Sketching in Greece

Need I say, Greece is an awesome place to visit!

Not only did I take about a thousand photos, but manage to do some sketching along the journey. Since I traveled with just a backpack, I took a very tiny Windsor & Newton watercolor set, a set of twelve watercolor pencils, one pencil, and one permanent pen marker. My sketch pad is a good quality paper 9" x 6".

It was challenging adjusting to a limited palette and different media as well as the very warm climate of Greece. I learned that doing a watercolor wash was impossible because the water dried so quickly. I found myself drawn to details and did several sketches with pen and ink.

Sometimes I traveled to a lovely spot to paint and other times I sat in a taverna painting after consuming some fabulous Greek food.

In the next several blogs I will be sharing my sketches and experiences.

After a couple days in Athens, I traveled to Meteora to see the clifftop monasteries. Out of a rather flat landscape, you will see unusual shaped mountains with layers of color that seemed to flow down its sides.

I planned to hike up to the monasteries the day after I arrived, but it rained solidly and not even this Washingtonian was willing to go out in the downpour. Instead I spent the day painting. Here is the view from the balcony of my room in Kastraki.


It was raining so hard that several waterfalls formed down the crevasses in the rocks. Can you see them?

I did another version with just the mountains. They are rather organic wouldn't you agree?


Thankfully the rain subsided and I stayed another day to visit the monasteries.

On The Road Again

I was traveling again this weekend........love my new sports car! I brought along my watercolor pencils. They are the best medium for travel because of their easy portability.

I sat in my son's backyard near the lovely newly replanted flower beds enjoying the sunshine which was plentiful this weekend in Washington. YES!

I have not done a mandala painting in a long time. What appeared to me in the center as I drew was the image of a tree. I played with that tree image and thought about the tree of life. I felt gratitude and appreciation for my life and it is expressed in the mandala.

The Tree of Life Mandala Painting

The Challenge of a New Art Medium

Do you ever feel stuck?  Similar to writer's block, but for a visual artist it feels more like doing the same thing over and over again.  After twenty-five years exploring watercolors, I am beginning to feel the urge to try something new. 

Jump start creativity?  Last time I felt this way, I began to tear up old watercolor paintings and create new paintings (watercolor collage paintings). Talk about a metaphor!  As a challenge of new art media, I have been playing with water-based oil paints (sounds like a misnomer) and tried a few small acrylic paintings.  

Most recently, I have picked up a watercolor pencil set.  Now, you are probably thinking that is not so different for an artist who has painted with watercolors. BUT IT IS! TOTALLY DIFFERENT! For you  control freaks, watercolor pencils are a more controlable medium..........well, until you add the water :)  It even looks different. AMAZING!

Later, I am off on another discovery...........

Watercolor Pencil Mandalas

Although I have been painting with watercolors for about twenty-seven years, using watercolor pencils is a whole new experience.

It is drawing with colors. I found with my set of thirty-six pencils plenty of color options and no need to mix colors. The final mandala looked soft and light before I added the water. Using a small brush, I basically painted over each color individually, allowing a little bleeding and mixing of the colors.

This was totally different!

When I paint with watercolors, I look for the happy accidents that occur through the bleeding of colors. I wonder with more experience using watercolor pencils if my approach will change???

First mandala:



"Urchin by the Sea"

Second Mandala:



"Calle by the Ocean"

The portability of this medium and easy set up makes it ideal for travel. I plan to create more mandalas on my next trip to Mexico at the end of March. Until then, I am heading back to the studio to paint with watercolors.

Watercolor Pencils

What a GREAT portable art medium!

I just returned from 10 days in Mexico..........FABULOUS!!!
Best of all I managed to find time to create two mandalas paintings while sitting by the ocean listening to the sounds of the waves crashing as well as being visited by dolphins.

I cannot expound enough about the simplicity of carrying along a set of watercolor pencils, field watercolor pad, a couple of brushes, and some water.
You can literally set up anywhere!

Here is the spot I chose.



See the flat area overhanging the water? That is where I painted. Nice, huh?!

I will post the mandala paintings as soon as I find a day in Olympia, Washington that it is not raining or snowing. I hope I do not have to wait until Spring! I did photograph the paintings while in Mexico, but total sunshine washed out some of the color........can you believe, too much sun!