Still focusing on Watercolor

Christ Church - 5x7 - Watercolor - 2015

Still focusing on watercolor this week.   I bought a small 5x7 pad and love doing the small studies.   If nothing else maybe I'll get to the point where I can use watercolor as a under painting.   I'm still using my small palette and a limited color palette (around 6 colors).  

Richard McKinley Webinar

On Tuesday, November 24, 2015 there was a webinar by Richard McKinley sponsored by Artist Network online events.    Richard McKinley is coming to the Southeastern Pastel Society Members Exhibit in 2016 as in a workshop.   I can't wait to attend because I've heard so much about him from Karen Margulis.   I love his pastel painting.  

When I saw the webinar notice on email, I jumped on it.    He talked about Alla Prima Painting.  Perfect for plein air painting.   It means "all at once".   So rather than painting one subject at a time, he worked the entire painting all at once.    He discussed in detail materials and supplies and led the group through set up techniques, thumbnail sketches, composition, drawing in shapes and breaks it.   I loved the break it section.   It is a way to blend your pastel by "Make it - Break it - Make it".   A good way to look at how to eliminate the artificial edges that sometimes pop up in paintings.

He also did an entire section on pastel impasto.   I've never used the gesso but have experimented with various underpinnings.   I want to try the application of gesso and use of a fixative to build up layers and texture.

He also talked about final touches.  He uses ph neutral black tape to mask off edges of his painting.   This allows him to step back and see the painting more objectively.   Then he adds final darks and looks at final color detail and adding a few little accents.

He has a book and new video they were promoting.   I have several of his products and would highly recommend them.   I took a photo of his pastel box on the computer screen.   Wish I could keep mine this organized!!!

Revisiting Watercolor

Christ Church - 5x7 - Watercolor - 2015

With all the great photos of St. Simons Island, it is hard to decide where to start!   I decided to revisit watercolor with the reference photo of Christ Church.   I've been waking up at 6:00 or 6:30 a.m. for years.   Several weeks ago, I turned on the TV(which is not my usual behavior)!   I decided I didn't want to get up and I'd explore CREATE network.   I love this channel!   Jerry Yarnell was doing watercolor on his show Paint This.    He was like a magician working with the watercolors.   He has an online course that I'm considering.    When I first started painting in 2010, I signed up for a watercolor class.   The instructor had to cancel the class and I search for another opportunity.  I found a pastel class and with few exceptions I've been painting pastel ever since.   But........I always seem to come back to watercolor.   The set up is so easy I think I'll start doing some practice each day on small watercolors.    I'm also going to paint this is pastel.   I wanted it to be my Christmas card this year but I'm not sure I can pull that off in time.  

Monet, Picasso and Van Gogh and Me

Monet, Picasso, Van Gogh and Me!!

This was a fun project.   I had myself painting the trio and wanted to use Van Gogh in the background but decided better that he be the one painting our portrait!!

Painting with my Alter Ego and Artist Friends!!

Painting with my Alter Ego and My Artist Friends

Our assignment for this week was to create an Alter Ego photo.   Who would we be in another time, where would we be and what would we be doing?    For me I just had to be a "split personality"!    I'm painting my artist friends "myself, Monet and Picasso."   In Monet's garden no less!!   What fun that would be to walk and talk with these great artist and to sit and paint with them.

Plein Air Painting at St. Simon Island with Albert Handell

Janet Deal & Tim Everhart at St. Simon Island

One of the fun things about painting is meeting interesting people.   I was quietly painting one afternoon on St. Simon Island by the marsh.   A voice behind me said "that's beautiful"!   I turned around to meet Tim Everhart.    Tim was staying in a home across from the marsh and he said he had been enjoying the marsh every day for a month.   He asked to buy my painting.    I said yes but I'd have to wait until the end of the week since I was in a painting class and I needed it for my critique session on Friday night.   He agreed and we met Saturday morning to make the exchange.  He was a nice young man who lives in Cartersville, GA.   A connection since my daughter and son in law lived for a long time in that area.   Nice to know your paintings get a good home!

Albert Handel at the easel in the studio at Epworth by the Sea, St. Simon Island

What a wonderful opportunity to study painting with a talented artist.   Albert Handell is 78 years old this year and has been painting since he was a teenager.   He led a painting and mentoring workshop at Epworth by the Sea on St. Simon Island November 8 - 14, 2015.   He does a workshop on the island every other year.   Can't wait until his next visit.   We painted in the studio one day because of rain but every other day was on location somewhere on the island.   Painting plein air is great fun.
Each day we painting morning and afternoon and had a critique each evening.

Janet Deal painting by the marsh on St. Simon Island

Golden Marsh - 12x18 - Pastel - 2015 - SOLD

Untitled 1 - Plein Air - St. Simon Island - 12x18 - Pastel - 2015

Untitled 2 - Plein Air - St. Simon Island - 12x18 -Pastel - 2015

Untitled 3 - Plein Air - St. Simon Island - 9x12 - Pastel - 2015

Untitled 4 Plein Air - St. Simon Island - Epworth by the Sea - 9x18 - Pastel - 2015

Untitled 5 Studio - St. Simon Island - Epworth by the Sea - 9x18 - Pastel - 2015

Typography Self Portrait in Adobe Illustrator

Typography Self Portrait - Illustrator - 2015

One of the fun things about going back to school is the challenge of learning new things.   I love technology but would also tell you that I have a "experimental", "intuitive" approach.   That means I don't always learn by the rules but rather by trial and error.  I remember when I first learned Dynascape in a landscape design class.   Our assignment was to complete 6 geometric drawings.   I worked endless hours on the assignment and finally got each drawing to look like the assignment sample.   My instructor was impressed by my tenacity but quickly showed me a "simpler" approach.   Well the same thing happened in Illustrator.   It was a fun program and as one friend said "very - NOW".   I've downloaded the 30 day trial.   Not sure if I'll add this to my computer.  Guess it depends on whether other classes will also utilize the program.

Southeastern Pastel Society On Line Exhibit 2015

Southeastern Pastel Society Online Members Exhibit 2015 - Happy to have "Daffodil Morning" in this online exhibit.

Typography Self Portrait

TypographySelf Portrait

Learning a new computer program is a challenge.   This week's assignment was to complete a Self Portrait in Illustrator with a photo edited in Photo shop.   I spend hours learning the tools and how to layer only to find the real purpose of the exercise was just "getting to know" the program.   To create the self portrait we could only use type.   I'm working on another one now.  Very tedious!!!   I have used dynascape to create landscape designs and some of the program approach is similar but it is also lots of trial and error.  :)