Watercolor Musings: Designing within Different Shapes: One year ago I was on Monhegan Island, off Maine’s coast, with 6 students. It has been a place for artists for more years than I know and th…

One year ago I was on Monhegan Island, off Maine’s coast, with 6 students. It has been a place for artists for more years than I know and the scenery deserves this attention. We were there for a week and painted in many different places, found the market where fresh, hot, cinnamon sugar donuts were sold at 7am, ate lobster and lobster and lobster. I also ate mussels but didn’t have others join me in that meal.

Perhaps my favorite view was of a lobster shack we frequented often for both inspiration and food. The first image is the more traditional rectangle. The focal point is the red umbrella which is the tiny lobster shack and the large building on the right side frames that portion and pushes the viewer into the picture plane. Both paintings were done on location and drawn with a color brush in sepia prior to the addition of watercolor.

Lobster Shack  12″x16″

The second painting from this spot is a long horizontal. It shows much more of the waterline and the many homes along it. Because of that, it is a longer, more distant view. It also looks as if it was a sunny day because of the vibrant color and calmer sky. We had all kinds of weather when we were there – sunny, blustery, rainy, foggy, misty, etc.

Monhegan Panorama  8″x19.5″

I enjoy doing the same subject matter in different ways. By designing in different shapes, you get a chance to solve more compositional problems and avoid doing the same painting over and over. The advantages of working with familiar subject matter is obvious…what you know you can draw more quickly and accurately.

I think I may try this again in a square format and a really blustery, rainy day. That would be fun!

Watercolor Musings: More Than a Painting Trip: A typical fruit stand in Western Samoa

In May 2000, I traveled with another artist to Western Samoa. It was to be a 2 week trip …

A typical fruit stand in Western Samoa

The home or fale (fall-ay) of the matai on tiny Monono Island.

This was one of the more fascinating and unusual painting trips I have taken. 

 Taking a sketchbook along on travels, near and far, is a super way to build powerful memories. Added to that is your ability to be entrtained and patient when the inevitable interruptions occur. Here are pages selected from journals going back over 25 years. 

Moorea – Included are a recipe for bread and a sketch of the bouquet on our table.

The Ramblas in  Barcelona was full of both images and information.

The view from my room in Puebla – 2009

Tlaxcala is near Puebla and this was the second city we visited.

San Miguel Allende and the reason we left early

Spreading Live Oak tree and leaves

Hollyhock Cottage which has no hollyhocks

Valle Crucis NC Tin Roof

Stormy day and  brilliant mustard fields in Upper Ojai – 2011

Mendocino Church – Ink and Watercolor – 15″x22″

This painting was the prompt for several exercises in color combinations. I was experimenting mostly with versions of the primary triad. The one above was done with a full palette of color added after the initial ink brush drawing. It was done on site and I did not exaggerate the roses in the foreground. During the time I was painting the fog rolled in and out, the sun played peek-a-boo and things generally changed every few minutes. Some of that memory will be explored in the following paintings.

#1 – Ultramarine blue/yellow ochre/burnt sienna

Each of the study paintings were done in a small format – 7.5″x11″. When you are exploring it makes no sense to work in a large format. These are large enough to see what the color combinations can do but not so large as to be too time consuming. None of them are meant to be finished or to be presented for sale. They are just for my own use in teaching. The combination above is the one used by the California School painters when they worked on location. They are somewhat subdued.

#2 – Brights – Quinacridone coral/new gamboge/cobalt blue

The brights used here create a very different feeling compared to the first example. I purposely left them in their hue, graying them only for the mountains in the background. Each sample took about 10 minutes. I drew and painted them quickly. Again, the purpose was to see what the limited palettes could do.

#3 – Quinacridone rose/quin. gold/ultramarine blue

The colors are cooler and the paint was applied wet into wet. The sky was dark making the forground plateau lighter. As the paper dried, the paint had a harder edge. Notice the pine tree behind the roof of the church.

#4 – Quinacridone gold/quinacridone magenta/indigo

This was the most surprising combination of all. I expected to dislike it and yet found I quite liked the tones it created. I left the color soft and light to emulate fog or early morning haze.

#5 – Scarlet lake/azo yellow/cobalt blue

Here is a different version of brights. No emphasis on the water here as it looks almost flat. By using the same subject and composition you can really evaluate the colors. I did some other small exercises with the emphasis on different elements such as the church, the pine trees, the water and cliffs, etc.

