Fractured

Based on Peg Furlin's workshop...I did a demo for my wc class today...watercolor on canvas. We only have about two hours to work together...these gals REALLY catch on fast. I hope to post some of their work in a couple weeks.

Peg has coined the term "fractured wc" for this technique. What I need to work on now are ways to make the colors choices I use more harmonious and interesting. Peg is currently working with a lot of grays, browns and blacks...very limited palette. Hard for me...I LOVE color.

This old truck was photos in Key West and I have painted it before with the bed of the truck planted in lost of wild bushes. The truck itself slowly rusting itself into the ground. It sits outside a restaurant...some old fish shanty type. I call this "The Lemon". I did use some stamping on this. But found it way too distracting for a beginner in this sort of technique. A lot of the stamps got lifted off. I also used a lot of Mr. Clean Magic Eraser to lift off the white areas. Peg's tip.

The wc canvas is very forgiving. You can wash it off and start all over if you wish.

I have two others started I'd like to work on this week while it's all fresh in my mind.

Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving.

This is the week my hubby has his second surgery to connect the deep brain stimulation to the battery operated pacemaker. Friday morning is the big day! Wish us luck.

Peg Furlin's WC on canvas workshop

We all arrived in a downpour at the Center for the Arts in Leesburg, FL for Peg's class. But by noon it was hot and sunny again!

Many there had not painted on canvas before. Peg talked alot of about using canvas. Several brands are available and they are all slightly different. Fredrix WC canvas got into the game early and have patented the name WC canvas. But there are others now: Paramount, Yes, and Edge were 3 others she mentioned. All are available in the online mail catalogs. She mentioned she gets her's at Jerry's Artarama.

I worked on two different ones. The palm tree was a 16 x 20 gallery wrapped canvas by Paramount.

And the little boat scene was an 11 x 14 YES canvas on board. The Paramount required that I scrub the surface before priming in order to reduce the "puddle" effect of the coating.

But YES canvas on board should not be scrubbed (which I did not know) as it is cheaper and the scrubbing removes all the sizing and then the watercolor "bleeds".

Lucky for me, the subject matter of the smaller painting made the "bleeding" issue just part of the watery look. I have already made some changes to the boats...adding darks and making a connection to the edge at the bottom. More photos later.

Although I have worked on canvas many times before...I learned SO much in this one day workshop.

Peg has been working a lot lately on abstracts. This was one she brought along to show. Check out Peg's website gallery for a variety of subject matter.

She will be showing in the Mt. Dora, Florida Art Show the first weekend in February.

En Plein Air again!

Our hostess today was my friend, Dawn, who has lovely home on Lake Eustis.

8 or so artists gathered there this morning starting out in overcast but ending in beautiful sunshine. Dawn gave up painting to be our hostess making chili and cornbread! Oh yum.

Despite the fact that it was 85 degrees...the chili tasted great (it IS November after all.) and a slight breeze kept the temperature just about right all day and there was SO much lovely shade from her huge trees filled with spanish moss.

We had birds calling around us all morning and butterflies galore. She says they have a wonderful huge owl who sings to them at night. The lake reflected the sky as white which is the way I painted it...but as the clouds cleared to show more blue, then more blue appeared in the water....so I am going to have to go back and touch up the water a little.

This was done in acrylic. And I haven't done anything in acrylic for many many months! Can't even remember the last thing! Surely something back in August up north!

I started with my usual orange prime coat (for tropical scenes). And I worked 16 x 20 which is really too large for en plein air!

But I just felt like working with big brushes today!

I was tired afterwards...4 hours (broken in half with lunch) on my feet in 85 degrees. I'll sleep well tonight!

Susan Lansdown 75 day sketch complete

Susan is one of our Sassy Sketchers...and since we all started together last August, we are all ending together in October!!!

Susan also sent a picture of the first substantial snow fall in Minocqua, Wisconsin (where Greg and I summer).

Susan and Leslie are "holding down the fort" until the rest of us snow birds return.

We had close to 80 today here in central FL.

A slight cool down around 70 tomorrow but back up to 80 by Monday.

I admit her yard looks more like two weeks to Thanksgiving than my yard. But I have learned to adjust!. Over the river and through the woods still applies. Just not a sleigh. We go by golf cart here!

Receiving my Artistic License!

How totally fun is this!

When the Sassy Sketcher's signed up with Brenda Swenson on her blog to do the 75 days challenge of doing a pen and ink sketch for 75 days....Brenda promised to send us a license at the completion.

SO...it came in the mail today. All the way from California to Florida!

How nice is THAT!

And all in plastic so you can carry it around and show it off. :-)

Here I am after just opening the mail today (with my studio behind me).

Check out Brenda's wonderful blog posts here.

Joan Stephens Finishes up her 75 Day Sketch Challenge

The Sassy Sketchers are gradually coming to a finish on this particular project!!!

It was great to hear from Joan (pronounced Jo-Ann) and hear that she made it through too!

The holidays are just around the corner now...can you believe it? Our art group here at Hawthorne is making plans to decorate a tree with home made ornaments and Christmas music is in the stores.

My hubby is doing well in his recovery now from surgery and will have his staples out next Thursday. We are on the count down now to Surgery Part II where they will connect now the wires to the stimulator. That will happen on Dec 2.

It is his early Christmas present!

I am busy with my art class here at the park in Florida. I have done a second pour on the watercolor...it's not look too great at this point...but I plan to carry on.

Photo to follow.

Pouring Watercolor Part I

Actually I am posting this for my November 14th watercolor class here in FL.

We are preparing to do a little pouring of watercolor ala Jean Grastorf.

Doing this in a 3 hour lesson won't be easy so I am trying to give the gals a heads up so that they not only have the proper supplies but can have paper ready and a drawing in place by the time we start next Monday.

Here is the basic supply list:

• 1/4 sheet cold press 140# wc paper, stretched.
• at least 3 clear plastic cups for color mixing
• a triad of transparent red,blue, yellow (I plan to use permanent rose, cobalt, and aurolin yellow. But there are many triads.
• a spray bottle
• plastic cloth for table
• something to catch the paint (a jelly roll pan? aluminum throw aways kinds from Publix work okay) also an old terry towel and paper towel.
• a drawing in pencil
• hair dryer
• masking fluid of your choice and some synthetic old small brushes for application
• a rubber pick up
• soap (liquid or solid)
• pencil/eraser
• tape

I am going to use one of Jean's examples from her book Pouring Light. I think we have her permission to use it for practice. If any of the class members would like to use the same drawing, I'll be happy to share the line drawing so you can trace it before class. I will bring copies to the Fine Art Meeting tomorrow morning. I am also going to put faint x's on the first layer of masking. Remember, the masking cannot go on until the paper is BONE dry. Here is a little masking demo that is pretty good (click here) but I would recommend that when using a paint brush that you wet your brush, dip it in soap or rub on a bar of soap, dip in water again and then put on the masking. It will make you brush last a LOT longer.

If you click on Jean's name above and go to her gallery you will see the drawing as a completed painting there.

You might notice in the picture that I have a "sharpened popsicle stick" in the supply photo. It is one of my favorite applicators for masking fluid!

If you have not ever stretched paper. I'd recommend you click here and look at Cheap Joe's video of how to stretch paper. (note the drawing is on it first!!!). At the end of the process, you will want to staple the paper down starting at the four corners and then in the middle of each side, and then every 3" or so. Then let it dry at least overnight before you come to class.

I think we will all have better luck with the pouring having the paper tightly secured to the board. Tune in for more art!