Day 2109 Where or where has Margaret been

July 18, 2019July 18, 20192 Comments

Well the WordPress site is at full quota. So we are working on migrating it to a new less expensive server. Address will stay the same – I think. 🤔

Good news is you should be able to buy prints soon. Well maybe by Christmas. 😵🤗🤣

Tufted titmouse on Stonehenge print paper

I reduced the image size so I HOPE they aren’t too bad.

Purple finch. On cheap Joes Kilimanjaro 140#

I have to say that the Stonehenge is much less user friendly. I tried to lift the to intense grey on the titmouses back and it was a no go. It was stuck like gorilla glue to the paper.

However it stayed flat and gave nice clear crisp colors.

The Kilimanjaro waffled while it was wet though now it’s dry it is just about flat. But the waffling makes the watery washes float on the surface. Eeek.

That’s how I got the nice blob on the purple finches back. Or at least that’s what I am blaming the blob on. And yes it’s a prestretched block.

Painted with my Vlad Yesilev sword brush. Bytw it’s getting much easier to use. PS it holds tons of water.

For a local show next month. Watercolor to come.

I am still in shock over Notre Dame. This is for a local show next month. Watercolor to come. It was really a miracle that the north tower didn’t burn and take down the whole thing when the huge bells fell. Due to brave firemen that did not happen. Here’s a fascinating article about the fire fight after investigation of what happened.

Thank god for brave firemen fighters. One squad that risked their lives in the north tower was lead by a young 27 year old woman Master Cpl. Myriam Chudzinski. What a woman!

Margaret back to dusting her pillows in the dryer. Xoxoxo

Day 2100 Del Del Del

June 25, 2019Leave a comment

Spent this afternoon wiping out several blog posts to free up some room on my website so I can finally post again.

Chelsea. HP 140 lb fluid. 15×22″

Yesterday’s portrait. May or may not work on the background some more.

A start. First break NO pencil. Shriek.

Burnt sienna and yellow ochre for skin with opera pink. Darks cerulean. Black burnt sienna and ultramarine.

Second break. Big things are off. Added some cad red light to the mix.

Third break. I had to paint a background In to thin her face down. If you notice I actually moved her mouth to the left about half an inch.

Fourth break – I also lowered her forehead – it was too high. Added some darks on the left side of her cheek and on her left temple with dioxzine purple. That side was mostly in shade. A dab of turquoise above her left collarbone just because I felt like it.

Background is Cheap Joes Andrews Turquoise painted with one of his 1″ Golden Fleece flats. Got to get a new tube when I go to Asheville next month or Boone in September. I splattered it with burnt sienna. The grey is a burnt sienna and the Andrews turq.

Margaret off to book club. If you haven’t read Educated read it. Fascinating book about a family that’s a train wreck similar to Glass Castle.

Xoxoxoxo

Day 2098 More sword play

June 20, 2019Leave a comment

The male cardinal has made his appearance. Fun stuff slopping paint on with the sword brush. same colors as yesterday.

Loving the abstract quality of these.

Margaret whose off to bed as soon as Zoe comes in. Xoxoxox

Day 2097 Sword brush fun

June 19, 2019Leave a comment

The picture doesn’t do this bird justice. She just glowed on her white paper in the sunlight on the dash of my car as she rode off to the mailbox.

That’s the sword brush from Rosemary’s Brushes at the top of the photo.

There is no way you can make a tight painting with a sword brush but it does some great line work that is slightly out of control. The feet show some of the line work it can do.

The lines in her hair and her straps were done with the sword brush too. It’s fun to draw with because you can’t control it well.

Cheap Joes Kilimanjaro watercolor paper in a 4×6″ pad. Colors used chrome green opera pink cerulean burnt sienna ultramarine. Think that’s it. And mud from my palette for splatters.

Margaret xoxoxo

Day 2096 Portrait time

June 17, 2019June 17, 20191 Comment

Monday is portrait class over in Aiken. Can’t remember our models name. She has. A few issues. Forehead too high. The dent to the left of her eye is too deep but maybe her cheeks too fat. And the right shoulder needs some definition.

First break. She looks like a ghost. NO PENCIL sketch. Eeek. Always makes me nervous. But it can be done. Onward and upward.

Second break. That ghost is still there. I do t seem to make much progress drawing the beginning with paint. And it definitely stresses me out that I can’t erase it.

Third break. I get tired of poking about and slap the paint on.

I lifted bits of white to the left of her left eye but think it may be a bit too much. So I will stare at her a while and decide.

Colors used. Charles Reid palette. Used a lot of opera pink since she had a rosey glow with a mix of cad red light and cad yw light for flesh. Cerulean cobalt peacock blue burnt sienna on the face

Hair is a wash of cad yellow light first. Then yellow ochre burnt sienna cerulean mixed with burnt umber and finally cobalt mixed w Burnt umber. Her hair like a lot of blondes has a lot of greys in it cerulean makes a great grey.

