Category: watercolor painting

So That’s That With That

While typing away here, thinking about the Greece vacation, trying to decide how to finish that garden painting, and overall impatience and indecision that is my usual trademark, I found out I had a few orders in my Etsy shop.  When did that happen?
A buyer purchased this set of spa cloths I knit.  They’ve been up on the site for quite a while.  Months ago someone bought a set, but the site’s been sort of dry for some time.  I’m not sure how much I like Etsy for art.  The artists there have been complaining that there’s a lot of mix ups in the search feature.  If a shopper is looking for original art, the search will include a lemon reamer among the paintings.  What’s up with that?  How confusing is that to someone looking for an oil painting or a pencil drawing? 
I have a few small watercolors on Etsy, a couple of small handknit items, and the bead jewelry I’ve become fascinated with lately.  The paintings I’ve been doing this past year haven’t made it to the online shop yet.  I’m ambivalent about putting them up and having them sit there.  But maybe that’s the idea?  I don’t know. 
So I prepared the spa cloth order and sent them out.  Yesterday I noticed I had another order for the same set of cloths.  What a thrill!  I put aside the garden watercolor for now and got busy knitting this order.  And then today I saw that a friend of my mom purchased a couple of small watercolors.  Another thrill!  Things are looking up!
Oh, and by the way, we’ve decided to nix the Greece vacation this year.  There’s too much going on here and there to warrant knocking ourselves out to go.  Better off staying put, taking a short trip to the east end of Long Island, knitting, painting, beading, and waiting for my first grandchild to be born. (Thrill!)
So that’s that with that.

What’s the Rush?

Painting in progress
I must slow down my progress on this garden painting.  I’m trying to figure out why I’m in such a rush while painting.  Where’s the fire, huh?  I don’t take into account that I’m working with a medium that needs to dry somewhat before I keep throwing more paint in an area.  What’s that word?  Impatient?  I feel like I want to see results while I’m  painting, but with these watercolors I’m learning I need to wait just a bit or there’s going to be mud, not color and form.  While I was working on this I had to stop myself from continuing. 
Is it that I’m working from life that gives me a sense of urgency?  The idea that I’m present and ready, let’s get it down before I lose the feeling?  I don’t get that sense when I work from my photos.  No, with photos I get too detail-y.  Maybe it’s the idea in my head that time and light is fleeting?
When I paint from life I forget where I am and it’s a good feeling.  But I push it and keep painting like a mindless robot, just adding color, shadow, lines, water, with out of body movements.  As I wake from my painting stupor, I look at the work I did and think, “Ok, you did it again and messed it up! Idiot.”  Some how I don’t tear up the work and I just leave it tossed aside discarded like the trash, but not in the trash.  Later on while passing by on my way to another room I see it and think “Oh that’s how it looks now?  How come it’s not as bad as I thought?”  Things seem to work.
Funny thing is I always forget that it’s the process not the outcome.  Why is that?  I wish I could figure out how my brain works.  How long does it take to grow up? 

Out in the Garden with Arches and Me

Inspired by the photos of the azaleas and the beautiful weather a few days ago, I went into the garden to fool around with my paints.  My back yard garden is really shady.  It only gets direct sunlight in one little corner by the entrance gate and it’s a great spot when other flowers are in bloom.  In the summer that corner is sweltering hot.  I just can’t sit there too long and the shady areas are a blessing!  The other day the shady parts were freezing cold and this sunny corner was perfect for me to spend some time.  Until I figured all that out took time too!  But I was determined to be outside in the weather and paint.

The Arches paper was calling my name when I went to the studio to get the paints and brushes.  So I decided Why not?  I’ll play with the new paper and see what it does.  I must say it was lovely to work on.  The paper took the paint well and I could use a lot of water if I wanted.  I’m sure that I’m going to enjoy working with Arches paper when I plan the next work.  I’ve been using Maimeri Blu watercolor paints and I found that some of the colors are different than other companies.  The alizarin crimson is not as deep as the Windsor Newton I’ve used and neither is the Burnt Sienna.  Those are two favorites I seem to go for and these aren’t the same.  The salesperson at the art supply shop said they may be hues of the colors so I bought them last trip.

Anyway, the point is I went out and painted with no agenda other than to paint.  The process was the focus.  And let me tell you, I was out there painting away, going for colors, not thinking where I was, who I was, or why.  It was as if nothing existed but the sun, the paper, the paint and me.  Can I say Heaven?  Yes.  I had no idea what was happening in the world and it was divine.  I was totally out of my head and on vacation!

The azaleas were fully in bloom, the shadows the tall trees made were deep and dark.  The sunny spot I was in reflected off the grass near my feet.  I didn’t know what to paint first so I just threw paint where I felt it should go.  A monarch butterfly came by and landed on the hosta nearest to me and I drew it in. 

It was really an amazing afternoon in the garden painting away, no matter what the outcome.  I can’t wait to do that again!

