Autumn Begins

I will be having a large solo show, and as I look through my paintings I find myself wanting to revisit some of the older work.  My use of paint has improved so, that many of these large paintings could benefit from a little extra effort.  This is such a painting.  I pulled this older acrylic out, and just started laying in oils as I felt the need.  I'm going to see where this process takes me.  Can I get it to a place where I'm happy with it?   I don't know.  I always start fresh each day with a new panel.  Its totally worth a try, I can always paint a whole new landscape on it's surface of things go awry!  I am going to let this one rest until tomorrow, and see what I think in the light of day.  Painting number 1357 in a 1357 days.

Autumn Ablaze

Autumn Ablaze
Watercolor batik on rice paper
purchase here

Have I mentioned that watercolor batik is completely unpredictable?  I can use the same methods, color, paper and brushes - yet each time, the results vary wildly!  This time, the thin rice paper absorbed the color more vibrantly, and later absorbed more of the watercolor flooding over the cooled and cracked wax.  Why?  Who knows?  The cracking was more effective because I popped this baby in the freezer to speed the cooling of the hot wax.  Many times, I have to really brush that watercolor over the cracked wax - over and over again, just to get it to accept a bit of that wonderful brown color.......but not this time.  After seeing it so readily absorb, I even backed off, blotting up a few especially heavy areas.  These batik pieces truly are unique - each one moves in it's own way, and there is absolutely no way I could get the same results again!  It is WONDERFUL to have new Pitt pens to sketch out with - I had not realized how dry some of my favs were getting - not until I pulled out a juicy, fresh one! Another creative day in exploring watercolor batik on rice paper - and painting number 1036 in 1036 days :)

Golden Reflections - Batik

Golden Reflections - Batik
Watercolor batik on rice paper, 8.5x6
purchase here

What a fun painting class we had this week!  Most worked in the watercolor batik technique - and my mission was to make this process more clear in their understanding, so they could take this process home and get the same great results.  The steps are always the same, in the same order, and the magic happens when the paint hits the rice paper, hot waxing and following paint application.  These things no one can control - and ironing off that wax to see what you have is like opening up a Christmas present!  In the case of this painting, the flooding of the batik color absorbed very little (same paper, process, and paints as yesterday, done at the very same time - yet very different results!), and even the wrinkling of the paper was reduced.  The difference?  I did not pop this one in the freezer before cracking.......hmmmm, very interesting.  For this painting, I really like the light batik effect, I think it adds interest without detracting from the wide open feel of the landscape.  Another day, another experiment!  Painting number 1035 in 1035 days :)

Fall in the Forest

Fall in the Forest
Watercolor batik on washi rice paper, 8.5x6
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For some unknown reason, this washi rice paper (with all of the threads running through it) absorbed all kinds of the batik color after the waxing and cracking.  Mind you, it has never done this before, and it is always a battle to get this paper to bend to my will.....but not today!  In fact, it absorbed more color than I planned on, pushing it towards the abstract!  And yes, I have dropped in a little oil pastel to bring back a few lights for balance.  After all, I am blazing my own trail here and there are no rules!  Painting number 1031 in 1031 days :)

Mackay Hall in Autumn

Mackay Hall in Autumn
watercolor batik on rice paper, 6x8.5
purchase here

I spent a wonderful afternoon in Parkville with friends, to celebrate a birthday.  The fall colors were really washing over the town - oh why couldn't we have had this color last week when painting up there every day? I had not had a chance to paint Mackay Hall this year, so today was my chance - and this time is watercolor batik on thin rice paper!  I have come very late to my work!  Pilates, lunch and shopping out with friends, a little more shopping with my youngest son, followed by a Zumba party at the gym - all have pushed my painting window to the very end of the day.  As with all paintings of this kind, I am working "assembly line" style, letting the watercolor dry on one while working on another.  If the first still isn't dry, I begin another, and tonight I work on four.  It takes the very wet rice paper quite a while to dry!  Tonight, I grew tired of waiting (and didn't want to begin a fifth) so I pulled out the blow dryer to speed that process up!  It worked like a charm, and I was able to finish all of them.  Another trick for this very warm day - I had to put the paintings in the freezer after waxing, because the wax was staying too soft to really break off after the wadding up stage!  I also had to do that when up visiting my parents in Ohio this summer.  It also works like a charm!  This painting makes 1024 in 1024 days :)

Bamboo and Dragonfly

Bamboo and Dragonfly
Chinese sumi ink brush painting on rice paper, 15x19
purchase here

This is my first attempt at chinese brush painting with sumi ink on super thin rice paper.  One trick that is new is to layer newspaper under the rice paper as I work. This allows any bleed through to be absorbed into the newspaper, instead of spreading out on the rice paper.  The strokes get easier with practice - and I find that I want to try some new subjects.  Maybe the super cute goldfish, or even a dragon - which several of my children have wanted me to paint since the beginning of time!  It also has me wanting to pull out some of my pigmented inks - which I have never used, to render some of this in color.  This brush painting is similar to calligraphy in many ways - and I love calligraphy, those seldom use it.  It is amazing how exploring something new opens so many doors in the mind!  Painting number 918 in 918 days.

Autumn Blue Jay

Autumn Blue Jay
Oil on panel, 6x4
purchase here

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!  After a full day of family, food, and visiting, the house has settled down and most of our company have headed for home.  As the dishwasher runs, I come to my easel rather late tonight.  I needed my "artistic fix" - something to help me unwind from the very busy day.  Pulling the brush through the paint is soothing for me, therapy in action with every stroke.  Once I finish, I can sigh with relief.  A day well spent with family - and this - the icing on the cake!  Painting number 698 in 698 days.

