauties......

2009-04-28T10:05:00.004-04:00

How wonderful it was to return from a wonderful, and much needed, vacation and see my Spring garden beautifully welcoming me home. Before we left I had sprinkled all my perennials with fertilizer, just hoping that the extra dose of nutrients would coax some additional blooms. I guess my experiment paid off! These gorgeous blue poppies on the left have never bloomed like this before! So many at one time! I love them.

I looks like my azaleas survived our harsh winter as well. This poor bush is so misshapen from all the heavy snow its had to endure over the last few winters- it's shape is none to pretty, but the blossoms are spectacular! I was so surprised last night, as we arrived home, to see my azalea bushes awash with color. What a treat! I would have been so saddened to have arrived home and missed these Springtime treats.

A Quebec City beginning....

2009-04-09T14:26:00.003-04:00

It's so much fun starting a new painting. After going through a lot of my reference photos, I settled on my photos of Quebec City. What a gorgeous city it is! It's like visiting an old European city without the cross-Atlantic plane trip! We had such fun on our trip there a couple

summers ago. I took photo after photo during our sightseeing strolls through the narrow streets of this charming city.

I finally settled on a view of the city, seen in the photo on the left, taken in the morning, before too many tourists clog the streets. I took a lot of time on the drawing, getting the perspective down pat. I know it's hard to see in the photo here, but I wanted to show the amount of pencil work necessary when doing paintings with a lot of detail. I put in some sky color, plus some early washes of color on the buildings. What I like so much about the photo this painting will be based on are the small patches of bright morning sunlight dappling the old stone buildings. The foreground will be in shadow, and the sunlit sections will be more in the background, toward the center of the painting.

This will be a fun painting to do, especially at this time of year. We are crazy busy, and although some artists shy from heavily detailed paintings, this kind of painting is actually relaxing for me. I hope I can do a series of Quebec City paintings. Now for those extra hours in the day......!

Springtime....finally.....

2009-03-31T08:38:00.004-04:00

Every spring, I anxiously await the return of these beautiful crocuses, photographed on the left. I planted them many years ago right next to the path leading up to our front door. I know it's Spring when I see them again!

I haven't done a painting of them yet. I really should-they make me so happy when I step out to get my mail and there they are, telling me that cold winter days are just about over for the year. I especially like the background of the mulch, against the vibrant Spring colors of the crocuses. I was also surprised to see my blue poppy blooming already! It's as anxious for Spring as I am, I guess! A while back I ordered a "blue garden" from a catalog. What came were bulbs and seeds of many different varities of flowers- this blue poppy included. A friend of mine, who cultivates rare and unusual poppies, told me that the blue ones were quite rare! I lucked into getting this one. Bigger blooms will appear later on, but I was so glad to see, after one really rough winter on so many levels, the return of such beautiful, and familiar friends.

Buffalo Arts Awards Luncheon....

2009-03-20T19:31:00.004-04:00

I was invited to participate in the Arts Awards luncheon held at the Adam's Mark Hotel this past Friday afternoon. The Allentown Art Festival was receiving a lifetime achievement award, and as an Allentown artist, I was asked to be part of the artist bazaar at the hotel, along with dozens of other artists.

The photo on the left shows my set-up at this event. I was very honored to have been asked to participate, doubly thrilled that Mary, who has run Allentown for it's entire 52 year run, called me personally to ask me to be there. The opportunity to display work inside is always a treat- as one who does outdoor art festivals, it's SO nice to not have to worry about the weather!
The photo on the right is of fellow watercolorist Jody Ziehm (l) and myself (r). It was so nice to be there with friends. Jody, Joan Hambleton, Evette Slaughter, Denise Sperry and others were there, and it was great to catch up with each other. We often don't get to see each other until the summer show season, so this was an early Spring treat. None of us sold much of anything, but many people took business cards, and one never knows where the next sale will come from.

Hollyhocks.....

2009-03-12T13:56:00.004-04:00

I just love hollyhocks. I took many, many photos of them last summer, and I just couldn't wait to do a simple watercolor painting of these beauties.
I used Winsor Newton's Rose Madder Genuine for the majority of the blooms, with some Winsor Newton Lemon Yellow and Maimerblu's Dragon's Blood for some deeper values. Winsor Newton's Alizarin Crimson added some of the darkest values. I love Maimerblu's Sap Green- that's my go to green for most of my florals. I also used Winsor Newton's Indigo and Payne's Grey for the shadows in the leaves, stems and buds.
A lot of the garden centers stock only the double blooming hollyhocks nowadays. I think these single blooming varieties are much prettier- those double bloomers would be impossible to paint! Cannot wait to see some flowers blooming around here....even a crocus would be nice! Guess I've got to be patient.

