Trouble Brewing...

"Trouble Brewing" 8"x 10" oil on "Gessobord" c. 2013

Hurrah, I am finally posting my last painting from 2013.   I chose to paint this trio of kittens for a couple of reasons.  One, they make me smile, and after the loss of my mother in July, it was so helpful to have these kittens to focus on.   Two, I relate to the black kitten.  The striped one is plotting mischief, but will get away with it, the orange kitten is clueless and just up for any type of fun, whether it leads to trouble or not.  The black kitten knows there is going to be trouble and she will probably be the one to get caught and blamed for it, yet part of her just can't resist seeing what will happen.  Curiosity.  It's not just for cats. 

It took a lot of time to finish this painting.  44 hours all together to be exact.   It takes more time to do three separate subjects and a complicated background, more than just one subject for a painting of this same size.   I thought I had learned this lesson when I did the Christmas manger scene with a kitten, see "Houseguest" from the Feb. 25, 2013 post "Second Christmas.  That one took 39 hours.  http://tinawelter.blogspot.co.nz/search/label/Christmas 

This is when I begin to tell myself I am ridiculous to think anyone will pay me enough for the real cost of my time for such a small painting.  I guess I can be happy that I am reasonably consistent in my painting time.  I can also learn to choose less complex subjects or paint larger.  Always lessons to be learned.  Who knows, maybe someone won't mind spending the money.
 

Only the Shadows Remain...

"Pfirschbaum" 11"x 8" watercolor on paper, c. 2013

I mentioned in an earlier blog post that I was going to give the "Royal Iris" painting to our kind landlords in Dresden, the Sobotta family.   Upon reflection, I decided the iris was my favorite flower and I wanted to paint something for them that was more representative of their tastes.   The artwork they had hanging in their home was more abstract than realistic.

In those fall evenings, Dresden has the loveliest shadows from the low, intense red sunsets.  One evening, I noticed the shadow patterns from the peach tree in the yard on the white concrete wall of the stairs just behind the trees.  Aha! Inspiration!  I ran for my camera.

I was a bit nervous since I had never attempted a painting quite like this before.  I chose watercolors because I wanted the softness of the shadows and I struggled a bit trying to get the layers of color not to have hard edges.  Plus, layering blue over peach created some brownish tones that were not exactly what I wanted.

"Pfirschbaum" (Peach Tree) framed

Framing the finished piece on a tight budget was another hurdle.  I re-purposed a gold frame I had been given by spray painting it blue and then hand painting over that with black acrylic.  I then added another final spray of varnish to protect the paint.  The blue underneath matches the blue in the painting, and is visible in the braid work around the frame, which is what I wanted.  Success!

This painting is a departure from what I usually do, the Sobottas were really happy with it, so that is the main thing.  I think I would like to try it again with oil paints, just to see if I would like it better.   Any thoughts or comments?

 

Remembering Cairo

"Cairo" 7"x 5" watercolor on "Aquabord" c. 2013

Several years ago, my niece Amy got this lovely kitten when she was first married and named him "Cairo".    When I first met him, I was impressed by his long-leanness and the distinctively beautiful dark patterns in his fur and around his eyes.  Over the years, Amy would mention that she would love a painting of Cairo and I suggested she try and photograph him relaxing in his favorite places and most important of all, where there was one good light source shining on him, preferably sunlight.

Why sunlight?  For me, it often makes all the difference in being able to see the true colors of what I am trying to paint, plus adds the wonderful shadows and highlights that give the illusion of three dimensions. 

Amy told me she had taken some photos, but being super busy, she didn't send them to me.  The years passed, then last fall I saw on her facebook page that her handsome Cairo had passed away and she had posted one of these photos.  It was perfect.  Cairo was relaxed, in one of his favorite locations, and the sun was lighting him up softly.   It is always hard to lose a favorite pet, and I was glad to be able to do something to comfort my dear niece.   

A Great Addition to My Favorite Flower...

"Royal Iris" 7"x 5" watercolor on "Aquabord" c. 2013

Last summer when we were living in Dresden, Germany, I was searching for a subject to use as a "thank you" painting for our excellent landlords, the Sobotta family.  After a year there, Jeff was finishing up his Master's degree and we knew that soon we would be looking towards our next move.

The Sobotta's yard usually had some charming seasonal flower blooming and I noticed this lovely royal purple irises.  I adore Irises.  I like the sparkle of their petals and and the complicated play of sun and shadow on them, plus all the variety of colors.  They always remind me of summer in Utah where I grew up.

I actually prefer painting flowers in watercolors, but one of my biggest complaints about watercolors in all the fuss it takes to frame them.  I had found a possible solution, a painting panel by Ampersand that is called "aquabord".  You can just varnish your watercolor like an oil painting, which means no mat-cutting and no glass!   I was itching to try it out.   The result is this little painting "Royal Iris".
 
I really liked the aquabord.  My favorite thing was that it was easy to lift color and re-do a section, something that can be really frustrating on paper.  I also think the colors seem more brilliant.  I am attaching a link to their site just in case anyone else has been looking for a similar solution.

http://www.ampersandart.com/aquabord.html