Watercolors by Doug Daniels

Work in Progress

2012-02-10T16:39:00.000-05:00

You certainly can't tell by my blog that I've been spending

many hours in the studio. Making progress but still not

satisfied with most of the paintings. I've tried not to linger

to long trying to correct colors and such. Just a quick trip

to the trash heap. There are thoughts and some pieces in

progress. Maybe some day they will appear on this blog.

Don't hold your breath.

Well I'm off to the hospital Monday the 13th for another

operation. This one is nasty and that's enough said about that.

It has delayed our trip to Florida this year which is a bummer.

Hopefully we'll still get to spend part of March down there.

Once we know the outcome that is.

Off to the studio I go, hi ho!

His

2011-12-06T22:08:00.000-05:00

Not a good photo but will do for now.

Transparent watercolor on

cold press Arches watercolor paper.

14 x 18"

Not the Same

2011-12-02T21:53:00.001-05:00

Tints over tints, wet into wet colors,

blotting, blending, wash aways. Lots of texture

and accidental effects. Sometimes lost and

sometimes found. I've had many conversations with

this painting and finally understand what it

was trying to say.

11" x 15.5"

Transparent watercolor

Arches 140# watercolor paper

Drop in found!

2011-10-25T22:00:00.000-04:00

A few pieces from the last three weeks.

More of dreaded locks.

2011-08-06T12:29:00.000-04:00

I think I've gone from dreadlocks to fairy princess. This
is going to take a while as I decide what to do next.
At this point I can only start over which isn't a bad thing.

Spring Snow

2011-08-05T20:42:00.000-04:00

Another view of Boulder Mountain from a lower
altitude.

Pouting Dreadlocks/watercolor

2011-07-27T16:57:00.000-04:00

Sort of a new direction for me. Several blogger friends

suggested that I use some of the gesture drawings I have.

This is a shaky beginning. Certainly not a subject I've

used in watercolor before so it's an adventure.

I've got some redrawing to do because of proportion

problems I see here. My gesture drawing was quite

small and roughly drawn. Imagining the human figure

is fine. My imagination hasn't been used that way for

quite some time so the search continues.

I'll post further progress quickly or slowly depending

on how things go.

OPPS, & DOUBLE OPPS.

2011-06-11T13:16:00.000-04:00

Mr. Clever found you all again.
Whew, that's a relief.

Opps

2011-06-11T12:36:00.000-04:00

It appears that ole Mr. Clever has mistakenly
removed all of my followers. I have no clue how
I did that. No offense everyone, I loved having you.
Now I have to figure out how to get back the space that
allows followers. Wish me luck!

Grapeland

2011-04-27T12:27:00.001-04:00

Horizontal

Vertical check for composition.

I was going to write about the long conversation

this painting and I had along the way. I may come

back to that at some point. For now let me

know what you think about this painting.

I think this is the third version of this subject.

High

2011-04-22T14:53:00.000-04:00

It's actually 10,000 ft. looking down on Boulder Mt.

In the distance is some of the Grand Staircase, Escalante.

I was really drawn to the pure white of the snow

contrasting with the dark pines and the distant

mountains and valley's.

Watercolor on 140lb arches. @ 8 x 10

Miles and miles and not enough sleep!

2011-04-06T21:50:00.000-04:00

Utah is a maze of national parks!

Here are a few pictures that we took over

the last 5 days. Many long stories and

100's of photo's for later.

Difficult to show but this is the top of the

Grand Staircase - Escalante. It is impassable.

Settlers said the only way to cross this series of rock tops

and thousands of crevasses was an animal with wings.

Many people have gone into this land and never returned.

Most recently a young hiker, was not heard from after he entered

and was never found. There really is no way to get in there

and search. Strange and creepy place.

This is just a passing photo of Capital Reef, another

National Park.

This is a small example of Canyon Lands National Park.

There are 100's of these canyons created when the seas

withdrew and the remaining rivers started creating

these many canyons. You really have to see it!

This is a small part of Arches National Park.

This is called double arch, probably the best example

in the park. Pay no attention to the guy with

gray hair. Just there for size relationship.

It's been quite a haul and we're currently in Lincoln

Nebraska. We have one more night on the road and

then home on Friday. Looking forward to

seeing our family.

From the Navajo Bridge to Zion National Park

2011-04-01T23:58:00.000-04:00

I could have posted 100's of pictures ... here are a few.

Entering Zion as the sun goes down.

