A Not Much Day

Jenny from life - sleeping in "her" chair

watercolor          6" x 10"

A not much day:  not much free time, not much energy.   This experiment squeezed into half an hour.   Never worked on Strathmore (I think it is) and fell madly in love with it's smooth surface for w'color.  Later on blocked out front view of round cow..

As for Jen, I really should get more live sketches of her.   Difficult to do since if she sees me drawing or pastelling or painting, then she's just gotta be on top of what I'm doing.  If I manage to sneak part of the picture out from under her to work on, she'll nose-nudge my hand, or try to grab the paintbrush in her teeth.  So I'm real happy when she goes to sleep in the corner.

enjoy!

    

Loch Sarah

"Loch Sarah"   watercolor    9" x 12"

It's good to just slosh paint around sometimes!  You never know what you'll get.   SO, this is Loch Sarah, so named since inspiration was view looking across a loch from Sarah's holiday cottage in Scotland.  

Below is a pastel of same view done several months ago.

Hmmmmmmm.         Enjoy!

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Castle in Portugal

"Castle in Portugal"  Watercolour   8" x 10"

(thank you Mandy for foto!)

A very fast daub - I liked the drama...and the silhouettes.   And the colours are such an irresistible trio: Violet, Cobalt Blue and Burnt Sienna.   Watch out for them - you'll be surprised how often you see that combo.

Enjoy

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Another Estuary!

 "Estuary - St John's Lake"  Watercolour  9" x 14"
(from photo by Kate Jewell, geograph.org.uk)

I am not totally sure where St John's Lake is...and some liberties with shore line taken.


Oh, and this is my assistant...

Enjoy!

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Nossa Senhora da Guia, Vila do Conde, Portugal

Watercolor  9" x 14"

Orig Photo, Mandy Martyn

I must admit religious symbols are not something I'd choose to paint, however the drama and the rawness of that stairway got to me - it's almost primal the way it reaches up and out, as if it's trying to placate the sea.   

This small chapel is on the coast about 35 miles north of Porto.  It's name:  Nossa Signora da Guia or Our Lady of Guides - looks out over the Atlantic, which you can just glimpse beyond the rocks at the left.   It's location and that dramatic stairway must have been visible from quite far out and perhaps was first sight of land for the fishermen, quite probably sailing home from as far away as the banks off Newfoundland where they'd fished for cod.  Imagine their relief when the chapel hove in sight:  LAND and HOME!
 

A bright sunny day above.   I wondered about BAD weather, and imagined "a dark and stormy night" with a screaming gale at sea and a priest kneeling below the cross, his robes whipped by the wind and his face streaming with rain as he prayed that the incoming fleet make safe harbour....  WOW!  Quite takes you breath away!  

My cousin took the photo about 2 years ago.  Sadly no-one around to provide information so this past week we did a lot of detective work to find out more about this chapel.  Thank you Mandy.

Enjoy!

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In the Making

Canyon & Stream, Wyoming    Watercolor      10"x12"

Sketched to help lockdown a river/canyon wall view before moving up to a half sheet.   

Above began as "just" watercolor.  Looked bland so I picked up an ink pen and threw in some detail.   Totally not in original plan.   Apart from black blob in upper right of wall, I was startled 3 days later to find how much I liked it.   The detail on the left enhances the fading away on the right.

Enjoy!

Tongue River Canyon, Wyo

Tongue River Canyon, Wyoming     Watercolor   14" x 20"

I surprised myself on this one.   I framed it - which I sometimes do just to "test" whether the visual is comfy to look at and live with - and was pleasantly surprised.  The water was "moving", but not aggressively;  calm where there were pools, then winging around or stumbled over rocks.   The trees were a mix of pines on the left and aspens on the right, as you can see.

Enjoy!

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A Place in the Country

Watercolor  11"x14"

Near Montreal, a family's country house.   Three generations have fond memories.
Grandfather will be getting this for Christmas.

Enjoy!


PS  Today marks 93 pcs of artwork* since October 26, 2010. 
Only 7 more to make my first 100! 
*Photos don't count!


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CHANGE OF PACE - SCENERY!!

Watercolor  11"x14"

It's based on a canyon in Wyoming, Wolf Canyon or something.  Sarah and I hiked up it over 10 years ago - yikes!   Color scheme is not Wyoming, more sandstone Utah-ish.
  

Comments very welcome - negative or positive.  I find I can stare at this quite contentedly but I bet some think it's too loony tunes to view.   Don't hold back, it fascinates me to get other opinions....ummmmm, sometimes!

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Phew! Wottaday!

Watercolors from times past.   Hectic day and I'm baffed!   All I got is one half done pastel which I'll never get finished by midnight!

Will return to a newbie tomorrow...promise.

 

Self leaning on hood of car somewhere in Utah...black background?  Night!  

 

My passion for LARGE - this single pear is 20" tall

Met Billy today "in person".   Am hoping offer of a free portrait of "your pet" will fill the coffers on his behalf.  Will post some pix WHEN I've time to download...and that is precisely what I have to go do right now!


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Dot-commed at last!

 

Welcome! 

This blog gives you the opportunity to view (!) my work, and even if you don't want a portrait of your pet, I hope you enjoy what you see.


For me, each portrait draws its spirit from my subject's special spark and unique character.  It's all there, in the tilt of the head, the twitched ear, the quirky eyebrow and always the eyes.  Of course your pleasure in the finished work is icing on the cake.


Thank you for visiting!

Liz...