YES, India

I must admit is has been challenging to return to the computer after spending a month in India. Not just the computer, but a life altering experience superimposed on my life in the Pacific Northwest.

My travels focused on the Southern providence of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The tour with Magical Journey captured the essence of India. In contrast, traveling on our own provided George and I with a closer experience of nature and the Indian people. The month was stupendous!

I etched out only a few hours of sketching. "Coconut Lagoon" is a stunning hotel in the backwaters of Kerala. "Hornbill Camp" on the Periyar River borders the Thattekad Bird Santuary.

Coconut Lagoon
watercolor & ink
Joanne Osband

Hornbill Camp
watercolor & ink
Joanne Osband

Too much fun!!!

Minis at Cannon Beach

Back in action!

Two of my mini paintings submitted to the Cannon Beach Annual Miniature Art Show were accepted. The show takes place at the Cannon Beach Gallery located at 1064 S. Hemlock in Cannon Beach, Oregon. It is open during the fall and winter Thursdays through Monday from 10am - 4pm. The show runs from November 2nd to December 2nd.

All entries must be 6" X 6" or smaller and does not include the frame. I photographed the watercolor paintings in their frames hoping to capture their small size. Not sure it worked well plus not the best way to display the art.

Joanne Osband
Lily
watercolor & ink

Joanne Osband
"My Garden"
watercolor & ink

Here are better images of the actual paintings......

Cannot Resist

Hooked again by color and beauty!

Innocently I went to Home Depot to pick up an item for the house. Mistake number one was to enter through the nursery door where I saw the most gorgeous hibiscus flower. The colors were phenomenal!!! The price too was outrageous! I also had no room in my car for the plant.

I continued on my mission to locate the object needed for my project. BUT,this little voice in my head...........said go back.

This beauty won my heart!

George volunteered to hold her on the trip home.

Needless to say, I am enjoying this lovely plant and its blossoms. Here is my first painting in watercolor and ink.

Tiger Lily Love

What is it about tiger lilies that make me smile?

I think they give me a similar joy to the fuchsia with their movement and grace. It is almost like a dance as they develop from bloom to blossom to the final pose before their fall back to the earth.

One day, I got overly excited over a cluster of tiger lilies at a phenomenal garden we visited. Next thing I know the dearest man in my life, George, bought me a dozen tiger lily bulbs. He even helped me prepare the bed for planting.

This summer I was overjoyed with their presence and display.

Here is the first of my tiger lily paintings.

It is watercolor and ink. Stay tuned for the water-based oil painting..........

Sunday Sketches

What are six panels called?

I am creating a painting using six one foot square canvas. I am calling it a double triptych for now unless someone knows what to call it.

Continuing with the yellow water lilies series, here is the watercolor and ink sketch for the oil painting:


More Sunday Sketchers

Sunday Sketches

I am on a roll!

This is the sketch that inspired the watercolor collage and oil painting. Here is the progression.......


watercolor and ink sketch


watercolor collage


water-based oil

More Sunday Sketchers

Sunday Sketches

Spring would not be spring without a new trillium painting!

I could not resist this subject matter for my Sunday Sketch.


More Sunday Sketchers....

Sunday Sketches

Still focusing on the subject of trees...

Again here is the Lucuma tree in the background with the Nuqchu flower at its base. This is fuchsia-like flower which blooms year round in the Sacred Valley of Peru.

The Nuqchu is the main plant of the Earth Garden at Willa T'kia. Carol relates that the cascades of flowers portray abundance, not just material abundance but also love. Their powerful spirit is believed to bring love to the base chakra. You can find out more about native flowers of Peru and Carol's chakra gardens in her book, Chakra Gardens.

First painting is a watercolor and ink sketch.


This painting is an oil on 12" X 12" canvas.

Sunday Sketches

I have been on retreat this week........at home!

An idea that formulated over breakfast with a couple of my creative friends. Today ends our "seven day at home retreat." The basic rules were: to spend at least 3-4 hours a day creating and meet together one or more times during the week to process with a final session this evening.

I have six water-based oil paintings and three watercolor & ink sketches! What could I accomplish if I kept at this pace?!?!?

The Lucuma tree which I first saw at Willa T'ika in the Sacred Valley of Peru was the inspiration of the first paintings.

This watercolor and ink sketch shows the branches, leaves, and fruit in the foreground with the shape of the bark in the background.


And the oil painting.....

Sunday Sketches

Every morning when I look out the window of the sliding glass door near my bed, I see an out of focus version of a forest of trees (without my glasses). The sky holes between the branches look like sparkling gems, the needles of the cedar trees are various size blobs of green, and the tall tree trunks look ominous.

I attempted to put this vision on paper starting first with quick brush strokes of watercolor. Everything ran together and there was no definition of shapes, so I decided the tree and branches would have inked outlines. Lastly, I got the sponge out to give the green blogs texture.