Back in the Saddle Again

©2010 Dora Sislian Themelis
Last week I mentioned that I missed the deadline for the Virtual pARTy painting entry.  Not a problem, no biggie, no hassle, no judgement, no criticism.  I was cool with that.  I just decided to paint the photo that was offered anyway, remembering the process was important, not the deadline or the result.  Cool as a cucumber.  I went ahead except for a little thinking first. 
I’m itching to try out the new watercolor paper I bought after you wonderful, helpful readers made suggestions, but I didn’t.  Being a practical person, I bought a good size block of Arches paper rather than a tiny one to try.  I’d rather spend money on a good sized 12×16 block rather than a smaller size paper and feel frustrated by the constraints of the size.  
I tend to paint big no matter what size surface I’m using.  I still have more of the other paper and it seems to me to be a waste if I start using the new paper, fall in love maybe, and then I’m stuck with paper I might not want to use again.  The paper I have is a weird size too and didn’t pay attention to that until I wanted to matte a few things. 
Before I sketched this horse photo onto the old paper I took some time to figure out what size I might want to end up with.  When matting and framing it’s much easier to work with stock sizes.  So when I decided to think about my frame edge and paint within that area, with the idea that a matte, or frame, could butt into my composition.  Ahh!  The brain is working!
With the frame edge penciled off, I went ahead to composition, eliminated too many subjects from the original photo.  I like to leave some areas flat as a part of the composition.  Then there are colors in this photo I wouldn’t normally use, so I enjoyed playing with them.  Orange is not my favorite, but I think I was able to use it my way by mixing in other colors my brain tends to go for anyway.  It’s good to distract that pesky brain because when it’s working it shuts up.
Am I finished?  Not sure.  I’ll look at it later and see if I want to play with it more or move on.  So for now I’m back in the “saddle.”  I crack myself up!

Just Going with the Flow

The painting dry spell seems to be lifting.  I think we need to just do nothing for a time while the brain resets and inspiration can return.  You know that thing called Life gets in the way and what can you do but sit it out for a bit. 

Some things must be done and other things can be left alone.  Go with the flow and forget it.  I wasn’t painting and I wasn’t in my usual fist fight with resistance either.  Just chilling, looking at my studio space, organizing stuff, checking out yarn and knitting, drooling over beads and just daydreaming in general.  No commitment to anything.  Maybe that’s the trick?

Here’s the new studio set up.  I never went to IKEA, although I will eventually get there, but I confiscated a bookshelf from my son’s music room for my use in the studio.  I won’t tell him if you won’t, okay?

 At least I can store some things out in the open now. I’m not done.  That door on the left is a closet I keep older work and other stuff.  I’m planning to paint it inside and add flat files or shelving on one side with horizontal slots for canvases on the other.  It’s a thought.  By the way, the light still doesn’t work.  I guess it’s time to call in the pros.

I started a sketch from this month’s photo suggestion at the Virtual pARTy blog.  It’s not a great photo composition, but a good starting point for painting ideas.  I missed the deadline to enter on the blog, but I don’t care because this has my “thing” working again, and I don’t even like horses.  My focus is going to be on the nearest figure and I’m blocking out the rest as shapes and grounding lines. 

Another artist already finished her work with the same  idea, which isn’t all that unusual.  Each artist has their own vision and techniques making each work different anyway.  I’m interested in the process right now, not the outcome.  Oh, and in case you’re wondering, I’m not using the new watercolor paper yet.  I want to, but I’m frugal that way.  I’ll finish the old paper before I use the Arches that cost big dollar bills.

 And these are the beads I bought.  Aren’t they just amazing?  Well, I fell for the colors and then the shapes, and all kinds of ideas came to my brain.  I’m compelled to arrange them with silver beads, maybe wire wrapping them, I don’t know what to do first.  I set up my jewelry stuff on the opposite side of my studio desk on an old kitchen table we had when I was a kid.  Yes, it’s still alive and works! 

Keeping my stuff out seems to inspire me.  I could be in that room for a pencil and end up seeing an idea glinting out of the corner of my eye.  Before I know it I’m working on the sketch or the beads. 

The week is new yet, and I have errands to run.  After that my time is my own and  I’ll be in my little foggy dreamland.

The Virtual pARTy Painting

Belletor in Winter, Watercolor (c)2010 The Artist
I came across a fellow blogger/etsy/artist’s post a couple of weeks ago about something called the “virtual pARTy” while meandering around the etsy forums where we meet and talk about art and techniques.  Artist Kathleen Roeth, aka tapestry316, paints horses and she commented about this art party thing one day.  Well, I’m not an animal person much less a horse person, nor am I that interested in painting them, but the idea of joining in on this idea seemed like a good departure from the bagpipe work.   In fact, I was so tired of the bagpipe I had put it aside and started throwing paint on the paper with no particular plan just to get away from it.  After I saw this horse posting I jumped at the chance to paint something new and out of my comfort zone.
The way the virtual pARTy works is a photo is presented during a set time and the artist has 24 hours to start and complete the work in the medium of their choice.  When it’s done you upload the painting to the blog.  When the week is over the blog owners put up the entries for viewing. 
The result of my work is ok.  I wasn’t really interested in the outcome.  It felt good to clear my head and look at a different scene with new colors.  I played with color mixing, different brushes and the strokes they make.  I had never tried to paint snow and tried to keep my white spaces white.  Now that I have great info on paper quality from you helpful readers, I can see how better paper could make the difference in a work.  Obviously, I’m going to have to go shopping for paper before I start the next piece. 
All in all, I’m glad I found the virtual pARTy and decided to go for it.  Why not?  It’s all good.

