Improving

Simple Elegance II 12x 16 watercolor

I feel like every time I pick up my paint brush to do one of these watercolors it just keeps getting better and better! It's always exciting to know you are learning sometime and getting a nice dose of inspiration along the way!

I actually have several new paintings to show too! I've been a little slow in actually up loading the digital photos from my camera, but with exams and art reviews right around the corner- I might be a little slow to get them up. Although, with only 3 weeks left of the semester I might delay this until after finials!

As my semester end with Feng draws near I've been trying to lap up everything he says about techniques and how to pull in inspirations. After the class was over today he pulled me aside to congratulate me on my hard work and improving skills. This is very uplifting since watercolor has always been such a struggle for me! I knew this class was going to be hard from day one, but I stuck with it and I'm working very hard. All my efforts are paying off ten fold! So, here's today lesson: No matter how hard things are keep with it. Eventually the fruits of your labors will be apparent and they will be the sweetest ever!

Watercolor Continued

"Floating" 12 x16 watercolor

One of the biggest things I am learning in my watercolor class right now is to loosen up! And to stop trying to control the watercolor. By just letting the medium 'do its own thing' I am getting some beautiful washes. This was just a quick painting to put to use everything Feng and his other students have suggested to me, and really there is already a big difference between this one and the last.

Whenever I get really flustered with my art I have to do something fun. Something whimsical and off key for me. Thus a series of Wind Horses is slowly being born, and they are all wildly stylized like the horse in today's post. It is important for no matter what your line of work is to take a mental break and do something fun with it. As much as I love to draw and paint, the wind horses are how I keep things fresh and fun. I use them as an excuse to just explore and experiment with the medium.

The next painting I am working on is continuing on with the Dressage theme from the last painting- and boy do I think I bit off more than I can chew! The horse is a beautiful midnight black Friesian and he's proving very difficult to paint at the moment! I'm also a bit nervous with this as well because Feng wants me to paint in front of him this week. I might have to do some more of these wind horses to keep me sane!!

Watercolor

" Simple Elegance" 12 x 16 watercolor

I have a wonderful opportunity this year to spend six months with a watercolor master. It's a small group of five that meet with Feng once a week to go over our paintings. Now, his other students are hardcore watercolorists- I'm not. So I knew from the beginning that this was going to be a HUGE challenge for me. Seeing how watercolor is not exactly my strong point, and I have left the class several times to the point of tears because of frustrations. But I keep trucking, because I want to learn. Dedication is what makes the art student.

This particular work I have been slaving over for the past four weeks. Every time I thought it was done, Feng would tell me to wipe it and do it again. Now, he still hasn't seen this finial attempt, but I am VERY pleased with the results! (Don't mind the whole right side though, my camera completely washed it out) I can certainly say with all the blood, sweat, and plenty of tears I am learning! And I am learning from the best, and my watercolor is certainly going to the next level with the help of this class.

I have already started my next watercolor- another dressage piece. I will take everything I have learned from this painting and apply it to my next. Hopefully this make an even better painting!

Small Works/ Personal Style

"Dream Ride" 3.5 x 2.5 colored pencil

Over the past few years I have found myself greatly enjoying doing the smaller works of art. Why is this? Mainly because these smaller pieces tend to be quick 'practice' works. I rarely spend more than an hour doing one of these ACEOs, which always leads to the possibility of doing one a day with my busy schedule. I also greatly enjoy doing these in colored pencil! As much as I love the medium, it tends to be a bit of a burden to do anything larger than 11 x 14 with them, and they general take a long time to complete. With these smaller works, it doesn't matter the burdens of the medium because there is less space to cover! Not that I want to discourage anyone from colored pencil! It is a wonderful medium. I think as my personal style grows and develops I just see the need to move away from them.

Developing my style has been an interesting journey, and it is one I feel that is only beginning. When I first started seriously looking into art I wanted to go into a more realistic approach to it. However, through the years my painting have started taking on a more impressionistic/painterly look to them. My palette has grown to non-traditional colors, and everything has started to get looser. Colored pencils will always be a 'tight' medium, just by their nature. They are better suited for the realistic style, and not the one I am currently moving into. It's just amazing how much growth and change my art has undergone in only a few short years, but it is all for the better. I really hope by the end of this year I will finally be comfortable with the new style of mine that is budding. The more I paint, the better I feel about it!

One Year With Melody

Rhapsody's Melody 11 x 14 Graphite

Today's art is a portrait of my beloved Melody who came into my life a year ago today. Even though I did not take ownership until well into the summer, today still marks a landmark in my books. After I lost Hunter, my beloved quarter horse, I never really planned on getting another horse anytime soon. My friend asked me at this time last year if I wanted to go with her and pick up two new horses she was getting, and I of course said yes! Seeing Melody was love at first sight for both of us, and I knew it was time to move on and open my heart to another horse. By the time summer rolled around I ended up trading a mini gelding I had for Melody, and it has been wonderful ever since.

It has been years since I actually sat down and did a graphite drawing. Although, I have always found graphite fun and relaxing to work in. It also helps to reiterate the fact that I need to slow down and create a finished well proportioned drawing before moving on. This is a continuous struggle for me! Rushing through things NEVER produces quality work! And though I am getting better at this, it still needs work. Not working in my fun palette of colors seemed a bit odd as well. More than likely I will be doing another portrait of Melody in color in the near future!

Snowed in = Painting Fun!

"Autumn's Beauty" 16x12 watercolor

Since I have been snowed in waaay too much recently I pulled out my watercolors to give them a good try. Honestly, I'm not too happy with the results. Watercolor is HARD! But- it makes for a nice challenge. This painting is from a photograph I took in October of my 27 year old thoroughbred mare, Ginger, happily enjoying the colorful mountains. I have also tried this photo in colored pencils, and eventually want to give it a go in either acrylic or oils. It's a very fun picture to reproduce!

One thing that is always important to remember when a painting dud rears its ugly head is to learn from the mistakes. What did I learn from this one? Use less water! And, don't over work it! With these two things in mind my next watercolor painting should be more of a success than this one. I also think I'm going to steer away from landscapes, those always seem to be duds.

With more snow on the way it certainly means I will be painting more! Currently I am working on a graphite portrait of my lovely little mare Melody. Although, I really wish the snow would stay away so I could actually, you know, see her!

Happy Painting!