Ten Below

Ten Below   watercolor   13 x 21

is a watercolor of my back yard around dusk.  It was so cold when I took a reference shot that my camera batteries died within minutes.  Because, for some reason or another, I am not quite inspired by landscapes, I felt that I had to "shake it up" one way or another.  Having just watched a video by Janine Gallizia, I thought I would use Winsor Blue, a strong staining color that, until this time, I would only have used as a footnote at the end of a work.  In addition, my ire was up due to spending a half hour in single-digit-temperatures trying to figure out the new lock box at the art center.  The work was approached with anger, I'm afraid, which is not my usual process.  The result is temperamental and moody.

Andrew Wyeth once said that one can create out of love or out of hate...i.e., extreme passion.  I prefer the love option.  At least my juices were flowing.

And, BTW, the art center had also changed the combination without notifying me.  The result is definitely passionate.

Chinoiserie Eggs

Chinoiserie Eggs   watercolor   12.5 x 9

was one of the RARE RARE watercolors that happened easily.  It is currently on view at our "Group Ten and Friends" exhibit at Group Ten Gallery in Kent, Ohio.  Currently being exhibited is the work of:

Debrah Butler
John Sharp
Brant Gebhart
Ben Bassham
Tom Webb
John Pavlicek
Judy Gaiser
Larry Walker
Judith Carducci
Jance Lentz
Geoff Mowery
A.D. Peters
John Smolko
Zach Smolko
.........................................and your truly.

The Enigma of the Candy Cane

Canes in a Jam Jar   watercolor   9 x 6

We claim to love candy canes.  Pre-holiday treat displays feature stacks and stacks of canes, all manner of flavors, sizes and shapes.  They make a beautiful statement on the buffet or on the tree.  It seems, however, that we really don't eat them.  The post-holiday reduced section at all retail stores features the same stacks and stacks.  Long after all the goodies at our house have been consumed, crumbs of cookies gobbled up to the finish, the lone jar of canes remains.  When our watercolor class started up at the art center, treats that no one eats at home start to show up in the kitchenette.....PLEASE, PLEASE, won't someone eat these canes?  So when we grabbed up objects to paint that first evening, I went for the canes...they are visually interesting, lovely really.  This work was completed in watercolor.  A whitish gouache wash was put in the background....it covered errant strokes that I found distracting and added to the feel of the season.  The lovely pattern on the jar lid was underplayed to shift attention to the canes themselves.

So....what's up with candy canes?

Winter Red - painting a Cardinal

Winter Red   watercolor   19 x 12.5

Note to myself:  the brilliant reds and the subtle hues of birds are delightfully perceived in the winter.  Backgrounds with light values are good.

The Birch Brothers...

The Birch Brothers   Watercolor   20.25 x 13


Scraps of brightly colored wrapping paper and bits of ribbon.  Strings of lights rewound.  Cookie tins emptying.  Early morning warmth from burning hearth.  Errant pine needles here and there.  Memories.  Quiet.  Quiet.  Quiet.

Back to the studio.