Shear swirling rock in Zion.

Water wall on shear cliff in Zion

The Virgin River in Zion

Speechless.

The Navajo Bridge over the Colorado.

View from the bridge.

Time for Reflection

2011-03-29T16:14:00.000-04:00

As the fire in the sky races to the sunset

I'm left to ponder the end of one journey

and the beginning of another. It's been great

but it's time to move on. There are sights

in Utah yet to see, but home beckons us

to start heading towards Michigan and

family. It's a bunch of miles but as

with all journeys the reward at the

end is always worth while.

Thanks for hangin with me for the last two

months and if time allows I'll send off some

pic's from Utah so you can join in our

travels. Stay well everyone and remember,

paint and draw with Passion!

Heading Home Soon

2011-03-23T21:50:00.000-04:00

A small pastel sketch on Biggie paper. Taking another shot

at painting this waterfall on Oak Creek.

This is attempt number 4 of Oak Creek Waterfall. This is only a

beginning with wet into wet soft color. I have some idea where this

is going so we'll see what happens later.

This is what I call noodling! The word comes from using bare

hands to reach under river banks to catch huge catfish. How that

has anything to do with this piece ... well, I started by just spraying

water onto the sheet randomly. Then taking wet paint and dropping

it in the water and letting it stretch. At that point I take a liner brush

with water and draw wet crosshatch patterns that just touch the

wet paint and water already on the sheet. You can piddle with

this for a very long time. Not necessarily a good thing. It was

fun to do. No expectations.

This is the 3rd attempt at this little moutain range. Another

example of stopping to late!

It's been nice being here in Sedona. We did some hiking,

sightseeing, reading, napping and enjoying the sun which

was with us most of the time.

My good friend, Loriann Signori has always told me that the

struggle with painting and searching for happiness while

doing it is always the worst before a significant breakthrough.

Well friends, this should be one hell of a breakthrough because

my struggle here in Sedona has been one for the books.

Practically every day I painted was frustrating either because

they didn't begin well or they didn't end well. I mixed enough

mud to fill the Mississippi, used enough paper to fill a flat

file and turned the light out and walked away more than

I'm used to. I thought I would go ahead and post today's

happenings, not because I'm happy with them but just to show

I'm still drawing breath and juggling brushes. We'll leave

in about a week to head home. Our trip will lead us north

to Utah and Zion National Park, Arches National Park and

Canyon Lands National Park for a few days and then start

our trek east back to Michigan. Hope it's finally spring time!

Pinion Fire

2011-03-09T18:18:00.001-05:00

Never try to create a diva. They're seldom good and mostly evil.
This one is evil, too showy and has muddy feet. I'm paying
the consequences for thinking to much and or not enough or both.

Diva's should be lady like and soft spoken. This one is screaming

at the top of her lungs and is far from dainty. More later.
As an after thought ... I seldom if ever use opaque white, see
why? Time for the garden hose.

Verde River Valley

2011-03-07T20:37:00.000-05:00

This is the painting I left alone for a bit.
I was unsure of the direction plus some of the technical
problems created by this kind of contrast. I'm still not
sure if I'm through so I thought I would go ahead and post

it and see what your thoughts might be.

Evening Pencils

2011-03-06T00:57:00.000-05:00

I started a new painting several days ago and started to ponder, what am I doing?
So, rather than answer that question I've stayed totally away from it. Evenings
find me doodling in the sketch book. They are some times memories but mostly
images plucked from the air. They're very small and take on somewhat of a graphic
look (2 dimensional). Relates back to days of designing, logos, cartoons, basket
designs for China, ideas for plush toys, bla, bla, bla! Just give me a soft pencil and

a pad of tracing paper ... I was in heaven. More later.

Destination

2011-03-02T00:40:00.000-05:00

This one moved along quite quickly.
I will probably try this again with some different
colors. Just trying to loosen up a bit and without

much thought. Tomorrow a little more thought.

It's a Start!

2011-02-28T19:07:00.000-05:00

Not quite as tentative, a little brighter, a few more colors
and water acting together. This was to be very traditional,
something I penciled down shortly after we got to Sedona.
I decided to leave traditional behind and see what happened.
I'm still pondering that but I think it's better. We'll see what
tomorrow brings.

This is New Mexico as we sped along I-40 trying to stay ahead

of the snow. We made it!

Part of the Process

2011-02-25T11:48:00.000-05:00

Note the pile of abused paper.

An evening of just messing around.

