One Hour of Fun with Gesso

First, my big announcement! I spent the last two days rearranging and reorganizing my studio and it is so much better now! I didn't have the heart to even come in here and try to paint since I couldn't find anything and it would have used up all of my motivation and inspiration just to clear a space and find something I needed. It was bad! So, now I am ready to go, and this is the result.

Last week I gesso-ed over two failed paintings on Arches paper, while they were still on the boards. Today, I had an hour to play and that led to this painting. I just kept using my bedraggled cutter brush with half the hairs missing (great for foliage texture!) and lifting and dabbing until I quit at this point. In self-critiquing this, I see the my atmospheric perspective is off and, even though this mountain stream did tumble downhill I think I have it too much that way. Oh well, it is what it is at this point. Since the paper has gesso on its surface, I may go in and change the course of that upper part of the stream, but maybe not. It served its purpose of getting me back into the studio and actually using it as a studio instead of a storage room for everything I didn't know where to put elsewhere. Bad Susan!

Mendenhall Ice Floes

This was one of the two August projects for the Watercolor Workshop this month. I actually did both of the projects, the first time this year I think! The theme was to paint something that looked cool, and this fit the bill the best I could find. Not my greatest work, but passable to show I am actually painting some now. I wish I was there right now...we have had record-breaking heat this week and it really is hard to make ourselves go outside for anything.

A Green Project by Aubrey!

This is a painting, by my Aubrey, on cardboard ( to reduce, reuse and recycle!) As you can probably tell, it is of a car and painted using the brushes I sent to her recently.

Go Aubrey...you recycle and you rock!

G'Ma

August Project For WcW

This is my submission for the Watercolor Workshop August project, which is where we all paint from one photo, provided this month by Jane James. It is supposed to be depicting something "cool" while we all fight the heat this summer. Unfortunately, I just cannot force myself to mix cool greens and blues! I seem always to reach for the warm golds and go with that.

This is supposedly a scene in Maine, I have never seen this kind of pine tree so was not sure I depicted it correctly.