Category: watercolor painting

Getting Over the Hump

New work begins

Wednesday is hump day. As in the day in the week that gets us over the hump and into the weekend stretch. Not my favorite day. It only means the quiet will be ending and the hubbub, noisy weekend stuff begins.

My favorite day, as I’ve said many times already you’re probably bored of it, is Monday. Sweet Monday. The day everyone returns to normal.

Anyway, don’t pay any attention to me. I am just trying to distract myself from the to-do’s and painting with idle chatter from my brain. It’s noisy up in there.

After finishing the last painting, I had to find a subject for the next one. The 100 Paintings Challenge is waiting. There were a few more photos of my peach at the beach and I decided to just plow in with one of them. And yeah, it’s Wednesday. I lost a few days fooling around with a stomach bug and I need to make up time.

And right now I don’t have a lot of that. Painting #37 is waiting.

Photo for Friday and More

Afternoon Sunflowers, 14×20 Watercolor
©2011 Dora Sislian Themelis

The latest watercolor painting is finished. Twenty minutes of painting time has it’s merits, and it’s detractions.

On the one hand, painting for twenty minutes keeps me in line. I can’t get too busy in the details to end up trashing my work. It helps that I must step away from the painting to see it better and decide where to work next. And then there’s the drying time. All good things so far.

On the other hand I could walk away after twenty minutes of painting and quite possibly never go back. That could last a couple days and I’ll never finish the work so I could start another. I’m not the type of person to have a couple of paintings working at the same time, so that’s not helpful. I turn to jewelry or knitting if I’m not painting the latest piece. Kind of not good.

All in all the time limit thing has been positive. Ok so, I’m not cranking out painting after painting on a regular basis, or enough to paint the 100 paintings in the year. I’m working toward that goal, but anything could derail that plan.

I made a commitment, and I’d like to see it through, but the larger I paint the less work that gets done. Rather than paint little paintings, which are fine, I want to open up and work larger. Packing a lot of painting on a small surface sometimes doesn’t do justice to the work. Little by little I’m working it up in size.

Can twenty minutes translate on a larger surface? With the right brushes, subject, and mindset, maybe it’s a Yes. Could I push myself to work every day for the twenty minutes? Or, work all day on one work twenty minutes at a time? I just don’t know about that, Artist A.D.D. and all.

Preparing and Painting

Peppers on a Platter (c)2011Dora Sislian Themelis
 11×16 Watercolor

With the workshop weekend looming, I wanted to spend the day preparing myself and my stuff. We are to bring a portfolio of work. I’ve been throwing it around in my head which work to bring. The obvious thing would be to show recent pieces. Although I do work in other media, I guess I will bring the watercolors. And maybe my little pen and inks done while waiting at the allergist’s office.

I printed out my artist’s statement, such as it is. It’s for my eyes only, but my eyes are pretty critical. It’s a loosey goosey art language statement. In college, art majors needed to take English for Art Majors Only. They expected us to be able to discuss our work to regular people, as well as other artists. We wrote papers reviewing the masters works, museum pieces, and each other’s work. It wasn’t easy, but helped us to develop an art speak that normal people understood.

Every paper I wrote, my professor would ask if I wrote it. She’d say my language on paper was not the same thing that came out of my mouth. What could I say? I’m from Queens and what comes from my lips is not how I think or write. Ugh.

So yes, artist statement is ready. I also printed out the directions. Believe me, I’m not leaving home without a GPS thing.

I had a small bit of time yesterday and today, before getting involved in other things, to paint. Working from some photos I took a while ago I just went to it. Yes, I said from photos! No pencil, just paint. I didn’t get a chance to take a photo at the twenty minute mark and what you see is well past that. I just wanted colors, shapes, and values. I was going to continue to add to the lower left corner, but I think it’s balanced just as it is. Heavy with color on the upper right, and void of it at the lower left. Weird composition, but I’m going with it.

Besides, I’m out of time. Tomorrow is another day.

Friday’s Photo on Saturday

Three Beach Shells (c)2011 Dora Sislian Themelis  8×12 Watercolor

Fighting resistance with everything I have this week. Sometimes I win. Sometimes Mr. Resistance wins.
What’s with that?

If you give in to it, low motivation can last longer than you would like and that just can’t happen anymore. I don’t have time to waste, so Mr. Resistance needs to get kicked out the door. He overs stays his not-so-welcome welcome every now and then.

Two of these shells were collected on one of the last great beach days a little while ago. The cracked smaller shell you have seen before. The watercolors were out, the shells and the paper ready, and I had the time so I pushed through the fog to paint. Twenty minutes later and I was done.

I tried to use only as much water as would allow the paints to flow so I could continue and finish without waiting for it to dry. I think I figured out how much water to keep on the brush. I also think I need better brushes. I was using synthetic brushes, but I went back to using sable. I like the way the paint flows and the point might be more pleasing. A visit to the art supply store may be in order, just to get some info.

These shells were similar in color and value so I needed to establish the ground there were sitting on by throwing on some color. I think it adds a little something and perks up the whiteness. You get the idea.

Breaking Resistance Mode in Twenty Minutes

Peach at the Beach (c)2011 Dora Sislian Themelis
7×10 Watercolor

The latest watercolor is finished. You can see how the colors change with the different lighting, but the feeling is the same. Sunny, breezy, comfortable day at the beach. Can you feel it?