Trying to get rid of Mr. Illustrator.

I don't remember taking this long before.

Maybe I'm aimed at the wrong groove.

Still have a month to find it.

Watercolors by Doug Daniels. Uh?

2011-02-22T18:22:00.000-05:00

Yah, I know it's not watercolor. Right now watercolor
is killing me so I left it this afternoon and dragged out some
pastels. Don't worry, I'm no threat to all of you wonderful
painter's that use pastels. Back in the 60's when I was studying
Fine Arts & Illustration my prof. would walk by, stop and not
say anything. Ten minutes would pass when he made another
circuit. He stopped again behind me, stood there for a minute
then said "Um, that's too bad ... you had a nice drawing
ten minutes ago.

Long story short, this post should have been stopped at least
ten minutes before it did. Too bad I have such a bad memory.

Please look at this as a place saver until I get my act back together
with watercolor. Until later, paint and draw with passion.

No Photos, ever???

2011-02-18T09:40:00.000-05:00

I was tossing and turning this morning wondering where
this was all leading. I thought about the statement I made
yesterday "No Photo's Ever! It's been worrying me ever
since. I can't remember all the of the places and things I've
seen over the years. Photo's are the only memories I have.
I guess that's why I take so many of them, most are useless
or provide just a brief glimpse of what I was seeing and thinking.
For me they're mind reference and only for that purpose!

This is what I did wrong. I tried to draw directly from a photo
and then paint loosely. Yeah, that's right, I just said that.
This is what Loriann was talking about. It's not wrong to
have photo's but it's wrong to use them as direct reference or
to copy. Of course this is not true for everyone. If exact
replication and detail is your style then yes, photo reference
is perfect if you can't have the subject in front of you.

I have to be careful of what I say, this is ME I'm talking about
here, not everyone else.

So, another day has dawned and it's time to put on the coffee
and see where it leads. Wish me luck, I'll need it!

Have a wonderful day everyone!
From Sedona,
Doug

DO NOT USE PHOTO'S, EVER!!!

2011-02-17T15:07:00.000-05:00

Well at least hardly ever for those that have success with photo's
I'm posting a photograph to prove our best friend and marvelous
painter ... Loriann Signori how true her statement is, was, will always be.

This is from someone that should know better ... ME!!!!

It was OK as a commercial illustrator when reference and speed
were key. Now 7 years since I've retired I still get sucked into my
old habit ... PHOTOGRAPHS!!!!!!!!!

TODAY you will see the photograph that has caused this uproar.
The goal when I arrived in Sedona was loosen up and stop creating
mud. Later I will show the unfinished attempt just prior to it's
burial.

Learn from this stupidity!

Starting Over ... Again!

2011-02-15T17:11:00.000-05:00

Struggling start. The brush feels odd as well as the paper.

Because of my shoulder I have to stand to paint. This is

new to me in the studio. More later hopefully when things

begin to roll. In the mean time, from Sedona

Thumbnail

Tozigoot

Tozigoot 2

Doug

Sedona, Arizona ... January 26 - March 31

2011-01-17T16:20:00.000-05:00

It's possible this trip may even spawn a painting or two.
Nice break after last year and total cabin fever.
Enjoy the rest of your winter.

Doug

p.s. this was a freak snow fall from 4 years ago. Still awesome!

Pouting Dreadlocks

2010-11-02T19:53:00.000-04:00

Sleeping

2010-10-28T21:06:00.000-04:00

This was 15 minutes. I used the long axis of a piece of Conte Crayon
again moving my arm from the shoulder to keep a free expressive

drawing.

The Essence.

2010-10-27T19:52:00.000-04:00

These drawings are from a life drawing drop in session this past week.
I enjoy longer poses but I truly enjoy the warm up gesture drawings.
Detail is not important. It's a freeing exercise using a full arm swing
to capture the energy of the pose. A quick look at where the weight
is and the curve of the models pose is what it's about for me.
Take a look and tell me what you think.

Apologizes for the quality of the photos.

Proof!

2010-08-03T23:02:00.002-04:00

Go to the previous post. That painting went back to the

studio and lost a great deal of it's freshness. The piece above

is the painting from the plein air site. For me it's proof

that I need to do more thinking, plan what I'm going to

do, allow enough time to either improve it or leave it alone.

In this case, leaving it alone would have been the prudent

thing to do.

