County Clare, Ireland

Not far from where my daughter had their Honeymoon.

Rine, Ireland

Not far from where my daughter had their Honeymoon.

Watercolor 12" x 16" on 140# Arches watercolor paper.

Arizona Highway

Click on image for larger view.
I would like to visit Arizona again...Fall is a nice time of year to go hiking.
Watercolor 12" x 16" on 140# Arches watercolor paper.

Another Version

Another version of Black Sheep

Sheepish

Watercolor 12" x 15"

After Rio

Wayercolor

Rio de Janeiro

Watercolor 12" x 15.5" on 140# Arches watercolor paper.

Broaching

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North Atlantic oops.

Reflections

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I still keep coming back to the simple. It's a struggle. I love the simplicity.

Boat Yard

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Summer is over...and oh yes it is just about November. Lot's have happened. Aside from just the every day struggles, my daughter got married. This was truly a magical day. We even took dance lessons for the Father/Daughter dance... a swing dance... and, we did it! :)

Very Frustrating when Google doesn't work

Comments are still being messed up.

Apache Mountains, AZ

Watercolor 9" x 12" 140# Arches watercolor paper.

The Walk

Click on image for a larger view.
Watercolor 9" x 12" 140# Arches watercolor paper.

July 4th is more than fire works and hot dogs.

As a veteran, I think the Star Spangled Banner's second verse should always be included when sung!
YouTube Link

Grounded Buoy - Jamestown, RI

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Watercolor 9" x 12" 140# Arches watercolor paper.

Jamestown, Rhode Island

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Watercolor 9" x 12" Mostly Plein Air on 140# Arches watercolor paper.

Charles River South Natick, MA

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Watercolor 15" x 21" on 300# Arches watercolor paper.

RIWS National Watercolor Show

I am working on a couple of paintings for their National Watercolor show. One is a painting of the bridge at South Natick, MA—looking up stream under the bridge. The other is going to take some planning. It is a Civil War scene. Kind of a behind the scenes view in an encampment.
Don't forget to view the demos at the right. I added a couple more.

RIWS National Watercolor Show is coming up

It's time to do some serious thinking about what to submit. I have a couple of ideas in mind— one is drawn out on watercolor paper. Things have been slow lately and I am preparing for cataract surgery. Maybe after, I will be able to see and paint better.

I paint with Holbein watercolor paint. Before, I used Windsor Newton and some paint would dry hard in the tube. With Holbein, they stay moist—even on the palette. This is ideal if you go outside to paint. You can put some color in those metal paint boxes or on a butcher try and be on your way. The colors that usually comes in portable watercolor tins is hard and it takes a lot of work to get some usable color...scrub, scrub, scrub. Holbein will stay nice and moist. You need a lot of paint on your brush in order to push it around.
I do have a lot of old paint and I will try to use it up—scrub, scrub, scrub.

Feeling Nostalgic

Click on image for larger view. I painted this mostly on location...a long story, a past life—20 years ago. I remember chasing the sun across that roof. I think I want to revisit this time and paint as I did then.

Ascension

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Monhegan Island

Click on image for a larger view. See how I painted this.

Canary Islands 2

Click on image for a larger view. Go see how I painted this HERE.
Watercolor 12"w x 9"h. This is a painting for Bill Guffey's Virtual PaintOut

Canary Islands

Click on image for a larger view. Watercolor 12"w x 9"h. This is a painting for Bill Guffey's Virtual PaintOut

Stavanger, Norway

Click on image for a larger view. Watercolor 12"w x 9"h. This is a painting for Bill Guffey's Virtual PaintOut

Hellooooo!

Country Road

Click on image for a larger view. Watercolor 12"w x 9"h. This is a painting done for A Painting a Month Club.

Boston Common Ducks

Click on image for a larger view. Watercolor 24"w x 18"h. This is one more step for a paining I am doing. I will replace it as it progresses (the final will be shot in better light). At the end, I will show all the steps—Follow along for Boston Common Ducks.

If you missed some of my strugglng steps, no bother, I will be posting them all after completion. Maybe I will end it right here! I kind of like it and I might go too far. Maybe a few more refining strokes...you think?
I don;t think it is working the way I want...we will see!

