SOUTHWEST POTS in the SAND - Watercolor

Just finished the painting above. It started as a demo for a class I had taught at the Fine Art Center - Southwestern Watercolors - where we painted cactus, buttes, pots and adobes. I began by wetting the paper, applying the background colors and then placing Saran Wrap down on the wet paint to create texture. When it was dry I negative painted to create the shapes for the pots and then added details and shadows.

Southwestern Pots in the Sand - $60 - 11x15 original watercolor. This painting is available for purchase using PayPal at my Etsy Store. Click Here

GRAPES & LEAVES - Final Step

This is the finished painting. I continued to refine and shade shapes as needed. I reinforced darks in the back ground to create a path to carry the eye thru the composition. Think of a ribbon flowing thru the painting.

GRAPES & LEAVES - Step 3

I have started to come in and negative paint around some of the grape shapes, shade between the grapes and add new shapes if needed for the composition. I have created some new leaves by painting around them and started to shade and add detail to some of the leaves.

GRAPES & LEAVES - Step 2

This shows the painting after the paper was dry and the wax paper, leaves and cheese cloth were removed.
You can see the great texture left by the leaves and the grape shapes

GRAPES & LEAVES - Step 1

I gave a workshop last month where we painted grapes and leaves using several fun texturing techniques.
The first step was to wet the paper (you can wet both sides to keep it from drying so quickly as you work) and paint wet on wet the colors you want for the grapes and the leaves. Have a general idea of composition and placement when you do this. While the paint is still wet place grape shapes cut from wax paper in the areas that you want the grapes. As you place several shapes you can add more dark paint around them and then place more down (adds depth). using real leaves paint several colors on the back side (where the veins are) and then place them on the wet paper, press thyem down and leave them in place. You can also use strands from cheese cloth to put on the paper (add more paint on top if needed) to suggest the vine tendrils seen with grapes.
If your paint/paper starts to dry on you just spray it with a fine mist of water. You have to work quickly at this stage so be sure you pre cut enough grape shapes and have your leaves and cheesecloth ready to go.
Leave everything in place and let the paper dry completely.

CREATIVITY

"People who want to be creative, who deeply value such a characteristic in themselves, are more likely to make themselves creative and keep themselves that way... Creativity concerns what we do with our abilities. Any normal person can be creative in terms of whatever abilities he or she has or can acquire."
D. N. Perkins, The Mind's Best Work

PUEBLO DAY - Original Watercolor

We just spent a wonderful weekend in Santa Fe and Taos - good friends, great food and wonderful art! I always love seeing all of the adobe buildings, the wonderful baskets and pottery from days gone by. The southwestern style and culture are always an inspiration.

Pueblo Day - $45 - 11x15 original watercolor. SOLD

Figure Drawing

Thanks to a good friend and art buddy I got out of my 'art comfort zone' and started a figure drawing class this week. I have done very little of it in past art classes and did not have alot of instruction when I did so I have always avoided it like the plague! But the class was wonderful, the istructor is great and I really enjoyed myself. I guess sometimes we just need a little push to expand our creative horizons...

COLORADO GREEN - Watercolor Collage

This is a small collage done on watercolor paper. Several types of rice papers were handpainted with watercolors and collaged on along with some handmade paper I had from years ago (during my paper making phase). Then I inked in some trees on a small piece of 140# paper and added some paint and glued that on top. It was fun to work small for a change and a great way to use up scraps of paper.

Colorado Green - $20 - 5x7 original watercolor collage. This painting is available for purchase using PayPal at my Etsy Store www.etsy.com/shop/MKislingArt

COUNTRY BARN - Original Watercolor - SOLD

In class this week the students all painted old wooden structures. Lots of variety from old barns with red roofs, a white barn with a blue roof, a covered bridge and an old shack. Once everyone got past the drawing and dealing with perspective phase it was fun to play with painting texture on old wood.

Country Barn - SOLD - 11x15 original watercolor. This painting is available for purchase using PayPal at my Etsy Store www.etsy.com/shop/MKislingArt

FALL LEAVES - Original Watercolor - SOLD

Just finished up some leaf paintings where I use real leaves as stamps with several different colors of paint. Then I follow up with positive and negative painting to refine the shapes and complete the composition. A fun technique this time of year when the fall leaves are plentiful!

Fall Leaves - SOLD - 11x15 original watercolor. This painting is available for purchase using PayPal at my Etsy Store www.etsy.com/shop/MKislingArt

Watercolor Batik Technique

Watercolor batik is similar to the age old fabric batik but I paint on fibrous rice paper instead of cloth. Melted wax is painted onto the areas that I want to stay whiteand then I start painting in the lighter colors of the painting. The wax is then used to protect these lighter areas - the process of painting and waxing is repeated until the entire piece is covered. The paper is then crinkled to crack the wax, a dark color is painted over it to give that 'batik' look. The wax is then ironed off and the result is always a unique and surprising piece of art. A very fun process!

FLOWERS & LACE - Original Watercolor Batik

Another great Watercolor Batik Workshop. It was a challenge to paint all the flowers, lace, vase and to keep track of where we had put the wax but everyone did a great job and had fun in the process!