International Sketch Crawl

2010-08-02T21:56:00.003-04:00

Pastel City View (plein air)

Pond at Hawk Meadows (plein air)

A group of us got together Saturday to participate in

the 28th International Sketch Crawl. People all over

the world take part in small groups. It's fun to be around

other sketchers and view each others work. These are

the two pieces from my Saturday morning.

White Water

2010-07-23T22:42:00.003-04:00

Well, anything goes. I had an inkling of this

before I started painting. I wish I could remember the

name of the artist it seems I've copied here. I think I like the

bright colors and bold brush strokes. Maybe I should

re-visit evolution and see if it feels like going further.

Au Sable

2010-07-22T21:46:00.003-04:00

Waiting on

evolution so painted

this ... I lost track of the

diva ... or maybe there

never was a diva. Fickle

divas.

In Process ... Evolution

2010-07-20T12:24:00.001-04:00

This seems to be

evolving with some

direction coming

into view.

From the Top

2010-07-18T22:33:00.003-04:00

No preliminary drawing

for this one. Just brush work

from one color to another.

Some blend together leaving

some hard and some soft

edges. Again this is a process

with quick brush work.

River Entrance

2010-07-18T22:27:00.002-04:00

I'm trying to work

quickly to avoid getting

hung up on tedious

details. Certain parts

could have been softer

but overall OK.

Before the Flood

2010-07-18T22:20:00.002-04:00

Finally back in the studio after

7 months. Need to refresh and

search for a new direction.

It may take a while to get

back. Here is a rough beginning.

2010-06-10T11:38:00.001-04:00

Maybe the little painting Trolls will come

out from under the bridge and post something

soon ... I hope.

Post Something?

2010-06-10T11:37:00.000-04:00

Riders of the Purple Sage

2010-04-15T22:38:00.002-04:00

Going through the flat files

again and found this piece that

was done near Tucson AZ.

I always wish I could remember

how certain things happened.

My problem is not painting enough

and then each time I start is like going

back to the beginning each time.

I like this piece even though it's mostly

two values. Needed some connected

highlights and a dark to pull it together.

Anyway, what do you think.

Sedona Revisited

2010-04-05T22:40:00.003-04:00

Nothing new yet!

I did find this one in the flat file.

Umm, I need to do something with this!

Ding Dong the Sling is Gone!

2010-03-30T19:01:00.002-04:00

Thanks for the title B!

Everything that was left ... is now right,

and I mean really right. Back to blogging

with both hands. Hopefully some paintings

soon. Thanks to all that sent well wishes

and words of support ... I needed every last

word and every last letter to get through

this mess.

Thanks again everyone!

SUNFLOWER!

2010-02-21T19:44:00.002-05:00

I'm sure you are as tired of looking at

the sling as I am wearing it. So for a change 0f

pace here is another old piece. Flowers in

a bucket at the end of a photo shoot.

SLING!

2010-02-10T18:41:00.002-05:00

HERE'S WHY NO ONE HAS SEEN OR HEARD FROM ME.

the gray thing on my shoulder is the webbing that

cold ice water is pumped through. no beer just a nice ice

chest. keeps the swelling down. the sling keeps my arm

very close to my side. if i don't then i,ll have to start over.

typing this is like sending a message in morris code. peck peck.

ROTATOR CUFF

Keep smiling everyone. I'll be back in @ 3 weeks

2010-02-03T20:38:00.001-05:00

Fading into the mist.

If you come to a fork in the road...

2010-01-30T09:46:00.002-05:00

This follows my previous post which was the beginning of

some grapevines and foliage. In the beginning it had already

turned to a more interpretive approach to the unknown at that

point. Now here it is at it's current stage. Finished? I don't know,

but definitely done for now.

Time out for medical leave. I'll be back in late February to determine

if I took the right fork in the road, so you've got plenty of time to

leave your honest opinions. In a few weeks I'll catch up with you and

see the footprints you've left behind. So for now ...Shaka

(means "hang loose" in Hawaii)

Watercolor in Progress

2010-01-24T23:06:00.003-05:00

This is slightly larger than the last post.

It's progressing with more thought but still

with left and right hands. My goal is to emphasize

watercolors effects along with techniques.

The finished piece will come along in a couple of days.

Beginning

2010-01-21T23:12:00.004-05:00

I'm not going to jumble this up

with my thoughts and reasons for things.

It may have something, maybe a future.

You tell me!

5 x 7 watercolor on cold press.

broad strokes were left handed and

a few details were done with the right.

Sorry this is such a funky reproduction.

