watercolor painting Archives - Page 6 of 19

Too Busy to Breathe

The next time something comes up I just have to say no. Enough with the word yes. How is it that I get myself involved in things where I find myself so busy? Busy is not even the word for it. One thing after another, and there’s no breathing room.

But how can I say no? It’s too late, I’ve already said yes. Just go with it. It will pass and there will be time for me soon enough.

This weekend is a Greek dance event I agreed to help with, so now I’m busy with that. Maybe once it’s over I can relax, until our annual festival comes up. Another thing I say yes to.

Can’t I just paint in my little art studio? Can’t I just sit and knit in my cozy corner? Or read my book? Or daydream?

Well, I did find an hour or so to paint. I’m so dizzy with to-do’s I couldn’t decide what to paint. Whatever comes from the process of painting will have to do until I can think clearly and focus.

I played with those veggie photos again and came up with this small section to paint. Interesting colors and shapes in a weird composition, but let’s see where it leads. I’m too busy to paint larger than this and it’s fine. Then again, if I did start a large piece I could work on it a little at a time.

No, too much pressure. We will keep it simple for now.

Finished on Friday

Finished! Done! Next!

This watercolor painting had me going, I almost trashed it, then I decided to just stop working it. There comes a time when you have to stop yourself from going over the cliff when I can’t help myself. I am notorious at painting way too long on a work.

Bouquet ©2012 Dora Sislian Themelis
9×12 Watercolor, Arches cold press paper

It’s finished.

What’s next? I have no idea right now. I’m just so glad this one is done, I can’t even discuss this any further. Blah.

Finished Friday

There is so much going on here I don’t know how I find time to post. In a nutshell: prepare to go on a vacation, go to the destination, return and unpack, dive right in to Holy Week preparations, attend church services, bake the required Easter things, keep up with the painting schedule, keep up with the Get Organized class, run the regular errands, and all that.

I am tired.

But here is a finished item for Friday, before I collapse!

Tomatoes ©2012 Dora Sislian Themelis
9×12 Watercolor, Arches cold press paper 140lb

Just thought I’d throw in the photos of the work in progress so you don’t have to jump around here to see it. And that brush I didn’t like working with over there in the center photo, you remember? A commenter had such good thoughts about using tools you love, and how this particular brush is supposed to be used.

Now I just have to finish up this week and a brand new Monday will be waiting for me. Ahhh..

Annoyed With Brushes I Don’t Want to Use

It’s Monday again. Another start to a very busy week ahead. Every single day of the coming week has things going on. I can’t get into it. It’s all just too much stuff.

With all the things I have to do, guess what I DID do? Yes, I painted. It’s just this short of amazing. Where did I find the time? How did I get myself to the studio to do anything? Maybe since I rearranged things, and made the space comfortable, colorful and cozy it draws me there. Has to be it.

The photos of last year’s CSA shares of produce and flowers is dwindling. I’ve used almost all of them. Thankfully, I find great compositions in the detail areas that make for good work. This time I chose these color packed tomatoes for this painting.

Now take a look at one of the newest brushes I bought. It’s a pricey Isabey watercolor brush in a size I didn’t have. Everyone raves about these brushes. I really don’t know why. I’m not that happy using it.

When wet it holds plenty of water. I usually use more color and less water, so I remove water by turning it against a sponge, then I go for color and paint. That’s the part I don’t like. The brush gets mushy. There is no spring. It becomes a flat, wet mess and goes no where. I should’ve taken a photo of that. I paid all that money for a stupid, horrible, flat mess of a brush.

I might write the company a letter of complaint, I am that annoyed.

Okay, Windsor&Newton sable brushes are untouchable these days, so I guess it’s not that bad. But really, it is bad because I spent money on a tool that I hate to use. W&N brushes I already own are wonderful.

Any Isabey brush users out there want to chime in with your thoughts? Come by and leave some in the comments. I can’t wait to hear what you think about this brush.

Painting is Addictive

There is something about painting, for me lately anyway, that makes me want to keep doing it. The more I paint, the more I want to paint. It’s addictive, like knitting socks. Yeah, you sock knitters out there know what I’m talking about. Painting is like knitting socks. Is that weird?

Painting. The action of painting draws me in and keeps me there. The house could burn down and I wouldn’t be able to stop painting. Well, not really, but you get my idea.

I finished this last work in the small amount of time I had between dinner and a meeting I had to attend. Maybe I spent twenty five minutes on the last details in that time. Then I was done. That was it. No more working it, or it would be trash, as usual.

Peppers ©2012 Dora Sislian Themelis
9×12 Watercolor, Arches cold press paper

After I uploaded the finished painting, I thought I’d just show you the start that I posted on another day. While I was looking at this photo I began to imagine painting the whole scene, unfinished painting and all the rest. It was such a strange feeling, that pull to paint even my desk and brushes. Weird.

