SUMER GARDE & Sunflowers

SUMMER GARDEN

Watercolor - 11x14 in

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Advice From A Sunflower

• Be Bright, Sunny, and Positive: Maintain a cheerful, optimistic outlook.
• Stand Tall and Proud: Hold your head high and have confidence.
• Seek the Light: Focus on the positive and find warmth, even during dark or difficult times.
• Stay Rooted: Know your roots and remain grounded.
• Spread Seeds of Happiness: Share joy, kindness, and positivity with others.

SUNFLOWER GOLD & Fall Weather

 

SUNFLOWER GOLD

Watercolor on gesso - 8x10 in

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Right now we are starting to get cold, fall weather here in east Tennessee and the sunflowers of summer are a distant memory but I do love the bright, warm colors of autumn leaves and the feel of a nice, cozy sweater. How about you?

SUN DANCE - Study and Practice

SUN DANCE

Watercolor - 11x14

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Study and practice are the key to success in most areas of life and art is no different. Many artists like to paint daily because it helps them feel comfortable with their medium and builds confidence. Along with this practice, you also need to study and understand composition, value, color, drawing and edges to improve your paintings. Without this knowledge, you may continue to repeat the same bad habits and not grow as an artist.

SPRING FLING & UFO Piles

SPRING FLING

Watercolor on canvas board - 11x14

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Do you have a UFO pile? UnFinished Objects of art? I think we all do. After all the most exciting part of any art project is starting. Your ideas are fresh, you feel creative, you are in the zone. Then there is always that point where everything starts to look ugly and you have to make yourself keep painting, push through the problems and finish the composition. Not as much fun, so it is easy to leave that UFO and start something else new and exciting.

But, if you can discipline yourself to come back to those paintings later with a fresh eye and new insight I promise it will be a wonderful learning experience. You will learn how to correct your mistakes, solve the value, color, shape, composition problems and may end up with a new and exciting piece of art. Even if you don't end up liking your final piece you have gained valuable creative  knowledge to apply to the next painting.

SUNFLOWER NIGHT

SUNFLOWER NIGHT

Watercolor - 11x14

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I used a darker background so that I could negative paint around the sunflowers and make them pop. Add a little sun to your night!

 

SUNSHINE & Shadows

SUNSHINE

Watercolor - 8x10

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'Keep your face always towards the sunshine, 

and shadows will fall behind you'

~ Walt Whitman ~

JOY & Sunflowers

JOY

Watercolor - 15x22

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In my mind there is nothing more joyful than sunflowers. I love painting them in any shape or form. For Joy I  painted the flowers very loosely, with little detail and used salt and stamping for texture and design interest in the background.

SUMMER FUN & Adding Spice to Painting

SUMMER FUN

Watercolor - 11x14

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Spice in a painting is an area of contrast. Contrast can help create movement of the viewer's eye around the painting. 

Spice or contrast are any opposites. Warm/cool, intense/dull, soft edge/hard edge, thick/thin, detail/out of focus, light/dark. Don't over do them, a little contrast can go along way. Spice placed all over the painting will not have as much impact as a few well placed areas of high contrast.

SUNFLOWER FUN - Yupo Paper

SUNFLOWER FUN

Watercolor on Yupo - 11x17

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Painting with watercolor on Yupo is SO much fun! Yupo is a plastic paper that is used mostly for printing. The slick surface allows the watercolor paints to retain their brilliant color and provides for a loose, impressionistic painting style.

I first used an oil pastel to loosely and quickly draw the sunflowers, stems and leaves. Next. I applied bold color to the sunflower, leaves and background and then placed plastic wrap on the wet paint to create fun texture. When all was dry, I removed the plastic and used darker paint to further define the sunflower centers, petals and leaves. It is hard to control the paint on such a slick surface so you are constantly getting unexpected results, but that is what makes it so fun!

Watercolor Flowers - Etsy Shop

 

I invite you to view all of my floral, sunflower, iris and rose paintings in my Etsy Shop!

SUMMER GARDEN & The Love of Watercolor

SUMMER GARDEN

Watercolor - 11x14

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I enjoy playing around with acrylics, oils and mixed media but my first love will always be watercolor. The best description fo watercolor is that it is alive. There is a creative dance between you, the paint, paper and water. Letting the paint flow, stepping in, pulling back. Hard edges, soft edges. Positive painting and negative shapes. 

Watercolor requires you to stay alert and respond to what is happening on the paper. Happy accidents that create wonderful surprises. Unexpected colors and shapes created by the paint and water.

