Next Workshop: 23 April

Don't be like this Krazy Koi here and miss out on a fun Saturday workshop with me in Big Spring! It will be 23 April from 9-4 pm, at 2106 Scurry at my Brushworks Studio. Email me 1971ks@att.net to sign up and send in your deposit no later than 9 April 2011.

Hearts Afire

This full sheet 30x22 on Arches 140 CP was started last week at Doug's class then I worked again on it this weekend, using alcohol to remove paint on its stamped areas of white latex acrylic. The inner heart area is the original nonobjective underpainting using pink, black, and yellow.

Persimmons on a Pillow

Here's my acrylics on wrapped canvas started last week in Doug Walton's class then finished a few days ago. I think Doug wanted it to be total abstraction but I need to have some semblance of reality within a composition. From my photo of Asian persimmons given to me by Rose, Vietnamese nail technician, setting on top of a pillow cover I photographed them in many different views. Pillow covers were made in India and have pearls, braid, ribbon, lace, embroidery, silk, cotton, etc. and make excellent backgrounds using simple fruit and/or other still life items. Size is 24x20; photo was horizontal but was in such a hurry I drew the fruit with a brush in acrylic vertically. Canvas was textured using white acrylic stamping with bubble wrap, let dry, then paint applied very thin in spots, and wiped off in others.

Pancho and Lefty AFTER version

Here are Pancho and Lefty perched on their tree limb. I did use Liquitex acrylics on parts of the birds and watercolor on the rest, reworking the top left background with American Journey's Orchid and Periwinkle Blue. Other areas used Mint Julep. I hope this version is a much improved one!

Demo Step 2 - Laying in the major shapes

In this cropped detail you can see I've continued working down both parrots' bodies. I probably will have to use acrylics to lay in the colors strongly enough as this is too transparent in parts.

Demo Step 1 Line Drawing

A line drawing of two parrots was done over the old watercolor using white Conte pastel. The red macaw's head was begun on the right, letting the figurine's sombrero sit atop his head.

Demo Pancho and Lefty BEFORE

15x22 still life with Mexican boy ceramic figurine in a Talavera bowl of fresh limes and tomatoes, watercolor on Saunders 140 lb paper. This one never quite looked right. Title of this was "Mexican Food".

Demo at Colorado City TX

Me on the left painting a reworked watercolor while visitors and guests watched this morning at Studio 20, Colorado City, TX. Stay tuned while I post pix of turning a bowser into a wowser...

Green Wicker Chair with Geraniums

20x26 watercolor on Yupo medium weight synthetic paper. Painted over the weekend off and on, this patio scene is saying Spring! pretty loud and clear. I've done this old warped wicker chair many times in many mediums but not on Yupo.

First Day of Spring!

Hello out there in Blogger-Land! It is the first day of spring! That is what this painting's title is. With the yellow forsythia blooming the daffs are following closely. My peony is sprouting its reddish shoots and the hydrangeas already have their buds going showing that delightful yellowgreen hue. Enjoy the day everybody! Time to drive to Odessa for the art association meeting...

Flirty Flamingos

15x22 watercolor over a failed geranium painting. This fun scene is one of many of my old dogs redone into something else, reworked or recycled to make a better piece of art. On Saturday, March 26, in Colorado City you can watch me create another one! Join us at Studio 20!

Downtown Dust Storm

15x22 gouache on Arches 140 lb rough paper, Winsor Newton Designer paints. Buildings are in downtown Kerrville, Fredericksburg, and Big Spring, TX. This composite was fun to do. A lone cowboy walks towards old, closed down stores and banks while the sand swirls about him. Where is he going and what is he looking for? A woman? A saloon?

The Art Colony Blog now on Artist's Magazine Blog!

Check it out on The Artist's Magazine blog, a published letter Jane Freeman wrote to them about all of us who comprise the Colony:

http://artistsblog.artistsnetwork.com/2011/03/15/ComingTogetherJaneFreemanInHerOwnWords.aspx

Lil Critters

15x22 watercolor on Arches 140 lb rough paper, American Journey, Daniel Smith, DaVinci paints. This painting used 3 different references; animals were from WetCanvas ref image library, and coneflowers are mine. I combined all into a woodland scene totally imaginary. Is the kid about to disturb the fox kits or are they oblivious to the goat?

You can see a work in progress (WIP) of this painting by visiting The Art Colony blog:

http://artcolony.blogspot.com/

At the Chisholm Trail Heritage Exhibition

Since Thursday, I was happily motoring my way upstate past Wichita Falls to Duncan, Oklahoma where Vernita Bridges Hoyt and I were in an art exhibition. Sponsored by the Chisholm Trail Heritage Center museum, she and I along with 5 other artists were featured. The town of Duncan sits right on the famous western trail where cowboys herded their steers from south Texas to Abilene, Kansas.

Artists of the Chisholm Trail each have work featured on our blog of the same name that you can visit here

Our show lasts through 30 April 2011.

Fishing for Compliments

From a loose acrylics abstraction to a vertical goldfish, 13x10 on Crescent matboard. This took 10 minutes to do the abstract and a few minutes to draw in colored pencil, then an hour to paint its background water and seaweed in Liquitex paints.

Ranunculus with Garden Tools

15x22 watercolor on handmade rough paper, 140 lb cold press, of a handful of pink and yellow rununculus with scissors, fork, glove, and one of my old watering cans.

Chisholm Trail Exhibit Opens Today

Our Chisholm Trail artists work opens today in Duncan, Oklahoma with a wine and cheese reception this Thursday evening as noted. Please join us in our first exhibition along the famous cattle trail.

Bloomsday

15x22 watercolor on Italia Acquerello 140 cold press paper of my old antique watering can surrounded by happy faces of the sherbet-hued pansies. Just waiting to be planted and watered, so I call this one "Bloomsday". Have a

bright Spring everybody!!!

Tulips Demo: "Petal Pushers" finished!

The final step, the last few green leaves, another dark magenta bloom in the foreground, the cast shadows on the wall and old oil are done. It is good to be completed and plan the next one. I hope those of you learning to paint in this medium have gained some insight into how I work and the intended effect of freshness and spontaneity.

Thanks for joining in, and a special thank you to the Splash girls in Noonday and Tyler for following along.
(Shhhhhh....don't tell anyone but these flowers are fake! Yep, they are silk)

Tulips Demo step 20

With the last tulip done in pinks (Taylor's Flamingo + permanent rose), the bulbs are done. Now to finish up the foliage using yellows and blues to mix different greens, placing light against dark and dark to light.

Tulips Demo step 19

It is time to fill in the leaves below and the remaining tulip after doing the orangey red one above that sits in bottom half of the old oil. I did do a light blue green glaze over the back wall again.

Tulips Demo step 18

Now that the three tulips pointing towards the old oil painting are done, here's a close up detail of them. Earlier I did add a vertical line for a shadow on the oil's frame.