Cooper's Hawk completion.....

2009-02-26T10:28:00.004-05:00

I was so happy to have my Cooper's Hawk to work on these past few days. The painting colors aren't so washed out as they appear in the photo. It's very gray today, and even in my studio with my lamp shining directly upon the painting, the flash was necessary. I'm not a good enough photographer to know how to override the flash! One more thing to learn!
I had a lot of fun painting the background brush, which is all old morning glory vines. I like to leave them all winter, as the old, dead vines attract all sorts of birds.....no doubt why this Cooper's Hawk likes to stake out the place!
I hope this bird returns for a visit. It's not completely full grown in this painting, and I've since learned the coloring will be altered slightly in the adult. I'm hoping to do more paintings like this in the future- oh how I wish I could capture some bluebirds in a photo. I never saw one until a few years ago- they seem to be more numerous in our area now. I'll keep my fingers crossed!

Missouri Watercolor Society....

2009-02-22T08:18:00.003-05:00

I was thrilled to find out that I have been accepted into the Missouri Watercolor Society's latest National Show. This acceptance means that I have been granted signature membership in the organization. To say that I'm thrilled is an understatement of vast proportions! To have something positive in all this mess is so helpful, and may make this honor even more meaningful.
We live approx. 1/4 to 1/2 mile from where the plane went down in Clarence Center, and we knew people on the plane. Our lives are forever changed by this, as is our tiny town- so reminiscent of the fictional Mayberry. The sound of the excavation trucks wakes us and shakes our home. We see the official cars everywhere- police, sheriff's, medical examiners, government, canine trucks, and others too numerous to mention. If it's midday, that means that media are encamped at just about every intersection, searching for something new to report upon. And they're back at 5, 6, and 11, too. We just hope that every day it will get easier, and that our town will once again be sunny, whether or not the weather cooperates.

Custom cycle completion!

2009-02-01T18:33:00.002-05:00

My motorcycle, that I started on a warm summer day, is finally done. This was, by far, the most labor intensive painting I have ever done. The colors on this custom cycle are what compelled me to tackle this piece. Not often does one paint a motorcycle using colors like sap green, dragon's blood, and lemon yellow!

This was probably the motorcycle painting that was the most technically difficult to do, yet I think it was the most fun, in a way. The colors were a refreshing change, and it is a different motorcycle than the subject of my last couple paintings- that being my husband's Road King.

My Cooper's Hawk can now get some of my attention!

Cooper's Hawk...

2009-01-23T08:09:00.003-05:00

This absolutely beautiful Cooper's Hawk landed on top of the birdhouse right outside my kitchen window. It was one of those times where you say....just let me get my camera! It sat there so proudly, for quite a long time, while I was able to get some photos from inside my kitchen. I really didn't think my photos would turn out so well. I hadn't planned on doing a hawk after my

latest motorcycle painting was completed, but when this bird parked itself right outside.....it was like it was begging to be a subject of a painting! I'm not a bird expert, so I sent the photo of the hawk to the Buffalo News' nature columnist. He identified it as a Cooper's Hawk- and added it was not fully grown! I hope it returns to my yard as an adult!

I started off with a pencil drawing directly onto my paper. Then I used friskit on some of the withered morning glory vines, so that I could freely place the dark values on the lower part of the painting. I'm using french ultramarine, burnt sienna, and sepia for much of the hawk. This morning I noticed this hawk perched in a tree far back on our property. I hope he comes back for a visit...my camera's ready!

Buffalo Society of Artists Open Studio at my house

2009-01-19T09:03:00.004-05:00

A cold and snowy January day was the setting for my open studio visit. I was so happy that so many members chose to come out on the bitter cold day! We Buffalonains are a hearty breed!

The photo on the right shows me on the right with members Todd Chalk, left, and Norine Spurling looking at my latest motorcycle painting. The Buffalo Society of Artists is comprised of artists working in all media, so these studio visits are a way to see how artists work in all varieties of media. It's fun to get ideas for our own studios when we see what other artists have chosen for their own workspaces.

