This was another exercise in masking. We used a sponge to apply masking fluid to create blossoms in a tree. I wish I had stamped out more blossoms, but my masking fluid is nearly white so it is hard to see what I am doing. Ron's demonstration used all warm colors -- lots of pinks and oranges. As he was doing it, I commented that fall colors didn't quite go with blossoms on the trees. I was just joking but he seemed to take it more seriously and the following week he brought in a photo of a springtime sunset scene with all warm colors just to show that it was possible. As you can see, I stuck with colors that I thought fit the season. Several people commented that they liked what I had done, but to me it is just OK. I didn't put too much effort into it anyway.
This is our last class project, a cafe scene in New Orleans from one of Ron's photos. I got more involved in this than the previous project. I liked the building and the people presented a bit of challenge. I think it came out pretty good. I like the challenge of trying to keep it kind of loose but putting in enough detail that it has a bit of realism.
One day I did a fairly challenging hike to the Knobcone Point area of Mount Diablo. It was a beautiful hike and when I got home I wanted to paint something that showed the varied terrain of the area -- rocky chaparral, oak woodland and grassland. I used a photo from my iPhone, with a little fudging with the composition. It's not exactly what I had hoped for, but overall, I think it is pretty good. I especially like the cloud shadows on the peak of Mt. Diablo in the background.
One day after watching my grandson, Zachary, play baseball, we stopped by at the San Leandro Cherry Festival. We've lived in the area for a very long time, but we had never been to this festival, which celebrates the cherry orchards that once covered the area but which have been long paved over. I took a picture with my iPhone to get the contrast between the colorful crowds and the rather austere looking Saint Leander's church behind them. Once again, the people were a challenge, but as you can see, I didn't try too hard for a lot of small detail. It came out OK, and it was fun to do.
Recently, I found something that may influence the direction of my painting. I went to the new Kaiser San Leandro Medical Center for an echocardiogram, and there in the cardiology waiting room, were a couple of very beautiful watercolors. I always like seeing other painters work, and I am usually quite impressed by it, but these were really exceptional. The painter is Dan Petersen, who lives in the central valley and is retired after teaching for many years at Modesto Junior College. His landscapes have a lot of sharp detail, with a lot of beautiful flowing lines and vibrant colors. I looked him up online (petersenwatercolor.com), and found that he had made a DVD demonstrating his techniques. I ordered a copy, and found a lot of useful ideas on it. I'm going to try to incorporate some of what I learned in my future painting, but probably won't try to copy all of his methods. He uses a lot of masking, adding washes over and over again, and spends way more time on each painting than most watercolorists do. I probably don't have that much patience, but it will be good to know that the possibility is there if I ever feel like working that hard on a painting.
No comments:
Post a Comment