Sunday Sketches

My goal today was to paint and post a watercolor sketch. I did this even before taking my dog for a walk!

The subject of my sketch is a little green frog that hung out on my deck. This guy had a favorite rose petal which became his meditation spot. I could always find him there even after my grandson harassed the little frog.

Hot off the drafting table........

More Sunday Sketchers.....

Sunday Sketches

I'M BACK!

Wedding and childcare now history, I can pick up my brush once again!

One of my favorite flower is gracing the landscape these days; the foxglove or also called by its formal name, digitalis. I have taken somewhat of a kinship to this beauty in that I refer to the spots as freckles. Between the freckles and wonderful shapes, I continue to paint several renditions of this charming flower. Today it is watercolor and ink.



I feel an oil painting coming on......

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Monet in New York

If you are not able to travel to Giverny, France to experience the world famous gardens of Claude Monet, you can visit New York. In the Bronx over the next several months, the New York Botanical Garden will offer a taste of Monet’s indisputably radiant living masterpiece — a riotous display of color, plant variety and landscape design.



The exhibition, which runs through Oct. 21, will feature a seasonally changing display of flora, currently a spring kaleidoscope of poppies, roses, foxgloves, irises and delphiniums inside the botanical garden’s Enid A. Haupt Conservancy. It also includes two scarcely seen garden-inspired paintings, Monet’s wooden palette, rare photos of Monet in his garden and 30 photographs of Giverny by Elizabeth Murray, who has recorded Monet’s flower oasis for 25 years. These are all located at the botanical garden’s LuEsther T. Mertz Library.

A facade of Monet’s pink stucco house with its bright green shutters — a historically accurate replica by Tony Award-winning set designer Scott Park — marks the start of the exhibition. From there, visitors are led down the Grand Allee, a shorter recreation of Monet’s rose-covered trellis pathway lined on both sides with thick beds of vibrant flowers. The path opens up to a replica of his famous Japanese footbridge arching over a water lily pool encircled by willow trees and flowering shrubs.

In the courtyard outside the Victorian greenhouse, two immense water basins contain a plethora of water lilies.

Claude Monet, artist and avid gardener, lead the Impressionist movement and revolutionized painting in the 1870s.

The story is that Claude Monet noticed the village of Giverny while looking out of a train window. He made up his mind to move there and rented a house and the area surrounding it. In 1890 he had enough money to buy the house and land outright and set out to create the magnificent gardens he wanted to paint.

Talk about the power of imagination!

Sunday Sketches

When I was at the art show in Boston Harbor, this touching scene struck me and said, "paint."

This young musician was entertaining the crowd of art patrons. When the gentleman who plays the fiddle came to play music, the young boy sat watching intensely. You felt as if his he was taking in every move and sound the fiddler played. It was so sweet when they played together.

Inspiration
©2012 Joanne Osband
8" X 11"
watercolor & ink

I will not be available to participate in Sunday Sketches for about a month as my son is getting married and I will be "grandma on duty" to my two year old grandson. Wish me lots of energy :)

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First Art Class

Yesterday I visited an art class for two year olds at Gymboree in the Bellevue Mall, Washington.

Can you believe the class lasted an hour!?


My grandson, Haeden, will be two next month. I have shared his artistic experience finger painting, but this was his FIRST art class.

There were five children in Haeden's class. The first project was painting and he eagerly engaged. Look at the joy on his face!



Keeping an eye on what else is going on.....


Haeden started moving around the room painting with others. As he traveled with paint brush in hand, many of the adults moved away in defense of getting painted.


Next project was chalk on black paper. After a few scribbles, with hands full of chalk, Haeden started running laps around the room while the others were seriously creating chalk masterpieces. Haeden decided to find out what was in the cabinets. He helped himself to musical instruments and danced to the music that was playing.

Story time was next. The children were asked to sit on rugs to listen. Haeden, on the other hand, had to help turn pages and be up close and personal with the teacher. When she asked what sounds the animals made he was very animated. But the best part was when she asked what sound the pig makes. Well, my son has taught Haeden to snort. Of course, this made everyone laugh and Haeden continued to snort throughout the reading of the book.

