Next painting in "Memories of Venice" series

During the last few weeks, I have just been experimenting with various papers without working on a larger painting.Today, I realized that after such a hiatus, I felt nervous about committing to what
I call " an attempt at  a painting worth framing". I am very good at procrastinating, so to avoid looking for excuses, here goes: I am posting the picture that I will use as inspiration....there is no turning back after this:-)

Some of you may recognize a portion of this picture that I used a while back for "Springtime in Venice". It is a picture that I took last April during my two-week stay in Venice. It is another Venetian facade to add to my series of "Memories of Venice"watercolors if the painting turns out ok.

I hope that my blogging friends are not getting too tired of these Venetian facades.For me, the main attraction of this scene is the opportunity to play with colorful shadows ( from the shutters and the plants). The smooth portions of the wall should also be great for pouring, my favorite technique.

I have finished the sketch and have used Pebeo masking fluid to keept my whites and main highlights.

Hopefully, after work this week, I won't be too tired to start the first pours.
I am using Arches 140 lb CP, my old faithful, and the painting will be approximately 15" X 20 ".

Wishing you a great Sunday.

Another experiment with 300lb Hot Pressed Watercolor Paper

Two posts ago, I communicated the results of my first experiment with 300lb Hot Pressed Fabriano watercolor paper. I was not pleased at all with my experience - I felt that I had no control over the paint. However, many artists love this paper - I was obviously doing something wrong. Yesterday, I gave this paper another try. The results may not be too great, but this time I actually had fun painting on this paper. I used less water, I lifted paint with a tissue, I created texture with  paper towels, with salt. and with a sponge.
As inspiration, I used another of my photos from last year's trip to Venice.  Here is the photo:

I cropped the picture and painted only a part of it on a 11"X14" Fabriano HP. The paving stones did not come out the way I intended, but I am fairly happy with the two silhouettes.

I think I need a break from my experimenting and will go back to my old faithful, Arches 140 lb CP watercolor paper before I forget how to paint on it.

Have a great day.

Experiment #2- Arches 300 lb Cold Pressed Paper

Last week, I painted a quick sketch on Fabriano 300lb Hot Pressed paper that I was using for the first time. You can read in one of my previous posts that I was not totally enchanted by that paper. However, I will try it one of these days for a floral watercolor.

In my search for that perfect watercolor paper that would not need any taping or stapling and still would not buckle, I purchased some Arches 300 lb CP  paper. Today, I redid last week's sketch of a Venetian balcony:  I spent about the same amount of time on the painting and used very similar colors.

What is the verdict? Have I found the perfect paper for ME? Let's see...
The Arches 300 lb CP is very sturdy - I don't think I would have to stretch it even for my pours. It seems to be quite forgiving and allow some lifting of the wet paint without damage to the paper. I like that! This paper gives me more control over the flow of the paint than the 300 lb HP Fabriano. It reacted beautifully to the use of the salt technique....better than the Fabriano and better than the Arches 140lb CP. However, the paper is more heavily textured than the Arches 140lb...so much more that I went back and checked my bill to ensure that I had not bought Rough paper instead of the CP. This texture does have an impact on the application of the paint...drybrush effects are very easy to produce...even when that is not quite what you want to do:-)
The paint dries much lighter on this paper because of its blotting effect ....you have to use more paint.

Do I prefer this paper over my regular Arches 140lb CP? Certainly not...at least I am not used to it enough to prefer it over my old standby. I like the sturdiness of this paper, but I have not succeeded, at least in this first experiment, to achieve the luminous quality that I can sometimes get with the 140lb.

I still have over 3/4 of a sheet of this expensive 300 lb paper...I will certainly experiment some more with it. , but may not use it for my next larger painting.

Any comments about this paper and tips about the best ways to use it?

Laundry Day in Venice is still popular at Red Bubble's

My Laundry Day in Venice placed in the top ten in a Red Bubble challenge in the group The Other Side of Italy". There were not very many entries in this challenge, but I am still pleased. 

I have started to experiment with the 300lb Arches CP and I will report this weekend on my observations. Have a great Saturday.

Experiment with hot pressed watercolor paper

This year I want to try new watercolor products and techniques. I usually always use Arches Cold Pressed 140lb watercolor paper and have decided to try other types of paper.

Today, I experimented with 300 lb Fabriano Hot Pressed paper. This paper has no texture whatsoever - it reminds me of certain matboards. The paint flows very well on this very smooth surface - perhaps too well for me! You can lift the paint fairly easily, but I found that any scubbing damaged the surface of the paper. Salt technique worked moderately well to create texture, although it takes a long time for the paint under the salt to dry. I really like the feel of that paper once painted.  However, after painting on it for about 30 minutes, I had  reached the conclusion that this paper did not suit me: it does not offer me enough control and the paint seems to float too much on the surface.  However, to be fair to it, I should try it again - maybe for a floral watercolor. The sketch below of a Venetian balcony is the result of today's experiment. After this disappointment, I went out this afternoon and splurged on a sheet of Arches 300 lb cold press....I can't wait to try this new surface. Any comments or advice?