#6 – Quin gold/quin sienna/cerulean blue

A sequential series of washes was done before the images were painted. A full layer of each of the colors in the triad were put one after another while the former was still wet. If you use this technique be aware that the last color applied will be dominant. After the underpainting is completely dry, the rest is painted. You can also wipe out any area you want to be lighter before the underpainting is dry which will change it yet again.

#7 – Ultramarine blue/cobalt blue/permanent orange/green gold/black ink brush

In the initial painting, the ink was first. In this one, the ink was last but put on before the watercolor was absolutely dry. Different colors and different methods yield a completely different result.

Any series such as this can be very illuminating. All sorts of explorations can be done and by using an initial painting you have the advantage of having drawn it before. Each subsequent drawing will be easier and faster to do.

Watercolor Musings: In Defense of Drawing: “I’ve always taken it for granted that artists drew from life, drew from other images, drew for fun, just plain drew and often! Seem…”

Watercolor Musings: Doing a Series: “Shortly after I opened the gallery in 1998, I found I needed to take a break and go ‘paint-about.’ I was planning on visiting my sister in C…”

Shortly after I opened the gallery in 1998, I found I needed to take a break and go “paint-about.” I was planning on visiting my sister in Central California and needed a goal so I would use my time away carefully. Since we have now 4 generations of teachers in my family I decided to do early schoolhouses. My grandfather was a headmaster of schools in Maine before moving to California, my three great-aunts went to Normal School and then taught and my mother taught in a two teacher school for her first assignment.
The project continues and I have collected, artistically, many tangible examples of early California and observed the affection that the communities had for these important structures. They served not only as places of learning but also gathering places for voting, civic events and other purposes. Here are a few examples:

The schoolhouse was built in 1883 and has been moved at least once. It’s very near the beach so sea sponges were used to clean the blackboards. The building is now used by the Encinitas Historical Society.

Located in the desert, the architecture of this building included wide eaves for shade. By doing a general series such as this, I was able to observe changes in style according to the weather in certain regions. Also I’m convinced that some plans were shared. I saw one plan done on linen which was one of the more common styles of building.

Located in the mountains, the pitch of the roof is a clear indication that snow falls here! The logs were used with the bark still intact although it is now coming off. The building now is used as a community center.

Looking more like a shed than a schoolhouse, Ranchita’s school had windows on only one side which was necessary for stability. Located just outside Anza Borrego Desert, the schoolhouse served the miner’s families. Because the schoolhouse was not used in one particular area, it was outfitted with skis so it could be moved as needed. I drew the side without windows to emphasize the unique structure.

The “hunt” for the schoolhouses has been a real treat and since the paintings are small I can do one quickly. Learning a bit about the history of the school and the area makes it all more interesting.

Watercolor Musings: Sketchbooks: “Savory Cafe & Bakery, Ventura California I still remember the first time I took a sketchbook into a restaurant AND used it. I was attend…”

Savory Cafe & Bakery, Ventura California

I still remember the first time I took a sketchbook into a restaurant AND used it. I was attending a workshop in Oaxaca, Mexico in 1998 and a group of us went to dinner together. We all took our sketchbooks and drew while we waited for dinner to be served. I found it to be such a liberating feeling! I now think nothing of it but still try to be sensitive to my companions. I don’t want to appear disinterested in the chatter even though when I look at the sketch later I can perfectly recall the conversation as well as the speaker’s voice. My family is indulgent and don’t mind my idiosyncrasies.

In the sketch above, I drew part of the ample bakery counter and on the right, I drew my lunch. I ordered those french fries because they came in the stiff paper cone which was wonderful to draw. (OK, they were lovely to eat, too.) Last March I visited the cafe again and sat in just about the same spot. It was immediately apparent that the place had changed hands. Most of that sense was fueled by the change in the set up and feeling of the place. I wouldn’t have been so aware had I not drawn it two years earlier.

High Sierra Cafe, Lone Pine CA

At the Savory Cafe I was with a painter friend while at the High Sierra Cafe, I was alone. In this case, my sketchbook became a companion of sorts. I drew the flowers on my table as I waited for my breakfast. I was in Lone Pine for the Annual Manzanar Workshop begun my Henry Fukuhara. I’m glad I did this sketch instead of reading the paper. I have a tangible memory of that morning.