More art! Tin foil, crayons, and paper were provided for each child. Haeden took off with the tin foil. Then, with crayons in each hand he ran laps around the room. He did stop when the teacher provided foam brayers and paint. This kept his attention for a little while. Last came the play dough. Haeden enjoyed squishing this through his fingers and was not satisfied with a small amount. He dumped the entire bucket and played.

Needless to say, I was exhausted keeping up with his enthusiasm and curiosity. He truly exhibits the joy of life.

I did recommend to Mom that he might enjoy the music class which would give him more physical self-expression. Haeden and I will continue to create art together.

A Dog Artist

I have a book entitled, Why Cats Paint by Heather Busch and Burton Silver, but had not come across a dog that paints until now.

Hallie is a little black and tan long haired dachshund that was adopted from an animal shelter by the artist, Dee Dee Murry.

Hallie is a constant companion to Dee Dee even when she painted. One day Dee Dee wondered if Hallie might like to paint. Hallie learned to pick up the brush out of the paint cup and go over to the paper to make strokes and dabs. Hallie has a website of her paintings for purchase. Since she is a rescue dog herself, the proceeds from her artwork are donated to Purple Heart Rescue of Centralia, Washington.

In April of 2011, Hallie went blind overnight from an autoimmune disease called SARDS (Sudden acquired retinal degeneration syndrome). After Dee Dee took Hallie to Iowa State for possible treatment, she found out that Hallie's blindness was irreversible.

After several months adjusting to her disability, Hallie re-learned to paint. By trial and error and some assistance from Dee Dee, Hallie once again repeats her routine motions of applying a brush stroke of paint followed by several dots of paint.



Dogs are so resilient and amazing in their positive adjustment to disability and Hallie is a shining example and inspiration to not fear our pets' disabilities, nor shy away from adopting disabled dogs.

Image After Meditation

Into the dark days, but I surprisingly found a sunny spot.

One might think I have cat blood, but just a positive reaction to Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

On another note, have you ever seen a depressive cat?
They totally know the benefits of sunspots.

After meditating in the sunspot dressed in hat, gloves, and blanket, I went indoors to paint a mandala. This image appeared.


I know not where this is going.........

Stay tuned!

Peru Adventures

I did it!

Yes, I spend time at Machu Picchu, traveled the Amazon River and explored the rain forest, as well as many other Peruvian adventures.

The first two days I was in Cuzco getting acclimated with the help of altitude medication and coca leaves. The colors and people were amazing. Gabriella, our guide, was a delight with her knowledge of the area and sense of spirituality and sacred space. Along with several other like-minded women, I spent a week at Willka T'ika in the Sacred Valley near the Urubamba River. The gardens and food were fabulous! We took day trips to sacred grounds, Inca ruins, and a local school which was at an elevation of 14,000 feet.

Along with a reverence for Pachamama (mother earth), Peruvians live the word, ayni where all beings are recognized and appreciated for the good of all. Peru is a joyous place filled with love and colors.

I did find a little time to sketch and paint, but will rely on photos from friends to share. This month I am participating in an art challenge where I will create 30 paintings which will become a part of an art show in Seattle. I have decided to paint images from Peru and at the present time have finished four paintings.

Stay tuned.......

A Taste of France

Mont Ventoux

Four blogging buddies meet in Provence, France, to sketch and paint, enjoy French delights of food and wine, and good company.

I am enjoying their adventures and art posted at
Four Go Painting In Provence.

Check it out and experience a taste of France.

Sunday Sketches

Planning ahead! I did my sketch during the week.

I spent the full weekend baby-sitting my fourteen month old grandson, Haeden. Need I say, I was BUSY!?!?!

Tried the paint first then draw technique once again. My garden patch of purple lupines are in full bloom. These are one of my favorite flowers because they remind me of the wild ones growing along the Metolious River in Oregon where I lived for many years.

Here is stage one....


And the final.....



Posted this evening. Grandma is retiring for the night!

