Watercolor Sketching Workshop in Winter Garden Florida

The more I teach the more I realize I love to teach!  We had a glorious weekend with the arrival of some cooler weather, which only lasted the weekend by the way, it's hot again!  I can't remember since moving to Florida seventeen years ago it ever being this hot this late in November!  I digress.... I had three lovely ladies join me for a weekend of sketching and they were great!  Sketching in the morning and afternoon is tiring and they were real troopers and really enjoyed it.

Sketching the Red Caboose and Train Station

I'm hearing from students in all of my workshops that I cover many topics that most instructors  don't discuss and they are so happy to discover and learn about!  There were quite a few light bulb moments in this workshop, which I was thrilled about!  I love that I can help others move forward with their painting/sketching practice and that I'm providing them with many take aways.

The Crooked Can Brewery, in Stillman & Birn Alpha Series Sketchbook

In this watercolor sketching workshop since we were sketching in Downtown Historic Winter Garden and focusing mostly on architecture, I covered  different perspective views, horizon lines, vanishing points, one and two point perspective and proportions.  Proportions are key, it took me a while when I first started sketching to figure out how to measure and make sure what I wanted to sketch fit on the page!  How many of you have started sketching something only to run out of room on your paper?

An added bonus for me is that while I'm explaining all of this to others I can't help but grow and improve myself!

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I'm in the Artist's Space in the Orlando Arts Magazine

In September I got an email out the blue from Jessica Chapman the Managing Editor at Orlando Arts Magazine, asking if I would be interested in being featured in their "Artist's Space" section of the magazine!  My answer was an outstanding YES!  Jessica and Phelan Ebenhack a freelance photographer that works throughout the city and beyond, wanted to come to my studio, shoot me in my environment and interview me.  The kicker was they needed to do it fast.  Let's just say I'm not the greatest at keeping my studio neat and tidy.  It is a studio after all!  This forced me to do a much-needed organizing session.  It was a blast to do and it was wonderful to get to know and chat with Phelan and Jessica.  I'm so happy with how the article turned out and even more thrilled that I'm in the issue with Mary Whyte's work on the cover! Just sayin'! Her work is in an exhibition at the Mennello Museum of American Art here in Orlando.  I posted about that a couple of weeks ago. It was great to work in a super tidy studio for a week, because that's about how long it lasted. 

You can click here to go to my web site to read the article.

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Japan Pagoda Plein Air

The last few months I have been sticking to my every Friday morning plein air sketching and painting practice.  I just got back from today's session, got a good start,  and this is the painting I did last Friday.  I say sketching and painting because I have this thing in my head that says if I'm working in my sketchbook it's a sketch but if I'm working on paper it's a painting.  Even though while I'm working on paper I try to psyche myself into thinking I'm only doing a sketch which makes me paint a bit looser and be less fussy. I'm also not using my easel lately and painting on a foam board or my sketchbook on my lap.   I'm still trying to balance the two concepts in my brain.  Crazy!

If you live in the central Florida area, I will be teaching a Watercolor Sketching in Plein Air Workshop in Winter Garden, Nov. 14 & 15.  

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Meeting Mary Whyte

Mary Whyte’s exhibition “A Portrait of Us”  opened this past weekend at the Mennello Museum of American Art in Orlando, Florida. Iwas beyond excited to see her work in person, since I’m a big admirer and have read most of her books, (see book reviews here),  but then to meet her during a gallery talk on Saturday was an incredible opportunity!

Mary is the nicest and most beautiful person as her paintings are stunning.  She shared a bit about her background and how she came to paint the Gullah womenon John’s Island in South Carolina, as well as a brief story and sometimes a bit of technical insight on every painting in the exhibition.  In addition her husbandSmith Coleman, Smitty, was there to discuss how he complements her work with the frames he hand makes, and the process that goes into carving and finishing the frames to enhance the paintings even farther. All of Mary's paintings were framed by frames made by Smitty.  The frames as well as the work were absolutely beautiful.

