Category: Painting

Categories
Plein Air Sketchbook Pages Watercolor

Cloudy Skies – First Rain

Clouds1

Watercolor in Raffine sketchbook
(Click image, select “All Sizes” to enlarge)

It rained last night and this morning for the first time since winter. Our staff meeting ended at 4:00 and I was back to my neighborhood by 5:00 which was a treat, since I usually don’t get home from work until 7:00 and it’s almost dark by then. The bright sky was full of dramatic clouds, so instead of heading directly home I drove to the top of Albany Hill on Solano Ave. I painted these two quickies there, standing in the street behind my parked Toyota RAV4, using the painting gear I keep in the car.

Clouds2

Watercolor in Raffine sketchbook
(Click image, select “All Sizes” to enlarge)

I noticed there was a full moon when the sun went down. Maybe that’s what all the craziness was about downtown yesterday when I said I wish there was an iPod for the eyes so you could see beautiful things instead of ugly urban grit. Tami cleverly quipped that an “eye-pod” would be great. And then today I read this in David Pogue’s New York Times technology column:

“Apple’s rep gave a little talk that focused on iPod accessories. One of them looked like a pair of skinny wraparound sunglasses that displays your video iPod’s TV shows and movies on a virtual big screen that floats in the center of your vision. What’s cool is that you can still see–by looking around the TV set on either side. Hard to explain, but really neat.”

Categories
Drawing Sketchbook Pages Still Life Watercolor

Red Pepper

Red Pepper

Watercolor in Raffine sketchbook (to enlarge, click image, select “All Sizes”)

I hadn’t planned to paint this evening, being tired and over-stimulated from day one of our two day annual staff meeting/retreat combined with a little too much urban grit. But I realized that painting was exactly what I needed to calm and center myself.

We used to hold our staff retreats at a lovely Sonoma wine country retreat center where we stayed overnight and relaxed while doing the learning, reflecting on the past year, and planning for the next year. But it became increasingly more difficult for people to leave growing families and other parts of their lives for work retreats so we started having them in Preservation Park, a charmingly restored group of Victorian buildings in downtown Oakland.

Walking back to our office at lunch time, about a mile away from the meeting, the things I saw made me wish that there was such a thing as iPods for the eyes; sort of like rose-colored glasses, I suppose. Just like listening to an iPod can tune out the sounds of traffic and annoying people talking on cell phones, putting on these glasses would allow you to see lovely gardens, the ocean, sunsets…like music for the eyes. Much better than what I saw today: various mentally ill or drug-crazed people ranting; a man peeing on the sidewalk as we passed by, requiring us to step out of the path of the urine heading towards us; an old woman lying on the sidewalk screaming in pain surrounded by paramedics; the many empty, shuttered storefronts. Even in our nice meeting room we couldn’t get away from the grit–a homeless guy in a bright blue wig wandered into our meeting room but fortunately turned around and left.

Categories
Drawing Sketchbook Pages Watercolor

Figure drawing in the dark

Figure2

figure3 Figure1

Wash pencil, ink, watercolor in Aquabee 9×12 sketchbook (Click images to enlarge, select “all sizes”)

After a break of over 20 years, I returned to the figure drawing group that has been going on for much, much longer than that at U. C. Berkeley. The group is still open to the public, there is no teacher or instruction, and the fee has only gone up from $3.00 a session to $4.00. It is now on Friday nights (6:30-9:30) and Saturday mornings (10-1) in Krober Hall.

Barbara and I went tonight and had a good time drawing the handsome and muscular African-American model with long braids/dreads. Aside from the usual difficulties of doing figure drawing, the large room was poorly lit. There were a few clip-on floodlights reflecting off the walls for artists to see their work and a photo lamp bounced into a black umbrella lighting the model. It provided nice shadows and highlights on the model but it was very hard to see details like what was foot and what was fabric. I was far from the wall lights so had trouble seeing what I was drawing (excuses, excuses, I know).

I’m really happy to get back to figure drawing and to spending time with my good friend Barbara, after many years of work and family responsibilities intervening. Through all those years we kept saying that one day we’d get back to the days of meeting for tea during the day and doing art together again. And at last we’re doing it! We had tea and pancakes after walking to La Note (a “French” cafe with snobby, French-accented waitstaff but delicious food) for her birthday breakfast and then tonight went out to draw. Life has made a nice circle!

