Sunday, July 16, 2017

Back-Yard visitors


Cardinal, adult male


Keeping our bird-feeder filled is a task -- even in summer when berries, seeds, etc., are readily available. The pay-off is that we have a wide variety of feathered visitors stopping by for a snack. Photographing birds is an exercise in patience, but I've been surprised at how many stay within range of my lens long enough for me to capture a few images.
The male cardinal in the photo at right was a regular visitor a few summers ago, and although somewhat shy, seemed almost proud of remaining within focus for a few minutes.
In my watercolor sketch, I took a few liberties with the setting -- adding some blue sky for contrast -- but tried to capture his leafy hide-away.
"Male Cardinal" 6" x 6"
 SOLD
Goldfinch, adult male (right) with female Tufted Titmouse (left)
Goldfinches are smaller and more skittish than cardinals. To capture them in a photo means waiting for just the right moment, with the camera aimed at the bird-feeder. I used the automatic shutter on my camera to take a series of shots in rapid succession, knowing that my painting would be a composite of several images. My goal was to get a good look at the coloration and shape of the goldfinch's beak, and then create a watercolor sketch that was reasonably faithful to the real thing. In the painting, I eliminated the bird-feeder and perched the finch on the edge of a large ceramic saucer that we fill with water for the birds.
Goldfinch, adult male
Half-way through the process...

"Goldfinch" 7.5" x 5.5"
Several Rose-Breasted Grosbeaks showed up late one afternoon at our feeder. I hadn't seen any of these for decades. I immediately thought of my grandmother, who was diligent about scattering seed for the birds and who taught me many of their names.
Rose-Breasted Grosbeak, adult male
Young male Grosbeak, fed by adult male
But the bright red bib and sleek black feathers, which are quite distinctive, made it easy to identify. wasn't easy to get a good shot of this very busy bird. He was perched at the feeder along with a young male, and I learned from the Audubon "Guide to North American Birds" that adult males often feed their younger counterparts.
When planning my watercolor sketch, I referred to a photo of a House Sparrow that I took the same afternoon as the Grosbeaks.  I thought the sparrow's pose would work well as it has a more dynamic aspect than a bird simply pecking away at the feeder with its face half-hidden.

House Sparrow
The sparrow's pose also would show the adult male Grosbeak's red bib to better advantage. 

 Rather than placing the bird at the edge of the feeder, I sketched in a small branch.


"Rose-Breasted Grosbeak" 5.5" x 7.5"

Tuesday, March 21, 2017

Opal Peony

Here's a step-by-step description of how I painted these peony blossoms. I used a quarter-sheet (11" x 15") of #300 Kilimanjaro cold press paper, and tried to keep my palette somewhat limited. I used Winsor & Newton professional grade pigments throughout, with the exception of Shadow Green, which is a Holbein professional grade pigment. 
After creating a detailed sketch, I lightly erased the darkest lines so the graphite wouldn't smudge or show through in the finished painting. Then I began to add color, beginning with the center of the blossoms, using New Gamboge, Transparent Orange, and Burnt Sienna. I put down a light wash of Green Gold on the stems and the leaves.

I gradually shaded the base of the inner and outer petals, using thin washes of New Gamboge, Permanent Rose, and Cobalt Blue. 

The background was glazed with Winsor Green (BS), Green Gold, and Viridian. I used a loaded brush, with just enough water to allow the colors to mingle freely on the paper. Unlike my usual practice, which is to work flat on my studio table, I set this painting up on my watercolor easel, at a 45-degree angle.  

The process of building up color in the blossom required lots of drying time in between washes of pigment. 

I aimed for a softly "glowing" quality in the petals.  

The finished painting reveals several late-in-the- game decisions. 
I knew I wanted the hearts of each blossom to be as vivid as possible, so to achieve this, I dampened those areas. Then, I dropped in a small amount of Transparent Orange and Opera, and allowed them to mingle on their own. I rarely use Opera pink, but felt it would be useful this time because of its "neon" quality. I heightened the contrast on the stems and the leaves, using glazes of Permanent Sap Green, Winsor Green (BS), and Shadow Green. I indicated shadows with a wash combining Winsor Violet and French Ultramarine.  

My final decision was to darken the background of the painting. Having completed several other florals with a near-black background, I knew the stark contrast would make the flower itself "pop." To make sure it was not a "flat" black, I mingled three colors throughout -- Winsor Violet, Permanent Sap Green, and Cobalt Blue. I kept the pigment consistency very thick and creamy, just enough to spread but thick enough to prevent the original green background from taking over. That green, however, provided a good base for the final, intense dark and it's possible to see some of that green (especially Viridian) shining through.  
The opal peony reminds me a lot of an opal ring I inherited from my great-great Aunt Maude. I think she would have liked this painting!


"Opal Peony" 
16" x 20"   matted and framed 

Contact me by email if you are interested in purchasing this painting


Friday, February 17, 2017

Water reflections

Two summers ago, when I vacationed in western North Carolina, I spent some time exploring Moses H. Cone National Park, which is located near Blowing Rock. In addition to some historic buildings, there are acres of trails winding through woodlands and some beautiful scenery around the lake there. I did some sketching en plein air, and took a lot of photos of waterbirds, flowers, trees, etc. 

Today I started a small painting of some water lilies, using my vacation photos as a reference (although the lilies at Moses Cone were white, not pink). I'm interested in trying to capture the reflections cast by the lily pads and the flowers -- definitely not an easy task.

I sketched the basic outlines, and began by using a mix of mostly Green Gold and Sap Green to fill in the lily pads -- I did use a touch of Winsor Green (BS) in a few places to ensure that the lily pads didn't look too "flat." I then added a line of Yellow Ochre to indicate the upward curl of the edge on each pad.

Next, I began to work on the petals, using several colors:  Opera, Permanent Rose, and Magenta. I worked wet-in-wet at first. After the petals had dried, I added shadows using a wash of Winsor violet and Magenta. I also did some light dry-brush work on some of the petals, using Permanent Rose.

Finally, I painted the reflected water lily petals in a pale wash of Yellow Ochre.



My next step will be to apply a smooth wash of blue to indicate the water, while preserving the reflections and adding a few more shadows.

The finished painting...


"Waterlilies"   SOLD