The Group

This was a fun venture with my watercolor class.  It was a brush with the abstract.  On plain white paper using no pencil, we charged ahead with heads and then gesture bodies.  Everyone tried it and were surprised.  It was all done in 20-30 minutes.  They were definitely out of their comfort zone, but let loose and came up with some pretty interesting groups.  Each painting seemed to have a story.  So often, we paint a landscape that just calls for a human figure but pass it up because of fear of painting figures.  Hopefully, we are over that phobia, anyone can put in a gesture figure. 

Along the Herring River

While watching my 49ers in the playoffs on Sunday, I painted a scene that I remembered from Cape Cod. I live close to the Herring River and have painted sections of the river many times in the past. This one is from the brain bank. I had fun painting it on a half sheet and then went and painted it again on a full sheet. (Had to deal with the frustrations of a last minute loss to NY Giants.)
What I like about the painting is the eye path created by the river with the focal point almost at the end of the trip.

Mexican Laundry

Painted this from a quick sketch of laundry. Tried to make the building more interesting by giving it pseudo-sophistication and placing it in town. Everybody hangs laundry whether in Portofino, Italy or Bombay. My hometown once had a city ordinance prohibiting clotheslines. That was quickly changed when pointed out to town officials. I put some lines on the roof indicating rebar sticking up. It seems that most Mexican buildings have rebar which saves on taxes, I am told. If the building is not finished, the full assessment is delayed. Makes a good story.

Note the difference in shade color; blue shade on white buildings and red with some green for the red building.

Painting Watercolor Abstracts

Want to have some fun? I've envied abstract painters since taking up art. I just never tried it and this past week ran across a book by Rolina Van Vliet, 'Painting Abstracts, ideas, projects and techniques'. What fun trying the exercises. They are planned for acrylic paints but still fun with watercolor. Lots of ideas to try with geometric or small size color spots, high key color or one I call 'Totally out of control".