So, why sketch other than to hone your skills?
• It makes time scamper! I am a much more patient person if I can draw while I wait. When my children were in school, I drew on the backs of PTA agendas and  paper menus as well as sketchbooks. I did dozens and dozens of drawings of coffee carafes, stryfoam cups, spoons, napkins etc. In airports, I sketch fellow travelers but always keep my dark glasses on…that way my staring at people is not so obvious.
• Your memories will be greatly enhanced. Drawings can evoke smells, conversations, and even emotions. In my sketch of he cafe, I know not only what my sandwich looked like but also what was in it.

Hotel Colonial Dining Room, Puebla, Mexico

• Authencity. When I taught my first journal-keeping class, my students used authentic as word to describe the results of their combination of drawings, narratives and photographs. I can open any one of my numerous sketchbooks and remember exactly where I was, who was with me and what we were doing. Photographs alone have no such punch. The multiple drawings on one page above were done over several days while I stayed with two other artists at the Hotel Colonial in Puebla. Different interesting features were apparent as we were seated at different tables. Often food interests find their way into my sketchbooks. We were trying to figure out the ingredients for mole for which our dining room was famous…when we showed the list to our waiter, he made some corrections and signed my book!

For all of these reasons and more, artists prize their sketchbooks above their paintings. Because they are not meant for public view and sale, they are more personal. I am often asked if I sell my sketchbooks…the answer is always the same…nope.

I have to admit that the element of design that most speaks to me is line. I love the quote that says “drawing is taking a line for a walk'” although I prefer thinking of it as a dance! My fascination with ink and watercolor is long term and I enjoy playing with all the possibilities. The image selected for this blog came from a barge trip from Prague to Berlin in 2008. We had a very brief time in Torgau on the Elbe River so I only got photos. The town is most well-known as the place where during the Second World War, the US Army forces coming from the west met with forces of the Soviet Union coming from the east during the invasion of Germany on April 25, 1945.
Since I’d had no time to draw on site, I sketched from the image on my camera after returning to the boat. From that drawing, I created the other versions after returning home, each using a different pen or watercolor and/or paper. I like to replicate the same image for teaching for two important reasons. First, I can re-draw each one with increasing speed since it is familiar territory and secondly, my students focus on the lesson without being distracted with different subject matter each time.
I’ve included the photo reference, initial drawing in a small sketchbook and subsequent explorations with various tools and applications, the most recent being 24 hours ago.

Photo reference – I crouched down on the path so I could get the sharp angle with the roses in the foreground. My drawing is fairly detailed in the blooms on the drawing but much less so in the drawing/watercolors.

Sketchbook drawing – The sketchbook is 5 1/2″ x 11″ when open. I’ve been surprised to be able to get drawings from the camera and it helps in future work.

Torgau#1 – The drawing was first and done with a permanent black pitt pen. The underpainting was added next followed up with watercolor, loosely applied. No movement of ink here!

Torgau#2 – Underpainting came first here since I drew with the pentel color brush in sepia which is water soluble. Watercolor was added and since I’d lost the white with the underpainting I added white gouache for the roses, etc.

Torgau#3 – Pentel color brush in sepia was used here and I added hydrus liquid watercolor to the line drawing. The smoother paper makes the watercolor sit on top and perhaps the liquid watercolor too. I’ve only experimented a bit with it so I have lots to do yet. The watercolor didn’t move as much as I thought it would, but then again with my inexperience it may be “operator error” and not the medium at all.

Torgau#4 – Underpainting was done first with a line drawing done with a stabilo brown pt. 88 pen which is water-soluble. The first step after the drawing was a wet brush over the line to establish a value pattern. Then watercolor was applied, more drawing, more watercolor and finally white gouache.

My painting buddy, Brenda Swenson and I are always on the lookout for new and interesting tools, especially ink pens and brushes. It’s thanks to her that I have the stabilo pens which I am going to love using! At the end of yesterday, after exploring with this new pen I was energized in spite of a having cold and fatigue from a large family party at my home two days prior. That’s about as good a recommendation for this sort of activity as I could make.

Watercolor Musings: More Explorations with Ink and Watercolor: “I have to admit that the element of design that most speaks to me is line. I love the quote that says ‘drawing is taking a line for a walk”…”

Watercolor Musings: No Excuses Travel Set – Part II: “In an earlier blog, I described the small palette made of an altoids tin and empty palette pans filled by colors of my choice. Recently I wa…”