Category Archives: Uncategorized

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30 in 30 Challenge…Again!

15Watch Chain_30in30January was the last 30 in 30 in which I attempted to paint 30 pieces in 30 days. Rigorous! But very informative about how I work. I plan to participate, but I have this nagging knowledge that September might be over-the-top busy. Excuse or reason? Silly, silly girl. Here are some thoughts from the last one:

https://doodleoftheday.wordpress.com/2014/02/02/30-in-30-is-over/

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Ten Reasons to Register by May 21 for this Watercolor Class

Do you know one of the best kept secrets in Tucson?………………………

It’s the Tucson Parks & Recreation Leisure Classes: excellent instructors, great facilities and welcoming community of students!

_1st philips gateTen Reasons to Take a Summer Class: 

1. Think outside the box! 

2. Step outside of your comfort zone.

3. Meet new people – join a community of like-minded folks

4. Try that thing you’ve never thought you could do (and learn that you can do it WELL!) 

5. Engage your senses – express yourself 

6.  Learn new skills and techniques – expand your horizons

7. Enrich your soul, collaborate, inspire!

8. Practice new skills

9. Develop an appreciation and understanding of technical mastery 

10. Create – share – make a difference! 

Sign up for a class. Call Registration at 520.791.4877.

Visit www.EZeereg.com. PLEASE register to ensure the class reaches its minimum! 

Don’t wait…registration closes (classes cancelled) May 21!

Watercolor Techniques

Class code: 72867

May 29 – July 24, 2014 — Thurs 6 pm – 9 pm

Learn introductory techniques, including washes, wet on wet, dry brush and textures with salt, paper towel, plastic wrap, sponge and more! Build confidence and skills through exercises and projects with gentle critiques.

Class meets at Randolph Arts Center, 200 S. Alvernon Way

Cost per class: $108, city residents, $134 non-residents
Offered through TucsonParks and Recreation

Call 791-4877 to get your log-in ID and PIN (just once and you’ll have it forever) and then sign up

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Mums for Mom

Mums for MomMother’s Day is Sunday, May 11— Show some love, give some flowers!

Mom, Grandma, any great nurturing soul in you life deserves it. For a different take on the gift of flowers, consider the gift of art.

Mums for Mom…yellow and pink mums in calm, pastel tones with a bit of brightness. This print of my original painting is ready for framing.

Your order will include the print (with a white edge to allow for framing) plus an artist’s statement:
 Archival print of 6”x8” image on Arches 90 lb. acid-free, 100% cotton paper using fade-resistant dye based inks; fits 9”x12” frame with mat window of 6”x8”. $20 includes shipping in continental U.S.

The 6”x8” original is available as well:
 Watercolor on cold-press Arches 300 lb. acid-free, 100% cotton paper, matted to fit 8” x10” frame. $50 includes shipping in continental U.S.

Orders ship by 2-day USPS Priority Mail. Tuesday, May 6, 11:59 pm MST is order deadline for delivery by Mom’s day.
Payment accepted via PayPal. When checking out, please make a note as to which item you want. The original painting is subject to prior sale, of course.

my buy button

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Experimental Show = special challenge!

ick ack ock smallSouthern Arizona Watercolor Guild hangs an “experimental show” each year and I submitted a piece that endeavored to integrate traditional watercolor with water-soluble graphite. The graphite enchanted me with the ability to look like litho crayon, then turn into a sort of faux sumi ink when painted over with water.  I love the dark gritty quality. Hard to finesse, though! No smearing, no erasing. Best for large works. This piece is pretty big, the size of a full sheet of watercolor paper, framed at 26 x 30, on Arches 140 pound cold pressed. I framed it so the deckle (untrimmed) edges of the paper show. The beauty of the paper needs to be honored.

Titled “Ick-Ack-Ock”, it’s another name for “Rochambeau” or “rock, paper scissors.” The three birds and the obscure trio of hand signs that result in a game or decision congealed as I was working on this. Who knows why this stuff sticks together? I liked the name because of its truly bird-like sound.

 

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Plein Air Shows coming up soon

Just wanted to share this:

TWO Tucson Plein Air Painters Society SHOWS are currently accepting submissions.
TPAPS Spring Show at Plaza Palamino… Deadline Tuesday, April 1 application & images. Drop-off Friday April 11.
and,
TPAPS Online Show on the web only… Application and images due by Monday, April 7. No drop-off. Digital only.

These are two separate shows. Applications and entry fees must be submitted separately.

Details are on the TPAPS website http://tpaps.com/announcement.php .

 

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Register by Feb. 28 for these watercolor classes

Sign up for these fun Tucson Parks and Recreation classes…

Don’t wait…registration closes February 28!

Southwest Landscapes in Watercolor

Class code: 71619

March 20 – May 10, 2014 — Thurs 1 pm – 4 pm

Explore Arizona and beyond in watercolor. This class will challenge you to to paint the essence of your subject. Work with color harmony, aerial perspective, composition, use of the medium, brushes and papers. Realistic subjects from imagination or photos. Positive suggestions for growth and improvement in no-judgment environment will help you have fun and learn.

Watercolor Techniques

Class code: 71510

March 20 – May 10, 2014 — Thurs 6 pm – 9 pm

Learn introductory techniques, including washes, wet on wet, dry brush and textures with salt, paper towel, plastic wrap, sponge and more! Build confidence and skills through exercises and projects with gentle critiques.

Both classes meet at Randolph Arts Center, 200 S. Alvernon Way

Cost per class: $108, city residents, $134 non-residents
Offered through TucsonParks and Recreation

Call 791-4877 to get your log-in ID and PIN (just once and you’ll have it forever) and then sign up

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30 in 30 is over!

I painted 20 paintings, some nothing more than sketches, in the month! It doesn’t matter much that I didn’t do 30 because I learned SO much in getting the 20 done. And that was about 16 more than I thought I’d do. And about 16 more than I would have done.

Learned that:

  • Painting can consume me so much that I skip sleep, leave the house a little late for work, let the dishes stack up.
  • Laying down the drawing takes most of my time. I surely do like drawing more than painting. Tsk.
  • I felt progress the more I painted (duh), so why don’t I paint more, often? Takes a deadline to motivate me.
  • Having a deadline moves me past the “blank page” problem, that hesitation to undertake the next piece, because, of course, it has to be a masterpiece requiring much pondering. That next picture is less precious, less scary.
  • Letting myself have enough time to get something done each day seems like luxury.
  • Posting my work even though some seemed shoddy was a way of making the paintings “finished,” sort of like signing them, making it okay to go on to the next one. Letting them linger makes the urgency fade. Overthinking happens, too.
  • I don’t like painting from photos. In desperation for subject material, I did. It wasn’t THAT bad. May even do it again.

It was a terrific event, kind of like a 10K run for artists. A start, a middle and an end. Mucho gracias to Leslie Saeta for setting up this very cool thing that involved hundreds of artists. I could have spent 24 hours a day looking at all the great work they made and shared on Leslie’s blog, http://lesliesaeta.blogspot.com.

When I started Doodle of the Day, I went after that daily drawing goal. Getting a sketch done is the easy part. Getting it posted is the hard part for me…take a pic, download to computer, log in, upload, write caption. Not hard, just a bit of a time suck. Someday when I have one of them fancy tablet things it’ll be awesomely easy, I’m sure.

The thing with the daily doodle was that it wasn’t finite! It felt lousy when I missed a day, then it got to be two or three days, then it was, well, you know the rest. This was a great way to consider picking up the doodle of the day again.

Okay. Gotta go draw something now.