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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Books About and by Mary Whyte

One of my goals for the new year was to get back to reading more books. I have found myself the past year  being more self absorbed with reading on the computer, iPad, and checking Facebook which has taken away too much  time I would normally spend reading books from my library, specifically my art books.   How did I let that happen?

Starting with the new year I have been spending a little time in the morning and during breakfast reading my art books.  Since I received the lovely book,More Than a Likeness: The Enduring Art of Mary Whyte, by Martha R. Severens, for Christmas. I started there.  After, I felt compelled to read again Painting Portraits and Figures in Watercolor by Mary Whyte.  I have skimmed and read this one several times since it is chock full of so much good information.

I don’t know of anyone who paints in watercolor and is familiar with Mary Whyte who doesn’t admire her work.  More Than a Likeness is a beautiful coffee table book that features many of Mary’s paintings from her early years, commissions, oils and many of the paintings one might be most familiar with from her “Working South” series and the paintings of life on St. Johns Island.  This is not a technique book but a lovely narrative of how Mary became the artist she is today.  It reads in chronological order from her early years as a student, how she started her art career,  to how she was inspired to paint the Gullah women on St. Johns Island, South Carolina,  to the years she spent traveling the United States to capture people that are working in dying industries in the South.

Demo Page from Painting Portraits and Figures in Watercolor

Written by Martha Severens, an art historian who served as the curator of the Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston, South Carolina, the book captures the essence of who Mary is as a person and how her experiences have influenced her work.

Painting Portraits and Figures in Watercolor, is a more of a technique book written by Mary.  Even if you don’t paint figures or portraits, I highly recommend this book.  What you would learn you could apply to anything you would paint in watercolor.  The chapters are broken down to:

• Getting Started
• Materials & Tools
• Techniques
• Drawing
• Values
• Edges
• Color & Light
• Backgrounds
• Life as an Artist

I have put this book on my recommend reading list for my workshop students.  Her chapters on design and composition, value, edges, color and background are important aspects to the whole painting processthat many fail to consider when they start out painting regardless of the medium one would work with.  Especially if you paint in watercolor, I feel you would find both of these wonderful books inspiring!

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Bold & Dynamic Watercolor Workshop Last Weekend

The weather was so beautiful here last weekend it was a shame to spend it indoors, however, I wouldn't have traded the time spent with my amazing workshop students for anything!  The more I teach the more I enjoy doing it.  I had a great group who did a wonderful job.  I felt honored one of my students traveled down to Florida from Illinois just to take my workshop!  I hope you all had as much fun as I did, and keep those brushes wet!

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Good News!

It has been a great week for good news!  Lion Dance has been accepted into the Southern Watercolor Society's Annual Exhibition which will be at the Customs House Museum in Clarksville, TN. May 8-July 5. Thank you to juror Kathleen Conover for adding this piece to the show!

Mayan Gate

$1,500.00

Watercolor, Framed

14.5” x 21.5,” (37 cm x 54.5 cm)

Framed Size 21.5" x 28.5," price includes frame

Selected for the Louisiana Watercolor Society 44th International Juried Exhibition 2014

Selected for theFlorida Watercolor Society's On Line Exhibition, 2014

Selected for Pennsylvania Watercolor Society's 34th Annual Juried International Competition, 2013

Selected for the Annual Central Florida Watercolor Society Exhibition 2013 at the Terrace Gallery, City Hall, Orlando Florida

This painting was inspired by the wonderful Mayan Revival Architecture at the Maitland Art Center, Maitland Florida, designed by J. Andre Smith. 

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Also got word this week that Mayan Gate was accepted by juror Iain Stewart, for the 2015 Georgia Watercolor Society National Exhibition. This will be my third year (in a row) in a GWS National Exhibition, which means I will be a Signature Member. Woo Hoo! Show will be at the Ogelthorpe University Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA, March 14-April 26. I'm very honored to be in the show, and to be a Signature Member with GWS!

On an artists note, I just wanted to mention once again, if you enter competitions or have an interest to, keep trying!  Lion Dance was passed over a few times, to finally land a spot in a show.  It's never a good idea to try to second guess the taste or preference of the judge because you just never know.  It is a good idea to submit the best work that you have in your inventory at the time.  Make sure you read the prospectus carefully for size restrictions, and other criteria for EACH show.  They vary from show to show.  Keep those brushes wet and good luck!

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New Work... A Splash of Red

Splash of Red

$500.00

Watercolor 

Mounted on Archival Board with 2" Wood Edge

12" x 12" x 2," (30.5 cm x 30.5 cm x 5cm)

Accepted into the Women Painters of the Southeast 5th Annual Juried Exhibition 2016,  The Art Depot, Abingdon, VA

Inspired by the light and cast shadows on a bromeliad. 

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Sometime you are at the right place at the right time.  That's how I felt when I came across  some bromeliads while visiting a local garden show.  The light was hitting them creating some really interesting shadow patterns.  That,  plus their beautiful color and just the design of these beautiful plants is what drew me to paint them.  I have a collection of bromeliads in my home garden here in Florida.  This may be the start of a continuing series.  However the light has to be just right!

