watercolor painting Archives - Page 3 of 19

The Pleasure of Participation

June Sunflowers 18x24 Watercolor ©Dora Sislian Themelis — June Sunflowers 18×24 Watercolor ©Dora Sislian Themelis

In the midst of the stuff around here with Mr. Resistance I had the pleasure of participating in another shopping event. While “he” and I struggle with our competing thoughts about the hows and whys of art, it ended up that I would be the only artist vendor among jewelry, make-up, accessories people if I decided to attend.

I’ve shown at this event in the past, and it’s a lovely restaurant with great shelving for art display. As before, I set up my watercolor paintings on the shelving and my hand knit accessories at the tables below.

It’s good practice to show artwork at these shopping events because you just never know who might be interested. There’s a lot of great feedback, shoppers were really impressed and asked great questions about my work. Meeting different people, talking about my process and exposing people to art is always a nice experience.

My Art at Pop Up Event — Watercolor Art on display

Also great was that I sold a few knit pieces and the restaurant owner bought this watercolor painting of sunflowers.

The fun part was that each of us was so excited, she to have purchased art she loved, and for me to sell a painting I loved. It’s nice to know it will be going to a new home.

Thrilling, actually.

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.

Turning Another Leaf

The hiatus being finally over, I have taken up another challenge. This time it’s the 30 in 30 Challenge, that is 30 paintings in 30 days, the inspiration of Leslie Saeta over on her blog Slices of Life.

I know, it’s been some time since I’ve been here, and yes there was all sorts of things going on. Plenty of distractions for me to lose myself in.

You will hear about it in due time, my friends. In due time.

Until then I will leave you with my first entry in this latest painting foray. Needless to say I am already late with the goods.

Whatever.

Foliage ©2013 Dora Sislian Themelis #1 in the 30/30 Challenge — Foliage ©2013 Dora Sislian Themelis
#1 in the 30/30 Challenge

Finally A Finished Product

The painting was patiently waiting for me to return to the studio to finish it. And now it’s done. I added more color and dimension and called it quits. This photo does not do it justice. The background is not as green as it seems here. There’s ochre and blue, burnt sienna and umber, but okay.

More importantly, it is a finished work.

Flower Shadows, 18×24 Watercolor
©2013 Dora Sislian Themelis

What’s a little bit more exciting is that I also started and finished another smaller painting on the same day as this was finished. While this was drying, I designed and finished two new necklaces. Let me say that I was on a roll that day. Making the decision to work, having it become a commitment to working, caused productivity. Heady stuff.

Also exciting, on my end anyway, is my new venture. I’ve been working on a new blog/website platform on WordPress and it has been a struggle. However, it’s a clean, neat look and still needs decorating. Just like new diggs, decorating takes time.

Please drop in over there and visit. I’ve written a little more about this painting, with a few views of the different sessions it took to get to the finished product. I’m a newbie over there, but I’d love it if you commented and let me know what you think.

Visit the new site here Dora Sislian Themelis Art.

Resistance, Distraction, Unbearable, Oh My

Resistance is in full swing here this winter. Coming out of this one is going to be like wrestling with spaghetti: messy. “Doing” was a good idea, but doesn’t look like one that’s going to get a lot of traction.

Apples on Cloth, Watercolor, 9×10 @Dora Sislian Themelis

Goals? Resolutions? Doing? All a distraction from actually working on anything.

It’s the end of January already. Is this what the year ahead is going to look like? If so, it’s going to be a rough ride. Better buckle up.

Ground hogs, bears, and all manner of beast that hibernate through the winter have the right idea. Let’s just sleep through the whole thing, and wake up when the sun is high in the sky making the weather bearable. I have had enough of winter.

However, Mr. Resistance likes to visit in nice weather, too.

Like I said, better buckle up. Mr. Resistance is very chummy with his good friend Mr. Distraction, and they like to get together often, it seems.

I am going to need ammunition, tools, plans.

Doing, to Move On

In this new year of goals and objectives, I may be changing it up some. Maybe not completely. Not in my work, but in my approach to work.

In earlier posts I told you how I don’t do resolutions. I feel better about meeting a goal, but I ran across something someone else wrote and it changed my thinking. That person discussed setting aside resolutions, goals, etc, for Doing.

“Doing” makes sense.

