I’ve been scanning a box of photos so I can throw out the originals and declutter my space. Recently, I found this small seascape, painted in 1994. Back then, I usually copied from photos in magazines, but I made up this scene in my head.
At the time, I remember being so proud of myself because this was the first watercolor that turned out the way I wanted. I’ve kept it around all these years as a memento of that feeling. Now I’ve thrown out the original, but I still have the memory.
I bought some hotpress watercolor paper to try out. I’m not sure how I feel about the surface; it will take some getting used to. Coldpress paper seems to allow me more time for “wiggle room” before leaving an indelible mark. Also, coldpress paper seems to take more abuse and “scrubbing” before the paper’s surface starts to disintegrate. I painted this rose, but I mangled the leaves badly so I cut them off with the paper cutter.
It’s frustrating to have something turn out badly, especially when I don’t get to paint whenever I want anymore. I know that it is to be expected though, and I’m glad I experimented with this new paper.
I hope everybody has a prosperous and productive New Year. Because 2011 was so crazy for me and I have no idea what will happen in 2012, I’ve decided not to declare any set goals. I did write a list of things that I would like to accomplish, but I have no idea if any of those things will happen the way I would like them. I feel under so much pressure to make every spare moment count for something, so I should be able to make some sketches to post here in any case. I think that will be good enough for now!
2011 was a big year for me, although not so much on the art front. I did have goals for this year, but other things took up my energy. Even though things weren’t as productive as I’d like in terms of my artwork, I did have quite the year personally. I had quite a few deaths in the family and a lot of personal upheavals as well, such as moving.
Of all my goals, I think the only one I was successful with was spending more time in my sketchbooks. Sometimes this was the only thing that I could bring myself to do because I felt so rotten. Now that I don’t have a lot of time on my hands, I expect that this trend will continue into 2012.
Interestingly, I feel that I have been more productive with my time since I had Cate. Perhaps this is because “free time” is so precious to me now that I barely have any.
Since I’ve become a mother I’ve begun to spend more time thinking seriously about my artwork and how I want to spend my time on it. I never really thought about it before, but now I am more serious about creating a legacy for my daughter. I want her to see me as someone who is can work toward a goal and isn’t afraid to take a risk.
This is also the first year that I’ve put my minimalist ideals into practice. I’ve been interested in the minimalist lifestyle for some time now, but moving into a much smaller home really forced me to take some action. Besides getting rid of a ton of personal and household items, I disposed of a large number of art supplies that I was no longer using regularly. I’ve learned that I can truly thrive with much fewer things to manage. In fact, I like the feeling of having a lighter load.
Next time, I’ll explain my goal setting philosophy for 2012.
Here is another composition of sliced pears, this time with bold blue shadows. I really like the combination of blue and brown. Now that I have both ultramarine blue and raw umber on my palette, I think I’ll really enjoy myself.
In reality, this pear was unripe and not very good for eating. It was sitting on a plate getting kind of slimy when I painted this little still life, but I like the way the painting turned out.
The blog Orangette recently had a lovely piece about poached pears. I would love to try it if I were lucky enough to find good pears, which is rare in New England. Perhaps I will try it the next time I get a box from Harry and David.
I never really commemorated blog anniversaries before, but I was looking through my archives the other day and I realized that my blog is turning three today. I have been posting my work elsewhere online since 2005, but this is the first blog that I’ve really made “my own.”
The above painting is another one from earlier this year. Just looking at all my old watercolors makes me want to sit down and paint again. I wish I had more time!
I decided to make more bookmarks in the same vein as these. I really didn’t have any use for them though, but thankfully I knew three people in need of a new bookmark.
Dick Blick was running a sale awhile back and I took the opportunity to order some more blue paints. Above is the result of my experimentations with my new colors.
Previously, the only blues I had on my palette were cerulean blue and phthalo blue. I bought some M Graham cobalt blue, ultramarine blue and prussian blue. I’m not too impressed with the prussian blue though, because it seems like it’s just a darker version of phthalo blue. I really love the cobalt blue though, and I think this might be my new favorite blue.