Categories
Sketchbook Pages Watercolor

Lemon Cucumber

lemon-cuke

Watercolor in large Moleskine watercolor notebook

I knew what I wanted to do with this, but I was too tired to make it happen. Maybe I just should have just skipped painting tonight, and gone to bed early since last night I just couldn’t sleep–for absolutely no reason.

It was the plate that gave me the all the trouble. It started out as white with pretty purple shadows and yellow reflections (or at least that’s what I intended). Then my cat decided to sit between the lamp and the plate, which changed the shadows. Then…well, I was just too sleepy and I totally messed up the white plate so I made it blue. When I scanned the image I cropped off most of the plate which helped a lot. The scary original is going to sit in my sketchbook though, as a reminder to sleep instead of paint when that is the wise thing to do.

And that’s where I’m heading now!

Categories
Drawing Sketchbook Pages Watercolor

Sketchy day

buddha2_001
Sketched with Wacom table in Painter (digitally)

Tonight I practiced digitally sketching using Painter. I was so tired this afternoon, I didn’t think I’d be able to muster up anything to post, but my little Buddha statue inspired me. Before dinner I tried experimenting with my new Kremer Pigments watercolor set, but after not enough sleep last night I was too tired to try anything requiring brains. So I just messed around with sunsets over the bay, doing about 5 of them in my Raffine sketchbook (which I still don’t like, so didn’t mind “wasting” pages). The Kremer pigments are definitely more opaque than I’m used to, and in this set there’s nothing I could use to make a nice pinky purple. Instead of using my regular palette too, I just goofed around with the Kremers. They’re such gorgeous paints, but I can see how they need to be selected judiciously, depending on what I’m painting. I think they’d be great for landscape painting.

I’m posting this since it’s what’s in the sketchbook for today, but I think it’s icky. Both images can be clicked for larger versions.
Icky-sunset

Watercolor in Raffine 5.5×8.5 sketchbook

I worked from home this morning but my internet connection had slowed way down, requiring much crawling around under my desk connecting and disconnecting things to test it. Comcast is going to send someone out on Friday, though now it seems back to normal. When my day job work was done, it was so sunny and warm outside I couldn’t resist the call of the backyard chaise lounge. I took a lovely nap out there, dreaming I was painting somewhere really warm (previews of my February painting trip to Puerto Vallarta, perhaps?).

Then my son drove up and woke me so I got him to help me earthquake strap my new 6′ high white bookshelf to the wall. It’s a great bookcase that someone had put out on the street with a “free” sign on it. I loaded it into my trusty Toyota RAV-4, cleaned it up a bit and now it’s all ready to be filled with all the journals, sketchbooks and artbooks that don’t fit in the studio bookshelf.

Categories
Flower Art Watercolor

Morning Walk Tidbits

Walk tidbits

To see larger size, click image, then click “All Sizes”
Ink & Kremer Pigments Watercolor on 1/4 sheet Arches 140 lb cold press (didn’t quite fit in scanner so a bit of top and bottom got cut off).

This morning I met my friend Barbara for a wonderful walk from her house near Berkeley’s Live Oak Park up through the hills to Tilden Park and back. It was a great walk and talk and I collected these bits and pieces of plant life along the way to paint when I got home. We’ve been friends since we were roommates before we had kids (and our kids are now older than we were when first met at the old Berkeley Co-op bulletin board where I was posting a “roommate wanted” sign). Barbara is an amazing artist and it was so exciting seeing her new work in clay and mosaic, which I’m looking forward to posting here when it’s finished.

I decided to paint on “real” watercolor paper today, rather than in my sketchbook, and to finally try out my Kremer Pigments watercolor set that I learned about from Carol of Paris Breakfasts blog. These paints are amazing! They are so responsive and juicy and rich–unlike anything I’ve used before. Many of the colors included in the 14 pan set are different than my usual palette but seem to be a very astute selection of colors. I can’t wait to play with them some more on a larger scale. I actually started the top twig with my usual palette of mostly Winsor Newton colors and then painted the rest with the Kremer set.

Looking at the picture in this smaller view, I feel compelled to note that the dark brown item on the right is not a piece of cat pooh with litter stuck to it, despite the resemblance. I didn’t pay much attention to the relative size of objects, so things are not quite to scale.

