Silly Little Watercolors

Watercolor and Ink on Paper 11"x14"

For some reason I really love doing these silly little watercolor sketches in the evening. I have a variety of watercolor papers, many of excellent quality. I do use these nice papers, but I also enjoy experimenting with sketching and drawing paper. This particular drawing is done on extremely thin, dry media sketch paper. I've been liking these thin pages because of the way the paint goes on consistently, and the way I'm able to push the color around a bit before it dries. Putting watercolor on paper like this has a similar feeling as painting acrylic or ink on poster board. I wanted the scene to be of winter, use the contrast of black and white to feel sparse. At the same time, I wanted to have fun, and for me that involves color. I closed my eyes and asked myself "what would give value to the scene while incorporating the white and black?" I wanted the tree to pop and stay stark. When I opened my eyes, I knew to use red for the tree and mint green for the sky. This is usually how I make color decisions in situations like this. Consciously, I wasn't sure if the red was meant to be the highlights of the snow or the slick black of a wet bough; I just went with it and figured out along the way that the red created a color mid-ground for the white to be snow and the ink to be the wet bough, accomplishing the black and white scene that wasn't really black and white.

I can’t get over how thin the paper is. I put a scrap page under this sheet so my ultra fine sharpie wouldn't bleed through to the next page. It makes me wonder about its intended purpose; the cover states it is “a light weight sketch paper suited for classroom experimentation, practice of techniques, or quick studies with any dry media.” I thought that my mother had passed on the sketch pad at some point, but when I flipped to the front of the book, I recognize some of the sketches from a still life in a college drawing class. The notebook was meant for compositional sketches of large, time consuming projects on which I would inevitably spend sleep deprived nights. My current use for this sketchbook is such a better use of paper and time. 

Fog

I love driving east toward downtown on the Cleveland Memorial Shoreway (Route 2, or the Shoreway to locals). It is elevated and curves through the city offering really interesting views of old buildings and the lakefront. I love the cloudless and fog filled days.

The Country

My parents no longer live in the country. I think I'm going to miss the walks along their tar and chip roads. They had a white barn on their township road that a nice Amish family rented. They kept an emu, sheep, and cats on the property. Sometimes the white silo and barn were difficult to capture on a sunny day, but other times the white stood out against a cloudless sky. Adjacent to the barn is a Belgian horse farm. The property overlooked a valley, always guaranteeing beautiful sunsets, picturesque fog, and pools of lightening bugs in early summer.

Peacock

The Prince Acrylic on Canvas 3' x 3'

This is another painting for my bedroom. I love peacocks as they are regal and jewel toned. I have a thing for gold paint. This particular canvas is pretty large. I really haven't found the right home for it, but it now hangs on my wall facing my bed.

New, Old Watercolor

Eugenia--Watercolor

While decorating my bedroom, I channeled an eclectic art deco vibe, rich with jewel tones and vintage magazine cover prints. I wanted my bedroom to be timeless, like a snapshot from any point in the 20th or 21st centuries, as if the occupant brings back tokens from her frequent travels. I tried to integrate original work that had a golden, rich tone to evoke the visual and cultural richness of a different era; I wanted something that appeared as though it could have been picked up at a flea market along the way. I toyed with a few different watercolors, but in the end I settled on this watercolor illustration. I like to pretend it is a portrait done on the fly in the 1920's by a young artist, looking to catch the eye of a  potential benefactor who wore a long string of jade beads.

First Snow

Like most artists, I am inspired by the elements. Changes in season, light, temperature, or even a gusty wind move me. Yesterday we saw the first snowfall of the season. It was light, and at first I was the only one of my friends who spotted the tiny flakes. The flurries grew stronger, but we never even saw a dusting. These are photos from last winter. I took them all on my iPhone while on walks around Lakewood, Ohio.

Psychedelic Buffalo

Buffalo Burt--Acrylic on Canvas

I was feeling creative one night but wasn't sure what to paint. I asked a friend "what do you want me to paint you?" He responded, "I don't know. A psychedelic buffalo." He said he'd be over in a couple of hours. I said I'd have something for him by then.

My Apartment

I have a large bay window in my Tudor style apartment. I selected my apartment because of the window's"wow factor." I'd been looking for a place with a faux fireplace because of all the vignettes you can create with the mantle. But the large bay window facing the front door is a statement itself. I knew I'd made the right decision the first time someone walked in and said "Wow!" I sometimes find myself inspired by the way the afternoon light slinks through the blinds or white sheers I use as drapes.