Mary Discussing the Model from the Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus

Knowing the stories and the thought process that went into each work gave me an even bigger appreciation of what I was seeing. It was such a unique opportunity to experience the artists giving a narrative of every piece in the show!   I loved one thing Mary said when discussing her work and that was, “What do you want the piece to say, and then how can say more.”  Something to keep in the back of my head while composing and  painting my own work.

Mary talks about how she composed these two works and the stories behind them.

The show will be running from now until January 3, 2016.  I plan to go back again since I know I will have a different experience another time.  This show is not to be missed especially for artists who paint in watercolor!

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Jock Lindsey from Indiana Jones is my Alter Ego

This past July I mentioned I was working on another Disney illustration project but I couldn’t say what it was.  When it’s in the guest hands I can let the cat out of the bag!  If your received my last newsletter, (you can subscribe here) you already know that Jock Lindsey from the Indiana Jones series is my alter ego!

One of the new attractions at Disney Springs, formerly knows as Downtown Disney,  is Jock Lindsey's Hangar Bar, themed after the infamous pilot in the Indiana Jones series.   The story goes, Jock flew Indiana Jones to Florida in the late 1930's to search for the fountain of youth.  He loved it so much he settled here in the 1940's on the waterfront and opened a bar in a deserted airplane hangar.  As he was dreaming up cocktails to serve.  He started sketching out ideas in watercolor.  My (I mean Jock's) favorite cocktails and sketches are featured in the cocktail menu. They are: The Cool Headed Monkey, Reggie's Revenge, Hovito Mojito and Anything Goes.  I didn't design the cocktails, Jock took care of that.  But I did have a hand doing (I mean helping) him with the illustrations for the menu.  I can't wait to try them!

If you visit Jock Lindsey's Hangar Bar and try any of them let me know what you think!

The Cool Headed Monkey: My illustrations in the menu photo credit Steve Fox, Inside the Magic.

Reggie's Revenge: My illustrations in the menu photo credit Steve Fox, Inside the Magic.

Hovito Mojito: My illustrations in the menu photo credit Steve Fox, Inside the Magic.

Anything Goes: My illustrations in the menu photo credit Steve Fox, Inside the Magic.

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A Couple Watercolor Sketches and some Workshops

I have been starting up again my once a week plein air watercolor sketch outing.  My goal is to user a larger sketchbook and get quicker with the drawing and looser with the painting.  I'm using a 9" x 11" Stillman & Birn, Alpha Series sketchbook.  I am really liking this painting surface.  A few of my other books have hand-made khadi paper which I also like, but I'm loving how the color is popping off the page with this smoother paper!   The Alapha Series paper is thinner than their Beta Series paper.  The advantage to that is you get more paper in the book and I'm able to watercolor sketch on both sides of the sheet with no bleed through.  That's how nice this paper is.  It's a little more like a hot press surface than a cold press paper, if you were to compare it to watercolor paper, but not as smooth and slick as some hot press papers are.

Watercolor Sketch, in a 9 x 11 Stillman & Birn Sketchbook

The main reason watercolor is my preferred medium at the moment is for my love of sketching in watercolor.  Once I did this for a number of  years I had the desire to try my hand at larger works!  My sketchbooks are like my little children, complete treasures.  I love looking through them to remind me of the memories of the places I have traveled.

If you are interested in sketching in watercolor, documenting your travels or your daily life, I will be teaching a "Sketching in Watercolor: Plein Air" Workshop" at the Winter Garden Art Association.  One this fall, November 14 & 15 and one this spring, April 11 & 12.  Leave me a comment or send me an email if you would like to register for the spring class.

My complete workshop schedule is on my web site here.

