Watercolor: Santa Monica Pier

Santa Monica Pier 14.5 x 16.5 Watercolor
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Watercolor: Lee in the Garden

Lee in the Garden 3 x 6.25 Watercolor on Bristol paper
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My Grandfather's sister Angelina was called Lee by her brothers. She was number six of nine kids, and I love painting her from photos taken in the 1920's & 30's. I layered the watercolor glazes heavily here, in keeping with the high contrast of photos from that era.

Linocut: Huntress

Huntress 4x5 Linocut with watercolor
Originally, I had planned to pull this print with two colors; a sold green printed for the whole background, with the figure blocked out to reveal the paper, followed by a black-inked block with all the details carved out. In the end, I like the single print of the black ink, without the green background. I get to paint each print a different color, and I love that. :o)

Watercolor: Drinks at the Artists' Reception

Drinks at the Artists' Reception 7.5 x 6.5 watercolor on bristol paper
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At a friend's opening a few months ago at Segil Fine Art, I asked the woman pouring cocktails if I could snap a photo for a painting. She agreed, and I had a blast painting her in a cubby space filled with teeny versions of paintings done by fellow artists.

Monotype: Under the Lemon Tree

Under the Lemon Tree 5 x 7 Monotype with Colored Pencil and Watercolor
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During a visit to New England last January, I found a tiny black & white photo of my grandmother taken in 1934 in a box under their television console. I snapped a shot of the photo with my digital camera, and used it as a reference for this one.

Watercolor: Back Yard in New England

Back Yard in New England 9 x 5.5 Watercolor
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My friend LG's back yard in Massachusetts, painted directly (no glazing this time) on Arches Hot Press paper. I've rendered this view as a monotype too, and I think I'd like to make an etching from it. Wheel barrows, freshly turned, serpentine flower beds and big clapboard houses are all homey to me. From this vantage point, there's a wing back chair by the window for listening to music, drinking tea and sketching birds.

Watercolor: Fruit & Wine Market in Florence

Fruit & Wine Market in Florence 6 x 10 Watercolor
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Everyone who walked by this market near the Ponte Vecchio stopped to photograph it. I wondered if anyone else was planning to paint from their reference photos. This study was an experiment on new paper - plate finish bristol. I may have to buy full sheets, since it was pretty nice to work on. Great granulation, and easy lifting after lots of glazing.

Watercolor: Descanso Hedge Maze

Descanso Hedge Maze 10 x 7 Watercolor
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From a photo taken at Descanso Gardens in December.
I've been reading Christopher Newall's Victorian Watercolours, and I'm intrigued by the narrative quality of the images, and the solid drawing in each painting. I'm also enjoying reading about the use of "body color" (gouache) to develop details and texture, and the debate - as far back as 1863 - about whether watercolorists should be using it at all.
All the gardens in the book - and a sudden spell of warm, sunny weather here - gave me a hankerin' to paint a garden. (Process shots below.)

Watercolor: What're we doing Today?

What're we doing Today 8 x 10 Watercolor on paper
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Flipping through a travel guide, in an apartment in Rome, DCC is asking us what we'd like to do for the day.
The process shots below show layers of transparent glazes of watercolor, one on top of the other, until the values and temperatures felt right. I may add a few more layers in key areas, but for now, I need to set it aside and look at it for a few days.

Watercolor: House near Palatine Hill (Rome)

House near Palatine Hill (Rome) 5 x 6.75 Watercolor