TO BREAK THE SPELL, BREAK OUT A MEDIUM, THAT ISN'T YOU.
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| Stepped Street Scene #1, Watercolor |
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| Stepped Street Scene X 2, Watercolor |
The first pass was the best--even though I thought it was too busy. My second pass may not be finished? I have a desire to go back in once it's dry and add details with pastel pencil. The exercise was simply to get me doing something--anything--with paint. I like to splash around with water. (Odd that I'm Capricon; you'd think I was Pisces).
Watercolor always comes to mind because I like playing color wet into wet. Neither painting took a lot of time. I have no patience for drying. Both were my spontaneous reaction to a photo I clipped out of my most favorite
magazine: Tauck Tours. I have no idea where this place is in Europe, but the black blob on the right looks like a charming cafe that Ellis and I would adore. Walking the stairs down to the sea? I don't know?
Well, it's not Holland, we are flat! :) I love your splashing water and paint around! I love the bold colors!
ReplyDeleteI'm the first to admit I am not a watercolorist Judy. But I do like splashing color. It's exhilarating and sometimes you get something and sometimes you don't. There's no happy accidents in these two, but I had a good time and I was painting. That's the objective.
DeleteI think it is a great start of "getting started". I should try other mediums, but not sure how I will do it my way, so I haven't started on it yet.
ReplyDeleteNo Roger, you can't think about stepping out of your comfort zone like that. The idea is to just play and see if the medium suits you or it doesn't. I have pastels around the studio--charcoal, colored pencil, watercolors, oils and acrylics. I have an oil portrait of my three guys on the easel that I haven't touched in weeks; it has potential. It's good for a second attempt at the genre, which I find very demanding. And for some odd reason,I have not refurbished my acrylics, the medium I've used for years. Letting my stock fall to almost nothing tells me something. I think I have opted for oils, but am still unsure of myself--even though I used them well years ago. I really do like the finished surface of the oil painting. That's the work I'm looking to get back to. I also would like to do that figurative portrait of my grandson--not really as a portrait of him, the likeness isn't really important--but, as a portrait of a young boy feeling his oats. It was his posturing in that photograph that excited me. So, to move me to squeeze out those oils onto the palette and put on my serious face, I'm just playing around till I get to the point of #$&% my fear of failure. Then life will return to normal. That point is close. These watercolors are horrendous compared to the other beautiful work you and I see everyday as we visit our blog buddies' sites.BUT I PAINTED THEM. The short of it is: don't be afraid to play and do stuff below your standards Roger. Art is fun.
DeleteSort of Spanish or Italian? It's got the feel of the Mediterranean about it: the colours and light. The first looks like it has mountains in the distance and the second is stepping on down to the sea.
ReplyDeleteNow your back on the move there will be no stopping you!
Yes, I think so. I do love Italy. The Italians have such a simpatico lifestyle. Civilized. They don't run themselves ragged as we do in the states. My visit to Italy was one of the most memorable trips we took. We didn't do it like tourists--hop off here to see this, go there to see that, always on a time schedule--we strolled at our own pace. We went to Borghese Gardens and had an ice cream cone by the side of the lake. Ellis bought me violets. We saw the antiquities we wanted to see and thought if we missed something, we'll come back. Maybe that's why this scene struck me as paintable? It's time to go back. We never did see the Sistine Chapel; the cardinals were having a meeting. What luck!
DeleteI think I am on the move back to the easel and my three guys. It took me a long time to do that first portrait in oils. Why shouldn't it take me a long time to do this one? Why shouldn't I feel apprehensive about starting another using JD's pose? I should. I haven't finished the one I started. And I have no idea what I'm doing. I'm feeling my way. You wouldn't want me to design a new kitchen would you? How about a bathroom? Need an addition? That's were my confidence spills over.
Cara Linda,tradurre da italiano in inglese a volte è terribile,altre volte è divertente.Ti scrivo in italiano ed incrocio le dita per il senso del discorso!
ReplyDeleteHai dipinto acquarelli pieni di colore e di gioia.Anche io mi diverto quando uso il colore bagnato su bagnato a vedere come i colori reagiscono sul foglio.Dipingere per me è una azione-gioia, mi fa passare tutto... anche il maldischiena.Bello dialogare,sul tuo blog,Linda, tra due continenti,con orari differenti,su un argomento così sentito come la ricerca del proprio linguaggio artistico.
Ti auguro(con pittura o senza)buona domenica!Rita.
I'm sorry Rita. I spoke too soon. Google translation has let me down and I can't translate your comment. Google will only do 150 words--or maybe the dialogue box said characters? It has translated more than that before, so I'm hoping it's a temporary glitch. In the meantime, I will shop another translation app. I'll get back to you.
DeleteBeautiful watercolors, and with much feeling! You are inspiring!
