process Archives - Dora Sislian Themelis Art

The Latest Work With Permission

©Dora Sislian Themelis, Watercolor on Arches Paper 11×14, Patmos Sunset

The latest work is from another person’s photograph. Don’t worry, I asked permission to use it. I just had to, it was too beautiful to me not to. The photographer agreed to let me depict this scene in watercolor paint. I was thrilled.

Of course, the view is stunning, and it’s from one of my favorite places, our Greek island home of Patmos.

I find it dreamy. Maybe you do too.

The misty look of the distant hillside from the sheltered patio with potted flowers and the blue metal chairs and table give me comfort. I could be sitting right there, in that very spot, and breathe really deep. Perfect for a watercolor application and my supplies were ready to go.

The steps in the work. The finished piece is available for purchase.

The photo above shows the steps I took from photograph through the initial sketch and first wash of color. As I go about the work I add detail, more color, try to follow the forms and edges to get to the finished piece.

I took my time to develop the scene slowly. Believe me I could go to far and have it trashed. That’s not so hard for me to do. Lately I’ve been able to pace myself, not make a mess of things.

Also, the process is important. The act of painting takes me out of my head to a far away place where there is nothing except the work in front of me. Time and space mean nothing. I am gone.

But then there’s dinner to make, and I’m back in my head.

Artwork Friday

A little while ago I was hunting for a painting subject and decided to revisit this scene I have painted a couple of times before. This pond garden was such a serene spot when I visited Clark Botanical Garden in my area and I enjoy looking at it.

Pond 3 ©Dora Sislian Themelis, 7x10 Watercolor, Arches cold press paper — Pond 3 ©Dora Sislian Themelis, 7×10 Watercolor, Arches cold press paper

Here it is in watercolor once again. I tried to leave more white space and introduce some brighter colors this time around.

Twenty minutes of work to keep it light, fresh and to enjoy the process.

The Process Has Rewards

If the magic is in the doing I better make sure I am at the ready and working. I know all along that it’s in the process, not the outcome, where things keep moving.

The 30 in 30 Challenge is over. There was that possibility of success, of hitting 30 paintings in 30 days. Negative view: it didn’t happen. Positive view: something happened. Not a lot, but enough.

In the spirit of the positive view, I carry on in the process.

The weather being really wonderful for an October in New York, I took myself on an Artist’s Date to Clark Botanical Garden in Albertson, NY on Long Island. It’s not the beach, but it’s near my house, easy to get to, beautiful, and quiet.

Thinking positive, I planned to do some watercolor sketching so I toted my equipment with me. I couldn’t decide which paper to carry along, the Canson notebook or the Arches block. I brought both. They’re small enough and I wasn’t carrying a beach chair and lunch. That decision was a good one because I learned something about each type of paper.

As I sketched on the Canson above, I noticed I couldn’t rework already painted areas, which began to run. Looks like Canson paper is only good for really fast work with no going back.

Below is the Arches block. I could continue working and adding paint without having issues like the Canson notebook. The only draw back with a block is if I wanted to do another sketch I needed to free this one from the block with a palette knife. That means it had to be dry to remove causing wait time.

The two works have a different feeling with each type of watercolor paper.

Working en plein air was a good experience and exercise, too. Out in nature, it takes time to adjust to seeing shapes, shadows, highlights, colors, and sorting all that information onto a 2 dimensional surface.

Let me tell you, it was hard work. The process doesn’t lie. It knows the work is hard, but doing it has rewards.

The Challenge is the Challenge

Wildflower Bed, 7x9 Watercolor @2013 Dora Sislian Themelis — Wildflower Bed, 7×9 Watercolor @2013 Dora Sislian Themelis

Challenges, being what they may, are quite possibly not my bag, as it seems. In my very heart of hearts I thought I could be one of those people who thrive on just such a thing. You know, those special kind of individuals who need to one-up the next guy, break out of the pack, be numero uno, go for the gold!

It’s an admirable quality, I thought, one which I might try to muster up inside myself to push harder to achieve some artistic movement toward an end.

Hello. It’s just not happening over here. Not happening.

The 30 in 30 Challenge I signed up for is not living up to my very lofty expectations. Ahem.

Might I say, without any anxiety on my part, that this is Day 16 in the challenge and the most I’ve painted is…SIX!

And you can ask me if I care. I don’t care at all. The thing is this-I should care! I signed up! I added my blog, my name, and one painting, and I should really care how it looks to the crowd of artists who number over 400 in this event and are fully participating. But I don’t feel any remorse at all.

I look at it this way:

The idea of the challenge piqued my interest
The challenge pushed me to get back to painting
I started seeing my surroundings in my dreamlike/artist way again

I win anyway.

Process Doesn’t Mean Perfect

Taking advantage of the momentum, I finished another watercolor painting this week. Imagine that? I had just wrapped up one work when I decided I should just keep going and start the next one.

The paints were out, the other painting was free from the watercolor block, I was there with wet paint brushes, why not?

I’m not even going to start with the whole thing about whether or not this is a good work. Forget it.

Process, baby, process. Start the work. Keep going until you finish the work.

Push it. Crush it. Process.

Three Pink Daisies ©2012 Dora Sislian Themelis
18×24 Watercolor, Arches cold press paper

Wanting to get it out of the way quickly I didn’t even spend time with the photograph. One shot and I was out of there. It’s a little shadowy on the upper right corner, which could possibly be my head blocking the light, but let’s ignore that, shall we?