In Progress Work ©Dora Sislian Themelis

Now, I could be a big Not Doing person when I’m on a roll. I’m sure you must have guessed that by now, how I let Mr. Resistance take up residence here and mess up my mojo.

It’s been a dilemma lately. My flow gets disrupted by whatever and I’m doomed.

So, when I read that Doing might be better than a goal it felt right. Doing, instead of Goals. Doing connotes Action in my mind. Maybe Action is also a good word.

In that context, here is my first “Action” in this year of “Doing”. I may have decided I can no longer continue on this watercolor painting I stopped working when the hurricane hit Long Island. It’s a possibility that I’ve been holding off because, in my mind, it’s done.

Although, if I look at it too much longer I might want to add some brush strokes, but then again, maybe I’m over it.

Doing has to also mean Move On.

Resistance is a Killer

Resistance is a funny thing. Funny as in, not so funny. Funny as in, a killer. A killer of motivation, inspiration, the feeling of wanting to do something and the non-energy to move.

Yeah. Resistance is all that. Back to the proverbial drawing board, as they say.

The point is in the process. Paint something! Good, bad, whatever. Just do it. Sit down, get something on paper, never mind what we think about the ‘something’. The point is to work.

Yes, I know all that. So why is it so hard to actually DO it? Don’t ask me. I decided to go back to reading The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. Strangely enough, after I had re-read the first chapter, I felt empowered enough to paint. Even if it meant what I painted was dumb. Even if the outcome was sub-par, I did it.

I put down the book, gathered my stuff and headed outside to the front garden. The summer blooms have faded. All that’s left are the seed heads of the pink daisies and other perennials, although the asters are just starting their fall show of periwinkle blue.

Mixing colors to try for periwinkle wasn’t working so I did my best, adding color where I felt it needed to go, then I stopped. Remember, it could go to trash quickly if I don’t stop myself.

Finding time this weekend, I went back and added some detail. Whatever I think about this work I will keep to myself. Do the seed heads really need to look like the real thing? Not really. I just wanted to paint with color for a breezy feeling, hoping the process would take me there.

The paper was dry and it was easy to add strokes of paint to areas I thought needed it. Am I happy with it? Eh, let’s just say I’m glad I got something on paper.

Did it. Done.

Fashion’s Night Out with Art

It’s been a busy couple of weeks here. Between trying to track down inspiration for new work, the end of the summer, and planning for the shopping event, I had no time for my requisite peace and quiet. Too much noise going on up inside my head.

Maybe it’s the excitement of doing something new? You think? But I have to admit that all the things I’ve been learning about marketing my work over the past year helped me a great deal. Steps have already been put in place. It was just a matter of getting to the venue and trying it out. Not knowing what to expect is the only thing that made me a little anxious.

All was for nought. Look! They even put out the red carpet for me! Just kidding, it was Fashion’s Night Out Shopping Event. There were artists, fashion designers, jewelry vendors, chocolatiers, a DJ, food and drinks.

Of course, I was early. When we entered the space we saw a wall space opposite the bar that I was going to hang my art and a table for my jewelry and notecards. The organizers asked me if I would extend all the way over the DJ’s booth with my paintings. Hey, why not? I had enough with me.

Well, watercolor paintings pack flat if not framed so I packed up my portfolio with things I thought people might like. And they did like my work, but I didn’t sell any paintings. But I did sell a couple of jewelry pieces, so that was fun.

There was a nice vibe at the venue. My family came to see me there. They even shopped the other vendors. The music was good and so was the food. We had a fun night, and I got to show my work another time. Every event I guess it gets easier.

I’ll be looking forward to the next one. Now I’ve got to get back to work.

If Monet Could do it, I Can Too, Sort of

Is it me or is the summer over already? Resistance has a way of leading you down a road, and leaving you there all by yourself to figure things out. He has a way of being cruel like that.

And now August is near it’s end. What do we have to show for it? A tan? A couple of half hearted attempts at attaining the 100 paintings we’re supposed to be working on over here?

Nuts, I say. Rats to that.

So in the meanwhile, while I try to pull my artist self out of the rabbit hole, I painted this small marigold photo I had in my stash. Yes, I’ve painted this before much larger, but, whatever, there it is, again.

If Monet could paint a scene over and over again, so can I. And I’m sticking to that.