Category: painting

Posted in painting, quilting

100 Day Project: Days 32-35

Posted on by Laura Kate

I’ve figured out which day I am on, AND,

The process of painting dragonflies on postcards broke open my mental block.

I started painting fabric right away, after swatching the colors I want to use.

Using these colors and a variety of techniques, I painted backgrounds on rectangles of white quilting cotton. Earlier I had cut out dragonfly body shapes from craft foam. These shapes and an assortment of leaves were laid on the painted fabric to serve as masks. Laying the pieces in the sun printed the masked shapes.

The next day, I did more fabric painting, just to make sure I had enough selection.

With the backgrounds prepared, I began inserting the dragonflies into the pieces.

Day 34:

Day 35

I’m in love with this last guy. He will be the focal point of the finished product.

In the next week I plan to add finishing touches to these two paintings and begin work on the rest. My layout calls for five paintings sewn together with blue borders in between them. What happens after that is done will take a bit more cogitation.

Posted in painting

More 100 Day Project artwork

Posted on by Laura Kate

Okay, I’ve lost track of which day I am on. (6-10-23: it’s days 28, 29, 30 and 31.)

What I can say is that Bill has given me about a half dozen photos of dragonflies.

Here are five:

While I have an idea for making a wall hanging; quilted, embroidered, and with painted dragonflies; for now I’m painting postcards. The purpose is to warm-up and to break my funky creative block.

In the process I’ve discovered that painting these beauties is like eating potato chips. It’s hard to stop once you get started.

I’ve tried to keep the dragonflies light and loose. They are so jewel-like in real life, the painted versions are but a poor imitation.

Made on Fabriano Studio cold press using watercolors, a micron pen for linework and Dr Ph Martin’s bleed-proof white for some highlights. I experimented with a silver pen on no. 3, but the shiny bits never show up in a photograph.

Posted in painting

Wednesday Watercolor – Improvising with complementary colors

Posted on by Laura Kate

In this exercise, I chose to paint washes that were opposites on the color wheel. Then I decided what the resulting painting reminded me of. Next I “brought out” the image.

Red Giant with webbing, using red and green.

Sunset over Circle Mountain, with yellow and purple.

Detail drawn in with watercolor pencils and Micron pens. Cold press paper by Winsor and Newton, 4 x 6.

Posted in painting

100 Day Project Day 27

Posted on by Laura Kate

Thought I would make a quick painting of this photograph of a blanket flower.

It turned out to be Not Quick, and a bit of a hot mess. So I went after it with a couple of Micron pens in compatible colors.

I will try a blanket flower again. A few days ago I planted one in the perennial bed. In a few months I will paint it en plein aire.

Posted in painting, quilting

Revisiting a fiber object

Posted on by Laura Kate

Three years ago, I was inspired by this photograph to make a small art quilt.

I had taken this picture while on the drive back home from Wisconsin. The colors and the layers made me think of a strip pieced quilt. In 2020 I used several hand-painted fabrics to create an abstract landscape.

https://wordpress.com/read/blogs/157882254/posts/1737

While I no longer have this quilt, (it was gifted to my god-daughter) I still have the photograph. Using it as a reference, I reproduced the lower right section of this quilt in watercolor.

It was a quick and fun exercise. But it got me to thinking about derivative artworks. What else did I make that can inspire a new piece in a different medium?