Magi in Hat

Transparent watercolor on 9x12 Arches paper for Julia Kay Portrait Party of Magi painting.  Painting is the mystery.

Philosophy

Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow

Barbara painting me in Barcelona 2011

Barbara painting me at La Central in Barcelona.  The painting is an oil painting by Magi Batet and is from the Julia Kay Portrait Party meet-up in Barcelona, Spain in July 2011.  Magi's work can be viewed on Flicker at http://www.flickr.com/photos/imagina_arte/

Artist's Passion

"What makes you go, 'WoW!' Paint that. What nearly makes you weep because of its intense beauty or sadness? Paint that. What would show up in your fantasy if you walked right through a mysterious doorway? Paint that, then paint it again. Painting is more than just making pleasant pictures. It is participating in the wish to share visually all our most intense feelings. Strong feelings or passion toward a subject cannot and should not be hidden as we paint."

-- Jane R. Hofstetter, NWS, from her book, 7 Keys to Great Painting.

At the Ocean

Transparent watercolor on 12 x 16 Arches Paper from my trip to Florida

Mariah's Fall Woods 2

Oil paint with palette knife and brush on 16 x 20 stretched canvas

Cobol in Hat

Transparent watercolor for Julia Kay Portrait Party

Men in Hats

Transparent Watercolor of Arturo on 9 x 12 Arches Paper for Julia Kay Portrait Party 

Mariah's Fall Woods

Transparent Watercolor on 12 x 15 Arches Paper for Lots of Landscapes

Painting Advice

"I have a saying: When you don't know what to do, don't do it--because it will just look that way. A painting is finished when your realize that you have nothing further to do on it. … Personally, I consider one of my own paintings a success when I begin to enjoy it. But this rarely happens right away."

-- Mario Cooper, AWS, from his book, Watercolor by Design.

Rachmaninov - Prelude op. 32 no 12 in G sharp minor [by Vadim Chaimovich]

Follow the Star

Oil painting on stretched canvas with palette knife for Artists of Grace Christmas Gallery

Alhambra

Transparent watercolor on 12 x 15 Arches paper for Lots of Landscapes

A Painting not a Person

"No one will know or even care what the subject 'really' looked like. Your painting must speak for itself. Art is separate from reality and actually has little to do with it. Matisse once told an outraged patron who complained that her portrait was not a good likeness, 'Madame, this is not a person, this is a painting.' "

--Inessa Derkatsch, from her book, Transparent Watercolor: Painting Methods and Materials.

Float House

Transparent watercolor on 12 x 15 Arches paper for Lots of Landscapes from chartan's source photo at www.flickr.com/photos/chartan/59 25466054/

Endless Sky and Sea

Transparent watercolor on 12 x 15 Arches from my trip to Florida

Tribute to the "never say die" St. Louis Cardinal Baseball Team Transparent Watercolor on 12 x 15 Arches

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Maya Angelou

The free bird leaps

on the back of the wind

and floats downstream

till the current ends

and dips his wings

in the orange sun rays

and dares to claim the sky.

But a bird that stalks

down his narrow cage

can seldom see through

his bars of rage

his wings are clipped and

his feet are tied

so he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings

with fearful trill

of the things unknown

but longed for still

and his tune is heard

on the distant hill for the caged bird

sings of freedom

The free bird thinks of another breeze

and the trade winds soft through the sighing trees

and the fat worms waiting on a dawn-bright lawn

and he names the sky his own.

But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams

his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream

his wings are clipped and his feet are tied

so he opens his throat to sing

The caged bird sings

with a fearful trill

of things unknown

but longed for still

and his tune is heard

on the distant hill

for the caged bird

sings of freedom. 

North Lake Union

Transparent watercolor on 12 x 16 Canson paper from source photo atwww.flickr.com/photos/fuzzyimagearts/5458179679/ for Lots of Landscapes

Giroussens

Transparent watercolor on 12 x 16 Arches from source photo atwww.flickr.com/photos/53942696@N06/5555568910/ for Lots of Landscapes

From Mathew Hartman's Facebook 

http://www.facebook.com/YRYOUHERE

shared by Gail

Steve Jobs

Pencil Portrait of Steve Jobs created for Steve Jobs portrait group on Flikr  http://www.flickr.com/groups/stevejobsportraits/

The House That Built Me

I like this, but don't know how to get the advertising off.