Beautiful gift from R.H. Carpenter

  Around Xmas, I was the lucky winner of one Rhonda Carpenter's generous give-aways. I have just received from Rhonda a beautiful package. It contains an assortment of little treasures: hand made watercolor papers, samples of Strathmore Artist Trading Cards paper, stickers with paintings from my favorite artist, Monet. Most of all, the package contained the beautiful painting below by Rhonda: :"Tufted TitMouse". It is gorgeous and I will frame it this weekend. Thank you so much, Rhonda. I will treasure all of these and I am so happy to be starting my collection of R.H. Carpenter originals!

Venetian Street -Almost finished- WIP

I consider this watercolor almost done. I may come back to this painting - I still have some work to do to differentiate the left hand side of the far building from the sky seen between the building; the first balcony needs to be straightened out etc...I took the picture below tonight with a flash - so the colors may not be quite exact.  Under glass, this painting really does not look too bad - the eye is really attracted to the light at the end of the street. At the moment, I feel like painting something new...I may give that 300lb HP Fabriano a try.
Have a great week everyone.

Venetian Street: Second Update -WIP

I have worked some more on my Venetian Street watercolor and have posted the progress picture below. As you can see, I have removed all of the masking and the contrast between darks and light are more visible especially at the end of the alley. The side walls, windows and balconies are also coming along. I like this painting better now, but there still remains quite a bit of work to be done.

Venetian street- first update

I have started to work on the painting inspired by the picture I showed in my previous post: a Venetian street.

The painting is at a very ugly stage. I see several errors: some  that I will do my best to fix ( such as the perspective of the bridge), others that I will have to live with. I don't think that I will be very happy with the results - it looks rather messy to my eye.

I used my usual Arches, 140lb CP half-sheet. During the weekend, I purchased a sheet of Fabriano 300lb hot pressed. I have never used this type of paper. I am very tempted to start this painting over using that paper to see if I prefer the effect. Any comments about this Fabriano paper?

More fun and publicity on Red Bubble

My recent painting Springtime in Venice was chosen as the cover image for the current Works on Paper group challenge on the Red Bubble site. Thank you again, Red Bubble for all the great publicity!
This is a fun-type of challenge where the top winners are chosen by fellow artists. The Prizes? Usually just the fun of participating and the thrill of winning.

I have been looking through my hundreds of Venice pictures and trying to decide on which one to use as my next inspiration. Here is one that has a lot of potential...Nice contrast of light and shadows, nice architectural details. I know that I will paint this one day.

Finding one's own style

Do you have a distinct painting style? Can you describe it without hesitation? Does it reflect your personality and is it really you?

I am still looking for mine. I think that I often confuse personal painting style with favorite painting techniques. I enjoy pouring techniques using some initial masking;I try to let colors blend on the paper as I did in the painting below, Venetian Guardian. Does that describe my style?
Last night, for the third time, I watched Nick Simmons video, Innovative Media, and kept telling myself: that's how I like to paint. But then, I read about Sandy Maudlin's batik techniques, and say: " That's how I would like to paint". I suppose that these are proofs that I am still searching for my own style and am letting others influence me too much.

One of my goals for 2010 is to try to be really "me" in everything I paint.
What are your artistic resolutions for the New Year?

"Springtime in Venice" featured on Red Bubble

I was very pleased to find out that my watercolor below,  Springtime in Venice, was featured this week in the "Art at its best" on the Red Bubble site.

For all of you who celebrate Christmas, I wish you a joyful and peaceful Xmas Eve.

Throwing paint around for the first time in a month

I had not painted in over a month, but today I decided to finally get back to my art and throw some paint around. My, it felt so good even though I felt I had forgotten everything I knew about watercolor.
I want to thank all of you, my dear blogging friends,  who sent me such nice messages these last few weeks as I mended my shoulder, cured my cold and tried to repair my computer.
The following, inspired by the Venice picture in the previous post, is a quick painting on a half sheet of Arches 140 lb. cold pressed. "Spring is here!"

Pinched nerve and new feature

I have not painted all week because of pain in my shoulder and arm...I am treating it as a pinched nerve, but I suppose that I should let my doctor decide what the cause is:-) I went to work all week and grimaced my way through meetingsa... Nevertheless, I have chosen a few of my next watercolor projetcts.

As a study for a potential larger painting, I want to paint the Venetian windows and shutters from a picture I took last April. The scene will provide me with the opportunity to work with interesting cast shadows again; the plants hanging from the windowsill will be a challenge for me since I usually stay away from foliage of all kinds:-)

On another note, I was quite pleased to see that my "Laundry Day in Venice" continues to attract attention on the Red Bubble site. It was featured yesterday in The Featured Features Group- only the artworks already selected as a feature in another group can qualify for entry or feature selection in this group. The moderator stated:"Many of these images evoked strong emotional responses in me. All very special in their own way." I dont' think that my ":Laundry Day..." would be one of the artworks evoking a strong emotional response"...


I wish you all a great Sunday!

