Done done done

January 31, 20232 Comments

Mexican Cactus Flower 1/4 sheet Kilimanjaro

I added a lot of darks to it and used a gel pen to add more whites. Gotta love a gel pen. The quinacridones had smeared when I removed the masking fluid from the stamens. Tried gouache. Of course that didn’t work. So the white pentel gel pen came to the rescue.

Here it is before I darkened it. I went to town adding darks. It wasn’t terrible before but like it much better now.

Also tweaked this one some more. Tried splattering it do more fireflies would show but like the stamens they didn’t show up either. Maybe they will tomorrow.

Can you tell what I did to it. This is before the latest tweak.

Margaret tired once again. Good tired though. I have how many left to do??Xoxoxoxo

Where I have been

January 30, 2023Leave a comment

In the dining room madly painting. I signed up for watercolorlive 2023. It’s all my friend Mikes fault. She talked me into it. What a mad three days of wild fun painting. Classes and seminars lasted from 10 am til 9 pm. Will be posting them the next few days.

My Swan from the hour Paint along with Shelley Prior one of 18 teachers we had . She was awesome. She held our hands and walked us thru it step by step. I am in love w my swan and will be checking out her extensive YouTube feed. Her instructions were clear step by step with no need to rush to keep up. This swan just glows. My favorite out of my stack of paintings.

Most of the paintings I did. There are TEN still left to do that I didn’t get around to for various reasons.

We started off with Julie who does Cheap Joes two minute art on you tube.

This took abt five minutes and was Julie’s tip. A fun way to start the day and to loosen up. We were all tense. I mean 18 teachers and all those hours. Eeek.

Out agenda. We were VERY busy. No potty breaks no lunch breaks. A good way to diet. Lol.

Next up the great Thomas Schaller. Now almost all the teachers supplied a sketch for us to draw before class started. This was NOT a drawing workshop but a painting workshop. For some reason. Thomas didn’t think we needed a drawing. Hmm. Off to a rocky start. I madly drew it and started flinging paint around.

On a half sheet. My perspective was off. Supposedly his odd idea of firefly houses. Who knew they don’t have fireflies in S California where he’s from. They got his attention in his new home in NYC. My husband loves it Me not so much.

Fireflies half sheet 140lb.
So I had to cram in time to tinker with it. It was really bothering me. The perspective was wonky. Hate that and all that glaring white paper on the top left screamed at me. Better. Still won’t be my fav. He can hang it in his mancave. Lol. Still may need more tinkering. Time will tell.

Next up a portrait with Patricia Guzman a lovely painter from Mexico who specializes in indigenous people. She’s a realistic portrait painter not my bag but she was a great teacher. At some point I got tired of painting every wrinkle and quit. LOVE the way this painting turned out. 1/4 sheet arches 149
Cold press I think.

Every artist had a different kind of paper or color of paint so I just used what I had and matched it up as closely as I could from my stash. Did I say I have way too much paper?!

My friend Mike my cohort in art crimes I mean classes. We met at a Charles Reid class in Boone at Cheap Joes 8 9 years ago and been friends and Charles Reid worshippers ever since. we are going to have a weekly zoom meetup til we finish out pile of not done drawings. There are quite a few. Eek

Another day another sunset. More tomorrow. My fingers are tired. Xoxoxox Margaret

#ericrhodes @

Full report

January 26, 2023Leave a comment

On watercolor live 2023 unless I am comatose from the very long day 10 am -9 pm. starting the day off with the great Thomas Schaller who I have long admired.

In the meantime from when I was hanging out with Mario Robinson in Raleigh a couple of years ago. He has a great book and dvd out and has been compared to Andrew Wyeth. Big buddies Wyeth granddaughter Victoria. Recently his art has been sold at Sothebys. Crossing my fingers it goes big. I own the painting that’s on the cover of his dvd.

On the way to and from Raleigh I had to stop at South of the Border. What a great kitschy place to do some urban sketching. Hand print cloth journal I bought at Jerry’s Artarama or was it Cheap Joes. Lovely paper that Mike and I discovered is fluid paper which Charles Reid always recommended. Great sturdy paper that holds up well and is relatively inexpensive. Lamy pen and Faber Castell watercolor pencils on all these drawings.

Mario keeping an eye on his students. The class was at Ali El Bernamis studio. What a great place to work. So much room and foam cushions for our tired feet on the concrete. The hostess w the mostest!

Margaret who I am sure is plumb tahred as they say in the south. Xoxoxox

BYTW did u know that Georgia and South Carolina are two of the five slowest speaking states in the union. since I was born in California I can pick it up if I need to be but those low country people? What is it they are saying is it English?! That said LOVE the low.Country and YES I have been to Hampton where the Murdaugh trial is and we used to have a beach house on Edisto where they did.

Haley is finally done

January 25, 2023January 26, 20236 Comments

Over painted her with muck on my palette instead of using fresh color. Then I added some white gel pen to our sweet girl. Even the turquoise was already mixed on my palette. Super aquabee 93 lb paper. Loved watercolor and dries almost flat. Just a little waver. Spiral so cheaper than a Stillman and Birn.

My amaryllis had finally bloomed. Fighting the urge to write what took you so long a little late for Christmas on it. Was trying to take a page from the late great Charles Reid’s playbook when I painted this. Loosing some edges. Hard and soft edges. Really needs fresh paint for it.

