Subtle Shifts/ Two Small Paintings

about 6 x 6, pastel and watercolor on Uart paper
Each is $100.
Two paintings done one after another. The bottom one was first. My focus was the subtle color/value shifts that happen on an overcast morning. The top one was done second. This time I decided to eliminate the drawing stage and simply go in it with massing. I know my preference. I am interested to learn: which do you prefer?

Twilight on the Potomac

8 x8.5 pastel and watercolor on marble dust board $100.
Last night, when crossing the American Legion Bridge, a marvelous sunset display happened. Unfortunately I was driving. Fortunately, I decided to play the memory game. Remember that light. Today I tried to recreate it.

Inside the Turn

12 x12 pastel and watercolor on Uart paper
I have put away the oils for now. Frustration brings me to what I know. I began this one Monday right before sunset and I tried to finish it in the studio. I guess tomorrow is another day.

Edge of Paradise

7 x7 pastel and watercolor on Uart paper
This is the Potomac River at Riverbend Park, on the Virginia side of the river. My focus was much the same as yesterday's post. Edges that have no lines, simply color touching color.
Ahhhhh, that is the life! I love the colors that winter presents..those rich violets, blues and muted reds. A banquet I can eat from every day. Subtle with a quiet beauty. mmmmm.

Light Dance

7x7 pastel and watercolor on Uart paper $100
Back to fingers... well the issue with pastel is the very coarse sandpaper on which I love to paint. It sands away skin and nail. The bandaids drive me crazy, lefty painting is clumsy...but eureka! why not use my right ring finger and thumb! Studies show that an artist should never paint like she/he writes. The reason being the tripod (writing) grip sends messages to the brain, "I'm writing, I'm writing." That's not the message an artist wants. Therefore I have always held my brushes, pastels with a side hold. Now this is just a little funkier.

Analyze your grip...what message are you giving your brain?

This painting is at a new spot on the Potomac river. There is a little pond before the actual river and the light dances over it, especially with the tiny ice pieces still visible.

Thank you to everyone who sent me support over the finger issue. What would I do without you'all?

Melting for You

about 8x12 pastel and watercolor on Uart paper
I was delighted to see a brand new reservoir today filled with exciting new shapes. The ice is melting. After days of temperatures in the 50s and 60s (OH! do I love Washington DC!) the ice has made new shapes as the reflective water appears. Spring is coming....whoooooaah wait a minute! It really is only a tease, but a wonderful one.

beginning are ends

8x9 pastel and liquid !watercolor on Uart paper $100.

"Slowly dusk pours the syrup of darkness into the forest." (quote from the children's book Twilight Comes Twice) This is the other side of twilight, the late afternoon, moments before darkness approaches, when the last beams of light slide through.

It was warm and spring like and I am beginning to wish winter might just GO away. The only problem is my hands came out of my pockets too much. The result...too many strokes!

The Table is Set

9 x 10 pastel and frozen watercolor on Uart paper $125. plus tax

Frozen again I take the time to choose more carefully where and how to place the marks. I like it better when the mark is a feeling of a thing rather than a thing, like a tree. This one succeeded on that account.
The watercolor sets the table and the pastel is the food.

Rhapsody in Pink and Magenta

9 x14 pastel and watercolor on Uart paper $100. plus tax
I decided to create a new painting using yesterday's painting as a reference. This time the goal was to push it to the extremes with beautiful color/light.
Seriously I am in LOVE with the Diane Townsend terrages!!!!!!

Moment between Flakes

5 x7 pastel and frozen watercolor on Uart paper $100. plus tax
Painters need to make many decisions even before the first stroke is placed on the surface. What value and temperature key do you want? Next, how will you group things to make 2 or 3 basic shapes?
Those basic decisions made, I decided no snowflakes- only the feeling of an off and on snowy day. Usually I talk to myself a little to describe the feeling. ( I might look a little odd at this point)
Today I also played my usual game-how few strokes could I make? Those Diane Townsend Terrages help with that- chunky, no picky points. I like them more and more each day.

Secrets by the Reservoir

11 x13.5 pastel and watercolor on Uart paper
Yesterday I drove by the reservoir in the the late afternoon. With no time to paint I quickly took a photo and recorded my observations. At this point I know the reservoir intimately so I did not open the photo till the last 15 minutes of my work on this painting.
The studio can be so freeing because it's much easier (for me) to move the land masses and light to create a painting. Success? Not really, but I am full of ideas for what is next.
On another note, today I used the Diane Townsend Terrages on Uart paper. I still love them and their grittiness, but realize they are best for big works. I think I will check out her thin lines collection. I think they are the same substance.

The Secret is Out

about 6 x8.5 pastel on frozen watercolor $100. plus tax
Remember that children's book I spoke about? Twilight Comes Twice. I quote,
"Twice twilight slips through that crack.
It stays only a short time
while night and day
stand whispering secrets
before they go their separate ways. "

I LOVE that!!!!!! This one is after the secret is out.
A good thing about freezing while painting. It forces me to really look, hands still in gloves and then only make that exact mark needed. Paucity of mark, again.

