"Rose Arbor" (oil on linen; 8" x 10")

"Rose Arbor"
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"White Picket Fence" (oil, 11" x 14")
sold

"Summer Garden" (oil, 10" x 10")
sold

"Victorian House" (oil, 11" x 14")
sold

Some paintings evoke strong feelings of nostalgia and longing.  Perhaps it is a porch, a rose arbor, or a white picket fence.  One wants to step into them and become part of the care-free place and time that these paintings promise.

"Fresh as Spring" (watercolor on paper; 13 1/2" x 18") sold

"Fresh as Spring"
sold

"Pretty in Pink" (watercolor, 17" x 12")
nfs

My daughter with spring flowers

As you may remember, I was taking pictures for the future watercolor floral projects when my daughter popped into the still life setting.  A Facebook fan of mine who saw the above picture asked me whether I would paint from it.  My answer was "probably not."  But the question reminded me of an old watercolor painting of mine--"Fresh as Spring".

The same thing happened at that time too.  I was taking pictures of hyacinths in the kitchen when my daughter, then a little girl, suddenly leaned on the table. Instead of yelling at her to get out of the picture, I laughed and took another picture.  I liked the impromptu photo so much that I painted from it.  She was about the same age (three) when she posed for "Pretty in Pink" at a rose garden in Portland, Oregon.  Isn't she cute? She is the love of my life.

I wonder if you have noticed something interesting.  Toddlers and preschoolers are not self-aware, generally speaking, so they act and smile naturally in front of the camera.  By the time they start school, the kids start making faces when they are told to smile at the camera.  If you are thinking of commissioning an artist (not me; I don't do portrait commissions) to do your young child's portrait, don't wait too long!

"Scent of Lilac" (watercolor on paper; 7" x 7") sold

sold

"Lilac Season" (oil, 11" x 14")
sold

Lilacs blooming in my garden

Lilacs are blooming in my garden.  It is unseasonably chilly this morning, but I went outside to take some pictures.  I love the lilac--its delicate florets, its colors, and above all, its scent!

"Cherry Blossom Festival at Sunset" (oil on linen; 12" x 12") sold

"Cherry Blossom Festival at Sunset"
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"Waterlily Pond" (oil, 8" x 8")
sold

In the morning of the last day of Dreama Tolle Perry's workshop, we did a wild thing. Each student was given a reference photo, in my case, a pink waterlily; some students, including myself, had to paint their pictures upside down.  We were given about five minutes to get the painting started.  After that, we did the unimaginable thing.  We moved to our neighbor's easel and were given three minutes to work on her painting!  After five "musical chair" effects, we returned to our own easel to face the music.  Dreama told us to finish the painting with three additional strokes.  Yes, three strokes!  (I added a few more strokes after lunch.)

The point of the exercise was, I believe, non-attachment.  We get so hung upon the product that we sometimes forget to enjoy the act of painting or live in the moment. By being forced to go around working on other students' paintings in such a limited time, we had to toss our attachment. Strangely enough, I felt like living truly in the present. I also tried to do my best, to leave each painting a little better before moving onto the next.  I was sincere.

When I turned "my" painting right side up, I saw a beautiful work of art.  It was a gift from the workshop participants.  Look at how nice these "collaboration paintings" are!

"Collaboration paintings"

After lunch, we had to face music one more time by working on our own paintings.  To be honest with you, I was freaking out quite a bit.  Here is why.  I don't want to paint like Dreama.  I am no body's copycat.  At the same time, there are many things I admire in her work.  How do I incorporate what I learned from her into my own work without losing my artistic integrity?

I chose a reference photo I took at the Tidal Basin last week.  This is the kind of stuff I paint all the time.  But as you can see in the finished painting, it was done differently.  I started with a dark/mid-tone underpanting, which seemed to suggest a sunset scene. So I followed my gut instinct by changing the time of the day from early afternoon to dusk, which meant that the cherry blossoms could not be as light as in the photo. The painting became quite moody and more interesting.  If I had been left to my own devices, I would have added three hundred more strokes for the dainty cherry flowers. No, I did not succumb to the temptation.  Dreama loved my colors.  I was pleased like a little girl at her praise!

Reference photo for "Cherry Blossom Festival at Sunset"

I am going to end my "Dreama experience" with what she said at the very beginning of the workshop.  She encouraged us to be true to our heart.  She pleaded us to be not our own harshest critic, but one's own best friend.  Each name tag she had made for us came with an uplifting message.  Mine read: "My paintings are extraordinarily great!" I was meant to become an artist.  Don't ever forget why I am doing this. Style will come with doing lots of paintings.  But what guides my life is the JOY of creating art.

