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.....

Day Four

Still on retreat.......at home.

Spent most of the day painting with oils. Unfortunately, I am having challenges photographing these paintings as the paint causes glare. I tried to fix in photoshop, but still not quite right.

This first tree painting of a cedar outside my window is done on a canvas that I textured with with a palette knife and gesso. Needless to say, the textures make the painting. I will work at the photo issue.



The next painting you might recognize from earlier this week.
I added the fruit, leaves, and branches to the lucuma tree.




The three retreaters met last night to process our insights.
All goes well and work continues........

At Home Retreat

Going to retreats are inspiring and provide valuable new insights.

And can be costly!

Two friends and I came up with an "at home retreat" which began Monday and will last one full week. The basic rules: spending at least 3-4 hours a day creating and meet together two or possibly three times during the week to process.

I bought several canvases and gessoed over a few to prepare myself. Water-based oils has been a favorite medium as of late.

Trees will be the subject of this week's creations. The Lucuma tree which I first saw at Willa T'ika in the Sacred Valley of Peru has become the inspiration of the first paintings. This lovely tree is the dominating figure in Carol's landscape and gardens.


Oil painting to me is a "building up" process as oppose to watercolor which is immediate and spontaneous. So with that in mind, here are two renditions in oil of the Lucuma tree's bark and stage one of these paintings.




In addition to these paintings, I also did two ink and watercolor paintings which I will post at another time. I am on a roll!!!

Anthurium

This little beauty of a plant lives center stage in my living room window which faces southwest. It amazes me and everyone who see this Anthurium that she thrives so happily for she prefers the tropics, not Washington.

Need I say, I love the shapes and colors?!

After doing a watercolor sketch, I knew that it would be fun to create an image of the colorful Anthurium with water-based oil paint. I am falling in love with this medium.

AT LAST, FINISHED!

One of my favorite images taken by Katherine when we were visiting the Quechua children at their school in the high altitudes of Peru has been waiting patiently at my easel.

I absolutely love the faces and close gathering of the children which makes for a delightful composition. They are such sweeties! The textile colors of their clothing adds pizzazz.

The medium is water-based oil paint on a 20" X 16" canvas.

Quechua Children
Joanne Osband

Oil Painting

Finally, set up the easel on the deck outside my studio as I planned to do all summer. Unfortunately, it is almost fall. But, I did it!


Notice my black dog, Ebony, curled up nearby
I was gifted with two small canvases from a friend who did not like the way her portrait was painted. Big mistake was to gesso over the oil painting with clear gesso. I found myself throwing on dark colors just to cover up the portraits.

In the first painting, I was having fun mixing colors and watching the runs happen. I am using a water-based oil paint and liked the effects of using water. This painting reminds me of the ocean. The photograph is lighter than the actual painting and I do not know how to photograph oils without getting a glare. Any suggestions?


In the second painting, after I intentionally covered up the faces of the portraits with dark paint, I grabbed a glob of yellow, mixed it with red, and added water allowing the paint to run. It reminded me of storm clouds. I stopped before I ruined the spontaneity.


I thought of these as a warm up to my next painting.

To be continued.......