The little bubble's are actually dark spots.

Unfortunately they were still shiny when I

copied it. Hence the crappy little bubbles

and poor quality.

Cropped!

2010-01-19T14:49:00.002-05:00

A small portion of a large not so hot painting.

I'm posting this only to stay in touch.

A few days ago as I sprawled with a "what just

happened look" between two cars I new I wouldn't

be painting for a while except maybe left handed.

Tore up my bicep muscle and the right arm is

currently painful and useless. Could've been worse

as they say.

Anyway, didn't want you all to think I've just walked

away from the blog world. Nope, right here ...

and if I can get my wife to type for me, I'll be responding.

Until later friends.

Bummed out!

Hawk Meadows Revisited

2010-01-14T20:28:00.003-05:00

9 x 12 plein air watercolor on cold press arches.

Plain and simple traditional approach. I'll always

revisit this style along the way. Searching for

new vitality, enthusiasm and passion.

Hawk Meadows

2010-01-05T20:29:00.002-05:00

Things weren't happening in the studio today, so I escaped.

Drove down the road aways to Hawk Meadows, a local walking

and hiking park. There I can park and paint in the car.

I noticed something right away ... I was using a small palette

with small pans of color. The colors weren't as strong as

fresh paint in the studio palette. Kind of soft and

transparent. Hopefully I can take that back to the studio

and put it to work. I think I'm going to do plein air more

often. No time to think and let intuition take it's course.

The photo's are blurry because I didn't want to drag out the

tripod. Later maybe. Let me know what you think.

From Real to Fiction

2010-01-03T16:12:00.004-05:00

Frustrated by the mud strewn larger painting, I chose to

crop out 5 tiny abstracts. You say, "well that's cheating"

and I say "first you have to have enough sense to decide to

crop. Then you have to choose where to crop. Of course this

takes up to 45 years of experience. If you believe all that then

I've got 5 little abstracts that I'll sell cheap. It was a fun conclusion

to a very sad painting.

East Tawas Explosion #2

2009-12-30T19:57:00.003-05:00

I've got to keep shooting until I hit something!

This one is closer to the target than yesterdays version,

although I just noticed that the grasses along the front

are static ... equal spaces, lines the same width, that will

be fixed by tomorrow. Also, I could've warmed up one of

the blue background trees. Still not comfortable with the

style of painting. It seems so far from what I'm used to.

I'll experiment with it for a while and see where it goes.

It needs refinement and some outward confidence by the

arteeest.

Today, the wash brush didn't have total control. It took a coffee

break and I didn't, so took over until it tapped on my shoulder

and said "I'm Back".

Again no mercy! Have at it so I can learn something, huh?

I'm an old dog, so I can't learn new tricks, ooooh sorry Sam.

Hey did you all notice that we have a multiple award winner

on the blogs with us. Check out Loriann Signori and A painting a day.

She's an inspiration for a lot of us.

Till later everyone, and have a great and properous, peaceful

2010. Happy New Year Blog Friends!

Hey, who's in charge here?

2009-12-29T16:05:00.003-05:00

Yes I know this does not resemble the value study done

for this subject. Let's put it this way, it took me about 3 hours

to take back control. (not sure who was in charge)

By the time that happened the only thing that might save it

would be to hose it off.

So I was sitting there pondering the rest of the day ... I looked

down and saw I was holding my 1" flat wash brush. Hmmm.

Well that's when things went crazy again. I sat quietly and watched

as my hand holding the brush went chunking and stroking away.

I thought, well if you think you can do better than me then go for it.

It was fun to watch (I never gave it much hope with the brush in charge).

After trashing my palette and mudding up the water containers, it jumped

out of my hand and landed back in the brush jar.

Mary walked in about then and said, hey this one is coming together!

I looked at her with a puzzled look on my face and said, "really?"

Well if like it ... Let the record show I went ahead a signed it.

Still puzzled ... whatcha all think ... show no mercy!

signed: the guy with a brush that runs his life.

Sunflower Farm

2009-12-28T23:28:00.000-05:00

Value study! Hopefully something in color before

2010.

The Huron Side

2009-12-21T17:30:00.005-05:00

I'm following the example set by my good friend B.

She has been practicing these value studies and sharing

with everyone at her blog loriannsignori.blogspot.com

Take a look at her wonderful work.

