Framed Sunflowers

I can now reveal one of our gifts to Dave and Emily:  one of my watercolor paintings that I had matted and framed.

I chose the same green velvet mat as my Hollyhocks picture, but the frame has a golden gleam.  There is a bit of reflection showing in the glass in the photo.  They seemed to like the picture, which is actually a mixed media piece.  I added painted tissue paper to the watercolor painting to add more depth of color and some texture.  There is also some texture added by sanding watercolor pencils over a piece of lace on the blue background areas.  You can see that better in this picture of the unframed painting.

I received a copy of a book I have been craving:  Masters Art Quilts, Vol. 2, curated by Martha Sielman.

                         

This is a fascinating collection of art quilts by men and women from around the globe.  Only a few of the names were familiar to me, such as Paula Nadelstern, Laura Wasilowski, and Jane Dunnewold.  How wonderful to be introduced to so many new works of arts made with diverse techniques.

We also got a fabulous gift of an Apple TV device.  We can now view our computer or phone images, videos, music or other media on the television wirelessly.  How cool is that!

We had a great dinner at Bocci's Trattoria and Pizzeria in Cary.  None of us had been there before, so we each ordered a different entree and shared them family style.  Now it is one of my favorite local restaurants!  Great food and service.  The meatballs were the size of baseballs.  There was snow crab ravioli- yum! 

To really get into the Christmas spirit, we went to see the Christmas lights at one house near Dave and Emily's.  They have a phenomenal light show which is synchronized to music they broadcast on an FM station. 

They were rocking the Trans-Siberian Railroad music

and then went into The Star-Spangled Banner.  It was awesome!

A relaxing soak in the hot tub while it poured down rain outside was the perfect ending to a great evening. 

Watercolor Painting Revised: Sunflower

Since I had all my watercolor stuff set up on my kitchen table for the Venice cafe painting, I decided to try to improve my Sunflower watercolor painting.  This, again, was from a Karlyn Holman line drawing in a kit that included a photo reference of a flower, brief painting instructions, a photo of Karlyn's painting, and a line drawing.

This was my first attempt at the painting.  Okay, but kind of pale and weak for such a strong subject as the sunflower.

I decided to use a technique that I learned from Karlyn's DVD, Watercolors Without Boundaries.  She paints white tissue paper with her watercolor palette, letting the colors blend together, and applies them to the painting with Yes! paste.  To be more specific, she uses the paper toilet seat covers found in public restrooms!  Dad, my sister, and I got a good laugh out of that when we watched that part of the DVD together a couple of weeks ago. 

I did not have a johnny seat cover, but used some painted white craft tissue.  I tore it into small pieces and pasted them onto the flower petals.  Then I enriched the color by overpainting.  I notched up the colors in the backgrounds, as well.  Here is the revised version.

I like this version much better, and am ready to sign it and call it DONE!

And, I couldn't resist signing up for one more Karlyn Holman workshop at Art of the Carolinas next weekend.  She is going to teach us how to paint boats, but it will be on a stretched canvas support.  That sounds very new and different!  Here is the description of the Friday workshop.

Paint these colorful boats from Vernazza, Italy on this unique surface. You will be provided with a pre-drawn sketch of these boats, stretched onto a wooden frame. Paint this image and then add a spray of acrylic and frame your finished painting like an oil painting. This lesson is an abstract composition, as well as, an on location scene. The interlocking shapes and bright colors form a strong design that is exciting to paint. Join the fun and take home a finished painting on canvas.

I am getting excited about my weekend of painting lessons!

 
 



A Little Artwork

Today I graduated to walking with no crutches once I got downstairs.  With the ankle brace they gave me at the ER, it was not painful, as long as I hobbled without bearing full weight on the left leg.  Much better!

I located my watercolor paints and the instructional materials I purchased from Karlyn Holman.  I spent some time working on a sunflower painting from one of her kits.  She provides a line drawing, a reference photograph, and a few step-by-step instructions.  Here is how it looks so far.

The lacy look in the foreground is from sanding watercolor pencils over a piece of lace.  The sunflower center had a piece of gauze in the center to create some texture, but I think mine was too thick and I did not get the desired lines.  I may do this painting over, because I haven't done any serious watercolor in several months and am quite out of practice!

 Here is a Zentangle sampler I did on a blank page in my Moleskine journal.  There was some heavy painting on the pages behind, so I only wanted to use markers on this spread.  (Blogger decided to change the orientation of the photo!)

Finally, here is a delightful sketch that my father, Pete Turner,  did while we were in the mountains with a big group for the Fourth of July weekend.  First he made a list of everyone who was with us.  Then, he somehow managed to draw a  caricature of everyone on a tiny piece of watercolor paper that fit inside a greeting card.  He sent it to his sister Jeanne, who was born on the Fourth of July.

It was great to see Dad enjoying some art supplies after his recent deathly scare with pneumonia.  He looks better each time I see him!  Here he is painting at the kitchen table at my sister's mountain place.



His sketch of the people of the Fourth of July was my inspiration for the Dogs of the Fourth of July journal page.