The Beginning – August 2011

This is Shannon Brown’s painting the first time she came to paint with me. It was she who really got me going with leading/teaching watercolor. I had terrible deer in the headlights about it, and she encouraged me. And I couldn’t be more grateful. She came over for a couple of hours, we decided the paper she’d drawn these roses on was too small, so I got her a piece of my 22″x30″ 300lb Arches, we set up the Artograph and she re-drew it. Then we painted together. That was August of last year (2011). I then made plans for the group to start in mid-September, after the Sausalito festival was over.

An afternoon re-living making all this art

I spent the afternoon today posting and writing about all the photos I’ve taken over mostly the past 5 1/2 years (a few older). These are work-in-progress and some just-finished photos of my work. It was wonderful to re-live it all. It’s remarkable how I do remember where I was in the world and what my challenges and joys were for each one. Many of my paintings I never recorded this way This review makes me really wish I had. Now that I have a real blog (at last!), it will give me the impetus to do a better job of recording my process so I can share it here. I entered them in chronological order, as if I’d posted them all along. I hope some of you head all the way back through and enjoy them as much as I have posting them here for you.

2012 – Persimmon – now there’s a branch

2012 – Persimmon Sun II ?

Not sure of the name yet. Just the background in here. I loved the light bubbles and playing with colors and circles.

2012 – Dazzling done

Another Tahoe vacation painting. Time for a plunge with Joe and Bo.

2012 – Dazzling – just the centers to finish

Ok, so I’m turning a corner with this painting. I’m not laboring over it like I have others. Very cool.

2012 – Dazzling – Hibiscus

It’s quite remarkable how that logical, symbol-oriented left brain freaks out about a lot of detail. I’m learning that the right brain has no problem with it. And even approximating it. Painting this is way easier than my left brain thought it was going to be.

2012 – Dazzling – starting out

2012 – Baby Bojangles

Hard to tell from this photo, the color is so off. But finishing this one was about the tone. It was too reddish. And, I didn’t want to make it too blue. A thin wash of thalo green did the trick.

2012 – Blossoms Squared – almost there

By the time I got to here, I was pretty done with the square thing. Great exploration. Will do it again.