The next update on the lake painting

About ten hours went into bringing this to its latest

incarnation. Worked mostly on the lower part

and some on the far background. Water details

like the reflections and ripples as well as modifying

the lavendar will come next, then the fun part of all

the stuff about the trees and branches. I will also do

more on the shadows that are falling across the rocks.

Quite a challenge, but really interesting to do.

One for me - Last Stage (almost)

It will take some close looking to see what other

little touches I've added. This is not a test however!

I may yet do more, like the too-dark window that

needs some lightening so it isn't such a 'hole' in the

painting! Otherwise, it is pretty much done.

After I do a painting and have taken it as far as

I can, I will leave it for a while and then review it

to see if I still consider it fully done. If I do make any

changes, they are never big ones. I have learned

over the years how to work in such a way as to never

have to do any drastic changes. I pass on these

trade secrets to my students!

One for me Stage 4

So now the subtle stuff is coming to life with the

various refinements I am choosing to make.

With details one must sometimes FORCE oneself

to hold back until near the end.

I am liking the results!

One for me Stage 3!

Well I just went to town on this one as you can see!

I really did this all in an afternoon, just couldn't wait

to see it come to life more and more. But what a lot

to handle in the way of greens - warm greens, cool

greens, light greens, dark greens, GREENS! But now

the feeling I am looking for is emerging...

One for me Stage #2

Some of you have commented on enjoying seeing

how I develop my work. So here is the next stage

of the house. Such a LOT of green to deal with.

Also, getting the tones (values) of the roof and sky

just right as they are pretty close.

One just for me

Starting this painting for ME! It is quite special

in my life...but I will let the story unfold as I post

the development of it. Quite the GREEN challenge!

Lots of it to work with in front of and behind the

house.

Starting up a big one!

This painting is 30 x 40, the largest one I've done

in a while. It requires a LOT of standing back to

assess the effects I'm creating. This is a scene of

the lake behind my studio. I am still incredulous

about the actual occurence of violet in the water,

but it really was there. So stay tuned for the coming

installments. I think it is interesting to see how

artists develop their work and I hope you find it so

as well. This is the first go in one session after the

drawing underneath.

On my studio desk

I have been trying to get just this

photo for ages. So I had a cup of

water on my studio desk and my cat

was very interested in it. Sometimes

she will do this....dip in her paw and

then lick off the water. It is quite the

operation to watch. Artful, I'd call it.

Full view of card

Here is the card opened out so you can see how

I wrapped it. There is even a little tab that wraps

to the inside of the card.

Carded!

For my son's birthday this year I

decided to make a card for each

year of his life. I've had great fun

doing it and each card gave me

inspiration for the next one. This

is one of them where I took something

I had in my boxes of collage material

and wrapped it around the cardstock.

Then I put the personal message on

top and inside is a statement of his

purpose as he told it to me. I am also

leaving that untold as that is up to him

to spread around the internet!

I have used gold and silver inks,

photos of my Dad's, collage pieces of

watercolor paintings that my Mom did

and cut up for later use. Now that they

are no longer here, I have used bits and

pieces of the creative work of their lives

to send on to their grandson, my dear son.

Maybe he'll consider this post as yet another

card of sorts!

Getting there!

This is just too much fun! There is SO much to see

in the scene and I keep finding more in it. But it

does not serve the painting to put in every little

thing. So it is really close to completion. The leaves

at the top of the painting need more filling in, for

instance. However, I am enjoying it so much that

I hate for the painting of it to end. I was with my

son on a shopping trip inSan Francisco when I caught

this shot. So now I getto relive the pleasure of that

day with him.

Please let me know how you like it. I really love it

when you comment on my work - all of you who see

what I am doing!

Just getting started

In a case like this where you have to be extremely

accurate about perspective, I am working from my

photograph and the sketch I did. Because the canvas

is small (10" x 20") I am using a Papermate

sharpwriter that will maintain thin lines. Charcoal

is what I use when I do underdrawings for paintings

on canvas, but in this case it would not work well.

There you have it for the moment. Oh yes, and that

is a piece of kneaded eraser - great for shaping to

take out tiny errors!

The last banner

After many months of squeezing in getting

the 7 banners done for the school I told

you about in an earlier post, I have now

done the last one. Here it is, the

quintessential graduation images.

I did the first banner with gold and

silver in the background. Then the

next three were the primary colors.

To finish up I went for the secondary

group and thus you have this orange

background! I hope to have a photo

for you of all the banners hanging

on their specially built structure!

It's their thirtieth year celebration

this month! Congratulations.

Almost done!

This wonderful tea set has been an unfolding

discovery journey. Everytime I go back in on

it, I discover yet more subtle reflections. I am

very amazed at the reflection splayed across the

wall behind the entire set. The window that is out

of sight on the left is pouring sunshine onto this

tray of silver. My parents had a beautiful tea and

coffee set on a silver tray. I can remember them

using it for company when I was growing up. Now

the idea of polishing silver is pretty much over.

Painting this set has brought back some very nice

memories and I hope it will do the same for the

future owners of this painting!