The Very Vera chocolate pound cake overflow that I turned into cupcakes. They were actually better than the pound cake. Super soft and moist. At book club we all voted we liked my lemon Very Vera pound cake better. I bought her book just for the lemon pound recipes but it’s actually the same one on the back of the Swan Cake flour box. The cream pound cake with an extra teaspoon of vanilla and two teaspoons of lemon. Yummy.

Nap time. Starting Watercolor live 2023 tomorrow. Runs 10-9 every day for three days. I will really need a long nap on Sunday.

Margaret who hopes she’s ready! Xoxoxoxo

Haley is finally done

January 25, 2023February 1, 2023Leave a comment

Nap time. Starting Watercolor live 2023 tomorrow. Runs 10-9 every day for three days. I will really need a long nap on Sunday.

Margaret who hopes she’s ready! Xoxoxoxo

And I thought I had zero to do today

January 24, 2023Leave a comment

But NO I promised I would bake a chocolate pound cake for book club which is today not next Tuesday. Did I say I used up all the eggs yesterday duh. So off to the store. I always end up with a few cupcakes because my pan is only ten cups and the recipe is for a 12 cup pan. A delicious side benefit right?!

We are going birds around here. Counted 30 cormorants flying south before it got dark last night. Add in a bald eagle or two and all the normal birds we enjoy the birds. Crows love to chase the bald eagles. Not sure why but they do.

Here’s a few more. I do enjoy doing a scribbly great w with my black ink pen.

One line crow on a page full of birds and cats. Drawn with a uniball micropen.

Almost forgot these funky fabulous birds. Drawn during Inktober. Maybe next year I will draw a bird every day. So much easier than using the Inktober prompts.

A pair of Hanukkah socks I knitted for a friend for her birthday. She’s all set for next year.

Margaret who will post the cake tomorrow after it’s out of the oven. The hubby pronounced those cupcakes perfect. Almost like a cheesecake.

Xoxoxoxo

Crazy busy day

January 24, 2023January 24, 2023Leave a comment

Somebody is filming a movie here and needs artwork.

Spent half the morning digging thru four years and abt 6000 pictures to find the missing art work pics on my phone.

Finally found them all.

They had to be larger than three feet so that knocked out all but two watercolors.

All had to be ready to hang immediately.

More digging required.

And then I spent the rest of the day gettting class work ready for Watercolor I’ve that starts Thursday. Drew nine of the drawings for class paintings. Six more to go! 😵‍💫 Now putting up my feet wishing I had a kitty curled up beside me.

Speaking of kitties Bear is getting to be such a sweet kitty. Need to get him fixed so he can be a house cat. No spraying males allowed inside.

Hugs Margaret who now has her feet up. Xoxoxox

The Great Mary Whyte

January 23, 2023Leave a comment

Have finally had the honor and privilege of taking classes with her. I don’t think you can ask for a better hard working sharing teacher. If she knows it she will tell you.

Mary Whytes painting. Took her an hour and a half. Not quite a half sheet

Outside of a college art class the atmosphere is hard working and on your toes kind of environment. Lecture and Mary painting in the am then it’s your turn. If you work hard u can turn out two paintings in one day. Since my rotator cuff is shot I didn’t try that in the second class.

Full sheet Arches 300# done in Mary’s class in St Simons. Of course I can’t remember the lovely models name. No doubt in my notes.

The first one I took from her I did a full sheet in under two hours. That’s a lot of fast painting. Since the studio floors were concrete as I told Mary I limped out in both feet. OUCH. But I would do it again if I had too.

The sweet UGA student who modeled and played the guitar. Last time I will use fabriano. Sucked up the color like a sponge. I gave it to him and he was delighted. His dad Ken was our workshop helper and they were both delightful.

Mary’s painting. Oh so much better than mine. I am always tight on my first attempt in a class.

Painting #1. Tight but not as tight as the guitar player

Second time I sat. I really don’t like to and the floor was wooden BUT I didn’t want to limp the blocks to much car after class so I sat.

A quick sketch of Teesha. Something I do during class when I take notes. I listen better.

So since Mary says the secret to painting is to paint I signed up for a two day class in Charleston with her at Gudger Hall at St Johnnes Lutheran south of Broad on the Charleston peninsula.

Out the north facing windows at Gudger Hall

A lovely old building. Of course the paint flew during the day and the evenings on Edisto were heavenly.

The great Teesha by Mary Whyte painted in class. She’s the model in a lot of Mary’s books and is like Mary just a sweet heart.

My painting of Teesha the last afternoon. Then we were off home. If you can’t take a class with Mary there’s a Northlight video for $15 that you can buy and it’s almost as good as being there and her book on how to paint portraits. She leaves nothing out. Bytw Mary’s assistant thought this was Mary’s for a minute when I showed it to her. Made my day as well as my husbands.

Oh one last nite before I close. When you take Marys class in Charleston she and Sharon treat the class and a plus one with a reception in her studio. Heavy hors d’ouevres and the wine flows.

Margaret in rainy Georgialina curled up on the sofa reading when she should be painting. xoxoxo

Eight ways to jumpstart creativity

January 21, 2023Leave a comment

Got this in my email yesterday or the day before and decided to give it a whirl. Eight ways to jumpstart creativity

My right shoulder has been bothering me so decided to try the one making marks with my left hand and of course I got carried away. I spent an hour or more and eventually shifted to my right hand.