"French Village" (oil on linen; 12" x 12") sold

"French Village"
sold

French village demo I

French village demo II

French village demo III

French village demo IV

French village demo V

Dreama's finished demo painting

On the second day of Dreama Tolle Perry's workshop, we painted a charming French village scene.  Architecture and landscape are two of my favorite subjects, so I was very happy with Dreama's choice.  My burning question was how she would approach architectural rendering.  As you can see in the first demo photo, she did some line drawing before starting the underpainting.  What a relief!

The third demo photo shows her dark/mid-tone underpainting.  Shockingly dark again! What about the pink sky?  We were in the throes of a French Revolution here!  In the fourth demo photo, you can see squiggly marks Dreama made with a color shaper (it's a rubber-tipped tool with which one can scrape out paints off canvas).  She used it to draw and add her signature.

The primary objective of the second day was bold brushstrokes for which she is famous.  She used ONE brush for the entire painting--Winsor & Newton Monarch flat brush (#14), plus a small palette knife.  With judicious and practiced use of these limited tools, she created her trademark strokes.  How about that!

Her bottom line?  Put down a stroke and leave it alone unless it really needs to be modified.  Please don't "lick" the canvas by going back and forth with your brush.  Don't make strokes in the same direction in a given section.  Don't paint from the same puddle of colors for the entire sky, or wall, or whatever.  Variety is the spice of life! Instead of making hundreds of strokes for leaves and flowers (I am guilty!), make a few suggestive strokes. Be a minimalist.

Yes, Dreama dropped some random colors here and there, especially along the edges, but in general, her choice of colors was based on knowledge.  Most importantly, what made her art so colorful was her beautiful grays as much as her bright colors.

One more thing.  Dreama is not a die-hard, plein-air painter; she is a good photographer.  You have to start with good reference photos.  It is hard to paint a sun-drenched scene with a picture taken on a cloudy day.  I will conclude my "Dreama experience" tomorrow.  Please feel free to leave comments!

"Sunflower and Tulips" (oil on linen; 12" x 12") sold

sold

Floral still life demo I

Floral still life demo II

Floral still life demo III

Floral still life demo IV

Dreama's finished demo painting

Floral still life student show

Last three days I attended Dreama Tolle Perry's workshop in Springfield, VA.  Wow. That sums up my experience.  I signed up for her workshop last May and have been impatiently waiting for it.  I ordered the paints and brushes she recommended, which have since become part of my "arsenal."  I bought her book and poured over it, trying to figure out how she did it.  In the end, I had to wait to see her in action to learn her methods.

I am overwhelmed and overstimulated with the stuff I've learned for the past three days. Here are some of the things I remember.  What attracts me and many others to Dreama's art is, I believe, her joie de vivre, "happy" colors, and bold brushstrokes. Her joy of life that one senses in her website/blog is her true self.  She is not bubbly all the time.  She is actually a quite reserved and sincere person.  It's just that she appreciates life and is eager to share her joy with others.

Her "happy" colors come from her love of colors.  You might think that she slaps random bright colors on canvas.  I was really surprised to see how she started her painting.  In the middle of the four edges of Ampersand Gessoboard (her support of choice; I instead used linen mounted on Baltic birch panel), she made a mark, then without any drawing, she started painting the dark and mid-tone underpainting.

The shockingly dark underpainting gave her painting the foundation, gravitas, so to speak.  In this stage, she used ONLY transparent colors.  No white or opaque colors were allowed.  While the underpainting was still wet (Dreama is an alla-prima painter, who finishes her painting in one session with many breaks), she introduced opaque paints and white.  Form and light were carved out with opaque colors.

The students painted from the same reference photo, I might add fearlessly, following the teacher's step-by-step instructions.  Despite the shock we were in, we did a fabulous job, as you can see in the bottom picture.  Tomorrow I will continue my experience during the workshop with Dreama.

"Sacred Ground, Chichester Cathedral" (oil on linen; 8" x 10")

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Chichester, West Sussex is an old Roman town.  We went to see the city and its cathedral on a cold and gray day last Month. I go wild with Gothic cathedrals, but couldn't take a really good picture.  Dang!  The painting shows the side view of the front portal.  On Palm Sunday, we went back for the Matins service.  We sat in the choir area and heard the choir sing right next to us.  It didn't seem appropriate to take pictures inside, so I can't show you the elegant interior of Chichester Cathedral.  Sorry.

A distant view of the Chichester Cathedral tower

The corridor looking out to the cathedral cloister

Chichester city walls originated in the Roman days and circles the old town.

The market cross is from 1500; it is smack in the middle of the old town.

By the way, in case you are new to my blog, here is the scoop.  Every month I challenge myself to do a series of paintings, then give away a print of the collage created with these paintings at the end of the month.  The April Challenge is "I Love England."  "Chichester Cathedral" is the third in the series.  From now on, I am going to widen the circle for my monthly drawing to all my Facebook fans.  I post a painting or two everyday.  It is the best place to get the most up-to-date information about my artwork.  Please "like" my page!  Click here to visit my Facebook page.  Thanks!