Bread

Expecting a watercolor? Sorry—I was thinking about other things. Not to bore you...but many years ago when I served in the Navy, bread was made at sea around 12:00 midnight. If your watch ended and you were up and watching a movie, bread was placed out in the ships mess to cool. There is nothing like fresh bread. Years later when I moved back home, I found in the attic an old bread maker. Nothing but a galvanized pail with a crank and dough hook. I followed the bread directions on the bag of King Arthur Flour and it came out great. I made this bread for many years . After a while, as life goes, I fell away from it, I started making bread again and had a lot of trouble. I think I found the problem. Today the recipe calls for water instead of evaporated milk. I switched back to evaporated milk and the bread is fantastic again.
Bread is easy to make. All the time comes from waiting for the dough to rise. If you are around anyway,it's no time at all. It only takes about 15 minutes to mix.
If you would like this recipe...let me know. BREAD IS GOOD! So Good. E-Mail me and I will send a text file. Click Here.

Know Your Staining Colors

Some of the watercolor paints are staining. This means that they will not lift off the paper. Some might lift more than others—but not totally. This can be handy at times. If you mix Burnt Sienna and Thalo blue and paint a tree trunk, the paint, before dry, can be scraped with a palette knife. The Thalo Blue will stay on the paper while removing the Sienna— leaving a nice texture effect. The same is with Alizarin Crimson. I like to use this for distant skies—once down, it won't move. Play with your colors and don't pick too many. You can always lighten and tone down a color. Try to brighten it and...forget it. Play with your paints until they become your friends. Paint with bright colors!

One more Before I Start

Click for larger view. I hope I ccan keep it loose

Still Exploring...or Having Fun

Click for larger view. Exploring ideas for a larger painting

You would think I would know better!

I soaked my 18" x 24" watercolor paper and stapled it to foam core (Double layer), thinking that the double layer would hold it. Wrong. The double layer wasn't strong enough to keep the watercolor paper from bending and creasing the foam core as it dried. The problem is that I don't have a piece of Gator Board that large. Gator Board is like Foam Core but very strong. It will hold staples quite well and can be used many times. I was thinking of just taping the paper to a piece of bathroom wall masonite, which makes a nice, cheap board for painting on. No, mabe not. Taping watercolor paper to a board is a pain and it usually lifts. I will just go and buy some Gator Board and be done with it Must be getting late, I rambling.

Getting Started

Click image to view larger. Exploring how to paint this subject.
I believe a lot of getting anything done is just —starting it...hard to practice. :)
This is my thought for Boston Common Ducks color values...may change.

Flower Fantasy Show

I picked up my New Member Show paintings and found out that my Flower Fantasy Show painting Yard Roses was juried in...great. Sad to hear that 100 other artists were noi.:(

Picking up paintings today

Today I am taking a trip to the RIWS to pick up my paintings from the Artist Member's Show.
I forgot to write down the number of my painting that I submitted to the Flower Fantasy Show, which starts next week—Feb 21-Mar 12. The ones that got acceptrd were listed on the web by number. I could call, but it will be fun to ask when I get there. Did I say fun? Actually I believe it is one of my less labored paintings (tgp). I hope nobody buys it because a lot of people like it and I might give it as a gift??
Actually, it is hard to give a painting away. Do they like it? Are they being nice? Too much pressure—just pick one you like!
2:00 am and finished with other work. :(

Boston Common Ducks

This is the start of a large watercolor painting. I am posting this as a way of forcing myself to jump in and tackle it.

Thinking of a Turner landscape

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Some papers take the paint in a different way. In art school, one of our assignments was to get 10 or more different types of paper and paint some watercolor on them. It was to show us that paper can make a big difference.

MORE PAINTINGS TO THE RIGHT>

New Show--Flower Fantasy

RIWS is now accepting entries to their Flower Fantasy Theme. I am submitting my Yard Roses.
Yard Roses

Paintings delivered

I managed to get 4 paintings delivered for the RIWS Show....very cold outside.
One that I wanted to put in didn't get framed—next time.
The show opens with a reception Sunday at the Rhode Island Watercolor Society.

Got a good tip today for carrying Framed art. Get some of that foam pipe insulation used on water pipes. It has a slit on the edge so it can be placed over existing pipes. Cut some short lengths and put it over the edges of the frame. The frames won't bump each other and can be carried in the car safely.

Old Stuff

While trying to shake this cold I'm posting some old portraits I did.
Click Here

:(

After spending a week in NY, I came home with a bad cold. Totally knocked me out for days. I'm on the down side now but still coughing. I need to get one more painting framed for the New Artist show before Friday.

Getting ready for a show

In 2009 I became an Artist Member of the Rhode Island Watercolor Society. This has a requirement of getting in 3 juried shows. Their New Artist show is coming up and I can hang 4 of my paintings. Now the job of picking 4 that will show a range of my work.

Day 3

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My favorite colors. They brings out the kid in me.

Day 2

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Day 2, Not much tonght
I am thinking about the Apache Mountains, Arizona.