Country Roads

More painted recently.  Sierra foothills. 
I was never a fan of landscapes...but last year when age was catching up with me and keeping me city bound more and more, I found that painting my favorite scenes was not merely a distraction, but an escape to places  that hold precious memories.   

Country Roads series

My morning watercolors are focused on country roads for the time being.    My grown son's off road trail bike club took some fantastic photos that I am using for some of these.   Some others are revamped versions of last years paintings that were in a smaller format.     These are all 6 x 8 inches. 

 The first one is inspired by a photo taken by my sons group in the high Sierras on a ridge.    Where the air is crisp.    I am leaving it unfinished.      I think I will paint it again with the foilage.   

The second is inspired by a Joyce Hicks watercolor.

This is based on a photo I took in the foothills of the Sierras on a road trip with a friend who was raised in the area.  She knew just where to find the scenic roads.

The above painting is inspired by an oil painting by Colley Whisson in Queensland.     Thai fog or mist intrigued me enough to paint it twice.    

Do you love veggies?

Here is a tomato to love you back.    Found it in a basket of fresh tomatos at local nursery.   Posed it with a sweet mosaic heart on a stone.     

Hand painting

This painting is still evolving.     I gessoed over most of it leaving only key elements.      Now it sits on my work table waiting to see what happens next.     Hmmm......

Gelli printing

Recently someone posted a video showing the artist tracing an image through and onto a clean gelli plate using alcohol based markers such as Copic.     So our mixed media group dug out our gelli plates and scrambled to find alcohol inks. 

I only had old alcohol inks and a paint brush to work with.   The top one is a tracing, while the second is freehand scribbles.       I've lost my touch w the gelli print process and need some practice.   Our group will play with them again now that we have them out.     In a few weeks I should be able to post some pics.

Art around us

This composition of a faded rose from my garden in old bowl came about quite natually. I had tossed the spent rose into the bowl when I went to wash out the vase I used to display it.    Then forgot about it until this morning.   It looked so beautiful and sweet, I could not resist taking a quick pic.   

The floral watercolor is a morning sketch done a few days ago.

Morning watercolors

Most of my neighbors are out in their gardens early in the morning.    Not me.   I garden in the evening when the light is not so bright.   It's an age thing.    Dark glasses, sunhat,  sometimes even a second pair of dark glasses over the first pair.   

That leaves my early morning free to paint little watercolors.       Here are some new ones, some shown with the inspiration piece.   I dont really enjoy putting buildings in my paintings, so you will notice missing houses and barns.    This is a series called Country Roads.      One of my favorite subjects.     

Stitches in circles

My friend Anne Marie did this stitch in one of her stitch meditations.   I loved it so much I wanted to copy it.  Now, mind you, these are not really copies.   Her stitching is neat and precise..... while mine are looser and less technical.   I love them either way.   

Stitch meditation w circles

Ive been spending so much time painting lately, stitch meditations have been neglected.     I did this one celebrating circles and the new thread I bought at local quilt shop.    I went in to buy needles with larger eyes so I can thread them more easily, but the ones with larger eyes are not very sharp.  I dont like having to force a needle through the fabric.   The owner showed me a lighter weight thread, a number 5.    Perfect.   And its variagated.   Very nice to work with.   And very expensive.    I like it so well I will probably pick up another color next time I am there.

Here it is.  Scrap from my sister in laws scrap basket plus some of my stash.

Gone fishing

Our mixed media group did a fish project with these paper fish I bought from Amazon last year.    I tucked them away somewhere safe, and lost them. When I was looking for something else, I found the fish again and decided it was time to pull them out and do them before I lost them again. We started by doing some work with water soluble crayons, and then brought them out to my studio where we sprayed them with deylusion ink sprays through various stencils.

A few years ago our group was interested in using stencils and spray inks on journal pages.   I had not used these materials for at least 2 years. It was fun to get them out  again and found they had not dried out. 

 I've always liked fish as a theme and although these are meant to be windsocks, I cut them in half so it gave us more pieces to work with.   Everyone went home happy with beautiful fish.   

These are hanging in my studio.

Another redo.

Tell you the truth I am getting pretty sick of this painting.   Still too busy, colors now look muddy.    Hmmm..... whats next?  Perhaps cover it all with gesso.  Lol

Nature sketchbook

 One of my routines is to sketch something natural in a tan toned sketch book.   This one is from Strathmore. It is 80 # sized 5.5 x 8.5 inches.    A handy size to tuck into purse or art bag.      I use watercolor pencils because I like the way the colors can blend and build up layer by layer, color by color.  The exception is the white Stabilo pencil made to write on all kinds of surfaces.   It blends nicely with the other pencils and is is a stronger white than most white pencils.

 For subjects I either pick something in my garden, or at the location.  Probably on the sidewalk or growing in the parking lot.   Tomatoes were from the nursery.   The flowers below were from a friend who knew I would enjoy drawing them. 

Still in progress.

Months have gone by between work sessions or inspiration paint on this canvas again.    Ill be making more changes tonite.