STREET WALKER IRIS

14" square

completed Nov. 24, 2017

Its finished. Another favorite iris which can be found in my cottage garden around mid-May each year.

Monday. I didn't have a chance to work on this painting over the weekend. Above is the latest progress image. I'm hoping to completed it in the next few days. The lower petals are pretty much done, just might need a little tweaking at the end. Now it's on to the two larger top petals. It should be done by Thanksgiving Day.
Colorfully, Sandy

November 16, 2017
Here are two more progress images.
I am in the studio around 5:30 or 6:00 a.m. many days. Those early hours are the times that I get the most work done. By 1:00 in the afternoon, I start making silly mistakes and spend the rest of the day trying to correct them! Sometimes I am reminded of the title of one of Irving Stone's books, The Agony and the Ecstasy. There are many days when I experience both of these feelings!
Just a few more days of work...I hope!

Colorfully,
Sandy

Two more progress images. On the one directly above, I painted in some of the color for the water droplets. As I proceeded in the next step, they were blended more into the over wash of the petal.
Keep watching for further progress images.

Have started another iris painting. Here are two of the progress steps, thus far. Keep coming back to see how it progresses each day!
Colorfully,
Sandy

CHAMPAGNE ELEGANCE

watercolor 14" square 

November 7, 2017
It's finished! Took much longer than I had anticipated. The areas which seemed to be the simplest proved to be those that I struggled with the most.

Why I have posted the progression steps of the painting: Throughout the past 30 years there have been many students who have asked me to show the progressions of how paintings are born. If you scroll down this blog, you will see the growth of the image from the first touches of the watercolor to the paper, right to this image. My hope is that by seeing these steps it will encourage others to try also.

One more very important thing...I could not do any of these paintings without the Lord at my side along the way. When I see what I do when I'm not aware of His presence, it's terrible. I need His help.

Progress on the iris painting. This iris is called Champagne  Elegance, one I have had for several years. As I started the painting process, I thought it would be the perfect time to add all the water-droplets as part of the background...champagne bubbles! I still have a few more days of work to go. It takes time to build up the hundreds of layers of color to achieve what I'm after.
Colorfully,
Sandy

Long day of painting. This is the progress. I had to put some of the darks in now, so that it will be easier to judge just how light or dark the other areas need to be, Better to establish this early in the process. it save a lot of trouble down the line.
Colorfully,
Sandy

I started a new painting today, of one of my irises in my garden. Irises are one of my favorite flowers and the garden has about 40 of them scattered through out the beds. This one is called Champagne Elegance...one that I've had since the late 1990s. I was able to get lots of photos of it after a storm passed through this past May. As the cold weather is starting to come (it was 31* this morning!), its time to emerge myself in this delightful late spring memory.

It took three hours to draw all the details onto the watercolor paper. This allows me to enjoy the painting process without having to be concerned about where I will place each stroke of paint. Watercolor corrections can be very difficult at times.
Colorfully,
Sandy

BUMBLE BEES

watercolor, 13 1/2" x 10"

October 19, 2017
Finally completed this small painting of the foxglove flowers from my garden. It's more a study of bumble bees than the flower. I always have many foxgloves blooming in my late spring garden. These are the favorite flowers of those large carpenter bees. They were in heaven this year! I had more than 30 stalks in bloom at one time.

BROKEN #2

Watercolor created Jan. 2017 is now on exhibit at

the Muskegon Museum of Art

September 28 – November 8, 2017 

Muskegon Museum of Art 89th Regional 

Note from the MMA Curator…

“358 artists from around Michigan submitted 691 works for jurying. 156 works from 145 artists were ultimately selected. The level of craft, conceptual content, aesthetic, ambition, and scale was amazing, and made for a significant challenge for our juror, Petra Fallaux. Last year’s show was one of the most exciting, experimental, and materially and conceptually diverse Regional exhibitions in recent history, and this year’s selection builds on this success.

The features representational and abstract painting, sculpture, ceramics, installation, printmaking, drawing, textiles and fibers, and photography covering a range of subjects. Always a something-for-everyone experience, the 89th Regional offers an increased display of artistic skill and what we hope will be some real surprises.”

 

GOTHIC PLUMS

watercolor completed today, September 16, 2017

While shooting set-up ideas of the plums I bought at the Farmer's Market, I searched my studio and the rest of our cabin, for unusual or unexpected items to use with them. I came across the poster from the Chicago Art Institute, of Grant Wood's American Gothic. This has always been one of my favorite paintings, perhaps because Grant Wood was from Iowa, neighbor to my home state of Illinois. I've been to the tiny village where his studio was, and where he taught classes.

I placed the poster behind the set-up, just for fun. The farmer (Wood's dentist)was looking sternly at me for my foolishness, while his wife (Wood's sister) looked at the plums and wondered if she was suppose to make jam with them. 

You are cordially invited to view my newest painting at

Grand Haven, MI Art Walk 2017

Grand Haven ArtWalk is an annual collaboration of artists, local businesses and members of the lakeshore community in a collective celebration of art. Artists from the local area and beyond participate in an art competition in the following categories: drawing, painting, photography, sculpture(3D) and mixed media.

ArtWalk will take place Sept. 28- Oct. 8.

My venue this year is

J. MORGAN LTD fine jewelry   located at 119 Washington Ave. in Downtown Grand Haven.

 

August 31, 2017

A FEW FAVORITE THINGS

Watercolor, 16" x 20"

These are just that, a few of my favorite things. (I can almost hear that wonderful tune from Sound of Music!) Flow-blue reminds me of the color of the Great Lakes. Blueberries...I just love! Love to paint them. Love to eat them. Love to pick them. Next in the painting is the antique Battenberg Lace tablecloth. This particular one was handmade by some dear lady more than 100 years ago. I treasure each stitch she made. The final element in the painting are the hydrangeas, with their dusty pink paper-like flowers. These are from one of my bushes, We haven't had rain for a while so those still on the bush to drying.

I hope the delight I feel for these items will give the viewer great delight also.

The painting PARROT and PEARS has won the Jeanne Haxie Memorial Award for watercolor, at the Holland Area Arts Council MI ARTS 2017 competition, Holland, MI.

The exhibition opened last evening and will be on view until November 4^th.

150 East Eighth Street, Holland, MI.