Amy’s Red Rose

This is a watercolor on 300 lb paper. 5 by 7 95.00

I was working with my apprentice, Leigh Anne today and we started a small painting of a pink rose. After she left, I decided to paint this red rose. I wanted to try a few unusual color combinations, magenta and manganese blue, and also after that glaze had dried a warm glaze of Quin red … I use these colors often but never mixed. At first the rose looked more burgundy and was very pretty but I still wanted to see the color change and how this red would look over the other cooler color. So I painted the quin red over the burgandy and I liked it. I painted three more glazes and when it started to dull down a bit, I decided to leave it alone.
I’ve got a few commissions this week so this is the reason your not seeing as many paintings on my blog as usual. I also have to develop some lessons plans for the web site, art by example. When I upload a new lesson, I’ll be sure to let you know.

Koi

Plein Air Painting Charlotte NC 2009

here is what the park looked like ….
for our painting date.

Plein Air

From ( Wikipedia)
En plein air is a French expression which means “in the open air”, and is particularly used to describe the act of painting outdoors.
Artists have long painted outdoors, but in the mid-19th century working in natural light became particularly important to the Barbizon school and Impressionism. The popularity of painting en plein air increased in the 1870s with the introduction of paints in tubes (resembling modern toothpaste tubes). Previously, each painter made their own paints by grinding and mixing dry pigment powders with linseed oil. The Newlyn School in England is considered another major proponent of the technique in the latter 19th century.
It was during this period that the “Box Easel”, typically known as the French Box Easel, was invented. It is uncertain who developed it first, but these highly portable easels, with telescopic legs and built-in paint box and palette, made treks into the forest and up the hillsides less onerous. Still made today, they remain a popular choice even for home use since they fold up to the size of a brief case and thus are easy to store.
French Impressionist painters such as Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir advocated en plein air painting, and much of their work was done outdoors, in the diffuse light provided by a large white umbrella. In the second half of the nineteenth century and beginning of the twentieth century in Russia, painters such as Vasily Polenov, Isaac Levitan, Valentin Serov, Konstantin Korovin and I.E. Grabar were known for painting en plein air. American Impressionists, too, such as those of the Old Lyme school, were avid painters en plein air. American Impressionist painters noted for this style during this era included, Guy Rose, Robert William Wood, Mary Denil Morgan, John Gamble, and Arthur Hill Gilbert. The Canadian Group of Seven originated by Tom Thomson and Filipino American artist Sherie Sloane [1] are examples of plein air advocates.

Artist working en plein air, on a pedestrian bridge in Edmonton.

Plein air painters painting in Ringwood, NJ.
The popularity of outdoor painting has endured throughout the 20th century and into the 21st century.
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Lavender Skies over Leigh Anne’s Mountain

5 by 7 watercolor on paper. Landscape
This painting was painted with my Protege or in the past they would have called her my apprentice. I was demonstrating a few techniques, how to use a palette or pin knife in watercolor and the dreaded gradient wash. She gessoes boards and is helping me while I teach her the whats, where’s and hows of being a modern day Artist here in the Charlotte NC area. Soon she’ll tackle my data base so maybe you’ll be getting a note from me soon.

All dogs go to heaven #15

It was my good friend’s birthday and I painted this for her. Its part of my “all dogs go to heaven” series

5 by seven watercolor on paper (not for sale)

The temps are back up and it was so beautiful today we ate our dinner out in the courtyard. I fed the sparrows who were our surprise dinner guests.

together

This small painting reminds me that spring is on the way. 6.5″ by 8″ inches $95.00 watercolor on paper

Angels are amongst us

Mixed media ( oil) on mat board $50.00 plus S and H. I love this series and I’ve always believed in angels or guides or whatever their called in different religions and cultures. It seems I’ve always had someone looking out for me and its a good thing!

Easter floral

The size of the painting is 11 by 22 .
Framed in a white mat and gold frame, it’s for sale for $300.00 It’s beautiful.
This is a wet into wet watercolor painted using the negative painting approach. As you can see many of the flowers are not painted but the area around the flower is painted.

Misty Koi Pond

Watercolor on Artist grade paper $70.00 9 by 12 inches
I love misty weather because it reminds me of how beautiful things can be when its still and quiet outdoors.

It was pretty cool here last night 14 degrees (F), and I was glad to see the sun come out this afternoon.

Cool Nights, Warm Days

this 8 by 10 watercolor on gessoed masonite is for sale for 90.00.
It started out as a lake painting but the water painted in the foreground really threw off the balance and simplicity of the beauty of the trees and the little buildings, so I put in the green foreground. I like it much better now. Sometimes the painting will tell you what you will be painting today and not the other way around.

Snow and Koi in March in SC USA

It was pretty cold here last night and my Koi are enjoying a cool snack!