Interesting article about Jobs and Woz

Steve Jobs. . .Amazing energy and creativity. . .supporting research and engineering. . .a pioneer not afraid to lead the way.  We will miss this kind of leadership.

aiweiweidocumentary

About the Chinese artist who designed the birds nest stadium for the Olympics

Rocky Waters

Oil painting with palette knife from my trip to Spain

2b pencil on moleskine sketchbook for Julia Kay Portrait Party from source photo atwww.flickr.com/photos/frostylime/5973262228/

Beautiful experience story and picture

Boats in Port

Oil and palette knife inspired by my trip to Spain

Ramblas with Flowers

Part of the summer's palette knife and oil paint experiments for Lots of Landscapes from Arturo's issue

Animatorkim

Watercolor for Julia Kay Portrait Party

Morning Fishing

Watercolor for Lots of Landscapes

Llanrwst and River Conwy

Part of the summer's oil and palette knife painting

Llac. Sta fé de Montseny

Watercolor for Lots of Landscapes

Buttermere's Boats

Watercolor for Lots of Landscapes

Duffy's Boat

Watercolor for Lots of Landscapes on Flickr

Flow

Part of the summer's palette knife experiments.

Got To Go Back

Beautiful music and video.

Barb's Long Hair

Transparent watercolor on 12 x 16 140 lb Arches paper

New Stevie Nicks

Regina Carter: Tiny Desk Concert NPR

Missouri Current

Here is another cool blog.  Look back in the archives for detox soaks.

Hong Kong 96

Oil paint with palette knife on 11 x 14 canvas board from luli's photo for Lots of Landscapes

Felix and the Wine

Transparent watercolor on 12 x 15 140lb Arches paper for Julia Kay Portrait Party from source photo at www.flickr.com/photos/felixtamay o/5760062146/

River in Kurdistan

12 x 16 transparent watercolor on 140 lb Arches paper for Lots of Landscapes.

Ramon e Isabel

Transparent watercolor on 12 x 16 140lb Arches paper for Julia Kay Portrait Party

anna a1

anna a1 in 4B pencil on Moleskine sketchbook for Julia Kay Portrait Party

Gonzolez-Moreno

4B pencil on Moleskine for Julia Kay Portrait Party

Tales of 1001 Nights

Southern Egypt for Lots of Landscapes on Flickr transparent watercolor on 12 x 15 140lb Arches paper

susannedt

Transparent watercolor of susannedt  on 12 x 15 140lb Arches paper for Julia Kay Portrait Party

lily p

lily p for Julia Kay Portrait Party transparent watercolor 12 x 15 140 lb Arches paper

Daniel

2B pencil sketch of Daniel for Julia Kay Portrait Party

Sagrada Familia Church from Barcelona, Spain

2B pencil on sketch paper from my photo. I am probably nuts to try this, but it was calling to me.

Rural Missouri

Transparent watercolor 12 x 16 on 140 lb Arches paper. From an aggregation of photos from the Hoppe Springs trip.

Buena Vista Social Club

Padstow Harbour

Transparent Watercolor on 12x16 140lb Arches paper for Lots of Landscapes flickr group.

Boat of the coast of Spain

Transparent watercolor on 12 x 16 140lb Arches paper. From my photo taken near Cadaquez, Spain.

Julia Kay Portrait Party

2B pencil on 5x8 sketch paper from photo at www.flickr.com/photos/juliakay/4 522744230/ for Julia Kay Portrait Party

Pencil Portrait

Trying some techniques I found interesting from members of Julia Kay Portrait Party.

Church at Cadaquez

Transparent watercolor on 12 x 16 Arches paper from my sketch. Still trying the mother wash with drizzeling.

Spirit of an Artist

Hadrian

My drawing from Hadrian. © Trustees of the British Museum located atwww.flickr.com/photos/suehodne​tt/5928971985/ for a series of portrait events based around the Roman Emperor Hadrian at Housesteads Roman Fort, Hadrian's Wall this summer on behalf of English Heritage and the National Trust.

Souel

Transparent watercolor on 12 x 15 Arches paper done for Lots of Landscapes

The Spirit of an Artist

Spanish Coastal

econd attempt to integrate the workshop learning into my painting.  Special consideration, color change occurs most in the mid tones.  Do I work with 3 tones light, mid and dark?  How to follow an instructor who abstracts shapes when I am interested in the specific types of rock.  How to indicate that type of rock with a stroke rather than detail.

Port Lligat

This is the first painting at home trying to integrate the workshop learning into what I do.

Check Out My Sister's Blog

Click on the title to see my sister's new blog.

A Balladier

Great words.  Click on the post title to see  "A Rainy Night in Soho"

Trip to Spain

Back from sunny Spain. A combination painting trip and meet-up with online friends from Julia Kay Portrait Party.

Cordoba, Spain

Cordoba, Spain a transparent watercolor on 12 x 15 140 lb Arches paper, done for Lots of Landscapes on Flickr