Another Beauty Erupts

What a surprise!

Having been gifted with Iris bulbs from my neighbor when I moved into the neighborhood, I had no idea what they would look like. The first year the lavender ones bloomed (the other day's blog) and I thought they were soooo gorgeous. What a treat to see the addition of a new beauty which erupted upon the scene this morning. I am in awe.


Close up view


The lavender Iris group's display, so far



Did you notice there are a couple of buds on another plant behind the newest arrival? I wonder what it will look like?

Which one will I paint?

Stay tuned for the unraveling mystery....

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........

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.

How About a Self-Portrait?

Recently an e-mail came to me which requested my submission of art for a self-portrait show. I realized that I had not done a self-portrait since high school!

Do I hear a challenge?

Vincent Van Gogh might hold the record for the most self-portraits painted.



The first step for a portrait: need an image.

Taking a photograph of myself was an experience in itself! I learned, after several attempts for a "good picture", that we prefer the image of ourselves to have a certain look. How many times have you looked at a photograph of yourself and not liked it?

This brought back ancient memories of when I was drawing children's portraits. I photographed them and drew from the photo. When I presented the finished portrait to the parents they either loved it or hated it. I even tried to make some changes in their presence, but this did not always correct the problem. Sometimes the child did not like the portrait; my niece for example.

Finally, I have an acceptable image for the self-portrait. The next question is what medium to use......pencil, watercolors, or maybe even oil paints?

When I painted the portrait of my grandson, I enjoyed the dialogue with him as I painted and the study of his features. What will it be like to stare for hours at my face? I believe I have embarked on an insightful journey......

Not A Portrait Painter

I have never considered myself a portrait painter, but every now and then I like the challenge of painting a portrait in watercolors.

Need I say my grandson is very cute?!

I have finally found a photograph of him that intrigues my "challenge quotient" and I find totally adorable. He is wearing his knit hat and donning his heart melting smile.

What I have learned so far is that I enjoy drawing; finding those shapes that define form. I began this watercolor painting with the base color of his skin. Waiting for the paint to dry before I continue.

I feel as if I am spending time with my grandson studying his features.

The first phase of the watercolor painting.....

Illusion and Realism

Realism in the visual arts is a style that depicts the actuality of what the eyes can see.

Realism is the art style most people regard as "real art", where the subject of the painting looks very much like it appears in real life. From a little distance everything looks "real" but up close you will see it is an illusion created by skillful use of paint, of color and tone. The artist uses perspective to create an illusion of reality, setting the composition and lighting to make the most of the subject.

Real or an Illusion?





Here is the artist at work.....



AMAZING!

Colorful Artist

I was just cruising around the Internet this evening and came across an artist whose art I thoroughly enjoy. Being an animal person, I was very drawn to her pet portraits. I really like the way she captures the expressions of the pets and her choice of colors.

She has challenged herself to do 30 pet portraits in 30 days.
She is on number 21.
Take a look.

By the way, here is one of my cats, Gypsy, immortalized in a mixed media collage painting:


and in an oil painting:


She has very expressive eyes and can out stare anyone.

Wonder if this is a message that it is time for me to paint my other pets.....

Greece Paintings

I cannot believe how long this watercolor painting took!

Actually, I found myself getting lost trying for too much detail. Even though I had this fantastic view in mind, I lost the spontaneity of painting that I love. So, this was one of those "labors of love". But I am still not sure I really like the painting.......


The view is from the city of Oia on the island of Santorini in Greece. I was looking down from the main street to the water and the island, Thirasia, that separated from Santorini in one of the many volcanic erruptions.

I might paint a different, more freer, rendition of this view.

Stay tuned.....

Dog Artist

Very clever and just in time for the holidays.

A paint kit for dogs!

This is how it works. First, place plastic on the floor, and then the canvas. Next, apply some paint followed by a top layer of clear plastic. Your dog can now walk and play over the canvas. By the way, a toy is included to help encourage your dog to "paint".

Presto, your dog has created a work of art!

Ready for this.........it is called Pup-Casso!

Check it out here.