Pictures from my vacation

I am back from a wonderful week in Maine, right beside the Atlantic. What a great way to forget about work!
Long walks on the beach, breathing in that pure sea air:

Listening to the deafening sounds of the waves against the rocks: 

There were still some flowers in bloom...I had brought a winter coat:-)

I painted wonderful watercolors in my head ...but none on paper. One rainy afternoon, I pushed paint around for about 30 minutes and tried to get juicy colors through mingling on paper like Anne Abgott in her book "Daring Color". I ended up with whimsical pears a four-year old could be proud of :-)

 Meanwhile, upon checking on my Red Bubble site, I was pleased to see that my  Venetian Guardian had placed in the top ten in one of the recent Art challenges on that site.

I was back at work today with no time for dreaming about painting. However, I have 2-3 projects lined up and hopefully will get them started tomorrow night.

Good night everyone!

Time off and update

I am finally getting some belated "summer vacation":-) I will be away from work until next Tuesday. I thought that I would be doing a lot of painting, but so far, have only played a bit with paint. Last night, I tried Yupo for the first time...the results looked like a kindergarden finger painting:-) but it was fun. I will certainly go back to it. I did nost post it:-)

I was pleased to see that my Laundry Day in Venice was featured on the Red Bubble 
site.

I have recently joined the Ottawa Art Association ...a nice step forward for me in acknowledgeing the importance of my art in my life. I intend to be a very active member. I entered my watercolor painting (see above), Serenity,  in their current show in a great venue, the Ottawa Little Theatre.  The quality of  the work by many of the members is simply extraordinary. Next month, the OAA has a Members' Awards Show and , just for the fun of it, I would like to enter one of my Venice paintings. I am hesitating between my Blue Venetian Door Only in Venice and my latest Laundry Day in Venice...any suggestions?

"Laundry Day in Venice" finished

I have finally put my "Laundry Day in Venice" ( tentative title:-) aside for a while. It is probably finished although I have not signed it yet.

I have added some spatter on the lower left wall and also in the water; I added some shadows in the windows and around the door.I followed the suggestion of using an exacto knife to scrape the clothesline; somehow, I could not get it to show up very much and finally did add some white gouache.

I took the next picture inside with a flash, so the colors are not quite right. These days it is dark when I leave in the morning to go to work and it's dark by the time I get home.

I am going through my files and my pictures to find a nice, easy, relaxing painting project.

Thank you all to the encouragement throughout this process.

Unexpected Award. Thank you!

Cindi of One Part Water, Three Parts Color
 surprised me this week with a Kreativ Blogger award. What a thrill and a honor! I first met Cindi through Painting Friends and was amazed and completely charmed by her warmth, super sense of humor, the versatility of her talent and her endless energy. That she chose me as one of the Kreative Blogger award recipients means a lot to me.

As per this award tradition, I mus now tell the world 7 things that you may not know about me. Here goes:

1. I used to be a ( part-time) professional handweaver and regularly painted  hundreds, thousands of silk threads before putting them on the floor loom. This makes me either very patient or rather insane:-)
2. I am married and have a grown-up daughter and a son at University.
3. I worked as a high school teacher for many, many, many years.
4. I currently have a full-time government job, but try to paint or do something related to painting every day.
5. I have just recently discovered blogging and love it!
6. My favorite color is purple.
7. I love animals, but have never tried to paint them.

Thanks again Cindi!

I have now passed this award to seven artists I admire. There are so many, that this will be tough...I also don't want to repeat the names chosen by Cindi:-)I understand that some of the seven may not be able to accept this award: space on their blog, time constraints and so on. This is quite ok. Just know that I admire your work.

I would love to be able to give 7 more! There are so many of you out there who encourage me and inspire me every day!
Christiane

Update 4: Almost done

This latest picture was taken with a flash and does not represent the colors 100% accurately.

I have done the ironwork ( tougher than I thought:-), have removed all the masking, added clothespins for a few dots of color. I still have to put in the clothesline - will probably use white acrylic for that - and all the finishing details especially around the whites where the masking was.

From a distance, this painting is quite nice:-) . I am getting tired of looking at it though and I am looking forward to painting something quite simple next.

Humble Venetian Door -Update 3

The "Humble Venetian Door" is humbling me, I fear. :-)
I hope that some of you are still following my slow progress. This is Thanksgiving weekend in Canada: I really hope to finish this WIP by tomorrow.

I have greyed down some of the pinks and yellows on the facade, I have done some work on the water, the dark background beyond the ironwork. The cool pink on the left-hand side is still attracting too much attention and I also have to decide how I will tackle the ironwork.

Lessons learned so far: what really attracted me to the reference picture was the shadow of the laundry and the door - I don't think they stand out that much in this painting...perhaps I should have zoomed in a bit more on those two elements; I should have spent more time on the composition and placed the laundry shadow less on the edge of the paper.

This is art and not simple production; with every work, we should move forward in some way or at least express ourselves in a new creative way. Reproducing what we have already mastered is not art....Making mistakes, not achieving perfection, is part of the journey... My, I am good at justifying my errors :-)