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Zen Moment

Just when I thought I had returned I was gone again!  I have been traveling once again and with all the activities relating to my recent trip, I have not been in the studio painting, blogging or being very active on social media.  I just got back a little over a week ago from Indiana.  My mom planned a lovely memorial service for my dad and I stayed a while with her to help her with odds and ends since his passing.  Then it was off to Savannah last weekend to get my daughter settled for her junior year at SCAD.  Time is flying so quickly! I really wish the summer would last a bit longer, however, without the Florida heat!

I'm back to painting again and did this piece which I'm calling Zen Moment, because that is exactly what I needed and it is what this painting provided!  I have also decide to teach my students this piece in my upcoming "Bold & Dynamic Watercolor" workshop at the Winter Garden Art Association which will be here before you know it, Sat. & Sun. October 17 & 18.  If you would like more information you can visit my website here and to register you can go here to visit the Winter Garden Art Association's website.  If you have any questions feel free to contact me.  I want to give a shout out to Cynthia who discovered my blog and came to Florida last spring to take my workshop!  Cynthia,  I haven't made the Meyer Lemon Jelly yet, but still plan to!

I'm happy to be home and to get back into more of a normal routine, if such a thing exists, but at least it is feeling like it, at the moment.

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New Work... Finders Keeper

Finders Keeper

$35.00

Price Includes Shipping

Limited Edition Archival Giclée Print Signed and Numbered, Edition of 300

Original painting is SOLD.

Image Size:  6” x 6,” (15 cm x 15 cm)

Quantity:

Purchase

All through my childhood every spring I would forage for mushrooms with my mother and grandfather.  Even though we were hunting for Morels, I have had a fascination with all kinds of mushrooms.  I always loved eating the morels, but ironically I absolutely detested button mushrooms!  Now, my taste has changed and I love to eat mushrooms of all kinds, except of course the poisonous ones and those  that make your mind...well you know what I mean!

This painting will be available at the March Exhibition, "Going Deeper," at the 127 SoBo Gallery in Winter Garden, Florida.

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The Paint Around at the Splash 2015 Gala for the Winter Garden Art Association

The Paint Around at the Splash 2015 Gala for the Winter Garden Art Association was a huge success.  The experience was a lot of fun, but very intense and nerve-racking at the same time.  The three of us had about an hour and a half to finish all three of paintings that each of us had designed and drew ahead of time.  I started with the painting I designed for  20 minutes, then worked on Mike's painting for 15 minutes, then Rudy's painting for 15, and then got mine back and finished it in around 40 minutes.  We matted and each signed all the paintings.

We were so focused, we were oblivious to the crowds and on lookers watching us paint!  During the course of the evening volunteers took donations for  raffle tickets and three lucky winners were drawn and took home our paintings! One of my dear friends happened to win the one I designed!

It was a lot of pressure to finish a painting so quickly and work on someone else's work!   It was all for a good cause! Thanks to everyone who supported us and watched us paint!

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The Red Head for a Paint Around

Tomorrow night is the Winter Garden Art Association's First "Splash" 2015 Gala at the 127 SoBo Gallery!  I am participating in a Paint Around, with three other watercolor artists.  The way it works is everyone designs a painting or uses a painting they have painted before.  We have an hour to do all four paintings,  the kicker is we all paint on each others.  We start with our own, then after fifteen minutes the paintings are passed around counter-clockwise. I have 10 minutes, to work on the one to my left, then after 10 minutes, they get passed again and so on. The last 15 minutes of the hour, I get mine back to finish it.  While we are doing this, guests will be arriving, milling around and drinking martinis and wine.  Which maybe I should have before I start!

When they are finished we will all sign each one, back mat, and protect it.  Throughout the evening volunteers will be selling raffle tickets to win a chance to take home the four paintings.  All proceeds will go to the Winter Garden Art Association.

I have volunteered to help at an event like this at the Florida Watercolor Society Convention, but have never participated in one.  It should be very interesting and a hoot to do.  I'm looking forward to it!

I'm doing a rooster, because I love the bold color and Winter Garden in its hey day was a very rural area, with a produce and citrus industry.  So wish me luck, or break a leg!

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