Judith Freeman Clark, paintings

"Pumpkin Patch"  transparent watercolor    10.25" x 6.5" Pumpkins are an appealing subject for many artists. And no matter how trite or predictable they may seem, at this time of year I find them hard to resist -- especially when combined with fall foliage and New England's rural architecture. A recent trip to western Massachusetts resulted in a few photographs which, when combined with my file photos taken at Old Sturbridge Village, inspired a quick watercolor study. It's an imaginary scene I've titled "Pumpkin Patch."  For this painting I used a fairly limited palette consisting of  Winsor & Newton  Sepia, Burnt Sienna, Raw Sienna, Yellow Ochre, French Ultramarine, and Mineral Violet -- and a bit of  Holbein  Brilliant Orange. I completed the painting pretty much freehand (although I sketched in a few roof lines with pencil to minimize distortion in the buildings perspective). I used just one brush --  #8 Da Vinci Cosmotop Spin bru...

Pleased to announce that my painting, "Sun-Dappled Woodland," done in transparent watercolor, received the Second Place award in the 2020 "All New England" show at Cape Cod Art Center, Barnstable, MA. Such a treat to get this news -- many thanks to Roberta Miller for her dedicated work on behalf of the CCAC during these past difficult months of the pandemic. This is a plein air painting that I completed early last fall in Douglas, MA.  "Sun-Dappled Woodland" transparent watercolor  14" x 11" matted & framed contact me via email for purchase details

Thrilled to have one of my recent watercolors chosen by juror Paul George to appear in the "Paint What You Love" show at the Rhode Island Watercolor Society in Pawtucket, running from October 24  through November 20, 2020. "Ivory Vase"  transparent watercolor  matted & framed  11" x 14"    

A few weeks ago I spent a day at Old Sturbridge Village, a great place for artists to take reference photos for paintings. A favorite location at OSV is the Pliny Freeman farm (no relation that I  am aware of!!). The sunlight cast a warm glow on the buildings, and provided some good light-and-shadow contrasts, so the painting was a satisfying challenge. As usual, I didn't remember to start taking photos of my painting progress until I was well into it! Oh well... I am pleased with the finished product.  Step one  shows the sketched-in outline of the board fence in the foreground. I painted the sky first, with a wash of Cobalt Blue, using a 1" flat brush to cut around the roof lines of the buildings. While it was still damp, I deepened the tone of the sky on the right of the painting to give it some depth and variation. Reference photo In step two , below, I added color (Alizarin Crimson mixed with a bit of Payne's Gray} to the back building at far right, and to the c...

I have been working on a series of watercolor sketches, using a collection of family photos as my references. These photos go back to the mid-1860s. My third great-grandmother sat for this portrait in about 1865, along with her husband and four of her five surviving children. I thought it would be interesting to render these images in watercolor...   I'll post my progress in stages. My first step was to lightly outline in pencil the details of her face, hands, and dress in order to get the proportions as correct as possible. The palette is a limited one -- mostly Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber, Cobalt Blue, and Permanent Rose. My brushes are #4 and #6 pointed round, and the paper is #140 Lanaquarelle cold press. Step #1 - Lucy Jane (Lee) Benson Reference photo Step #2 - Lucy Jane (Lee) Benson

A watercolor workshop in Zoom format may seem like something to avoid -- but actually is a great way to remain engaged in the creative process during this time of social distancing and isolation -- an opportunity to be in contact (at least virtually) with other artists. I began a six-session intensive workshop yesterday at 9:30 a.m. It's offered through the Cape Cod Art Center in Barnstable, and it kept me literally on my feet for three hours. Our instructor is well-known Cape Cod watercolor artist, Robert Mesrop, who offers a good combination of friendly, laid-back encouragement and helpful, real-time demonstration with excellent pointers. He generously gave all participants in the workshop the same reference photo to work from. (I "flipped" my copy of this photo horizontally so that the barn faced in the opposite direction from the original -- my contrary nature is always on alert...). Here are some step-by-step photos of my working process... with the final painting at...

 There is never a shortage of inspiration in the national news. The California fires that are currently raging provided an idea for how to complete a quick (previously uninteresting) watercolor sketch. This house is visible from my studio window... And although there are no fires anywhere nearby (thankfully), if there was a fire off in the distance it might look like this. "Where There's Smoke..."   7.5" x 5.5" Interested? You can purchase this painting at my Daily Paintworks Gallery. Click HERE to go to that page.