Sequim Art Show

This weekend I am traveling up to the Sequim/Port Townsend area to deliver a watercolor painting that was juried into the Sequim Art Show which opens May 3rd.

Part of why I entered this show was an excuse to visit the beautiful area. I will spend Saturday in Port Townsend checking out their art galleries, spending time along the water, and eating seafood. It has been a very long time since I visited Port Townsend. Sunday, we will travel to Sequim the home of the famous Lavender Festival. Sequim is also noted for more sunny days than anywhere else in Washington.

The art show was juried by Mike McCollum and will run to the end of the month. The Museum & Art Center is located at 175 W. Cedar Street in Sequim.

This is the watercolor painting that was chosen:

Joanne Osband
Royal Purple
watercolor

The inspiration for this painting came from my neighbor's garden.

Sidney Art Gallery

If you are interested in visiting a quaint little museum and gallery, head to Port Orchard, Washington.

The art association and museum are dedicated to preserving the local history and fostering the fine arts. There are three buildings; The Log Cabin Museum, The Sidney Museum, and The Sidney Art Gallery.

This May two of my watercolor paintings will be on exhibit in the Sidney Art Gallery. Here is a preview for those of you not able to visit.

Joanne Osband
"Iris Family"
watercolor
Joanne Osband
"Freckles"
watercolor

The Sidney Art Gallery is open Tuesdays-Saturday 11AM to 4PM and Sundays 1-4PM.

The address: 202 Sidney Avenue in Port Orchard, WA 98366.

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........

Out Of The Box

Tried something new for my Sunday Sketch.

First, I sketched the subject matter of daffodils and tulips with a quick application of watercolors.


Then, I used pen and ink. Afterwards, I painted with watercolors.

A definite departure from my usual process of drawing first and then painting.


I have exited the box :)

Daffodils Out, Tulips In

Changing of the guards at my house; daffodils are slowing dying and the tulips are starting to emerge.

I love the love the colors!

Here is my first patch of tulips:




They are just asking to be subject matter for tomorrow's
Sunday Sketch.

Return to the Beach

I am back at Paradise Beach on the east shore of Santorini in Greece. At least that is what it feels like when I paint a scene from my travel photos.

The day I walked from the town of Oia at the southern tip of Santorini to Paradise Beach (approximately 5 miles), it was one of those beautiful Greek days of sunshine and warmth. I left early in the morning so that I was not walking in the heat of the day. At least that was what I thought. Little did I know how quickly temperatures rise even along the shore. I walked the shoreline cliffs and could not wait to get in the water when I finally reached the beach. There was NO WAY I was going to walk back! Lucky for me there was one bus returning to town. I planned accordingly and learned that these remote buses do not consistently run on schedule.

I saw my first sand orchids as I walked the shoreline cliff.
The view.....


First glimpse of a beach, but I had to walk further.


On Paradise Beach looking south


Looking north


The sculpted cliffs


I spent the afternoon swimming and sketching. My memories linger while I painted this watercolor rendition of the rocks along the shoreline of Paradise Beach.

Sunday Sketch

Strange name and strange looking flower, an early spring favorite, the Hellebore has captured my attention today.

Once again, I am fascinated by the lines and shapes. I could not resist painting them with watercolors.

Each flower in this sketch is at a different stage of bloom. I find Hellebores amazing and love the details in the center of the flower.


The flowers have five "petals" (actually sepals) surrounding a ring of small, cup-like nectaries (petals modified to hold nectar). The sepals do not fall as petals would, but remain on the plant, sometimes for many months.

The all green Helebores are unique and I am looking for one of these plants to add to my collection.

Landscape Art

Mother nature has been calling me and getting my hands in the soil feeds my soul. So instead of painting, I have been creating art outdoors which I call "Landscape Art."

I vowed not to own a lawn mower again. I planted an orchid and covered the ground with arbor chips.

I had one more patch of grass to terminate and one thing lead to another. First I used black edging material and was excited by the line. Next, I saw a path. I then bought some soil with compost and created beds for plantings. Last came a stone path. Ta Da!

Here is what it looks like:









Notice Ebony in the photos?

Cake Art

I had the pleasure of meeting an inspiring young woman who has combined her knowledge and passion in life to create her own business.

Having started early in her life creating in the kitchen and combining it with her skills as an architecture, Carie Tindill began her own business, "Cakeitecture Bakery."

Using her knowledge of architecture she designs cakes that are three dimensional as well as artistic. Please check out her gallery of cakes at her website. If you are lucky to live in or near Olympia, Washington, your next party cake can be not only delicious but also a piece of art!


Carie showed me a photograph of her Mariner Shoe Cake as well as a rather real looking heart. I am looking forward to seeing the teapot cake she is creating for a sweet-sixteen party this weekend.

