Spirit Wolf

This wolf's name is Spirit. I call this painting I recently finished Spirit Wolf at Play, which you can also find on my website. When I visited Wildlife Images awhile ago, he was brought out of his enclosure for us to see, and the fellow immediately proceeded to nose around in the Vinca bed and get entangled in the vines.

I loved seeing this playful side of the wolf. Wolves are so often portrayed as noble and savage, but not everyone sees that they play and are goofy like any other canine.

Sadly, Spirit is no more. Apparently he died after surgery not long ago. He is sorely missed by his keeper, his admirers - and there were many - and of course his female wolf pack that was left behind.

This painting was a departure from the watercolor I normally use. I used primarily artists' quality gouache. Gouache is most often used by illustrators - it dries fast and lends sharp, clean edges for good quality reproduction. But with the best quality gouache paint (lightfast pure pigments), one can achieve results that are similar to oils. Unfortunately, I cannot use oils - even the watersoluble types - as there are too many chemicals in the oils that cause me headaches. So gouache was the next medium I wanted to try, as I've missed the depth one can achieve with oils.

Unlike watercolors that dictate painting from light to dark and reserving the white paper underneath for the lightest areas of the work, gouache can be painted dark to light like oils. I had great fun experimenting and seeing new possibilities.

I will continue to paint with watercolors, but you will see more gouache paintings from time to time.

Tools of the Trade: a Taboret

For a long time I did not use a taboret - a small storage cabinet - when I painted. And it's certainly not an essential if you're on a tight budget. But what a mess the experience has been without it!

I finally found something that works as a taboret, though technically it is a simple metal file cabinet. What makes it workable for me are the 2 small drawers at the top of the unit. I did lots of research and found many wonderful possibilities - but all of way beyond my price range: low. What I wanted also needed to be non-toxic, since I have problems with wood lacquers and fiberboard.

This is a wheeled RTA metal filing cabinet and I got it on sale for about $60. It's low enough to fit under my work table when I'm not using it. When I'm painting, I roll it out next to my easel.

The lower drawer contains all my folders pertaining to the business of art in hanging files. The next drawer up, a small one, contains all my artists' gouache; and the top drawer holds all my watercolor tubes, palettes, erasers, specialized brushes that I don't use every time I paint, etc. The top drawer has a removeable, and movable, plastic inset which is designed for pencils/pens. But it works a treat for the smaller watercolor tubes.

Here's a photo of the entire unit. What a difference this has made for my painting experience. Before, I was constantly fishing for something that wasn't at hand. I really appreciate having this "taboret."

Tools of the Trade: Brushes

Well, brushes are the main tools of watercoloring - besides paper and water, of course.

My friend Dweezeljazz bought me a wonderful set of brushes several years ago and I just LOVE them. I'd been using primarily Winsor Newton Series 7 sable brushes - some of the best money can buy. But until I used some Da Vinci "Cosmotop Spin," I didn't realize what I'd been missing. For some reason, for me the Series 7 brushes tend to lose their spring and bounce after using them for awhile; whereas, the Cosmotop Spin brushes - I suppose because they're made of synthetic bristles - remain springy without being rigid all the time I'm painting. I buy mine from Dick Blick art supplies.

The four brushes I use most:

1. Cosmotop Spin 2/0 round for very fine detail

2. Cosmotop Spin 3 round

3. Cosmotop Mix B 10 round for large brushstrokes

4. a wide, flat brush for applying large areas of water and/or glazing

As you can see, the first two brushes are small in relation to my index finger.

Dick Blick catalog says: "Holds more water than any other synthetic. The blend and placement of 5 different diameters of fine synthetic filaments makes this brush perform like natural hair...."

Who knows for sure? I like them. They work for me.

Lizard at 11:10

This fellow is my latest painting. I believe he's a Western Fence Lizard. I found him lounging on a very weathered old stump of a madrone tree, whose outer bark was still very much alive, amazingly. In fact, it was starting to shed a layer of bark, which curled around the edges.

The lizard was found late morning, and when I looked closely at his position on the stump, I thought he did a good job of telling time, sundial-wise.