On the left here is a shot of more members crowded into my studio. Former BSA president Gary Wolfe's back is to the camera, and he's greeting Todd, former president Coni Minneci, Norine is behind them. On the right our treasurer Helen Russell is smiling while Beth Pederson and Priscilla Bowen greet each other. I'm in the back with Nita Easter talking about my "Mid-Life Crisis."
On the right, Helen, Gail Bille, Priscilla, Beth, Gary, and Norine are all in our family room. I have my artwork all over the house, so one benefit of hosting an open studio visit is that it forces you to clean the whole house!! Now it should be good for a little while....after a busy week we both need to kick back a bit!

All in all it was a lot of fun, and I hope everyone had a great time.

The new Burchfield Penney.....

2009-01-04T15:57:00.005-05:00

We finally made a trip to see the new Burchfield Penney art gallery. What a stunningly beautiful place! We went on Sunday, the last day of the "holidays" and it was a perfect time to go. I was thrilled to see Charles Burchfield's studio preserved, shown here on the left. Artists always like to see other artists' studios. The gallery has a great collection of his works; it's nice to see watercolors given the place of honor they so rightly deserve.

The layout of the gallery is lovely. The view from the second story down below is shown in the photo on the right. It's wonderful that this gallery will focus upon Western New York artists. I loved getting to see pieces from fellow members of the Buffalo Society of Artists.

All in all, this is a spectacular addition to the Buffalo landscape and will be such a welcome addition to the artistic community.

A snowy Christmastime...

2008-12-26T20:35:00.005-05:00

Here are some images of the pre-Christmas snowfall.....when it was still technically fall! We were so excited to get this snow. We knew it would hang around for Christmas day, guaranteeing a white christmas. We actually love lake effect snowstorms. Often an inch or more falls every hour. As long as you don't have to travel in it, it's very beautiful. It gets very quiet, as the heavy snowfall acts to muffle all the outdoor sounds.
I don't know that I could ever capture in a painting a lake effect snowstorm. Maybe these storms are best captured on film!

A gift for the holidays....

2008-12-17T12:33:00.002-05:00

Now that my father-in-law has his Christmas gift, I can safely post my latest painting! This is his fishing boat that he co-owns with 2 other fishing buddies....hence the name "Tres Amigos." We had SO much fun going fishing in this boat! On our last trip to Florida we went just about every other day, and absolutely had a ball. Nothing like sitting on a fishing boat, watching the sun come up, gazing at the lake and just enjoying the feeling of getting away from it all.
I had fun doing the painting, and it did resemble my motorcycle paintings in a way I hadn't thought of before. I had to paint things I saw in the photo....while having absolutely no idea what they were! I was glad how it turned out, and twice as glad that everyone seems to love it.
Can't wait to get out on it again!

It's all in the details....

2008-12-06T22:14:00.002-05:00

The saga of the custom chopper painting continues!! I've had some time this week to spend in the studio. I really love when there's an end in sight! I still have some large areas to block in, and I'm hoping to get those in this week. Detail work is what it is. It is, by nature, time consuming work....yet it is so worth the effort. The lighting effects on this bike will make the painting so unusual. And if something is worth doing, it is worth doing well and taking all the time it needs to be the best it can be.
I've been so thankful that I bought new brushes with their fine points. Detail work practically requires new brushes- I suppose like a new sewing project requires a fresh needle. I'm also loving the Maimerblu color "Dragon's Blood" (cool name) that features prominently in the painting. Not only a great color for florals, but I never would have thought it would be put to great use in a motorcycle painting!

A snail's pace.....

2008-11-26T17:58:00.002-05:00

Sure wish I could show more progress on my painting, but with the holidays upon us......!! I actually am baking some bread for my Thanksgiving table right now- we women certainly multi-task, don't we?
Back to my painting- I've been adding more detail throughout, and the motorcycle is gradually coming together on the paper. I need some long stretches of uninterrupted time to lay in the larger green sections. Bright greens are really difficult to use, and they are very unforgiving if you "mess up" so I'll need to work on those sections when I know I'll have the time. Watercolor is certainly a medium that requires planning, sometimes many steps ahead- like playing chess, for example. Using staining colors definitely requires pre-planning! Hopefully I'll be able to complete this before the end of the year. I sure was right when I talked about it being cold and snowy when I finished! I'll especially be thrilled if I can say I completed it in 2oo8!!

Bluebirds...