Plodding in the Painting Process

Everyone comes to their process differently. How an individual weaves their way through the day to come out at the other end with a finished product is as varied as each person’s character and ability.

Some of us plod. Some procrastinate. Others push. And some fly. I wish I could fly.

Me? I plod.

Twyla Tharp wrote about her process in her book The Creative Way, that she needs some little thing to start the process, an action that signals her brain to begin the chain of events that lead to working.

Many artists are working alone and not punching a clock. There is no boss who eyes us if we don’t show up on time. We are our own boss, and as such, might give ourselves the day off if we should so desire.

It’s no surprise that things can quickly fall by the wayside just because we suddenly have the urge to veer off in a direction that has nothing to do with creating our work.

Um, yeah, painting is work. (But don’t ask The Mr. if painting is my work. He’ll frown and look at me sideways.)

My day always has a plan. The to-do list is ready from the night before, but is tweaked first thing in the morning. Painting is always first on that list.

With morning activities done, the family out, and the house finally in order, it’s office time. Emails, updating, uploading, and all things computer related. Then there might be errands. By now it’s noon.

Have I headed to the studio to paint by now? No. I’m plodding through the day, trying to avoid resistance mode.

It can be mid-afternoon by the time I get to the item #1 on the list. I’m still looking for that little action that signals it’s time to get the ball rolling.

This past week I was determined to push, rather than plod, to paint. I cleared my day as fast as I possibly could. The weather was beautiful, but I knew I had been slacking and decided to bring the painting equipment outside to work in the garden rather than from photos in the studio.

Afternoon Garden ©2012 Dora Sislian Themelis
18×24 Watercolor, Arches cold press paper

Painting in the garden allowed me to enjoy the summery weather and work at the same time. Working the brush quickly I did my best to lay in all the colors and shapes I wanted before I lost momentum.

Once the work begins it goes well, I’m in the zone, the process of painting is satisfying and the end is agreeable to me.

Still, I’d rather not plod through the process.

My Mantra: It’s the Process

So here we are, back at the easel, er desk. Yes, I’m painting flat, on my table with the watercolors. Some people use an easel, but not me. I can’t risk applying paints to have them run down the work. I have enough stress.

Landscapes are not usually my “thing.” Working on this latest landscape might give me more reason to ditch the idea. Don’t worry. I will wait until I’m finished with this.

New landscape of Greece

Since I took this photograph, I went back and removed some color from the water area. It’s a nice, little scene. Okay, my mantra is this: Process, process. Try to remember that it’s the process that counts.

Twenty minutes working on this and I have to run away from it.

The good thing? I cleared up enough of my morning to work in the studio before I do the errands for the day. This is a major accomplishment. As it is, I wake early and get moving, so it is possible to work first, run later.

The bad thing? I tire early and lose the afternoon/evening hours.

Remember: Process!

Painting is a Journey

When I began my watercolor journey I really just wanted to find out how to manipulate the paints. Process first and foremost.

After a while of trial, and much error, I turned to working with photos of my own and from travel books. It was a virtual vacation in a sense, while mastering a new medium.

Admittedly, there is a fear factor there. After painting for a long time in oil paints, watercolor was like being dropped in a dense forest with no compass, and the sun is hiding behind the clouds. Lost.

My thought was this: would I ever learn to make watercolor do what I wanted it to do?

A different style of work..

There is always something new to learn, no matter what the subject. So, okay, this watercolor thing is a challenge I haven’t seemed to get bored of yet. I’ve moved back and forth in my painting journey, from photos to live work, to photos.

Keeping it fresh, interesting and working in the process. It continues.

Looking back at these paintings I can see how far I’ve come along in style and subject. These scenes stir something in me when I look at them, but there isn’t that tug on my creative brain to go here right now. Maybe the next time I am in these places I’ll feel like painting like this.

When will that be? No clue.

The opportunity to participate in a low-key, casual, community based venue has come up and it just might be time to let go.

Word on Wednesday is Abstraction

Well, lookie here, another painting found it’s way out of my brain. Imagine that? How quick was this one? I almost can’t believe it myself. As I was finishing the last still life watercolor painting, this one was calling me to be worked on.

After I found a small section of those photos that seemed pleasing, and as soon as I released the last work from the watercolor block, I started in on this piece. There was a bit of a challenge keeping the white of the paper as the highlight on the fruits, but I did my best. I’m comfortable with the outcome, and painting this was work.

The colors feel different than the last few pieces, as well as the shapes. Something is changing, I can feel a difference. Abstraction seems to be taking hold as the shapes get larger.

I’m just going to go with the flow.

Thankful for Finished Work

Every once in a while I think we have to stand back, take a break, and just do nothing. When there’s too much going on it seems to me the only way I can move ahead is to stand still. The craziness of the last event had me standing still a little longer than I would have liked. Things eventually work out.

The latest watercolor painting I started working on was waiting patiently to be finished while my brain rewired itself. There it was, sitting on my desk, waiting. I waved hello and got to work. Patience pays off in the end, and it is finished, finally.

I don’t know what the big deal was, it’s a small piece after all, but brain cells were missing, having gone AWOL. When they returned, so did the motivation.

Waiting to continue..

And there you have it. I worked on it until I decided I’d had enough of it. Maybe an hour to get it where I thought it should go and then I dropped it like it was HOT.

The thing is it’s finished.