ReplyDeleteCasey you are a sweet man. Thank you. The feeling is there. The skill leaves a lot to be desired. If I'm inspiring, it because I don't mind banging my head against the wall to figure something out:-))
DeleteWell I love #1 just as it is! This is an excellent painting - no matter that it did not take long to do. I need to try a purely wet-on-wet like this (I've been meaning to).
ReplyDeleteYou always belittle your watercolor skills, but I've seen a great many watercolorists that don't hold a candle to you.
Finally - how did you get the colors to be so bold?! I am so frustrated with watercolor; they are never as bright as I want. I finally had 5 hours straight I could sit in front of an easel and I did an acrylic, and it pops without trying. (Unfortunately afterwards I noticed a major flaw, so it needs some fixing before it is posted.)
I just post haphazardly what I'm up to. My objective is to be up to something and posting regularly keeps me up to something.
DeleteThe first painting is okay by chance. The second one is no longer. I washed it out and will reuse the paper today.
I belittle my watercolors Dan, because I'm surrounded out here by expert watercolorist who really love the medium and are experts in handling it. Wet into wet is about all I like to do--maybe just a little tweaking when it dries--but that's really seldom. By the time the painting dries, I'm into another. I've labored over some in an effort to understand how the medium works and what you can do with it, but it was laborious and I usually ended up destroying the finish of the paper.
I get bright clear colors, because I do very little mixing on the palette. The colors come from the tubes and mix themselves on the wet, but not sopping, surface. That technique came about from how I blend acrylics: up to three loaded brushes with different colors in one hand, (and one sometimes between my teeth), spray bottle in the other, canvas on the floor.
You're right. watercolors are not as vivid as acrylics; It's one of the reasons I do prefer acrylics. For me, watercolors are entertainment. A day off. Charcoal too. Markers also. Oils,no. Acrylics, no. Pencil, a big no.
I LOVE the first one, Linda!! A beautiful watercolor with wonderful rich colors!!!
ReplyDeleteLove is a strong word Hilda. Like,better. It did look well matted. Fun was the truth. I do have fun when I play in the water with colors.
DeleteThese are charming; they evoke a sunny hot place very well.
ReplyDeleteNot good enough. I think today I'll zero in on the little cafe that made me take an interest in the photograph--the one I made a big black blob:-))
DeleteTwo beautiful watercolors ..love the bright, bold colors...specially the first one really appeals to me , and I don't think it is too busy at all, gives a lot of interest and perspective with the people.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jane. It was nice to have a brush in hand again. I don't have much patience with watercolor, so the wet into wet is my favorite way to work the medium. I'm like a kid. I love to see the colors run together and I do very little control with q-tips and paper toweling.
DeleteJust a note to echo some of the other comments. Your first picture is a fine painting that would grace any wall.
ReplyDeleteYes Mick, the first is finished and looking at it matted, I saw it had decorative value. The second I washed out after I posted it. I could have filled in the details, but one of those was enough.
DeleteThink I'm missing from your sidebar ...or are you ignoring me :0))
ReplyDeleteSomething I said? :0)
Look again dear John. You're the fifth one down today at this time. I would never exclude any of my followers from my sidebar; you're all my art gang: The Gang of A Hundred, as of yesterday when JJ became my hundredth follower. ( I was waiting and waiting to break into the three digit class).
DeleteJJ is a writer of substance, unlike myself who writes prattle. You would like his site. He posted about the Kon Tiki. Do you recall that book? I remember loving it, but none of the details of the sea voyage. JJ refreshed my memory enough to make me want to reread the book. His posts are very well written. He's got a lot of followers.
About followers. Do you know that none of my "friends" that I see socially follow me? When I mention my blog, they all look at me like I'm an oddball. (They play cards three times a week). I am disappointed in them. They've proved what I always knew. There is no such thing as unconditional friendship. Common interests are what pulls us together and holds us together. Those change, it's all over. Our friendships lack real intimacy. That was not true when we were children. I had two intimate friends, both women passed away way too young. I miss them. As for FB. It's a place to go see what your grandchildren, nieces and nephews are up to.
With one question, you get me started running off at the keypad. I enjoy that about you John. Plus you like history.
That first scene is a beauty, Linda - such warm,rich glazes! And I agree, NO stairs.
ReplyDeleteI'm listening. You know more than me. Thanks. I keep trying.
DeleteThe top one, as you said, has more decorative appeal because it is more explicit, but both have freshness of color and atmosphere that is watercolor at its best. I enjoyed the back and forth dialog with Roger Dan and john - great stuff!!
ReplyDeleteLoving your work and your blog.
Linda!
ReplyDeleteLove that you have been "Splashing Around"! Nice! Great color, movement and magic!
Take care.
Michael
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