2008-11-17T10:34:00.002-05:00

I went out for a brisk walk this morning, and even thought it is quite chilly with a cold, cutting wind, I saw four bluebirds flitting around a bare tree, looking like they were having a wonderful time! I think they're my favorite bird. I never saw one until just a few years ago, when I spotted something blue like a sparkling jewel darting around the yard. I was so excited to see one, and later that December, I saw 2 fluttering around my birdfeeder, seemingly oblivious to the bitter chill.
I would love to get some photos and do a painting of my own, backyard bluebirds. I think capturing the elusive beauties will prove difficult, however. Nevertheless, since I saw these today, I'll keep my camera at the ready!

Busy, busy....

2008-11-11T13:10:00.002-05:00

Here's the latest on the motorcycle. I haven't had as much time as I would like to work on it. I'm an election inspector, so on election day I worked from 5:30 in the morning until 9:30 that night. Coffee is a wonderful thing!! Loved the outcome, too! Afterwards my hubby has come down with the flu, and I guess this flu is a tenacious one- he's been sick for a while now. So painting time has been scarce, understandibly. I've been gradually adding more detail to the painting. I do need to do the large, green areas, but I'm waiting for a large block of uninterrupted time to tackle those! On an earlier post, I was jokingly wondering if it would be snowy and cold when I finished the painting. No kidding! It's really cold today. I would like to get this done this month, if at all possible. If I get this flu, it may not get done until the new year!

Back to work.....

2008-11-03T13:50:00.003-05:00

Halloween has come and gone, so now it's back to motorcycles! I've been slowly (obviously) adding more and more detail to the painting. The actual bike was painted using such a vibrant, bright green, and green in watercolor is a bit tricky. Windsor Green and other pure greens are very bold, staining colors; certainly colors not to be used by the faint of heart! Handling a large section of a painting using a staining color requires a lot of concentration....and certainly taking the phone off the hook is a requirement! A lot of artists shy away from the staining bold colors at first, understandibly so. However, paintings such as this one require strong colors and values, and you just have to jump in and go for it!

Scary......

2008-10-28T08:29:00.003-04:00

I just had to put up some photos that I took in the dark at my neighbors' fabulous Halloween house. On the right is the poltergeist that floats in the second story window, with the fantastic lighting adding to the spooky effect. It isn't just stationary either, it floats and moves around up there....and looks so awesome. I love to go down and just stare at it. My photo doesn't really do it justice, but I had to capture it with a picture anyway!
Left is another display in the haunted graveyard. The detail work on these witches is incredible. I wish I could include sound effects, too, as they are such a part of it all......the howls, moans and screeches add so much! Their house has gotten a lot of media attention lately. It's fun to turn on the news, and they're reporting from the house. I also picked up the paper last night, and lo and behold, there's an article and a big photo as well. As neighbors, we're all supportive of their efforts, and we understand the tourism and traffic that comes with it all. It's only for a short time, it's so much fun to help them put it together (some of our tree branches decorate the graveyard) and getting all decked out in our scary costumes to help haunt....such a blast!

Time for a little Halloween fun.....

2008-10-22T14:07:00.003-04:00

Couldn't resist some Halloween fun here! My neighbor's house on it's opening evening of Halloween fright! He has a matching set of gargoyle adorned posts at the entryway. The gargoyles, of course, spew forth fog, along with the numerous and well placed smoke and fog machines. There are scary creatures filling the front lawn, standing on the lawn, coming out of the lawn, and hovering in the trees.
The photo on the right is just a fraction of the dungeon in the garage. There's a scary medical lab with bubbling cauldrons and beakers filled with creepy creatures. In the back you walk through darkened corridors filled with ghouls and scary sounds galore. There's even a haunted pirate ship! I want to go back when it's really dark and get some photos then. It looks so neat in the dark- especially the poltergeist that floats on the second story. I hope my photos will do it justice!

Hospice....

2008-10-20T11:32:00.002-04:00

I feel very fortunate to have been asked to hang a show at Hospice. Such a beautiful facility. It's a life transitions center, focusing on counseling and support groups for people who have suffered losses. I never knew such a wonderful place existed. They wanted artwork that was not controversial in any way; artwork that was uplifting and without a heavy message. That suits me to a tee! There's enough stress, bad news, financial meltdowns, etc. blaring at us all day from the 24 hour news channels, newspapers, and media outlets galore. I don't want it adorning my walls, too! So I like to focus on positive images in my artwork. When it takes as long to paint as it takes me, I sure don't want to wallow in misery for a month.

