"Purple Beauties" (watercolor on Yupo; 10" x 8") sold

matted size: 14" x 11"
sold

I have painted these purple irises from my garden many times before--in watercolor on paper, in oil on linen, in different sizes, etc.--all of them sold, of course.  I just love them so much!  This time, it is watercolor on Yupo, because I wanted to see whether I would be able to paint such a complicated subject on Yupo.  In the process I made an important discovery.

After the flowers and spiky leaves were done, I sprayed the workable fixative on the painting.  This fixative protects the artwork, but allows the artist to continue to work on the support. Would the finicky Yupo take the spray too, as even a bit of grease from fingers makes it impossible to move paints around on the darned "paper"?  I experimented on a small unpainted piece of Yupo before this drastic action, but you never know.

To my relief, I was able to manipulate the background wash without worrying about "melting" the finished subject.  The dark dramatic background has the effect of making the backlit flowers pop out.  By chance, the top portion happened to dry a little lighter, mimicking the sunlight from the sky.  I am loving my Yupo explorations, pushing the boundaries, going where I have never gone before.  It's like "Star Trek"!

"Mardi Gras Cupcake" (oil on linen; 7" x 5") sold

sold

What I learned from my February Challenge of "Pastry Pleasure" so far is that the best job in the world is the pastry chef.  I mean who is having more fun: the artist who painted this sassy cupcake or the pastry chef who designed it?

If you want to win a painting at the end of the month, please sign in to follow my blog. Thanks!

HAPPY MARDI GRAS!

"Sunset over Marshland" (oil on linen; 14" x 11") sold

sold

I can paint sunrises and sunsets forever as long as the sun rises and sets.  I have painted sunrises and sunsets over the sea,  lake, beach, harbor, fields, hills, and even my neighborhood, but I like this new painting over marshland the best.

There is a fellow artist, William Van Doren, who has been painting sunrises and sunsets everyday for the past seven years.  Four years ago, he took on the challenge--a series of paintings of the sky over the Lincoln Memorial.  He was inspired by his experience on the extremely cold inauguration day of President Obama.  He told me that he did it for six months to get it right!  I was awed by his dedication.  Can you imagine yourself doing something like that?

"Glorious Eggplants" (oil on linen; 9" x 12") sold

sold

At a grocery store I was looking for mandarin oranges with stems and leaves still attached.  I didn't see them, but found a lot sexier things--Italian eggplants from Holland.  Some produce of an impressive provenance!  I had trouble making them stand; after much fiddling and propping, I arrived at the above delightful arrangement.  Eggplants this beautiful are indeed glorious!

"Lavender Patch by the Barn" (oil on linen; 9" x 12")

After
click here to buy

Before

The scene that inspired the painting

"Lavender Patch by the Barn" was one of the paintings done during the workshop with Bobbi Pratte at Willow Pond Farm in Fairfield, PA in June.  I painted the lovely scene in the shade of a big tree. As the painting progressed, the sun moved, enveloping the purple lavenders in the back in shadow and highlighting those in front. Perfect!

The teacher and several of the workshop participants loved the painting very much, so I figured it must be good and I should like it too.  But deep inside, something bothered me.  I will tell you all about my doubts and how I worked things out of system. 

Bobbi was thrilled to see me working so hard while everybody was taking a well-earned break after lunch on the first day of the workshop.  She was particularly happy with my choice of the painting subject.  She would have painted it herself if she had not been so busy taking care of students.  She gave me several good suggestions, one of which was "don't paint the white wall of the barn too high-keyed" because it would come forward.  She told me to paint it grayed blue.  So did I dutifully. 

But that dingy blue wall in the back kept nagging me ever since.  To me, it was a depressing color in a happy, sunny painting.  It just didn't belong there.  The white wall, although in shadow, had a lot of light bounced back from everywhere.  Thus, while keeping the value low enough, I brought light back to the wall.  The painting finally began to sing.  I made a slew of adjustments, but the most important change was the afore-mentioned barn wall.

The whole business made me wonder.  What is the right thing?  Do I always act upon what the teacher says?  Or do I trust my own judgment and do my own thing?  For last two months, I have been taking a break from classes, workshops, and even paint-outs with friends.  In other words, I have been doing "my own thing," figuring things out on my own, and allowing my own voice to sing my own song.  I see big changes in my work and I like my new style.  I will go back to the classroom in the fall, but I don't think I will always follow the teacher's advice.  I will continue to do my own thing.

"Young Musician" (oil on linen, 12" x 12") sold

sold

The Levine School Suzuki Flute Ensemble performs at Kenmore Middle School in Arlington, VA; the soloist is my daughter!; the seated girl in the front row on the far left is the model

I saw this five-year-old musician at a performance of the Levine School Suzuki Flute Ensemble back in April.  I was mesmerized by her innocent beauty and just had to paint her (with her mother's permission, of course, although it is not a commission).  Boy, it was a tough task!  I had started the painting in May, worked on it for three sessions, then left it sitting on the display easel for two months. 

Do you know why?  I was intimidated by what I had done so far and didn't want to ruin it.  I know it sounds silly, but it happens all the time.  The fear of failure grips us artists at times, and we don't know how to battle it. 

Eventually, I had enough of my timidity.  I decided that the face was good enough, although  it was not exactly her (the girl is a lot prettier than my painting).  She has also that worried look, which the photo doesn't.  I let my self-criticism go and focused on the rest of the painting: the background, white blouse, wonderfully braided hair, and flute, which was a lot. 

The girl's skin tone had hints of purples, mauves, and greens, so I worked those colors into the background, blouse, and even hair.  The burnt umber ground that had made everything look dirty receded.  Suddenly, Khloe came alive!  I am glad I saw the painting to conclusion.  Now I can get on with my life.

By the way, did you notice that my blog now has more than 20,000 views?  When I started blogging two years ago, there was only one person who read it regularly, i. e., myself.  Now every post seems to get about 200 views.  As they say, if you build it, they will come.  Thank you, my loyal readers!

"Purple Irises" (oil on linen; 12" x 9") sold

"Purple Irises"
sold

"Purple Glory" (watercolor, 20" x 14")
sold

I have painted these majestic purple irises from my garden many times, but never get tired of them.  Sadly they died out.  So, in a way, the paintings are a reminder of the ephemeral nature of life.  "Purple Glory" had received the Best in Show award in the Potomac Valley Watercolorists Green Spring Show in 2007 and got sold in a solo show at the NIH in Bethesda, MD.

I missed the painting, so decided to do another version, this time in oil.  They are quite different, aren't they?  The watercolor version is bigger and more "detailed" or "refined" than "Purple Irises."  I paint oils in the alla prima way--that is, finish the painting in one session.  This method requires a truly full concentration, as each stroke matters.  There is an urgency and immediacy that cannot be achieved in the more traditional indirect painting method. 

You may prefer the watercolor painting, but as my aesthetics have evolved, it now feels too detached.  I don't feel the presence of the artist who worked furiously to get the irises just right.  As a watercolorist, I think, I was reluctant to reveal myself and get in the way of the viewer's appreciation of the subject.  What do you think?