I painted this on Fabriano Bright White hot pressed paper, which is my paper of choice when I want to do fine detail with mostly dry brush. I did, however, do plenty of wet glazing when I painted the stump. It took about 3 or 4 glazes each of Aureolin Yellow, Alazarin Crimson, and Cobalt to get a bluish-tinged weathered wood look. With hot pressed paper, wet glazing is a bit tricky as the lovely smoothness of the paper does not lend itself to absorbing much water before the fibers lose integrity. So care must be taken: each glaze must dry thoroughly before the next one is added, and there must be as little working of the glazed areas as possible so that the fibers don't turn to mush.

I had a lot of fun painting this one - and I LOVED the cracks in the wood that all pointed toward the lizard. Here is a detail from the painting.

Painting in Progress

I recently finished a painting, which I will soon post here and on my website. Meantime, I've been working on another one, inspired by my love of music and music-makers.

I began this watercolor painting over the weekend, starting with the first under glazes of yellow and the lighter colors. (Don't worry - I won't leave the violins yellow!) This painting shows a small part of the musicians playing during a Saturday morning rehearsal at the Britt. I always love sneaking in on these whenever I can. Most of the time I can't afford to attend the real performances, so I get a preview of the evening's offerings early weekend mornings.

When I saw how focused the musicians are, and the sweep of the double bass player's head and arm, as if he's one with the music and the instrument, I wanted to capture that feeling.

Well, there will be much more to show later when I make more progress!

Different Strokes

I love to keep learning about my chosen medium of watercolor. This book, Different Strokes-Watercolor by Naomi Tydeman, caught my eye not long ago. It is so vivid and colorful. And I liked the title!

The cover shows two interpretations of the same flower by two different artists. The same theme is carried throughout the book. It's fascinating.

I never tire of seeing how other artists interpret their subjects because every artist has a totally different perspective of anything you place in front of him or her. And no one way is right, nor is it wrong. Happily, every interpretation is what art is about: expressing one's own creative viewpoint and passion about a subject. I like this book because it celebrates this inclusiveness, while at the same time providing tons of helpful tips on technique and methods.

There are also several demonstrations of painting progressions - from drawings, initial stages, first washes, finished painting. Demonstrations include still lifes, landscapes, buildings, people, flowers. There are also chapters on basic color theory, composition, and watercolor technique. The book is geared for beginner watercolorists, but I think any artist would find it fun to peruse and learn from.

Happy painting!

Plum Blossoms on Stone

I just finished this new painting I'm calling "Plum Blossoms on Stone." I found these tiny blossoms on a long oval stone in my front yard this spring. They looked so soft and delicate on the hard stone with the long shadows of a late spring afternoon. They inspired me.

Once the painting is scanned, it will appear on my website.

The blossoms, of course, are long gone. Now the plum fruits are half way to ripening - a real treat for the deer who traipse through every day, and for me!

Beauty Everywhere

There are days when it’s hard to see beauty, especially when a media account talks of yet another extinction, another environmental disaster, or some similar depressing bit of news. Nevertheless, nature is still present – thank goodness! – still showing herself in so many ways.

I’ve discovered that the more I paint, the more I see. It’s as if the process of trying to capture three dimensions onto paper, forces my senses to become more aware of textures, fractal-like patterns, shapes, how different parts fit together to become a whole. Just looking at how sunshine through a leaf or flower petal reveals the intricacies of veins and patterns in such delicate tissue can be an amazing experience of discovery.

When I try to convey a tiny fraction of this complexity through my art, I begin to dimly understand what an immense creative force is behind everything in the natural world. It quite amazes and humbles me.

I can really get excited about the smallest things.

I paint using primarily Winsor Newton watercolors with a few Daniel Smith and Holbein colors added for interest and variety. Although I have wanted to use oils, I cannot – even the water-soluble variety – as I’m too chemically sensitive to the additives and chemicals in oils and acrylics. Fortunately, I happen to love watercolor for many reasons.

Meantime, I hope you see some lovely gifts of nature wherever you are today.