Someone once said that 'oil paint is like a dog, it wants to obey. Watercolor is like a cat, it does as it pleases.' And that is exactly why watercolor is such a wonderful, free, spontaneous medium!

SUNFLOWER BURST

SUNFLOWER BURST

Watercolor - 8x10

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Painting sunflowers always makes me happy, even if it is in the middle of winter!

SONG OF SUMMER & Art Every Day

SONG OF SUMMER

Watercolor - 11x14

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I am always hearing how I should really be creating everyday. But as we all know, that is easier said than done. But, maybe if we start slowly. Make a goal of painting for 15 minutes each day. Have a painting sitting out ready to work on. Create a space where our supplies can be left out and are in easy reach. Learn what time of day works best for you to create.

Hopefully, if we start slowly and stay consistent it will become a daily habit and we will reap the artistic benefits. It's worth a try!

Watercolor Words Wednesday - SUNFLOWERS

 

SUNFLOWERS

Watercolor Print

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I used an image of one of my original watercolor lighthouse paintings and added a heartfelt quote to design this print that can be slipped in to a frame for yourself or to give as a gift. My watercolor prints are a great way to make a creative connection with someone special in your life. I invite you to view all of my prints in my Etsy Shop

SUNFLOWER DAY - Bright, Bold, Beautiful Color

 

SUNFLOWER DAY

Oil - 10x10

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The comment I get the most about my paintings is that I am not afraid to use, bright, bold color. Color makes me happy and luckily there are many beautiful colors available to use. When I first stated painting in watercolor many moons ago we were pretty much limited to earth colors, blues and the cadmium yellows, reds and oranges. Now with all of the quinacridone colors available there is no limit to using bright, bold, beautiful colors!

SUN DANCE - Oil Painting

SUN DANCE

Oil - 14x14

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Here is another on of my new oil paintings. It is still a challenge for me but I am slowly getting more comfortable with the way oil paints handle and learning to paint dark to light. It helped to paint one of my favorite subjects - sunflowers!

SUNFLOWER JOY & 3 Final Steps

SUNFLOWER JOY

Watercolor - 8x10

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Here are three things that I always try to accomplish in a painting before I say it is done.

Refine the Center of Interest - make sure that my focal area has the largest shape, brightest color, strongest contrast and/or most detail

Create a Lead in to the Painting - have a pathway of darks to help the viewer's eye travel to the focal area

Add the Spice - give the viewer a little treat when they arrive at the focal area with a pop of brighter color

Watercolor Words Wednesday - RISE & SHINE ROOSTER

COUNTRY KITCHEN ROOSTER

Print - 8x10 or 5x7

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Country Kitchen

Using a print of one of my own original watercolor paintings I have designed an inspiring quote, motivational saying or words of encouragement to create a whole new art experience. My hope is that these art prints will warm your heart, feed your soul and add joy to your life or someone you love!

The watercolor & quote image is printed on high quality semi-gloss photo paper for high detail and bright, true colors. Print is available in 8x10 or 5x7 inch sizes. My watercolor prints are a great way to make a creative connection with someone special in your life. I invite you to view all of my watercolor prints in my Etsy Shop!

CUSTOM ORDERS: I am happy to customize the print with a different quote or saying using the same font and color or send a print of the watercolor image without any words. Please contact me BEFORE you buy so that we can discuss and design the final piece.

SUNFLOWER MORNING - Original Watercolor

SUNFLOWER MORNING

Watercolor - 11x14

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Creativity involves breaking out of 

established patterns in order to look 

at things in a different way.'

~ Edward de Bono ~

SUNFLOWER BRIGHT & Visual Texture

SUNFLOWER BRIGHT

Watercolor - 11x14

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I wanted to create some texture for the base painting of my sunflowers so I first wet 140 lb watercolor paper and loosely applied color in a random manner. I knew I wanted to paint sunflowers but I didn't draw them in first, choosing to keep the composition free and spontaneous.

While the paint was still wet I lay down plastic wrap and left it to dry.

When everything was dry I removed the plastic to uncover a wonderful pattern of texture. Because watercolor is a transparent medium - unlike acrylics and oils - you cannot create real tactile texture with thick paint but need to rely on creating visual texture.

I then began to create the shapes of three sunflowers using negative painting to define the centers, petals, stems and leaves. Beginning a painting in this manner lets the color flow through the entire composition, creating wonderful visual unity.