Does Size Make a Difference?

A question to ponder.....

I remember enjoying painting on huge canvases because it was like a dance. Not only did you move your arm as you painted, but also your body.

When I began painting in watercolors, a half sheet of watercolor paper seemed essential to capture all that I wanted to paint.

Recently while traveling in Greece, I created small watercolor and ink sketches because I was traveling light.

Today as I painted with watercolors, I wondered about the significance of size.

In the third watercolor painting of sand orchids of Greece, I finally loosened up. Yet as I painted today, I became mesmerized by shapes and colors as I worked a small area of the painting. The thought occurred to me to cut out the section of the painting as the final product.

It reminded me of a story my artist friend, Judi Colwell, told of tearing off a section of one of her paintings because the art patron liked that part. It really shocked the customer!

Here is the watercolor painting so far......


And the detail....


Who knows where this might go?

RGB Vs CMYK

I just learned something about the printing of colors. Have you ever wondered why your images onscreen do not come out looking the same when printed?

My watercolor painting, "Garden Art," has been a challenge to print because with some printers it will print blue instead of purple.

I think I now have the answer!


RGB Vs KMYK:

When we create an image with a camera or a scanner, we create one using technology which uses the RGB color model (an additive model - where light is added to create the colour). If you want an image printed the printer needs a CMYK color model (a subtractive model - light is subtracted to achieve the colour before it meets our eyes). This is one of the reasons why what we look at on the screen does not print out quite as we expect. Colors can look off or lose their intensity.

Another reason is that the RGB model actually has a higher number of hues than the CMYK model.

You can convert a RGB model to a CMYK model without loosing any color quality, however the inverse does not work.

For a great explanation read Katherine Tyrrel's blog, Making A Mark.

Here is an online website where it is possible to convert your photos.

Street Painting Artist

Edgar Müller's studio is the street.

He paints over large areas of urban public life and gives them a new appearance, thereby challenging the perceptions of passers-by. The observer becomes a part of the new scenery offered. While going about their daily life, people change the painting's statement just by passing through the scene.

Since 1998 Edgar Müller has held the title of 'maestro madonnari' (master street painter), born by only a few artists worldwide. The title is awarded at the world’s largest street painting festival, called The Grazie Festival, which is held in the small pilgrim town of Grazie in Italy.



See more of the MASTER'S art

Watercolor Master

A blogger friend mentioned a "must see" blog;
BRUSH - PAPER - WATER, written by watercolor artist Chris Beck who will be featuring a series of blogs focusing on American Watercolor Masters.

The first master selected is John Salminen. John is a signature member of numerous art societies and has won more than 190 awards in national and international exhibitions. The majority of John's work involves urban landscapes. His subjects are consistently presented in dynamic compositions and his ability to set a mood with color, light and tone is phenomenal.

Look at his gallery!

Second in the Series: Sand Orchid

When I was in Greece, the orchids growing in the sand amazed me. They seemed to thrive in the environment in the sand next to the water. How can this be?

Not only were the orchids a beautiful, but also was the contrast of the curly, straw like foliage emerging from the sand and the blue-green colors of the spent bulbs of the flowers.

I tried to capture this in the second of the series of watercolor paintings of the sand orchids of Greece.



On to the next painting....

Amazing Photos

Time to play, name that image.

See if you can figure out what each of the three photos represent.
DO NOT look at the answers at the bottom of the blog.




These pictures are from the book Microcosmos by Brandon Broll who lives in London. This book includes many scanning electron microscope (SEM) images of insects, human body parts and household items. These are the most amazing images of what is too small to see with the naked eye.

Surface of a strawberry
Bacteria on the surface of the human tongue
Eyelash hairs growing from the surface of human skin

Kinetic Sculptures

Theo Jansen is a Dutch artist who builds walking kinetic sculptures that he calls a new form of life. His "Strandbeests" walk the coastline of Holland, feeding on wind and fleeing from water. They are made with PVC pipe.

Watch them in action.

The artist at work.

ENJOY!