"Rise and Shine" - c'est fini!

I think I just put the finishing touches on this painting, although I'm leaving my paints and brushes out for a few hours to see if there is just one more thing to change.  I am pleased with this one.  Now the matting and framing so it can be entered into the summer GEAG Shine Show and the upcoming Senior Art Competition at South Western Illinois College.  It's been a very enjoyable experience to be able to paint for hours without interruptions or obligations.  Retirement is terrific!

Rise and Shine still in process

I'm taking my time on this one - here is where we are after three days of working on it.  Maybe it will be finished today.  I don't want to loose the freshness and overwork it, but I want to make sure the values are right so the subject "pops" in the right places.  It's time to clean up the breakfast dishes and get my work space ready again.  I'm finding that I enjoy working on a full sheet of watercolor paper on my kitchen island.  It gives me space to walk around the painting. Ummmm, an idea for my future studio when we move????

Rise and Shine closing up for the night!

Here are some photos of the painting in process.  I'm ready for a break and will look at it with fresh eyes tomorrow. I'm trying to work with the complimentary colors by laying down colors next to each other that will make the subject "pop".

close ups of the salt interacting with the background color

Rise and Shine

The beginning....

Just opening

Sunflower bud

the center of this heavenly blue just glows

The summer Gateway East Artist guild show is coming up at Our Lady of the Snows Shrine in Belleville, Il.  I've had an idea floating around in my head to create a painting for the show with heavenly blue morning glories and huge sunflowers.  In my photo file I have photos of sunflowers and morning glories that I took several years back with my first digital camera, an old Sony Mavica, 1.5 megapixels, that I don't think I could improve on with my new Sony 14.1 mp.  I still regret that the read/write drive went out on that camera!  A few summers ago I had morning glories to die for climbing all over our deck.  So, last night I prepared a full sheet of watercolor paper, did the sketch from my photos, applied some resist, something I don't normally use, and let it sit over night.  Today, after a good night's rest, I've started to let the water and paint do their magic as I witness the design popping out of the background.  We'll see where it all goes, but I'm having fun in the process.  I do think the painting will name itself "Rise and Shine,"  unless it changes it's mind!

Solitude - Monet's Pond

Solitutde - Monet's Pond

 Promenade - Paris Park

Solitude is such a lovely word.  It resonates with peace.  This scene from Monet's garden that I captured in a photo two years ago, is one that I have wanted to paint.  It's been a pleasure trying to capture the mood that I remembered from that day.  I used the same palette as the painting of the park alley in Paris, so they seem to be a pair right now.  I can now transfer the photo from my "inspiration box" to my other France photos.  One scene captured, many more to go!

Painting a Paris Scene

beginning of the painting

finished?

My inspiration shot

There are dozens of images in my mind, most captured with my camera, that I have yet to paint from the 2010 France art trip.  This is one of them.  It is one of those wonderful Paris park walkways, lined with benches and dappled with light from the sycamore trees.  This one happens to be next to the Paris Botanical Garden, the oldest in the world, that was absolutely breath taking that spring day in May 2010. I started it as a demo during the St. Charles Artwalk and just put the finishing touches on it.  I'll keep looking at it to see if it tells me something more is needed...that often happens after living with a painting sitting on my fireplace for a few days!

The Paris Botanical Garden

I can still hear the bees buzzing and smell the heady fragrance