Inactive?

"Squatter"

watercolor 15 x 22 inches

If you are wondering if I have again become inactive, the answer is an emphatic no. I just returned from driving 500 miles, one way, to San Diego, to jury a show for the San Diego Watercolor Society. It is an interim show with an experimental theme. It was a rushed trip, but well worth the time spent. I listened to two books on tape while driving, met some of the SDWS officials, saw some extraordinary paintings and learned a few more life lessons in the process. And, Oh yes, I did paint the morning I left to drive there.

I think there are five pieces left from my binge that I haven't posted, yet. Here is one of them. . . .

This series is really excellent for illustrating the effect of large shapes and how powerfully they hold a painting together. In the end, this series is much of the same stuff, same color schemes, and similar designs . . . .actually a similar formula, but just modifying the rock shapes and positions in the picture space. In other words, it is all abstraction.

There's more. Stay tuned.

And Another . . . .

"Merced Gold"

watercolor 15 x 22 inches

Thsi subject is simply terrific for putting strong compositions together. The shapes really lend themselves to commanding and dominating the picture space . . . . .everything else in the painting is just support of that one idea. Which, incidentally, is how all good paintings should be . . . elegantly simple.

Just look at Sargent's works . . . .not a lot of extra stuff . . . . just simple shapes of figures or buildings . . .and generally they beguile the viewer because of the light and the way the shapes occupy the picture space.

This big rock is a large as a small house in reality. And its shape and edges are fascinating. I love the way the white sits in the yellow dominant field. The yellow provides such a feeling of light and season.

Am still 'at it' as I am putting nearly three paintings a day away. There is more to see! Stay tuned!

More From the Binge

"Merced ZigZag"

watercolor 15 x 22 inches

You may be getting the picture that I am playing with rocks . . . .but more than that, playing with big compositional shapes. This one resembling the "S" shape.

This piece, along with the others, are all from pictures along the Merced River just below Yosemite, where the canyon is still steep and big rock slides are commonplace. Some of the rocks there are mind bogglingly huge . . . . .and their shapes are really interesting. At certain times of the day, the light and shadow make wonderful abstract patterns . . . .there must be several hundred photos of them in my computer files!

One would think 'Painting simple things like rocks? Easy!' Nope ! I have been messing with painting the darned things since twenty years and am still trying to master them. Sure is fun trying, though!

As for the Binge, there are more paintings to reveal later. Stay tuned.

Painting Binge

"Slide"

Watercolor 15 x 22 inches

Yesterday, I opened a can of "crazy" in my studio. I must have soaked it all up, because I went nutz! Painted three finished paintings before 5PM.

As I said in yesterday's post, I had sooo much fun!

This is the first of three paintings . . . .actually, more . . .because I did 2 more today! (yes, I am bingeing).

After a week long workshop and harping at the participants about sizes and good shape design, all that stuff was ever present in my mind as I painted these. Beyond seeing rocks and trees, look for the shape of the light value (not just the white ) and how that shape connects to all four sides in the shape of an upside down Tee. Big compositional shapes are what makes paintings strong and bold . . . .and sets up a dominance which leads to unity.

Okay, enough preaching. There are more to see in other posts.

Meanwhile, I am still on a painting binge.

Time Crunch and Demo

"Sunny"

Watercolor 15 x 22 inches

This last few weeks has been unbelievably busy!! And I have been gone . . . .teaching . . .officiating . . .more teaching . . . .

I returned home from Sacramento, California, where I had given a 5 day workshop "Watercolor Beyond the Obvious," and near exhausted myself in the process. I awakened Saturday morning in a panic . . . I had to give a demo THAT AFTERNOON for a local art store who had just taken on Daniel Smith Watercolor Pigments. I hadn't prepared at all. What is more I hadn't touched a paint brush since my last post . . . surely over a month had passed.

To the studio! I had to rally . . .big time! Coffee in hand and nothing in my mind as to what to do or how to do it . . . . . .I grabbed my trusty sketch book and opened it to the first image that made any sense and began to paint. I had around three hours to get ready.

Demos can be a problem for me because I freeze up. I never know what I should paint or what sort of methods I should demo. The set up usually dictates a specific way to paint, too. That is either with or without an overhead mirror. The mirror allows the watercolor painter to lay his or her board flat or paint at a slight incline. Without one, the painter is destined to use an easel and paint vertically to the audience can see. And that is not how I usually paint. Well, you guessed it . . . . .there would not be a mirror. So, I was in a stew, wondering if I could pull it off.

Anyway . . . . .I went . . . .some 60 people were there with standing room only! This was the demo painting . . . . ."Sunny."

The best thing to do is to relax, I suppose, and just let whatever is going to happen happen. It is sort of like working in your own studio. Cut the worry and just be present with the paint. It was fun to commiserate with the audience about the design decisions and to cut up a bit. They were a terrific crowd!

After it was finished, I had concentrated so hard, I couldn't get the silly thing out of my head. So, on Monday, I went to the studio and opened a can of crazy! Yep! I went there and painted three completed paintings . . . .and they all came out okay. More about those later. But I haven't had that much fun in the studio for a long time!!!! Whooopeeee!~