I'm taking this to heart. I will faithfully ??? pursue

one each for every painting I attempt. I've been struggling of

late with colors, mud and lack of punch. Seems like doing

a value study will be a good exercise for me. I've done others

but I feel good about this one. Charcoal pencil on good

quality news print. Feel free to share what your process is,

rather value studies are important to painting or you follow

another process.

Remember this is a watercolor blog so we'll see how this drawing

interprets with watercolor. Thanks everyone, have

a great Christmas!

One Minute of Thought

2009-12-18T22:37:00.003-05:00

One minute to capture the

movement, mood, line of the

hips, the shoulders and rough

proportions. Certainly a

crude start but gives a strong

basis to continue.

Just filling in.

2009-12-15T21:21:00.003-05:00

And what you say is this? Little scrap of blotter

paper I use for testing colors while painting. The

reason it's here is because it's a stand in for the piece

I'm working on.

I guess you could call it meaningless blog fodder.

Hey, maybe I'll change the name of my blog to

Blog Fodder Supreme with onion rings.

On one knee

2009-12-14T23:15:00.002-05:00

Life session. Conte on newsprint.

Sketch it!

2009-12-13T07:38:00.002-05:00

Saturday Sketches

Not Another Day

2009-12-12T14:28:00.002-05:00

Fear not, a pastelist I'll never be. Just couldn't

stand another day of watercolor so I pulled out some

old cheap pastels. Took the shot before I knocked the

dust off. Watercolor tomorrow.

Scrap paper

2009-12-11T09:40:00.002-05:00

When I'm painting, I like to keep a piece of scrap

watercolor paper next to the paper so I can test colors

before painting with them. I should have framed the

scrap, since the painting failed. Isn't it amazing how free

and easy we can be when not shackled by a preconceived

idea. I know that's how it works for me. I need to remember

that. Do others feel that way?

No Post

2009-12-10T23:19:00.000-05:00

System failure...

Small but Effective

2009-12-09T23:46:00.002-05:00

OK, here it is. In the first photo is of course some guy

in the studio acting like he's retired. The next photo is

the closet storage area. Large metal rack to store matt board

and backer board plus portfolio cases, easels, photo reference,

and anything else I can cram in there.

The next photo shows what I always dreamed of having.

Flat files, 4 five drawer units. Creates a work surface

and stores piles of paintings, some matted, some not.

Different types of watercolor paper, extra palettes, sketch books

and again, whatever I can cram in there.

Shot from the door of the dining room. Most of the time

the door is closed and I have music playing to cover other

disturbing noises. My wife and I are both retired and we

have two kids and 8 grandkids living within 7 miles of our house.

Hence the closed door. Actually, it's a lost cause when the cookie

crumblers show up. I love em anyway. Most days are quiet, especially

in the winter time.

Reflections of Frustration

2009-12-09T07:51:00.001-05:00

I think I still hear someone!

Next time Listen

2009-12-08T23:15:00.002-05:00

This haunted me for 5 days. Laughing at me from the flat

file. It didn't deserve the amount of time I gave it. While I

was working on it, even today. I could here someone hollering

STOP, STOP, STOP! Then I realized it was me. Instincts didn't

pay off this time.

Up in the Beech

2009-12-08T14:31:00.003-05:00

Plein Air, 5 x 7 watercolor on cold press.

Failing realism last week I went with the 1" flat.

No one said plein air was about realism. As a painting

it was short and sweet.

Blue Male

2009-12-07T23:03:00.004-05:00

More life!

Conte on news-print.

18 x 24

Post Something! OK.

2009-12-06T20:49:00.002-05:00

Little doodles lead to something.

Time to say thanks!

2009-12-06T18:23:00.002-05:00

Blogging is still fairly new to me. I'm still amazed at

how many people take time and thought to leave helpful

and rewarding comments.

I just wanted to take a moment to thank those of you that

are followers and the many that just stop by and leave

comments. Thanks everyone!

Ludington Pier

2009-11-17T12:03:00.002-05:00

This is my contribution to vertical formats.

It's my favorite lighthouse in Michigan

because of the sharp angle shape and the play

of light on the sides. The black base just adds

to what interests me. I love the worn pier and

pieces that have fallen into the water. It stands

solid through all the storms that have tried to

take it. I've painted it several times because of

the great perspective of the pier and the range of

colors from the surroundings.

The Blue Bucket

2009-11-16T16:40:00.002-05:00

There is a warning attached with this post. The photo is awful.

I will post it again later when I have a chance to get a decent

photo.