The Crack Between Night and Day

about 9 x12 pastel and acrylic and watercolor on marble dust board/ no price yet

I was reading this beautiful illustrated children's book called Twilight comes Twice. The full quote is "Twice each day a crack opens between night and day. Twice twilight slips through that crack."
I love that quote. It opens a whole new world inside of my head. So this painting captures the very beginning of twilight, that first glow when there is still light. I think I will make more of these at different graduating moments.
How do you make that glow when the light slips through the crack?
I am struggling right now to create that illusive vibration, the glow. To do it I used three or more colors of the same value. Meanwhile I tried to keep color harmony throughout the whole piece. AAARGH! It's a studio piece. That's the time when I fuss and perseverate on one thing.

Jake's View

about 10 x10 pastel and frozen watercolor on Uart paper $100.
Today the reservoir was in a blue, frozen beauty mood, a happy blue. I posted the wild underpainting to show you what my pastel worked with. Cool, eh? It was a happy accident, frozen watercolor melted by the car's heater. I was asked to say more about visualizing. I feel it helps me, even before I see the reservoir that day, to see my aim. The cold happy blue of the morning was the aim today. I am sure it helps that I know the reservoir intimately. I always get another gift when I see the way she (the reservoir I am certain is a she) looks that day.
On another note, I bet you were wondering about the title. Today a young artist, Jake, and his Mom stopped by to visit. They have passed by everyday for months and Jake , a four and a half year old (an age guess) budding artist, has felt a kinship with me. It was great to speak with him and see his light. So this is for him, my young artist friend. reach for your dreams and you can not fail.

Potomac River's Raspberry Ice

5.5 x 21 pastel and watercolor on Uart paper 150.00

Click on it for a better view.....
Today seemed darn right balmy compared to yesterday. At a warm 33 degrees it was much easier to paint outside. It allowed me to go to the river, far from the heat of my car. On the way down I noticed the canal was frozen solid, something that rarely happens. People were actually playing hockey on it!
My main thought today is to remember the artist is in charge. If I want your eye to go to a certain place I have the tools of edges, and contrast(value, temperature and color).
I have also been thinking about Hans Hoffman's push pull theory. More on that later.
Thanks for dropping by,
Loriann

Icy Protest Coat of Green

9x12 pastel and frozen watercolor on Wallis $100.
Ok, so it's a total woofer. Frustrated and frozen. I am a convert to Uart paper, never again to use Wallis ( at least with frozen watercolor). It's crazy how differently the Wallis paper received the icy watercolor. I found myself scratching it with the butt of the brush over and over again in frustration. Oh well...lesson learned.
What is really curious to me is, that when the water is completely frozen it is mainly a blueish- green and reflects little of the surrounding colors; instead it wears it's own coat as if in protest.

And a big welcome to all my new subscribers! Thanks for joining my blog family!

Till next time,
Loriann

PS We think we might get some snow tomorrow....keep your fingers crossed for me!

Aphrodite's Icy Dream

About 5.75x 6 pastel and frozen watercolor on Uart paper, $100.
As I drove to my favorite painting spot I was thinking about why I like this constant repetition. For someone as impulsive as I am, why do I continue to drive here almost every morning?
The answer:
The challenge of responding to the same thing differently over and over and over again touches my impulsive nature in a way that is wonderful. What will she look like tomorrow? And how will my eyes perceive her?
Is that what Monet felt?

Path around Big Pool

9x12 pastel and watercolor on Uart paper $100.
photo of big pool taken from the spot where I stood

I have had some requests to post the photo of the area from which I paint. This morning I waited until the black ice was gone before going out. Cold and windy.
My challenge today was the area of interest (focal point) and how its friends, the sub areas, lead the eye through the painting. I wanted to choose something that was not so obvious. This lead me to the beautiful white of the sycamore trees, the orangey path and the reflections of big pool to function as the main area. It hopefully leads to the distance and comes back to be grounded in the darker ripples of the bottom left water. (Sorry the colors of my jpeg are dulled...I am still working on that.)

Action Between the Lines

10 x 10 pastel and watercolor on Uart paper, $100.00 plus tax and shipping
10x10 watercolor underpainting
photo of reservoir/daybreak
The nature of the day (24 degrees, clear) made the painting. What I mean is this painting done with frozen water, upon heat from my car to dry it,easily became very abstract. The edges were gone on the underpainting, thus freeing me from the tyranny of realism. The play of the action between the lines becomes easier.
Edges tell your eyes where to look...make the path. The sharper/more contrast the edge the more it demands your eye to look there first.

Ducks Floating on Magic

9x10 pastel and watercolor on Uart paper $100.plus shipping and tax

Color needs to have friends. That means when I use that orange in the trees it needs to have its friends- melon, mauve/orange and sienna out to play. Know what I mean?

I want to say a big thank you to Patty Gamby, the deputy manager of that magical place I paint , the reservoir. She took the time from her very busy schedule to take me on a tour around the entire reservoir. What a beautiful, fascinating place it is! I even saw the marker stone measuring the boundaries of DC back in 1792! I can't wait to go back there and paint new different views of this amazing treasure. Thanks Patty!
Thanks so much Patty!