Here is the conclusion of my abstract watercolor from last week, in which I returned to painting corners.
After layering primary colors to produce secondary colors, I used a variety of contrasting Prismacolor pencils to add texture.
The texture helped to define the elements of this composition and provide depth.
My husband and I left our Northern California hideaway and drove across the Sacramento River Valley on Wednesday afternoon. It was 95 degrees F. Thank goodness we have air conditioning. I watered my garden before we left and hoped for the best.
The air was clear across the valley, and the view of the Sutter Buttes was majestic.
The light from the west produced decent photographic conditions, so I convinced my spouse to pull over for a brief photo shoot (even though we had just stopped for sandwiches a bit earlier). I was not disappointed. This is such a beautiful area!
After completing our business in Butte County, we headed down to San Francisco Bay to visit a friend. Then we stayed in the south bay area and attended our niece’s college graduation in Santa Cruz. Now we are back home, and it is in the mid-nineties again. But the garden survived, and grew quite a bit in the last three days. It’s parched, but still thriving!
It’s been a while since I did a corner study. I am still using up the last of my watercolor paper (Arches Cold Press) by dividing it into 8×10 sheets. I decided to draw some corners and see what happened. It also gave me a chance to use another one of my new wash brushes!
First I filled in my drawing with watercolor.
This time I chose Cadmium Red Pale Hue (which looks like orange) for my red shade.
I layered my primary colors to produce secondary colors.
Next I will define the different elements of my composition by adding some texture with Prismacolor pencil patterns!
Here are the next three steps of my watercolor rose, which I drew and painted en plein air on my patio.
My third color is Cobalt Blue, which I used for the background and added to the leaves and stem. I also added more layers of Permanent Rose to the flower petals.
Then I completed my composition by adding more Cobalt Blue to the background, the leaves, and the shadows of the flower. Finally, I cropped the image. Ta da! I have gone from being intimidated by watercolors to really enjoying using them. Now I need to do some serious landscape painting.
I still don’t know why the maple seed pods attracted my attention so thoroughly this year. I’m sure I’ve seen them before, but not really paid much attention. Why now? Maybe the bumper crop we have.
They’re still hanging around, lining the depression below the downspout from the roof, frayed edges poking out of the soil here and there, little piles scattered on the unswept patio. Tsk,tsk! I have a collection in a shallow dish. I drew them. I photographed them in a swirl.
Then I finally started a watercolor painting.
First I drew some with a Goldenrod Prismacolor pencil.
Then I began carefully layering my colors. First I used Cobalt Blue for the background.
Cadmium Yellow Pale Hue was next.
Permanent Rose provides some shading. I will add some more layers soon! I am heading out of town today for a family event.
Sounds a bit like a song sung by Julie Andrews in a major motion picture. But it’s just my garden drying out after some early June showers.
With the warm weather since I took these photos, the garden is growing in leaps and bounds. Today my squash had grown enough to start climbing up a tomato cage. This will give me extra room in my crowded space, and help to keep the leaves dry.
Before I show you my watercolor painting of a rose that I painted on my back patio “en plein air,” I have exciting news! Another one of my 6x6x2012 entries has sold! It’s nice to know that someone enjoyed looking at it enough to make a purchase. Even though the money didn’t go to me, it goes to support an awesome art center. Let’s hear it for the total art experience!
On to the rose. I was thinking about Bette Midler’s song and heard her singing it in my head while I painted. I love this version sung with Wynonna Judd. It gives me goosebumps!
I drew the first rose of the season last week. I think it was on the same bush as the last rose, that I finally finished in January.
The wind was blowing when I decided to draw this, but as it was already in full bloom, I didn’t want to wait.
As it turned out, by the time I was finished with my painting a couple of days later, the wind got worse. So I was fortunate to only have to adjust to an occasional gusty breeze.
I used Pink and Apple Green Prismacolor pencils for my drawing. Then I used Permanent Rose and Cadmium Yellow Pale Hue watercolors. Next time, I will show you my third color, and how the final painting turned out!
Our trip to Maine was spent exploring Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park.
There was a lot to see and do, and we barely scratched the surface!
We spent two nights camping in the park in mid-July, 2008.
A drive along the loop road and a little walking along the shore provided numerous opportunities to enjoy the scenery and take photos.
This is Thunder Hole, where the echoing boom of the tide as it pounds the rocks is impressive!
I would go back in a heartbeat to the beautiful Maine coast!
My mother loved to tell the story of my great-great-grandfather. He was my mother’s father’s mother’s father. whew! A New Englander, he was a sea-captain out of Bar Harbor, Maine.
He served in the US Navy during the Civil War. In his later years, he captained a steamboat out of Petaluma, California, in the waters of the San Francisco delta. He was also a painter, and a photographer.
Here is Sewell Fogg Graves at age 75 with my mother’s oldest sister, his great-granddaughter Harriet.
Whenever my mom told her stories, especially the one about my great, great-grandfather painting his ship in flames (I assume everyone had been evacuated by then!), I thought the idea of the Maine seacoast sounded so exciting. I always wanted to see Maine, but I had never been more than half way across this great country of ours.
Then four years ago this month, my husband and I embarked on an epic journey. Everyone should take one of these at least once in their lives! We packed up our brand new Subaru Forester and drove across the US from coast to coast, camping, exploring, and reconnecting with family and friends for seven weeks.
We went all the way to Maine, and camped near Bar Harbor, in Acadia National Park, before we headed west again. Someday I hope to return, and do some investigating into my family history on both sides. For now, I will share these photos from our trip.
Almost there!
near the harbor
me posing in front of Bar Harbor, Maine
My supply of watercolor paper is dwindling. I have painted a lot in the last four months! while I wait for my order of new paper and paints to arrive, I decided to try some smaller artwork. I divided one sheet of paper into four 8×10 pieces. Then I began to experiment again with abstract layers of watercolor.
This time I used Cadmium Yellow Pale Hue for my first layer, using one of my new wash brushes. Next I added Cobalt Blue.
My third color is Permanent Rose.
I layered these colors several times in different ways, leaving a little white on the page, to get a multitude of variations.
Here is my completed piece. I would like to cover an entire wall with this pattern!
When You're Bored 