This is a beach scene I painted on hot press paper. The effects

are totally different than painting on cold press paper. The

paint tends to sit on top of the paper surface rather than

settling into the rough surface of cold press. So this painting

is more of an experiment than a finished piece.

Kauai Coast

2009-11-15T20:34:00.002-05:00

This is a very simple memory painting from our visit to Kauai.

There are new paintings coming so stay tuned.

Somewhere, No where

2009-11-13T19:51:00.002-05:00

Sometimes I just have to paint something from somewhere

in my mind or imagination. It might take 30 seconds or

5 minutes, just enough to say the brush was wet the colors

were flowing and now I'm done. I've accomplished something.

That's right, I painted.

First on the Scene

2009-11-02T16:07:00.002-05:00

As you can see by the paper

texture that this is a very small

piece. However, it is a piece

so lets go with that. This was

going no where until I hit it

2 or 3 times with the

spray bottle. I suppose you

could call it an accident, I call

it the right set of circumstances.

High Wind

2009-10-28T19:53:00.002-04:00

from the flat files

Found this one hiding deep in a flat file.

A plein air attempt from a couple of years ago.

Yup, that's right, it looks like a perfect clear

day. It was ... only the wind was howling straight

into my face at a steady 40 with gusts much higher.

I had enough tears in my eyes to keep my brushes

clean. I sat with my back against a large pine tree

and trying to hang onto my board, water, colors

and anything else that was loose. Maybe I'll

finish it someday. Just brought back a memory.

San Francisco Peaks

2009-10-24T08:51:00.002-04:00

from the flat files

Just outside of Flagstaff Arizona.

7 x 12 plein air on Arches cold press,

140 # watercolor paper.

From by gone days

2009-10-17T22:32:00.002-04:00

I thought I would throw this one in

just to change things up. A painting

I finished long ago for a client.

Life Drawing

2009-10-14T12:28:00.004-04:00

Just getting back into life drawing after about 45 years. Here are some rough

gestures from last night. It's a beginning.

Wild Orchards by the Bay

2009-10-13T15:53:00.002-04:00

Just finished today. 12 x 18 watercolor on Arches Cold Press.

Compare to the previous post of orchards. Two different days,

two totally different results. Mostly intensional. The suggestion

to try this came from my friend Loriann. Thanks Loriann, it

was a lot of fun.

Orchards on the Bay

2009-10-10T23:34:00.002-04:00

from the flat files

15 x 20 plein air piece from 2 years ago.

Watercolor on Arches 140 # cold press paper.

5 x 7 Conte Sketch

2009-10-09T17:51:00.002-04:00

Trying a less literal route to this future painting of

the view from Cadillac Mountain in Acadia. I've been

using Conte Crayon for life drawing. It was handy.

Off in the Distance

2009-10-07T09:27:00.002-04:00

from the flat files

This is a plein air piece from my last visit to Sedona.

Not sure how this ended up in my flat files.

My Wee Little Studio

2009-10-05T12:04:00.002-04:00

Thought you all might want to see where all the paintings

come from. It's sufficient but could always be larger. I think

it's time to get clean water and put the top back on the palette.

Bark Island Light

2009-10-05T11:20:00.003-04:00

I think something is wrong with my camera, possibly me.

This is attempt number 2. I figure about two more tries and

I think I'll have it. This is different paper (Fabriano Artistico)

It may be too soft for this subject. I'm going to let this sleeping

dog lie for a while. I'll try again later. In the mean time I'm moving

onto another subject.

New Hampshire

2009-10-03T22:18:00.003-04:00

Passing by a New Hampshire farm on the way to Maine.

This painting went in several directions today. It came up

just short of the burn pile. I'm still considering it. What

do think ... burn or save?

This is a very poor photo of the painting

Washington Lumber Mill

2009-09-30T22:13:00.002-04:00

From the flat files

Decided to post this while I work on paintings from

Maine. 15 x 20 watercolor on Arches cold press paper.

On Watch

2009-09-25T10:45:00.001-04:00

The beginning of paintings from Maine.

Morning came early and told me it was time to paint.

There are still some things I want to change, but generally

I like the direction of this painting. Any thoughts?

As always, thanks for stopping by and I look forward to

future visits.

Acadia, 2nd try (Maine)

2009-09-18T18:30:00.000-04:00

Still poor photo quality. This version is quicker and seems

to have more depth. To me it feels like a cartoon background.