Done and Ready for What’s Next

The Bagpipe 11×14 Watercolor ©2010 Dora Sislian Themelis
I’m finally finished with this painting of my son and his bagpipe.  I can’t do another thing to it or it will be a mess.  Thanks to a suggestion from a lovely commenter, the paper might need to be rougher or stronger if I’m going to rework areas or use a lot of water.  I learned a few things about my materials and myself, how I paint, what I like to paint, and maybe how to fight with resistance.  It’s a process.
Resistance was beating me with this painting.  I will look at this in the future and remember how hard it was to go to the studio to work on it with all the action.  Boy did I want to just skip it and move on to something else!  I weakened and found myself working on an area, giving up the resistance battle.  I guess that’s how it is.  One day you’re playing, having fun and the next it’s a chore to paint.  Something clicked and whatever it was helped me get back.  Was it the reading material, the doodling tasks, the morning pages, or was it just my head being ready to try again?
John’s Laouto 11×14 Watercolor
©2001 Dora Sislian Themelis
As I have said in past posts, I was primarily an oil painter.  I think I used watercolors the way they should be used in this work I painted quite a few years ago. This was done after the miserable watercolor class I took.  Can you see the difference? 

The other thing about these two paintings is that the bagpipe was painted using a photograph of the scene and this was painted from life in one sitting.  I think the life painting has a freer, more spontaneous watery quality.  When I started using watercolors, I had just ended a bout with resistance.  Since I was new at it, I had motivation in my corner and kept painting. 

The bagpipe work is dramatic because of the lighting and paint application, but maybe a bit too detailed for my comfort.  


As I move on it may be time to get the oil paints out and revisit painting on canvas.  I’ve been using watercolors as if they were oil paints by applying them the same as I would the oils.  Maybe it’s not a great idea.  Maybe it’s just how I work.  I’m not so sure.

Watercolor paints are just so easy to get out, use and clean up afterward that they’re very inviting.  The transparency of the medium is what artists like, but did I work with them the way they’re meant to be?  Does it matter?  Comments, questions, criticisms?

Anyway, that’s my own critique.  Thanks for listening to me rant.  I’m done and I’m moving on. 

Today is the Ides of March, I’ll Paint Tomorrow

“A soothsayer bids you beware the Ides of March” ~ Brutus to Caesar, Act I, Scene II from Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare

We arsty types always enjoyed acknowledging the fact that today, March 15th, is the Ides of March.  Thoroughly enjoyed pointing it out.  I don’t know why, but anyone I knew who was an artist made a big thing about the Ides.  So there it is, I’m continuing the tradition.  I used to tell this to my sons every year, very cryptically, “Beware the Ides of March.”  They’d look at me as if I had two heads.  Was it me?  I don’t know.

That said, let’s get on with it.

This weekend was horrible, crazy, scary weather.  Saturday saw a nor’easter that seems to be historic now that it’s over.  Sunday wasn’t great either with rain, thunder, lightening and flooding in areas.  I burrowed in my cave, so to speak.  I spent Sunday photographing some new jewelry I made, a couple of older paintings, and dug up my color charts.  Looking through my work gave me ideas and motivation.  It’s good to dig out old stuff every now and then. 

I had put the bagpipe painting on my easel to look at it whenever I came into the studio.  I like to do that with works in progress.  It gives me a feel for where I need to go with a piece.  The light in the studio may be out for good now, but I ignored it, turned on my desk light and did a little work on the painting. 

Each work teaches you something new.  With this painting I learned that the style I’m used to working with in oils may not be the right way to work in watercolors or I need a more durable surface.  Painting as with oils, I kept adding to certain areas with color.  Maybe it’s the paint, but I think the paper is wearing on those areas and making little balls of something.  Maybe watercolor is not meant for much reworking?  Am I using too much water?  The paper is Lanaquarelle 140lb cold press and usually fine to work with, but would Arches paper do the same thing?  Answers come with doing so I’m just going to keep working.

Overall, I’m painting, and I like the mood of this piece.  Maybe I should have worked this in oils?  It’s possible I will paint it again.  I have another photograph with a different position I could try in the future.  The chiarasciuro, darks and lights, is what I really like and it may be worth another go in another medium.  For now this just needs a little tweaking for me to say I’m done.

Not touching this painting today, though.  It’s the Ides of March and important things are better left until another day.