I hope my artwork helps to uplift anyone in need. And I'm so grateful to have a show in such a wonderful place.

Taking shape.....

2008-10-14T10:50:00.002-04:00

Hard to believe there are hours and hours put in since the last time! But it's beginning to take shape. It probably helps me in that I have NO clue as to what it actually is that I'm painting! I know it's an engine of a custom cycle, but as to what each little individual pipe or wire is.....! It helps in that it requires me to focus soley on the shapes and their relation to each other, the values, etc. It will really look different when I put in the large darks, and also the areas of bright

green will make it look altogether different! I got a lot done one day last week, helped out by Turner Classic Movies! I had a lot I had to do that day, art business wise, plus the endless housework and yardwork that accumulates. However, I turned on the TV and found one of my favorite Hitchcock films, "Shadow of a Doubt" just beginning! That was it, I decided. So for 2 hours I put aside all distractions, painted like mad and listened to a great film. Maybe I can enlist in that channel to help me get more work done!!

A Halloween diversion...

2008-10-09T13:44:00.004-04:00

Couldn't resist a little Halloween diversion here! This is my neighbor's home- all decked out for Halloween. This is only the tip of the iceberg. There is a fully, decked out dungeon in the garage, complete with an electric chair and a bubbling laboratory. In the second story over the garage is a ghostly spectre that floats with a backlight....at night it's fantastic! It looks just like the ghost from the movie "Poltergeist" that floats down the stairs. Soooooo cool!

They have free tours, but will accept donations that they then give to Women and Children's Hospital. We love all this- it's so much fun to go and help "haunt", plus the ghostly sounds and foggy mist overtake the neighborhood.
Maybe I can do a painting of the house and all it's adornments. I couldn't resist getting some photos. Amazingly enough, not everything is out yet.....and the dungeon in the garage rivals a movie set.

Can you tell we love Halloween?

Getting there...

2008-10-06T14:29:00.002-04:00

Boy, fine detail work does take time! It's coming along, more slowly that I would like, of course. I'm certainly not one of these painters that can do a painting a day! I enjoy seeing the motorcycle come to life. This one has a lot of light values in it, so I've punched in a few deep colors to help give it some shape, which helps give me direction.
I've purchased some new brushes, and it's been fun to break them in. I hadn't realized how long I had been using the same ones, and it's been helpful using some crisp new ones with their fine points and springy touch. I really like the Cheap Joe's golden fleece brushes. They're not very expensive, yet they last a long time and retain their shape quite well.
I wonder if I'll be singing Christmas carols when I'm finishing this one up? Maybe!!!

Colorful progress....

2008-09-23T13:53:00.002-04:00

Right now, this certainly doesn't look like much of anything! So far, I've been doing a lot of fine, detail work- mostly in the lighter colors. I have a feeling that this painting will look quite disjointed until it's just about completed. It is a lot of fun to do this detail work, at least for me,

anyway. I concentrate on the shapes, and not the subject matter. Clearly, I'm not a motorcycle expert, which may, in the long run, help me in the painting process. As artists, we're trained to paint what we see, not what we THINK we see.

I'm hoping I can get this done soon. I have so much wonderful reference material that I cannot wait to get to. Photos of beautiful gardens, plus photos I took in Quebec City that I can't wait to get to. What a beautiful place it is, and I can't wait to capture it in paintings. Guess I need more hours in the day......who doesn't, actually!!

Slow progress...

2008-09-15T13:28:00.002-04:00

Slow progress it is!! Fine detail work certainly takes it's time!
I haven't been able to paint as much lately, with how busy I have been. We've had many home projects going, my son has moved into a house with his girlfriend, all the late summer chores, etc. Seems like we've been swamped lately. The motorcycle paintings also take a long time to really develop. It seems like I will paint for weeks before I really feel like I'm making progress. Here I'm starting with the light colors before I begin punching in the deep tones. This motorcycle will look different from my other ones with the colors I'm using, too. This bike was done in bright colors, and at the show it had some colored lights on it as well. It should prove to be unusual when it's done! With the outdoor work and other projects concluding, I'm hoping to be able to work more steadily on painting.
Back to work!

A new motorcycle...