The second photo was taken in the afternoon after I painted from my beach photo for twenty minutes. I took the top photo this morning which is more blue with early light, rather than the yellow of late day light. That’s what Monet was seeing when he painted his water lily garden and other scenes in all times of the day. Different time of day, different shadows, different color of light, different paintings of the same scene.

I wonder if Monet painted for only twenty minutes at a time. Makes sense if he did, because if he didn’t and painted on one work all day, the light would be different as the day passed and I know he has many works of the same scenes. I will have to look into it.

Anyway, I enjoy working quickly, when I do paint. Lately I’ve been in resistance mode and twenty minutes has been helping break that cycle quicker than usual.

As far as my subjects, I think it’s interesting to mix objects that would not normally live together in real life life fruit and sea shells. These were nice shells too. Great shapes and colors to keep it fresh.

If the momentum keeps up it will be a good thing. However, the weather here has turned cooler and it’s not conducive to beach going. Beach weather is on it’s way out, but memories of a great beach day will have to suffice.

Back in the Saddle Again

Peach Pebble Pepper (c)2011 Dora Sislian Themelis
Watercolor 9×12 Lanaquarelle

So you see, a little moping around can sometimes lead to good things. Write it and it will come, sort of. I was out of it, but it pulled me back in. There’s only so long a slump can last. Mr. Resistance, I am rid of you for the time being.

Shhhhh. I don’t want him to hear me too loudly for fear he’ll show up and bother me again.

As I was saying. The veggie haul was “fruitful” and ended up being quite productive. I don’t know what it was that lured me to paint. The shapes of the produce, the colors, the combinations looking very interesting? What?

I felt bad I ate my still-life subject at the beach that day of the earthquake. Maybe that was it? The peaches in the veggie haul were really pretty. I don’t know, but I found myself reaching for the peach, then I grabbed an interesting looking pepper, and one of those pebbles I was painting a while ago.

After arranging these items in a way that felt good to me, I filled my water contained and started in on this. No pencil sketching, just drawing in the items in watercolor paint. I must admit that when I work this way I sometimes fail to place the painting in the center of the paper. I’ll fix that with a matte when the time comes.

For now I did it. A breakthrough, and the best part is I painted for only twenty minutes. Just enough time to get it together and back on track.

“Back in the saddle again,
Out where a friend is a friend.
Where the longhorn cattle feed, 
On the lowly gypsum weed,
Back in the saddle again.”
by Gene Autry, songwriter 

It’s Finished When My Brain Says STOP

Yesterday afternoon, after the plumbers had left me with their bit of a mess, after I cleaned up their mess, put my things away, straightened out the areas they were in, I finished the watercolor painting I was working on.
I went back to it, but something inside me said This Is Done, STOP! So I signed it and declared it finished. So here it is. The top photo was taken yesterday at about 4PM. The bottom photo I took this morning by 9AM. The light of day seems to have changed the colors: the top is warmer, the bottom is cooler toned.

Pepper Stem (c)2011 Dora Sislian Themelis
12×16 Watercolor on Lanaquarell

Either way I am pleased with this painting. I have been using watercolors for some time now and I don’t think I am using them in the traditional way. The books I’ve looked at seem to manipulate the paints different than I am. Maybe we all have our own way of getting paint on the surface in a pleasing manner.

Whatever works for you, do it. Must there be only one way to paint with whatever medium? I think not.

Something New While I Wait

Don’t you just love those days when you have to stay home and wait for repair people? Yeah, love it. Not really, except when it’s a must you need to have all your projects in order so they can have some attention. Once in a while you can peek in on the repair guy and see the progress, otherwise let them do their work.
My area of New York had ten inches of water in a couple of hours this week. People are pumping out their basements and the like. We had a leak in our living room ceiling, but that’s not what the repair guy came to fix. I found a mysterious leak from one of our bathroom faucets which was causing havoc in our wall. Let me say it was not pretty.
Today was the day of the plumbers. If the weather was beautiful, which it isn’t, I would not be happy, but it’s not so I didn’t mind being here for the repair. Perfect opportunity to work on my stuff.
I took some photos a while back of cut up peppers, if you might remember. One of the photos was calling me so I decided to paint it. I liked the mood, the darks against light, the composition, and knew I could play with color. 
I had to remind myself to stop after twenty minutes so I wouldn’t ruin the work. It’s not easy to stop once you have momentum going. My brain goes on autopilot and I could almost not see anything, think or hear anything. 

When I stopped I tried to also remember to take a snap of the work to show the progression. I have found the photographs to be helpful in slowing me down, and I can see my work better.

I’m still working on this. The last photo is not the finished piece. I added more detail, more color and blending, but it’s not finished. Yet, anyway.

Cut Finger, or Not I’m Painting Today

Like I said, I have to paint whether this bandaged finger is in my way or not. Maybe it’s the summer time, but I just don’t feel like doing anything important around here. Who wants to do inside things when the weather is so nice outside?

I do have some things I need to get done, but painting has to come first. Too many days without painting, even the distraction of other creative pursuits, and I get itchy.

This is the last of the sunflower photos and I took my paints out in the garden to paint them. I decided to take a different look with this piece and try to be a little looser with it. I did draw in the composition, but tried using more brush strokes and color changes.

Maybe it works. Maybe it doesn’t. I had to stop before I made mud out of it. I thought I used a little too much water than color. Some how taking the photo of the painting is helping me to see it better. I’m pleased with what I see here rather than the actual work. Maybe it’s just me.

It’s not finished. Another session and it may be done. Now that I’ve painted I think I can go do the things I’ve been putting off. My artist brain hates to do accounting stuff.