Dad's Shed

Dad's Shed
Watercolor batik on rice paper, 8x5
purchase here

The stunning color of the fall foliage hit me as soon as I walked out the back door at my parent's house.  Early morning light illuminated the trees splendidly!  How I wished I could set up and paint on the spot, being hospital bound, this was not the time.  I sketched this while my mother slept and my dad "rested" in a rather uncomfortable chair.  Laying in the first layers of color discreetly (from the vinyl couch in the room) - I took this back home to wax and paint again.  What a therapeutic way to spend the long hours waiting by mom's bed.  Painting number 675 in as many days.

Autumn Gold

Autumn Gold
Watercolor batik on masa, 5x8
Elmore, Ohio - purchase here

As I walked out of my parents back door, this glorious golden tree was there to greet me!  The yellows are really popping up here in northern Ohio - and the autumn landscape is amazing!  I snapped pics all the way to the hospital this morning while the sun was shining brightly.  Once again, I am using the watercolor batik method.  I have not actually painted in the hospital before, but I knew that watercolors would be the safe and clean alternative.  Those who know me, know that I am a clean painter - and my work area was tiny so as not to be noticed!  I first sketched out my composition with an india ink pen while looking at my reference on my phone - all in my lap.  Laying my skinny watercolor palette between me and the end of the couch on a paper towel, I dipped my brush into a little pill cup for my water and then into the paint of choice.  So compact, it was the perfect set up for "hospital" painting!  Arriving home later, I was then able to wax, crinkle, and then paint again.  Ironing that wax off, I then topped off with a little more watercolor and was done!  Working at four at a time, I needed that extra time in between for drying. Those other two are now dry, so I had better move on to ironing them.  Painting number 673 in as many days :)

Golden Glow

Golden Glow
Watercolor, ink, hot wax on masa, 8x5
purchase here

I am in Ohio for my mom's knee replacement surgery.  As we drove to the hospital this morning, the early morning light was bathing the autumn landscape in gold!  Taking a few reference photos, I then sketched a few paintings out on rice paper while my mom rested between therapy sessions.  This painting is from their side yard - with the sun lighting the golden leaves and grass alike!  Later, while she and my dad were napping, I painted them with the small watercolor palette that I take with me when plein air painting.  I forgot my water container and used one of the pill cups for my water!  I was able to paint the first two layers on, and wax, paint, iron, and paint again when I got back to their house.  This was a good use of time - because I HAD to watch the World Series game with my hometown boys playing (the Royals!!) - and this kept my hands busy!  This is painting number 669 in as many days - and boy do I hope we win!!

Batik Autumn

Batik Autumn
Watercolor, ink, hot wax on masa, 8x5
purchase here

Trying to capture the autumn landscape with watercolor - which is new for me.  I have only been using the medium for three months now, and rarely in a landscape - I normally go to my oils.  After loosely sketching with my india ink pen, I fill in the local color with paints, then brush hot wax onto this.  For this one, I floated ink over the cooled and cracked wax instead of watercolor - and the ink spreads in a different way.  More blotchy, more unpredictable.  Not sure how I feel about this......I'll need to try a few more before I decide.  Painting number 665 in as many days.

Autumn Road

Autumn Road
Oil on panel, 6x6
Lake Quivira

The autumn colors are absolutely glorious this year!  I can't remember a more colorful season - and lucky for me that I am in the throws of daily painting, where I have ample opportunity to capture as much as I can!  This is painted from photo reference I took out at Lake Quivira last weekend.  Again, I have started with brushwork, ending with palette knife - trying to enhance the depth and foreground texture.  I find that I am running out of panels to paint on once again - I must very soon get some more cut!  I want to try a different priming technique where I use a roller to lay on the gesso and the underpainting, maybe trying some wild and crazy underpainting colors.........!  This is painting number 300 in 300 days - woo-hoo! Wow.  I can't believe I found time to paint 300 days in a row.  Simply a miracle :)

October Afternoon

October Afternoon
Oil on panel, 6x6

I had this painting planned out in my head early this morning.  I got out my paints, had everything set up, but by the time I finished my workout - it was time to take my youngest daughter to work.  Right after, we attended the funeral of a family friend.  It was very sobering.  Beautiful, but sobering.  After busying myself with countless other activities, I looked again at my panel.  I didn't want to paint.  I no longer felt like it.  Life is so fragile, our days are truly numbered.......and again I looked toward my landscape.  I took out my paints, and started laying in the colors.  The light and shadow emerged as the autumn leaves developed.  Today was sad, but the truth remains - make the most of every moment, we are not guaranteed another.  Painting number 282 in as many days.

Autumn Path

Autumn Path
Oil on panel, 8x10

As autumn approaches, I am so inspired to capture the colors of the season.  Experiencing the onset while up north, I find myself pouring through the photos and putting them down in oils.  It is so easy to jump right to the bold colors, but I am working instead on creating the perfect cool canvas to feature the reds and yellows.  Most days that I was able to get out in the daylight to photograph, it was very overcast or downright raining.  Therefore, most all of my reference has this atmosphere built in.  The turning leaves, still clinging the to their branches, will soon fall and blow away.  Autumn is fleeting, and the days to paint in it's glory are few.  It is perhaps shorter than any other painting season.  All it takes is a day of strong winds or a quick storm blowing through, to strip those lovely trees bare.  I am hoping for a very long autumn - to paint until my heart is content.  This is painting number 279 in 279 days.