2008-09-03T12:46:00.004-04:00

It's time to begin a new motorcycle painting, one that I have been thinking of doing for a long time. It's hard to see the drawing, but if you click on it, it will enlarge and become easier to see. I've begun putting a little color on, just some light washes for now.

This motorcyle was at a motorcycle show in Toronto a couple of years ago. I loved the colors and the incredible detail on the bike.

This will no doubt take me a very long time to do! I love detail work, and only someone that loves detail work would take on this project!

The drawing has already taken me several hours. Unlike a floral portrait, mechanical objects need to be precisely rendered in order to look correctly done when completed. Hence the long time spent on the drawing.

A perfect painting to begin as summer winds down. (Even though it's 86 degrees outside)!

Garden visitor.....

2008-08-29T09:08:00.003-04:00

Imagine my surprise to spot this while tending to my vegetables! I'm NOT a fan of the insect world! He or she is perched amongst my irises in my perennial garden bordering my vegetable garden.
Yikes!! After I regained my composure, I couldn't resist getting some photos. I believe its a "black and yellow Argiope." It's been there for a while now- storms and rains haven't dislodged him/her from it's spot. I couldn't resist tossing a few Japanese Beetles into the web, and boy, it was interesting to see how quickly the spider went after them. Maybe my garden could use a few more of these guys, as we have an over abundance of Japanese Beetles this year!
I'll have to try to do a little painting of my garden companion someday. Funny, I was terrified of the spider at first, now I'm calling it my companion! Guess anything that helps rid the world of Japanese Beetles can't be all bad!!

Garden walk continues....

2008-08-22T08:08:00.003-04:00

This gorgeous display was growing not far from the hollyhock garden. What was so striking about this garden was the bold use of color. In front of an old red brick house, the garden spilled forth with deep purples and blues of such striking intensity it would take your breath away. Wisely interspersed were white and yellow highlights, which served to intensify the deep richness of the purples and blues. I'm looking forward to doing some paintings of this garden....can there be more hours to the day?? I'd better have plenty of Windsor Violet- such a bold pure violet that will be perfect to capture these beauties.

new beginnings...

2008-08-19T14:25:00.003-04:00

This photo is from a hollyhock garden near me- these grow at a house on a main road leading into our little village here. I have to force myself to concentrate on the road when I pass by these beauties! On a previous blog I talked about getting some of my own and how I was excitedly waiting for mine to bloom. They've bloomed.......and they're the double pink, not the single blossoms shown here. The quest continues!! If anyone knows where I can get some seeds to grow ones of my own, please let me know!
It's a fun time for me now- outdoor shows over, summer winding down. I have a wealth of reference material to paint from. I'll be starting a new motorcycle painting soon. The time and concentration involved is enormous. I think I'll work on some flower paintings simultaneously. It's often recommended to not work on one painting at a time, especially when they're heavily detailed. Maybe I should title the hollyhock in the photo "Beauty and the Beast" since there's a Japanese Beetle on the flower. I hate those things! But boy, do they love my roses!

Lewiston rewind...

2008-08-12T07:56:00.003-04:00

I thought I'd include this photo from the Lewiston outdoor show because it shows something rare and unusual.......sun! This was taken shortly after set-up on Saturday. As the day progressed we watched the clouds roll in. By mid afternoon, the sky blackened, and when the lightning started in, we, along with many others, packed up quickly and left. Metal tents, watercolors, outside...not a good combo! Sunday was what the word "soggy" was invented for! We got the paintings in early in the morning when it was dry (what does dry mean....I've forgotten!!) From then on it poured, misted, drizzled, deluged...any other synonyms apply. People still came out. Some with umbrellas, some in ponchos, some oblivious, whatever.
I was very honored to win first place, and not for a motorcycle painting. My painting of Yorkville, Toronto, called "Sunny City Morning" won. I only entered that one because the rules said we could enter 2, and that one has a white mat, which for some reason, is a jurying necessity. If I had any computer skill at all I would post a photo of that painting, but since I'm fairly "software unskilled" I'll have to refer anyone to my website to see it. Maybe the fact it depicts sunlight on a city street helped!! Sunlight....what's that again!!
The weatherman says we have 1/2 a day of sun today, so I'm off to hang up my tent panels to dry. I think I should have planted rice and celery in my garden. Hey....there's a thought!!

A hollyhock completion!

