watercolor painting Archives - Page 7 of 19

Painting, Process is #1

The relative lull of the after dinner hour has been holding some powerful stuff lately. What is it about this time of my day that I’ve been able to do some good work? Forget about the product. The process seems to have great momentum in this evening hour.

Let me just say up front, I am a morning person. I am wide eyed awake at 6AM most mornings, but that doesn’t mean I can work on painting at that time. Nope, the early morning is for coffee, the newspaper, and the Morning Pages, in that order too.

I plan my day after these things are finished. First thing on my list is painting. Again, that doesn’t mean painting happens first. It’s listed first and it usually happens later, after the house is in order and any running around I might need to do is done.

Yes, painting is on the list, baby. Every single day.

Okay, so I get to it after lunch, so what? I am grateful to the muse who makes me list it #1, because if that didn’t happen, painting might not happen at all.

So life must be in order for the muse to visit me in my studio that day. Just like a Virgo, right?

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

I cropped another section of a larger photograph to make this painting. If I have any idea of getting some quick work done, it’s going to have to be a smaller piece. For right now this is working for me. It’s not twenty minutes, but rather almost an hour’s worth of work. Even possibly an hour. When I start working I lose track of the time unless I’ve set my timer. An hour sounds right this time.

The different colors next to each other are very interesting to me. I love the tumble of shapes. Okay, so they’re vegetables and fruits, there’s color, dark against light, everything I feel good working with.

The paper is great, the paints are delicious, and I’m painting. What else is there?

Process, baby. Just the process!

Mr. Resistance is Not Welcome

What is it about Mr. Resistance that makes him so irresistible? One small thing can throw an artist off her wonderful motivation and balance, leaving the door wide open for Mr. Resistance to walk right in and make a mess of things. Thanks a lot.

It’s not easy being a nice person like me. How do I get trapped into the corner and allow Mr. Resistance to walk all over me? Am I a doormat? Do I look like I have the word “Idiot” tattooed across my forehead?

Um, no, but it happens every now and then that a little thing can derail a nice flow of creative energy, like a late day with too many things on the list to check off. Derail is a nice word. Trample my direction is another way of saying my art making hit the skids.

Okay. I’m over that now. Mr. Resistance is no longer welcome and it’s time to get back to work!

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

Here we have the work that broke through the resistance blockade. Another short time frame, a small window of opportunity taken, and the spell was broken. An after dinner hour to make magic, and I worked hard to get it done. Small and quick.

I cropped another photograph to get the composition I felt comfortable with and I went at it with a quick pencil line, then right to the paint. Again, less than an hour’s worth of work and this was finished. It’s not easy work either. There was plenty of thought behind this painting. Some how I’m able to think where I want to go and get to it quicker than I have in the past.

Finished projects happen far more often these days.

Another Quick One Down

Someone kick me next time I decide to edit my blog posts from the iPad. Every time I do that I lose my whole post! What a stupid thing!

I wanted to edit the size of this painting. After I had a chance to take a look at the actual size I remembered I posted the wrong size here. Off to the iPad to make the corrections and Boom! no post. Yeah, that made me really happy.

A Red Onion ©2012 Dora Sislian Themelis
9×12 Watercolor, Arches cold press paper

If I remember I said I didn’t plan on painting the evening I worked on this. I just had about an hour to spend before I fell to exhaustion, so I went to my studio to look at what I wanted to work on next. Before I knew it I had cropped a larger photo into this segment, filled my pan with water and began sketching this painting.

Did I say it lasted almost an hour? Yes, almost an hour went by and this was done, done, done!

I am on a roll over here. Thank you to the art muse for keeping me in the game.

Next time, no editing from iPad, okay?

Determined Painting Day

Since I blew last weekend, and my week, there was no way I was going to allow myself to blow this weekend too. Painting was going to happen no matter what. And painting is what I did.

A free Sunday without distractions is what I desperately needed to paint and get up to speed with the online class. As soon as The Mr. left the house, and Son#2, I went to the studio to get the painting going.

Take a look at my progress. There’s something about taking a photograph of my work that helps me step back and see it better. I was determined to finish this today. Working around the painting, I moved from the wet areas to dry spots to keep going. And I took a lunch break, and a quick break to read over my class lessons. Plenty of time for the work to dry.

Let me show you where I’m working. My little basement studio has a window at least. The lousy light still isn’t fixed, but I have my desk lamp for light. I had to aim the beam up to keep the glare off my wet painting. Oh, what we do for art!

Here’s another view of the lamp and my desk. Since I made some revisions in the room it’s much more comfortable to work in.

Stay tuned for F.P. to come. Uh, Finished Product, that is.

Painting Photos for Friday

Here I am again with photos of paintings for Friday. Somehow my idea of a fun pic for the end of the week ended up being a finished watercolor painting, but, hey, that’s okay. I’m enjoying myself in the studio at least. To me it’s a fun photo.

The latest work is finished. Done. I am done with IT. That might be the last time I paint a million little blueberries under tiny leaves of lavender. The last time. Remember I said that.

Let’s look over the process. First I sketched in the basic shapes. Then I dropped some color in areas.

Next painting session lead to more color and definition of forms. Little by little it started to look like something.

With more color I started adding shadows to further develop the composition. Having fun here too.

The 100 Paintings Challenge has begun.

A Welcome Back to 100 Paintings

I did it again. I re-upped for the 100 Paintings Challenge. Will I make it? I don’t know for sure, but with my new plan and schedule in place I am well armed. So far I am making headway and have plunged in with both feet. I’m using a swimming/diving analogy and I’m not any kind of good swimmer, but it’s how I feel.

This week is my first back in the challenge. Laure Ferlita, the facilitator of 100 Paintings Challenge posted a Welcome Back interview we had on the blog.

Something about the challenge appeals to me. The opportunity to build a steady painting schedule and a strong, consistent body of work is something I need. The accountability is there. I know I signed onto something that others are waiting to see.

The classes I’ve been taking, in person and online, with Alyson B. Stanfield have been a huge factor in my growth as an artist. She suggests we do certain tasks, and I just do it. I feel great about what I have accomplished with her advice and I’m moving forward.