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Day 5 of the Three Paintings in Five Days Facebook Challenge

Paris Passy Gate

$2,500.00

Watercolor on Archival Handmade Paper, Framed

22" x 19," (56 cm x 48 cm)

Framed Size 30.35" x 27.5," price includes frame

Accepted into the 2015 Pennsylvania International Exhibition at The Carlisle Arts Learning Center

Inspired by the Passy area where I lived in Paris. For more information please visit my blog by clicking here.

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The final day of the 3 in 5 challenge, I cheated a bit and posted 4 paintings.  My art and design roots go back to environmental design and architecture. When working with Walt Disney Imagineering, we traveled if necessary to do research to make the environments we were designing as authentic as possible. When on our photo safaris I always tended to hone in on the details. Now I seem to be doing the same thing in my painting!

Mayan Gate

$1,500.00

Watercolor, Framed

14.5” x 21.5,” (37 cm x 54.5 cm)

Framed Size 21.5" x 28.5," price includes frame

Selected for the Louisiana Watercolor Society 44th International Juried Exhibition 2014

Selected for theFlorida Watercolor Society's On Line Exhibition, 2014

Selected for Pennsylvania Watercolor Society's 34th Annual Juried International Competition, 2013

Selected for the Annual Central Florida Watercolor Society Exhibition 2013 at the Terrace Gallery, City Hall, Orlando Florida

This painting was inspired by the wonderful Mayan Revival Architecture at the Maitland Art Center, Maitland Florida, designed by J. Andre Smith. 

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These four, paintings are part of my gate series.  Paris Passy Gate and  Gate of Reverence were inspired by gates in the area of Paris where I lived.  Mayan Gate is from the Mayan Revival Style, Maitland Art Center here in Florida, and  French Quarter Gate, inspired by a gate in New Orleans. 

French Quarter Gate

$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)

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Day 4 of the Facebook Three Paintings in Five Days Challenge

DAY 4 of the Three Paintings in Five Days Facebook Challenge…More Asian inspired works from my time traveling there. “Odd Man Out.” was recently judged by an artist I greatly admire, Thomas Schaller, for the Kansas Watercolor Society Exhibition. Thank you Thomas! It evolved from a plein air sketch I did on Peel Street in Hong Kong. I love this painting because it takes me right back to the memory of doing the sketch.  I did a blog post about it here.

Lotus Nocturne

$175.00

Price Includes Shipping

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

Original painting is SOLD.

Image Size:  Half size from original, 19.5" x 9.25," (23.5 cm x 49.5 cm)

Shipped flat with backing board.

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I adore the Lotus plant which I saw all over Thailand, Japan, and China. “Lotus Nocturne” is a self-reflective painting for me. From a previous post here, you can read about the symbology of this beautiful plant.

I had to paint the “Kyoto Tanuki" seen all over Japan because he is so darn cute and mischievous. You can read about the symbology of the Tanuki on from a previous post here.

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Day 3 of the Three Paintings in Five Days Facebook Challenge

Pak Tai Guardian

$3,500.00

Watercolor, Framed

30” x 22.,5” (76 cm x 57 cm)

Framed Size 42.5" x 35," price includes frame

Selected for the 41st Annual Florida Watercolor Society Exhibition 2012 at the Mennello Museum of American Art .

Selected for the 2nd Annual Women Painters of the Southeast Exhibition, 2013, at the Imagine Gallery of Fine Art, Franklin Tennessee.

This painting was inspired by an intriguing statue I saw on my many visits to the Pak Tai Temple in Wan Chai on Hong Kong Island.

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Pak Tai Guardian Lion

$3,500.00

Watercolor, Framed

30” x 22.5,” (76 cm x 57 cm)

Framed Size 42.75" x 34.75"

This is the second painting in a series of temple pieces inspired by a Chinese Lion statue I saw on my many visits to the Pak Tai Temple in Wan Chai on Hong Kong Island.

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DAY 3 of three paintings in five days Facebook challenge... When I lived in Hong Kong one of my favorite things to do was visit and sketch at the myriad of temples. The two dragon paintings evolved from sketches I did at the Pak Tai Temple in the Wan Chai district. One was my first try, and acceptance into a major exhibition, The Florida Watercolor Society. Thanks to juror,  Nicholas Simmons for choosing it!

Since we moved to Hong Kong during Chinese New Year, I wanted to commemorate that time with "Lion Dance". It’s my largest painting 36” sq. and I wanted to capture the excitement of the acrobatic dance with a colorful, “in your face,” statement!

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Day 2 of the Three Painting in Five Days Facebook Challenge

DAY 2 of the 3 paintings in 5 days challenge…I postedthree watercolor sketches from my travel journals. I use two sizes of books 8 x 6 and a 10 x 7, one brush, sometimes two, a large round and a flat,  and a small Windsor & Newton travel palette. If you want to know more about my sketching set up you can read a previous post here. Keeping these journals resulted in my passion and path to painting in watercolor!  These mean more to me than any photo I have taken and looking through them occasionally brings back so many fond memories.

Chedi Beach, Phuket Thailand, Watercolor Sketch

Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia, Watercolor Sketch

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