2008-08-07T12:07:00.003-04:00

I've gotten it finished- just in time for my last outdoor show of the season. I really like this painting- if I sell it this weekend it will be one of my fastest turnarounds ever. I love these hollyhocks and I will be sad to see this painting go to a new home. It will be funnier, though, if I work this hard to complete it and then no one gives it a second look! I will get to have it longer that way!
The hollyhock I bought with my son a couple weeks ago actually has some buds on it now. Maybe transplanting it jumpstarted it somehow! I'd love to get some photos of my own hollyhock- and at this time of year that would be something.
The weather forecasts don't look to good for the Lewiston show this weekend. Wet weather and watercolors....not a good mix! My tent does a pretty good job keeping us dry. If it's a real bad storm, well.....! We'll soon see!

More progress...

2008-08-04T12:02:00.003-04:00

I've made a bit more progress on my latest hollyhock painting. Only a bit, though! We've been so busy that I haven't been able to paint very much.

My last outdoor show of the season is this weekend in Lewiston. I was hoping to get this completed before then! I will work hard to do so- this size does sell well. Plus with the frame already puchased and in the mail, once I can finish it, it can be framed and ready to go. Guess that means I should put all the other chores and duties on the backburner...dust bunnies be damned!

I was happy to get all my new hollyhock photos printed up....and they came out so well! I hope my new hollyhocks in my garden thrive. I would love to paint some of my very own!

Back to work!!

A hollyhock beginning...

2008-07-30T13:12:00.002-04:00

I've started another hollyhock painting. This size painting has worked out so well for me. I started doing these tall thin works when I had several pieces of watercolor paper that size. I use plexiglass as support for my paper- I just tape the paper on and begin painting. Well, these narrow pieces of paper were left over from trimming the full sheets to fit onto the plexiglass, and I didn't want to waste them. I love floral botanical paintings, and I thought it would be a good idea to paint single flowers, such as irises and hollyhocks, like this one shown here. They seem to sell quite well. People like the small size that fit well around entryways, windows, etc.

These paintings are so much fun to do. Perfect that I got my mailorder of new paint and brushes today! The dominant pink is Windsor Newtons "rose madder genuine." I know it isn't as permanent a color a permanent rose or opera, but the color is the exact match to those gorgeous hollyhocks.

A perfect painting to do on a rainy day!

ArtPark Gallery...

2008-07-28T18:45:00.007-04:00

The Buffalo Society of Artists has a gallery at the Buffalo Philharmonic's summer residence at ArtPark in Lewiston. My turn to "sit" the gallery was Friday night. Lots of fun! I got to hear a pre-concert talk by conductor JoAnn Falletta in our gallery. Her picture is on the right. She is so tiny!

The gallery is such a beautiful space. Only open for the summer while the concerts are there.

We've had a few sales so far, and in this economy, that's wonderful!

More beauties...

2008-07-24T11:51:00.002-04:00

I realized with my last blog I talked all about the hollyhocks and never included any photos! These are my favorite ones to paint, and people must like them too if I keep selling them! I have been trying to find these single pink ones to plant in my own garden. Last year I bought a hollyhock from a nursery...and it turned out to be a double red. Red is about my least favorite color, and the double ones are so difficult to paint well.
Yesterday, my son surprises me with a begonia he bought from a little stand in front of a neaby house. We went to see it...and there for sale, for only$3, among all the other perennials, were 2 potted hollyhocks! And because 1 was in bloom, I was assured that they were my long desired and oft painted pink single hollyhocks!
Funny too, that earlier in the day I had inquired at a local gift shop about their gorgeous hollyhocks and if they sell them. They sell mums and lilies that they grow, but don't sell their hollyhocks. Never would have believed that later that same day I would get a gift from my son that would lead to me planting my own pink hollyhocks!!
Maybe I should buy a lottery ticket.

A Garden walk..

2008-07-22T14:28:00.002-04:00

The Clarence Center garden walk has come and gone. Wonderful for flower painters like me...a camera in hand and open gardens to walk through and photograph! These day lilies were gorgeous- I hope I can capture them someday in a watercolor. The Windsor Newton color, vermillion that has been discontinued, will work so well for me in capturing these beauties! Glad I bought some tubes of the color on sale! I also got some great hollyhock photos- perfect time of year to take all the photos I can of the gorgeous, pink single blooms. I've sold all of my hollyhock paintings, so I get the joy of painting some more.
I wish they would also have a walk in the springtime- so I could see all the irises, tulips, daffodils and more. I think my garden looks better then!
Now comes the fun of sorting through photos to paint from. Can there be more hours in the day? Ha Ha!!