Along the Coast (Acadia)

2009-09-18T18:23:00.001-04:00

Not only is this a poor quality photo, but I'm not thrilled

with the painting. It started out way to literal and ended up

even worse.

Bar Harbor (Maine)

2009-09-18T10:29:00.002-04:00

Only time for sketches yesterday.

View from the top (Maine)

2009-09-16T15:52:00.002-04:00

7 x 10 Watercolor on Arches Cold Press.

A cold windy day with gray clouds rushing by and about

8,000 people all trying to stand on the same rock.

Bass Head Light (Maine)

2009-09-16T15:41:00.001-04:00

I think it's time to clean the mud off this palette.

The Truth!

2009-09-15T21:10:00.002-04:00

Yes I'm in Maine. I had great expectations of painting

and drawing in plein air. So far that's been a bust. I want

to but I can't work up the energy to try. Can't explain it, but

it's happened before. We've done plenty of site seeing the last

two days and like all the impressive views. I tend to worry about

things I have no control over. This creates unfounded anxiety, my

worst enemy. I appreciate everyones support and kind comments.

Just wanted you to know what's happening.

Maybe tomorrow.

Maine

2009-09-15T21:06:00.000-04:00

Just wanted you all to know that I'm really here.

A Walk in the Park

2009-09-08T21:35:00.002-04:00

From the flat files

One of the first plein air attempts from several years ago.

After spending far too many years as a commercial artist, plein air

painting was something new for me. Now retired, I have time to

try it out. I joined a group that met once a month and got a feel

for what I needed to do.

This trip was too a small town in southern Michigan. I found this

park and settled into this spot. It was a cold misty day in the fall.

Not conducive to brilliant color and contrasting shadows, it became

a struggle and challenge. I wanted to put in the base color scheme

with wet in wet technique. That part went well ... it was at that time

I realized that the wet paper was going to lay there wet for the rest of

the day. Wellllllllll, I was cold and damp, the paper was cold and damp,

so I fired up the car and turned the heat on high and hoped for the best.

It did finally dry enough to continue. I think at this point my interest

was no longer what it needed to be and the painting lost something

because I was in a hurry to finish and go get some coffee. The big tree

is too heavy and over worked and dominates far too much. I think the

best thing about the painting is the last stroke I made. I quick brush

across the road up close to the front. Adds a little flair. All in all it's ok,

but as I sit here writing about it, I see the things I should have done and

are anxious to attempt it again in the studio.

I know an artist is his own worst critic, but I choose to write about the

good and bad about paintings so that people at different levels of

ability realize that all of us struggle and sometimes fail. Everyone

needs to know this so they feel comfortable with continuing.

I think it's important!!

Well, Thursday I'm off to Acadia National Park in Maine for 7 days.

Hopefully this will spark my interest in plein air painting again.

Wish me luck.

Cold Pie

2009-09-04T20:07:00.002-04:00

From the flat files

From a plein air paint out last fall.

The wind was howling, the temps were in

the low 30's but the sky was clear. At the end of the day

I was sitting in the cargo area of my jeep trying to get

warm and waiting for the rest of the crew to gather.

I kept looking at these pumpkins, or maybe they were looking

at me ... strange. They kept saying to me, hey you slacker why don't

you come out here and paint us. It's not that cold, naa, naaa, naaaa na

we dare you to try. I popped the hatch on the back of the jeep,

dropped down a piece of hot press, which I don't normally do. Started

with a one minute sketch and about 5 minutes of shivering and slapping

paint around. I couldn't really tell what I was doing because of the tears

in my eyes from the cold wind blowing. I think it's ok for what it is.

Rain over Kauai

2009-08-30T20:10:00.002-04:00

This was done in the studio after our trip to Hawaii in

February. I'm quite happy with the clouds over the

land mass. I'm not thrilled with the overall value in this

piece. To many mid tones, no darks and no serious lights.

Rather bland overall. The size is about 12" by 18" done

on Arches cold press 140#. Another example of not painting

enough. What do you think. Get real now!

In the Distance

2009-08-13T23:23:00.002-04:00

5 New Pieces

2009-08-10T20:14:00.002-04:00

At last, something brand new. I just completed these pieces

for a commission I've been putting off. The top piece is done

on hot press Arches 140# paper. The colors tend to be more

brilliant on hot press. Certainly not good for floating colors

together but has other benefits. The rest of the pieces are

all done on cold press paper. I feel good that they're done and

the person can buy them all or only what she wants. I'm such

an agreeable person. HA.

Hope you enjoy.