Oh and that black dot on her right cheek is NOT a mole but where I touched it w my dirty pinky knuckle. Sigh.

Top is yellow ochre burnt umber alizarin and cad yellow light.

Margaret who has a headache from stressing over the painting. What we do for fun. But the sinister grunge seems to be gone. Hurrah. Xoxoxox

Day 2092 Phillips Collection

June 14, 20194 Comments

At the High Art Museum in Atlanta is fantastic. Each painting a jewel.

Degas My favorite in the whole show.

According to Phillips the best landscape painter ever. I concur. Oskar Kokschka

Bonnard a Charles Reid fav and mine.

Another very large Bonnard

Poussin A Fav since college and evidently a Phillips fav

Daumier Such expression and energy 1848

Degas and his dancers I would keep it!!

A wonderful but dark Matisse Mad Fauvist that he was

Caezamne self portrait often compared to Rembrandts as well it should be. Powerful

Monet incredible ethereal to thinly eh great man touched this canvas

Van Gogh never met one I wouldn’t keep. If only I had been at his funeral I could have gotten one free.

So if anyone has a spare $100000000 would you buy one for me please especially the orange Degas. I have just the wall for it.

In the meantime I will drool over the show catalog and postcards from it.

Hurry and go. This exhibit is just marvelous like a who’s who in European Art from 1800 – 1930. Every one a show stopper and this is just a fraction of show. Ends July 14. I hope to make it back there soon.

Margaret ready for bed. Xoxoxo

Day 2091 waiting

June 13, 2019Leave a comment

Seems to be a trend lately. And reading books.

Margaret who almost forgot to post. Off to hot lanna tomorrow. Xoxoxo

Day 2089 Chelsea

June 11, 2019July 27, 20193 Comments

15×22″ Spent two and a half hours chasing Chelsea as she would turn from full frontal to the right. As soon as she relaxed a little she would loose the pose because she was twisted in her seat.

First break. NO pencil. 😵😵😵Rough block in on Co fluid watercolor paper. 140#. The paper is really a bargain for great paper. Six full sheets for $24 on amazon. Always dries just about flat no matter how soppy wet I get it. Second break not making a lot of progress. Adding more darks and the blouse. Lack of progress I think that was due to the continually rotating head. No excuse for that left eye. But an easy fix on this hp. Most hot press would not let you move it at all. One shot and you are done. Last break. That left eye shoot me. But I brought it around. Add more darks to the hair which was ultramarine and burnt umber or van dyke brown. Also I didn’t want to get the shadows dark since that would age her. She has quite a very young face. Deep shadows age people in portraits especially babies. For now. I have a to do to her list. May or may not do them. BYTW her blouse was painted in two shots with my size 16 Cheap Joes sable. First was a glaze of very watery cerulean and burnt sienna. Then after it was dry lines of the black hair mix.

Colors used Quin gold French yellow ochre burnt sienna burnt umber ultramarine cerulean vandyke brown. A hint ifocad red light

Margaret ready for a nap. Xoxoxox

Day 2088 Tahred from road running

June 9, 2019June 9, 2019Leave a comment

One last sketch from Columbia. Wait who am I kidding two more I haven’t painted. Oopsey.

Snuff jars from the museum. Hmm I wonder if they sell them on eBay. One could hope. Like rows of tiny gems. Two inches tall at most.

Think I will go back and draw some more of them sometime. Just love these tiny guys. And each so intricately decorated.

Charles Reid palette colors. Twisbee pen now leaky twisbee Deartrementis document brown.

Margaret putting her feet up. Xoxoxo

Day 2086 D Day Invasion

June 6, 2019June 7, 2019Leave a comment

When we went to France we went to The Normandy Invasion Sites. Aka Operation Overlord aka D Day.

The French in Normandy seriously love Americans because they know we saved them. This is a sketch of one of the Canadian cemeteries at Birn Sur Mer. We were there on Veterans Day and many of the people on the tour had uncles buried there leaving roses on their graves. The Canadian DDay Museum a fascinating place that looks like a maple leaf from above. It’s made with aluminum sheathing that glows in the light.

Arrowmanche which still has implacements from the invasion in their harbor. I almost got left behind by the bus while I was drawing this sketch. 🤣 We suffer for our art.

Ranville. The first city the Allies freed in Normandy also a site of another allied cemetery. The church is still pockmarked with canon shell holes.

Mushrooms outside another museum we visited. Pegasus Bridge Museum where the British paratroopers landed BEFORE the D Day invasion. Out of the 600 that parachuted in only 165 survived the nights shooting.

Another page I just dug up. The leader of the British paratroopers.

The invasion maps. – The la song sites -Utah Omaha Gold Juno and Sword Beaches – among rh coast of Normandy near Bayeux home of the famous tapestry and Areowmanches where the Bristish established Mulberry harbor a temporary port for the allies. Remnants of it can still be seen today.

Memorial at the American cemetery at Omaha Beach.