Irises in progress...

2008-07-15T19:55:00.002-04:00

After several outdoor shows sooooo close together, I have some time before the next, and last, one of the year to do some "fun" paintings, and this is a "fun" one!
I had photographed these beauties a few years ago in Hamilton, Ontario, and I'm finally getting to paint them. This is probably one of my favorite paintings to do. Irises in my favorite colors, with buds that are a blast to do. This is an easy painting to stop and start- a great choice for a summertime painting. With all the outdoor activities, this is one I can pick up and work on when I have time. I'm not sure of the name of these beauties- when I'm there getting photos, I'm too busy to write down the names. If anyone has an idea, I'd love to know!
I'm not sure how this one will end up. It could be close to completion, or I may fill in the leaves quite a bit more. When paintings get to this point, I like to let them "mellow." To sit where I can study them, and it's almost like they tell me-"I'm done," or "I need to darken this, or fix that."
Back to work, or should I say, "fun!"

A "Riverwalk" summary...

2008-07-09T14:31:00.002-04:00

The "Art on the Riverwalk" show has come and gone. If I could make one wish...I would wish that all the shows could turn out like that one! I guess it goes to show that winning awards is, for me, not the "be all, end all" for success. I didn't win an award, but my sales were far greater than I could have expected.
It was a gorgeous day- SO nice to not be setting up in a thunderstorm, a la Allentown! While we were setting up, a large bicycle tour rode by, with some of the group stopping to see what we were all doing. I had my most unusual sale ever- a couple on the bike tour bought a print from me that they then wanted me to ship to them, to be there whenever they got home. So the day after the show, I walked to the post office to ship it off....to Iowa! Some bike tour! It was so uplifting to sell something well before the show officially began!
Crowds were wonderful all day. Sales were, too! I enjoyed selling some originals- my two single hollyhock paintings sold- to be hung together in the same house. Great idea.
What a nice show- to sit and watch the Niagara River all day and chat with good friends. The one day, set up and take down is tough, and boy do we still feel it, but all in all it was such an enjoyable show. With this economy to be making any money at all is reward in and of itself.

East Aurora rewind

2008-07-01T15:09:00.002-04:00

The 2008 East Aurora show has come and gone. I cannot believe that I was fortunate enough to win Best of Show. It's going to take a long time for that to sink in!
The weather was certainly "iffy" to start, with some real downpours on Saturday morning, but by early afternoon, the sun appeared and we had some nice crowds. It's such a nice show to do. We get to sit on grass under some large trees, and the whole atmosphere is warm and inviting. Sunday started off so beautifully, but by 3 or so the skies opened up- such rain! We ended up leaving early, and I felt so bad for some people who were just arriving! Fortunately, we put up a large plastic sheet that covers the tent, so we, and the watercolors, stayed nice and dry. The fact that we were dry and not closing up helped with sales, as some took refuge in my tent and I sold an additional $100 worth. Not too bad after all.
I do think the economy is having it's effect- I noticed that only 80 artists signed up to participate this year, when capacity for the show is 120. I think some are not travelling to do the shows as much, maybe figuring sales will be down. So far, mine have stayed about the same, and for that, I'm very grateful!

Allentown rewind

2008-06-16T14:55:00.002-04:00

The Allentown Arts Festival has come and gone for another year. No awards for me this time, but I knew there was NO way I could top last year. Two picture perfect weather days and winning first place...kinda hard to top that!
Setting up Friday night was unreal- gale force winds and rain so hard that I thought the tent would blow away! We we so lucky...just as we got the tent set up to where we could stand inside, the storm hit. Lots of people got drenched, and Bob got wet going outside to secure things, but all in all, it could have been a lot worse.
Saturday started slow, with the clouds and weather forcasts scaring people away, but as the day wore on, the sun came out and so did the people. Sunday was the best day. Sunny and not too warm...perfect. Considering gas prices and all, sales were good for me. No originals sold, but I did sell 2 large framed motorcycle Giclees, plus a number of prints and notecard sets.
For us, the best part of doing the artshows are simply being out and away from the daily grind. No cooking, cleaning, yard work...you name it. The people watching is fun, too. I'm sure we all wish we could sell more work, but in this economy, I was quite happy to make as much as I did.
I would love to hear from other artists and their experiences with Allentown, or other outdoor shows.