It does NOT look like my vision, but I had fun doing it.

Sunday Sketches

THE RETURN OF THE PRIMROSE!

I get sooo excited when those dead looking primroses of winter start to bud and grow green leaves. It is a miracle!

I also like the shapes of the leaves and the contrast of the dead brown color to the new green and bloom. I found this one growing out from the hole in the pot which use to hang.

Sketchbook Project 2012 Completed!

Yes, January 31st postmark ends the submission for the Sketchbook Project 2012; a constantly evolving library of artists' sketchbooks from across the globe.

I DID IT!

You can check their website to see when the world tour will be in the city closest to you. This year thousands of sketchbooks will be exhibited at art spaces in 14 cities. After the tour, they will join the collection of the Brooklyn Art Library and made available to the public seven days a week.

A digital view of my sketchbook:

Cover
Title Page

Sunday Sketches

This watercolor and ink painting completes my Sketchbook Project 2012!

As we were knee deep in snow, I drifted to the ocean images.

Sunday Sketches

In Honor of Gypsy


My dearly beloved kitty died. I wanted to honor her with a sketch today. First I drew the lines with ink and then applied watercolor.

She has the sweetest face :)

I had been her hospice nurse focusing on making her quality of life the best possible which meant spoiling her with food and special privileges. She spent her last evening finishing a bowl of ice cream and snuggled next to me in bed.

She is missed by all.....

Sunday Sketches

Last week I was excited by the vivid colors of the maple leaves. This week it is the array of browns in the leaves on the ground which catch my eye.

This sketch was started with splashes of color, followed by the ink line, and then additional watercolor was applied. Not my usual pattern, but found it fun and refreshing.

Mini Art Show

I enjoy entering the annual miniature art show in Cannon Beach, Oregon. For one, it is a fabulous place to visit and many people visit the gallery. Two, because the art is small, they can be boxed and sent by mail.

When I first learned of this annual show, I talked two of my artist friends into the challenge of doing miniature art and entering the show. At that time we added the adventure of traveling down to Cannon Beach and spending the day. One time we even spent the night at the youth hostel in Seaside. I have many fond memories!

For two dimensional art the size limit for the miniature art show is 6" X 6," not framed. Because I was on a roll with painting images of Peru, I continued with the subject matter on two 3" X 5" stretched canvases.

This year there was no entry fee and you could submit eight pieces of art. I did, and that is when I got really creative. As I was looking at the stack of Sunday Sketches, I thought there were sections of the paintings that would really make great mini paintings. Out came the scissors!

These are the mini paintings that were submitted:

Aspen
watercolor & ink
5" X 5"
Stargazer
watercolor & ink
5" X 5"
Foxglove
watercolor & ink
5" X 5"

Even though these paintings look the same size, they are smaller.

Hellebore
watercolor & ink
3" X 3"
Lupines
watercolor & ink
3" X 3"

The oil paintings on canvas did not photograph well and I forgot to photograph the pastel of the fall hillside in New England. Thus, eight paintings were sent to the 25th Annual Miniature Art Show in Cannon Beach.

I found out today that ONE of the eight paintings was accepted.

Which one???

I will delay my gratification until later this month when I visit the area to view the art show.

Stay tuned.......

Strange Beauty

Last month as spring began to unfold, I blogged about the strangely interesting flower, the Hellebore.

It has become one of my favorite flowers because of its unique details and untypical colors. I took several pictures of the ones blooming around my house and knew, one day, I would paint from them.

In this watercolor painting, I have captured the three stages of the flower and exaggerated their shapes with black ink. As the flower opens, inside you see the tubular nectaries whose shapes I find fascinating. I also like the way the stamens open and seem to dance. Finally, the center elongates into pod-like forms. The flower lasts this way for months!

Hellebore Trio
Joanne Osband
watercolor and ink
15.5" X 22"

Sunday Sketches

I actually cheated and did my sketch on Friday!

I am now into the groove of sketching once a week since I ran across Sophie's blog about Sunday Sketches. Being that I was out of town for the weekend, I needed to have a sketch for Sunday.....so, I did it on Friday :)

I am enjoying sketching, inking, and painting. It feels like I am coloring in the sketch and I must admit to coloring inside the lines. I hope it does not ruin my reputation! I am intrigued by shapes which when I normally paint with watercolors (without the ink lines) the shapes are less pronounced.

Here is my Sunday (Friday) Sketch:

Ink version


Painted version

Love Affair With Shapes

A few blog posts ago, I shared the incredible spring flower, the Hellebore. Fascinated by its complexity and shapes, I have begun my second Hellebore painting.

The first one was a quick 9" X 12" sketch followed by an application of watercolor.


This next one on a half sheet of watercolor paper, I have emphasized the shapes and details with permanent ink because......I just love the shapes! What direction this will take from here still remains unknown.



Stay tuned........