Shine

 At the current time, I have been working on a watercolor for a 'challenge' in a group I belong to ~

 Ali Gator Watercolor Community with Ali Cavanaugh on Patreon.

The challenge this time was paint a 'self-reflection' - self portrait 

in a reflective surface.  The example given was this M.C. Escher painting.

 I could have used a shiny cooking pot or a shiny hubcap 

or a window with sunlight

to REFLECT my image into, however, I have always wanted a 

'Gazing Globe Mirror Ball'! 

And what a perfect time to bite the bullet and GET ONE.

Amazon had LOTS of them. I chose a 'not so expensive' 7" silver one.

Couldn't quite figure out how to take a photo of my reflection without

the iPhone camera showing - after many attempts and use of camera space

I came up with one I could paint from. I like the up-front image with my 

iPhone and it's eggplant colored Otter Box right there.  These days -

it's totally a fixture of my persona. I take photos of just about everything. 

Maybe you do, too?

I have over 10K photos on my device I probably

 should deal with....someday soon.

"Shine"

12" x 16"

watercolor on Arches cold press paper

That mirror ball will be a new addition to my garden this SPRING and summer.

I will have to invent a way to keep it from 'blowing away'.😆

Isla

 

"Isla"

8" x 8" watercolor

The photo of this painting is not reading right today.  It looks OK on my

iPhone but didn't translate very well to computer.

Most of the time, this is the case.

This is a daughter Isla (pronounced EYE-lah) of a student I taught in first grade, many moons ago.

It's always interesting to see what your long ago students are up to.

This little girl is just as precious as her mom.

WIP - In the Swim of Things

 

Using a photo to paint in watercolor - with permission.  I have miles to go.  

I chose to paint this

because of all the lovely water swirls above the figure.

The figure has crazy foreshortening as it comes toward the camera and

I feel the water distortion has something to do with

that foreshortening, as well.

It looked challenging - and it definitely IS!

Using 8" x 8" Ampersand board treated with housepaint 

and Qor watercolor ground.

 

On a Roll...

But...don't hold your breath.  I am feeling marvelous that I have painted 7 paintings in a little over a month.  Hope to keep up the momentum.  Why? Because it's GOOD PRACTICE.  Learning new ways to use materials and mediums is a cathartic exercise at this moment in time.  

Here is a new watercolor - done from a reference photo from Terry Colby, who is a contributing photographer on a FB group I follow and have permission to utilize what I find there.  This image appealed to me because of the golden hour sort of light that was tripping across this bird's front surface.  

I purchased some basswood unfinished cradled boards by Ampersand.  I used Kilz house paint to seal them, then I added a few coats of Qor watercolor ground on top.  I love this surface ~ it loves watercolor.

Still wavering between people and animals - I am so much more comfortable with the latter.  Finding the courage to push back into a people portrait next.

"Baltimore Oriole"

8" x 8" 

watercolor on Ampersand/Qor treated cradled board

(not a native of Colorado, but awesome coloring - all the same)

A Painting of Ali in graphite gray

 

"Ali" watercolor

8" x 8" cradled Ampersand board

I have been following Ali Cavanaugh on Patreon for a couple of years.  

I have LOTS to learn with

painting the face in watercolor.  

More practice would definitely be golden, 

the other kinds of painting (like the newly found greatness and 

interest of Pan Pastel) get in the way.

I don't have the 'softness' yet in my renditions of the face and hair like I want.

For me, there is quite a 'mind switch' from the 

opaqueness of acrylic and the transparency of watercolor.

I'll get it eventually. Stay tuned.

A Portrait Painted in Acrylic

I have been taking lots of online courses this past couple of years to brush up on and improve my people portraits.  In this painting, in particular, I followed what I learned in a lesson with Kara Bullock.  The subject, my granddaughter and grand kitty were first painted in 'notan' - 3 levels of dark to light in black and white paint - darkest, midtone and light.  It was used as an underpainting guide to the lightness and dark in the painting and it REALLY helped me see and get things figured out on the canvas!

First the NOTAN part - using a grid to keep the likeness...

which was underneath the color I added and after days and days of painting and tweaking, 

here is the final painting.

"Sterling and Rocket"

©Pattie Wall, 2022

12" x 12" acrylic painting on stretched canvas