Daisy Hill Greenhouse

24" x 24", Oil

Thanks for stopping by!

I'm taking a hiatus from my blog for a few weeks as I complete a group of paintings for an upcoming gallery show. Please feel free to look thru my previous blog entries or visit my eBay store or website, via the links to the right.

My original oil paintings including
landscapes and still lifes
will be featured starting May 15th, 2009 at :

Chentini Gallery
22 North Main Street
Chagrin Falls, Ohio

See you back here soon!

Venice Canal WIP 5 (work in progess)

Here in Step 5 of my watercolor pour painting, I've begun to work back into it with a brush.. the pouring may be over (although one never knows.. I may feel I need to do another pour or two before I am satisfied!). I like how the water in the foreground is coming together, although the rest of it needs a lot of work. My intention when I started this piece was to keep it very loose and abstract, and I've lost that idea somewhere along the way. I'm not crazy about what's happening here, so I am going to attempt to loosen it up again with some large areas of washes and try to play with color and perspective in the buildings and bridge. Stay tuned for the next episode!

"Venice Canal" WIP 4 (work in progress)

Here I removed all the Friskett (using a rubber cement pick up) and this is what I was left with. A lot of the rich colors were sitting on the Friskett, and have now been rubbed away! :-( HOWever, have no fear( I am telling myself), I am now going to work back into the piece with a brush and try to have some fun with it, deepening the colors and putting in some details. I would like to abstract it a little with wide washes of color.... we'll see what happens as I get into it.... stay tuned.

14" x 18" on Arches 140 lb cold press paper

"Venice Canal" WIP 3 (work in progress)

Here is Stage 2 of my watercolor pour painting. Ditto from yesterday... colors getting richer and deeeper, and more Friskett is covering the previous pours. (See windows on building on left) More tomorrow....

14" x 18" on Arches 140 cold press

"Venice Canal" WIP 2 (work in progress)

14" x 18"

Here is Stage 2 of my Venice watercolor pour painting. here I masked out the areas I wanted to remain after the first pour, and did the 2nd pour, wetting my paper with water first, and pouring in the same order of colors as yesterday. Keep in mind, the Friskett can not stay on the paper for too many days or it will be idfficlut to remove, so when I start a pour project, I plan to finish it withina couple of days. I'm liking what's happening in the water in the foreground.... and hope I can keep that pretty close to what it is now by the time I am done. More tomorrow!

"Venice Canal" WIP 1 (work in progress) 14" x 18"

Here is the first of a demo I did for my watercolor class. I lightly drew out my design, a canal scene from a photo I took in Venice.. a typical scene, but one I've been wanting to work with in some medium... so i decided this was as good an opportunity as any.

After stapling then taping my Arches 140lb paper to a board, and mapping out my design with pencil, I blocked out the areas I wanted to remain white with Friskett. Then I had fun pouring the paint. I first wet the paper with a wide brush, (I work over my sink) , and then begin the pouring process, starting with DaVinci Hansa Yellow, then Da Vinci Red Rose Deep, and finally Da Vinci Phthalo Blue. (i mix up a small batch of each in plastic cups with water, and in each consecutive pour throughout the process I blend ina little more paint so it's deeper in color). I let them run together, I tip the board in whatever direction necessary to move the paint where I want it to go. I keep a paper towel handy to keep things clean and wipe up drips on the edges of the board. Then I am careful to let the paper dry, first laying it flat, and eventually standing it upright, watching it until I know it's dry enough that it won't run together in places i don't want it to... Stayed tuned for the next stages in the next few days... Thanks for stopping by!

"Ode to Matisse"

13" x 18" Watercolor on Arches paper

This was a demo peice I did for the Tuesday morning watercolor class I teach. It was based on a Matisse landscape, which staretd very simple and loose. I sort of went wild with it .. using Friskett to block our areas and just enjoying the process of using transparent washes of "Matisse" colors... hope you enjoy.

Below are the stages as this watercolor evolved.

Stage 1

To get started, I wet the paper, front and back, taped it to my board, and "stained it" .

Stage 2
Here I began to work into the painting with transparent washes, defining the landscape. After the paint dried, I worked into it with Friskett, masking out areas that i wanted to remain light.

Stage 3

At this stage, I had already worked abck into it with paint, and removed the Friskett (a fun process!) and was left with this. I worked back into it to bring in more darks and definition.. but I like how it looked at every stage. Unfortunately, as it is with art.. the early stages are now gone forever, buried under the final painting. Thank God for digital cameras and giclee prints!