It’s not like I haven’t done that before. Like the times I draw my own fingers holding my ink pen and sketchbook as I draw while waiting at the allergist’s office. It feels as if I’m looking in a mirror and seeing not only my image, but everything around the mirror. Okay, that’s enough of that.

The point is, I’m working the process. Those affirmations I look at every day must be summoning the Universe so that It is favorable to my creative thoughts. The thought becomes the thing.

Yeah, that’s it.

Get to Work

And now to get back in business, I started the next watercolor painting last night after the kitchen was cleaned up. Mind you, I’m juggling too many apples right now and don’t know how I even managed to walk downstairs to my studio. Some internal messaging was happening. Maybe it’s all the art business classes I’ve been taking? The bad girl inside my head is being knocked down by good intentions I guess.

Keep working!

The to-do list, or task list as we’ve been instructed to call it, had quite a few things on it for yesterday, but I was able to mark each one off and move on. I purchased the tube of paint I wanted and now I can continue.

There’s no way you can mix colors without the primaries. Nope. I needed a yellow, and I couldn’t remember what my paint was called. Permanent Yellow Light? No. I ended up with a Cadmium Yellow Lemon.

Okay, I know cadmiums are toxic. I will not be eating the paint.

Also, not thrilled with the latest brushes I purchased. I keep turning back to my old sable Windsor & Newton brushes. When I wet the large Issabey brush and paint with it, it gets mushy. There’s no spring to it. That was a pricey brush even on sale. You can’t try a brush in the store to know how it will respond. So, stuck with it.

Enough drama for today. Time to get to work.

To-Do List Anxiety

There’s no way everything can get done at once. Just no way. The anxiety of a long to-do list is exhausting. Even getting some painting done isn’t going to happen in a snap. Maybe a series of snaps.

With the roof work taking forever (in my mind) and other things needing my attention, I get stressed. What can I do first, second, next, until I’m done? It’s a problem.

Next session

I solve the problem by diligently crossing off each item on my list as they were done. It’s a visual thing and it makes me feel as if I’ve accomplished something. Painting is always on that list first.

Rarely do I paint first. And rarer is the day I paint first thing in the morning. That never happens, except this week. Somehow I ended up in my studio in the morning and decided I had enough time to clean up some of this work before the day started in.

The darks were added to define some of the areas I felt needed some guidance. Now it’s starting to look like something I’m comfortable with. For a while I wasn’t sure if I wanted to continue, but I remembered it’s the PROCESS!

So in the “process” I can’t find a recently purchased tube of yellow watercolor paint. Oh nice, now I have to go shopping for paint I already have somewhere here. I need it.

See that nice light yellow color in the leaves of basil? Yup, that’s what I need to buy now.

Busy, Quiet, Painting

The past week was a busy one. Too much going on, and I like it quiet. But if you need to get stuff done, there’s no way around it.

We needed a roof. And while we were at it, they replaced the roof of our patio too. Everything was leaking. These guys brought amazing tools like this remote controlled crane thing. If you look at the photo, the worker is controlling the crane with a little gadget to get the roofing materials up on the roof. Amazing.

There goes the old roof. Hello sunshine! It didn’t last long before they covered this up with materials, but now there are skylights.

I watched them work as long as I could, then I made my way to the studio to decide my next work. I’m not so sure I like this choice, but it will have to work for now. There’s plenty of thinking going on before I paint. I’m thinking I like peaches better than eggs.

There are blueberries in this view too. Not thrilled about painting more of those little things. My brain keeps telling me Get over it and just paint!

Yes, sir.

Finished for Friday

Watercolor painting has become a good thing. I always loved oil paints, but there’s the long drying time, the wonderful odors that are toxic, and the pretty high cost of the paints and canvas. Using watercolors in the past, I wasn’t such a fan.

The quality of materials just didn’t hit it, I guess. Remember those little discs of hard, dry watercolor paints in a tin box? They just never worked right for me.

The ease of using these professional quality watercolor paints makes up for what I missed about oil painting. They clean up easy, dry quick, and I am using wonderful paints and great papers as the surface. I had no idea watercolor paints could be so creamy and vibrant.

In oil painting I painted from dark to light, adding light colors to the shadows, but in watercolor I learned to go backwards, leaving the whites and moving in layers to darks. It wasn’t an easy lesson to learn. I’m applying the watercolor almost like the way I used the oils. I mix a bit on the palette, apply to the area I want then add straight color and mix on the surface. Works for me.

Beginning the next work

Depending on how you mix mediums into the oils, the painting could take long, or dry a little faster. So far I haven’t used any mediums to retard drying the watercolors so it’s not an issue unless I need an area to dry faster. I’m not a fan of painting wet on wet.

For this latest work I cropped another area of a photo that had a composition I liked. You can see my fond pebbles helping to block out areas by holding down paper around my subjects. This time I sketched in pencil, took a lunch break, and returned to start adding color. It happened to be such a day that I could do this.

By the time the day was over this painting was finished. I almost forgot to take a photo of the progress!