Category: painting

Posted in drawing, painting

Sketching Sunday and a Finish

Posted on by Laura Kate

My art association is planning to hold a second fundraiser by selling 6 x 6 inch artwork created by their members. To kick it off, there will be an open studio today. I want to support this worthy organization, so I will be participating again. Last year, I focused on small subjects for the small canvas. Going through my reference photos in search of suitable subjects, I came across this little sea turtle. It is something I dowloaded from Unsplash several years ago.

Cute and easy, I think. I like that the turtle has made it to the water’s edge. Just another little push and she will be launched.

To reframe it into a six by six size, I compressed the image and did this pencil sketch.

Today I will take this drawing to the art center and turn it into a watercolor painting.

On another subject, I managed to finish the landscape painting of a seaside cabin in Iceland. This painting was an exercise in water reflections.

Reference photo:

The weather is completely clouded over, so no shadows to paint. My painting:

It’s on a not-so-big piece of cheap watercolor paper (although it is 100% cotton.) So I didn’t fuss over the many windows in the cabin. I will need more practice on painting reflections, to get a more consistent effect over the entire water surface.

Posted in painting

This week’s watercolor work

Posted on by Laura Kate

Hi, Friends,

When I finished the 12 week Artist’s Way course, I made a commitment to myself to follow up with 90-day self-nurturing plan. It includes a concrete plan of action to write daily, take myself on an artist’s date once a week, and explore more fully my favorite creative practices. One of these is watercolor painting.

My “date” this week was to attend a workshop at the local art association, which took place on Wednesday. It included a one hour tutorial by Tony Couch. Today I am sharing the practice pieces that I painted as a result of the workshop.

Tony talked a lot about what the landscape artist paints. He insists that we don’t paint a tree. We paint a symbol of a tree. We don’t paint water, we paint a symbol. Symbols have specific characteristics that make the objects instantly recognizable to the viewer. For example, for a deciduous tree the characteristics are shape (round crown), colors (varies with the season) and textures (expressed by the leaves and the bark)

Painting the symbol of a tree.

Painting a symbol of still water.

To practice the still water technique, I painted a scene from Iceland. It’s based on a photograph published on Unsplash – a free use site for photographers and other artists. Here is the reference photo:

I started with the sky and worked my way down to the water.

Initial washes are complete. I will come back to deepen some areas and add finishing details. This was painted on a Stonehenge paper block using a palette of Hansa yellow deep, Winsor green yellow shade, ultramarine blue, pyrrol scarlet, quinacridone red, carbazole violet, burnt umber and Payne’s gray.

Posted in hand embroidery, painting, quilting

Friday Finish: Here Be Dragons

Posted on by Laura Kate

After eighteen months in process, my multi-panel quilt that explores the dragonfly is finally finished. The painting and the assembly of the quilt took place in 2023. Then it languished while I fiddled around with hand embroidery. Finally, I made the commitment in December 2024 to get this WIP done. It took an opportunity to display it at an exhibition to set me in motion.

I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the role Bill’s photographs had in inspiring me. Here is a gallery of some of his dragonfly images.

I also did research into the creature, to better understand what I was seeing. I was always puzzled about the legs. In flight, they are not visible. When the insect is perched, one can see either one, two or all three pair of legs. Why is that? I learned that the legs are swiveled back and held flat against the body, just like an airplane’s landing gear. The dragonfly catches its prey in flight, grabbing hold with its legs. When resting, the legs have no function. Dragonflies cannot use their legs to walk. That’s why they seem so motionless when perched.

Anyway, the quilt is finished, except for the label and the hanging wire. It will go on display February 6, along with my Badlands quilt, at Prairie Moon Exhibition, The Center, Bartlesville, OK.

Posted in painting

Friday Finish: Two Dog Portraits

Posted on by Laura Kate

I got both paintings finished on Tuesday and took them to the framers. It was in the Nick of time to get them matted and framed before Christmas. I felt lucky to have made the deadline, without knowing the deadline!

The framers did a computerized mock-up of the portraits with my mat and frame selections. I snapped a quick photo of the mock-up on their computer screen and sent it to my client. She was elated, despite the poor quality of the image.

What I hadn’t foreseen was the framers keeping my paintings while the job waits in line to be finished. I have been spoiled by my past experiences, during which the mats were cut while I wait. Without the painting on hand, I can’t do anymore “final adjustments.” On second thought, that’s a good thing.

Here are the last photos I took before rushing off to Hobby Lobby.

Daisy Final

And Reggie:

Finished sizes are 6.5 by 9.5 inches, or as close as the mat cutter can get to that size. The dogs will be matted side-by-side inside a 13 x 19 inch frame opening.

I used Arches cold-press paper. Pigments include raw sienna,

Posted in painting

Improvisation inspired by Blue Brightly

Posted on by Laura Kate

This week’s Artist Way focus is on recovering a sense of abundance. Today when I viewed Lynn Wohlers wonderful photographs on the subject of Deciduosity, I was struck by the abundance of Autumn colors she had captured during her recent visit to the east coast. I just had to get out my watercolor paints to respond.

Her images of Shu Swamp inspired me to try an abstract painting of the scene. Grabbing some student grade paper, I started by making doodles with Micron pens in the general shapes observed. The water went in with blues and pinks first, then, without thinking too hard about it, I just began laying in colors, lighter to darker: green gold, yellow ochre, quinacridone gold, and burnt umber.

The whole time I was moving like I was in a trance – I think it is because I was working more abstractly. It was a soothing and satisfying experience, and a welcome break from the pressure of finishing the dog portraits.

I highly recommend that you visit Lynn Wohler’s WordPress Blog.

Prepare to be blown away.