Hellebores Are Not Boring

One of the first flowers of spring are the Hellebore. Strange name for a rather amusing looking flower. They are not the kind of flower that you pass by. The detail is quite amazing; I think they look rather prehistoric. Hellebore come in various colors; white, yellow, green, pink, and purple.


I like the colors, shapes, and center of the flower......great subject matter for a sketch or painting.

Here is a closer view:


I learned that Hellebores have a long history in cultivation, particularly in Europe. For centuries they have been used for various medical purposes, and all contain alkaloids and other chemicals that could lead to poisoning if ingested in large quantities. Hellebores are even mentioned in ancient Greek and Roman literature, but it is not certain if the references are to the same plants of today. They have also been cultivated in western Europe and can be found naturalized around ruins of old monasteries and other structures. Extracts from Hellebores have been used in homeopathy and traditional medicines in several countries.

Sunday Sketches

More organized today than last Sunday. I did not have to squeeze in time to sketch. Maybe the rainy day was more conducive to being indoors being creative.

Having been away for two days enjoying the gift of sunshine and time at the beach, I was surprised when I returned home to find two Iceland poppies in bloom. What a treat and perfect subject matter for my sketch.

I tried another new watercolor paper which allowed more flow to the watercolors, but was rather "bumpy" for ink. I inked first and then painted wondering what would happen if I did just the opposite? I might give that a try next Sunday.

Here is today's Sunday Sketch:

PERFECT!

Here in the Pacific Northwest we were recently treated to two full days of SUNSHINE. I happened to select those two very days to visit the beach and Seabrook.

Synchronicity!

AND PERFECT, I might add.

Imagine days and days of rain, a decision to go to the beach, and presto! Sunshine and blue skies. Washingtonians would say, "It's a miracle!" Especially since the weather is back to rain once again.

Here is what a Washington beach looks like on a rare sunny day:


This is the beach at Seabrook, a lovely little beach town near Pacific Beach, Washington.

Wind swept trees looking North.....


I was welcomed back home by these two Iceland poppies.

Parts I Like and Parts I Do Not Like

Self-portraits!

What an insightful practice!

Having completed the first self-portrait painted since high school, many interesting dialogues in my head have occurred. I mentioned previously that the process first started with capturing an image of myself that I liked.

As I painted, I found myself detaching from the image of "me" to depicting various features and colors. It seemed that I compartmentalized which we humans tend to do as a distraction mechanism to avoid reality.

Hummmmmmm.

As I continued to paint separate "entities" such as mouth, nose, or eyes my attention was focus solely there. I got lost in wrinkles and details. Due to this process, I feel that the watercolor portrait does not flow together and find myself liking only parts and not the whole. Interesting thought.....

I think I will continue the dialogue with another self-portrait. This one shall be freer and not have the "mug shot" feel.

I told a friend I would not post the self-portrait to my website as I did not particularly like it, but I will post it here out of curiosity for those of you interested in my process.



Back to the beach and rock watercolor painting to escape.....

Sunday Sketch

I did it!

I etched in some time today to do a sketch for the "Sunday Sketches." It was not until evening that I sketched as I was busy with a landscape project. Thus the photo is taken in the house and not the best quality.

I am totally taken by the Trillium and was intrigued by all the lines in both the flower and its leaves. That was my focus and I splashed on some watercolors to give it more life. The watercolor paper was different than I usually use and the colors did not run as much as I like. But all in all, I did it! And enjoyed the process.

Here is my first sketch for the "Sunday Sketches".....



If you would like to see what the other artist created for their "Sunday Sketches", click the link on the right corner of this blog.

Spring Fling

Today I participated in the "Spring Fling" at the Olympia Country and Golf Club in Olympia, Washington. It actually was springy today.......sunshine, with beautiful views of Budd Bay and several sailboats were on the water.

I showed an array of art including original watercolor paintings, pastel paintings, acrylic miniatures paintings, card sets, ceramic tiles, and watercolor prints.

This is the lovely view I enjoyed all day from my table.


Here I am.....


This is Judi Colwell, my good friend and artist, who encouraged me to enter this show. Her art is called "fluid Painting" and is quite spectacular.


It was the third year for "Spring Fling" and it had a good variety of artists and entrepreneurs. If you missed out on this fun shopping experience, watch for it next year.

Plethora of Trillium

You do not have to go very far off the beaten path to find several dozens of native trillium blooming on the Chehalis Western Trail in Olympia, Washington.

My favorite spot for trillium gazing is the south end of the trail near Woodard Bay. As you begin to walk the path through the woods, the trillium are scattered profusely on both sides. Their little white heads are peaking out even after being battered from all the rain we have been getting. Last year I tried to take a video with my camera, but I will spare you and post photos instead.






When walking the paved trail, look into the woods on either side for white accents.......more trillium.

This is an easy to get to place for viewing a plethora of trillium.