Tiger Lily No.2 - Almost Finished

Almost done needs to dry completely so I can pull out a few defining shapes with watercolor pencils.

Keep Makin' Art

Carl

Tiger Lily No.2 - First Washes

Here is the beginning of the second Tiger Lily watercolor. It is 8x10" on 300lb. Arches paper (my last sheet).

I started with the drawing. Then a very subtle purple / blue wash in the background to push the warm colors forward. Next it is the orange / yellow colors of the petals. This will be glazed on in layers today building up some depth. I will post my progress tomorrow morning.

Keep Makin' Art!

Carl

Oh No!

I just realized I am down to my last sheet of 300lb Arches watercolor paper. I have become very spoiled painting on blocks of 300. I never worry about buckling no matter what I throw at the paper.

I definitely have to place an order today!

Watercolor TIP: This should be common sense to all of us watercolorists... but a few weeks ago I realized I had been painting with the same dirty bucket of water in my studio for months. Colors were getting muddy. So change out that water and keep your colors fresh. It is also good to clean your palette once in a while. I broke my good covered palette recently and have been putting out fresh paint for each painting. This is a bit of a waste.... but when you paint only two or three times a week like I am now you want to do everything you can to make the best experience possible of each painting session.

Keep Makin' Art

Carl

After The Storm

The woods were filled with wonder this morning. The sound of the snow as I hiked along could be heard as it fell from the branches. I was surprised to see so many folks out on the trails this morning. The main trail had been packed down pretty well, but every time I ventured of off the trail to get closer to the brook I found myself pushing thru hip deep snow on uneven rocky terrain. Having survived one broken ankle in my life... I did not wander of the trail as much as I normally would to get the shot. I did get a couple scenes like this though that show you pretty well what I was seeing.

Keep Makin' Art

Carl

Tiger Lily - Watercolor Finished

Tiger Lily

I don't have any stages to show you on this one.... It just went from drawing to finished in a flash.

Arches 300lb Coldpress Paper

American Journey Watercolors

While I was out of the studio...

I went into the studio today to start painting the flower I photographed the other day.... and low and behold it bloomed into this beauty.... Looks like I'll have two paintings to work on this weekend!

Keep Makin' Art

Carl

Next Painting Project

I took this photo on Sunday and it will be my next painting project. I will post updates as I work on this. This one should be fun and challenging. I tend to overwork flower paintings.

Keep Makin' Art

Carl

Hudson Valley

One of the things I like best about living here in the Hudson valley is the wonderful scenes and trails you can see and discover. There are trails and paths for people of all levels and abilities to get out and find the peace of mind afforded by being in nature.

This little stream and waterfall was perhaps a hundred yards from where I parked my car in Harriman State Park and went on for several miles of elevation changes and little waterfalls. This was not even one of the marked trails as far as I know. I just spotted it through a small opening in the cover as the stream ran under a small bridge.

There are views like this... both grand and small all over the Hudson Valley and Catskills. I started carrying my camera as a kid to capture all of these wonderful places I was discovering.

So take a break from Facebook or Wii or whatever you are doing and get outside to enjoy the beauty of this wonderful place.

I am very concerned that some of these amazing parks in our region and around New York State will close to close the budget gap. I saw this article posted on the NY- NJ Trail Conference website yesterday.

Keep Makin' Art

Carl

Winter Sunset - Goosepond Mountain

Peaceful solitude.... Just after sunset at Goosepond Mountain.

lemon Still Life - Final

I got a little impatient... Who Me you say never.... Well I did. I started working on the background before the lemons were dry. I almost had a disaster, but thinking fast on my feet I used washes of gray, blue and purple in the background and the lemons in the bowl. Lucky for me that yellow is a pretty opaque color in watercolor and I was able to work with the area I had paint the background over the two lemons. Going with a dark background gave me an added advantage of it pushing the metal bowl forward and adding depth to the painting.

So rescued from near disaster... What do you think?

Keep Makin' Art!

Carl