I’d like to find out what each item is and write that on the painting but the only one I know is the Magnolia seedpod. Any identifications are welcome–you might be able to tell better from the scan of the actual objects in the image below. The leaf at the bottom of the painting is fuzzy and soft and gray green but isn’t in the picture below, since I’d already tossed it.
(Click image and select All Sizes to enlarge)

walk-tidbits-photo

Categories
Drawing Every Day Matters Life in general Outdoors/Landscape Sketchbook Pages Watercolor

Solano Ave Storefronts (EDM #85)

Sweet Lotus Lifestyle Gifts

Please click image and select “All Sizes” to enlarge
Micron Pigma ink and watercolor in large Moleskine watercolor notebook

Today was the 11th International Sketchcrawl and I’d planned to attend. But this morning I decided I really wanted to take a bike ride instead. I believe there are no shoulds when it comes to my art life– I’m the only one I need to please. I feel so fortunate that so much of my time is my own and that, at least for today, the decisions I have to make are about such happy things. So I nixed the official sketchcrawl, packed my sketching kit in my bike bag and took off.

I rode over to Solano Avenue, planning to draw the storefront of Solano Cyclery after getting them to fix my kickstand. But their storefront was boring so I took a little stroll and saw this Chinese restaurant and it’s next-door neighbor, Sweet Lotus Lifestyle Gifts. (This week’s Everyday Matters Challenge is to draw a storefront.)

Sweet Lotus Lifestyle Gifts is crammed with Made in China chotzkes. I’m not sure what kind of Lifestyle they had in mind when they named the store but I don’t think it would be a good one if you owned all that cheap, shiny junk. The name always makes me think of Lifestyle brand condoms which makes me think the store should be selling vibrators and sex toys. I’ve never gone inside, so who knows, maybe they do, way in the back.

I sat on the ground in front of a wine shop to do the drawing. Then I noticed a conveniently placed wine barrel advertising the wine shop which was just the right height to stand beside and use as a table for my paints and notebook. While I was working several different people came over to see what I was doing and said nice things. I know many people feel uncomfortable having someone watch when they draw in public. For some reason I think it’s fun–people are always so nice and seem to be surprised and excited to see their own little world put down on paper.

When I finished after about an hour and a half, I realized I’d missed lunch. I picked up a California Roll from Kyoto To Go, the local sushi bento box store right across the street and sat in a little corner park and with my yummy lunch. Though I planned to make another stop to sketch on the way home, I decided to skip it. It was a fun bike ride home and then I had a little nap. A perfectly enjoyable day!

Categories
Outdoors/Landscape Plein Air Watercolor

Blake Gardens – Trees & Yuppies

Blake Garden Trees

Watercolor painted en plein air at Blake Gardens on Arches 9×12 watercolor block

This afternoon the weather was gorgeous and knowing that plein air painting time will soon be over (at least for wimps like me who hate being cold) I grabbed the opportunity to go paint at Blake Gardens. I love this area of the garden, with the rows of trees and reflecting pond. Unfortunately a professional photographer and a perfect little yuppie family were also using the area to take family portraits.

For the entire two hours I was there painting they were alternately posing for pictures and trying to keep their little son from falling apart as he became increasingly bored and tired of all the phoney posing together. They were all perfectly groomed, in matching blond hair, white shirts, khaki pants (father and son) and khaki skirt (mom). They enthusiastically worked on keeping little Griffin engaged (Dictionary: “Griffin: a fabulous beast with the head and wings of an eagle and the body of a lion”) in silly songs, teddy bears, slinkies, hugs and tickles, snacks, bribes of lollipops later, and discussion about his favorite tools (he’s got a hardware fixation and prefers monkey wrenches to screwdrivers). They were a really nice, loving family but I had really been hoping for serene communing with nature, not yuppies.

By the time we all left when Blake Gardens closed at 4:30, I had a headache and they were moving on to another park for more pictures. I was happy with how the painting went today–there were many moments of enjoyment as I became more closely aquainted with these grand old trees and as the paint appeared on the paper in ways I liked.

Categories
Drawing Life in general Outdoors/Landscape People Sketchbook Pages Watercolor

It’s About Time: What I learned today

Old Teeth

“Old Teeth” (study for a large painting I’m going to make, drawn today from a combination of photos I took on Broadway in Oakland). Ink, watercolor in Moleskine large watercolor notebook. If you wonder why those hip-hop people want to have gold teeth, you might also enjoy a previous post here about a new invention I came up with in a dream for those baggy-pants boys.

 * * *

I spend a lot of time being frustrated because there isn’t enough time to do all of the things I want to do. Every weekend I start off being optimistic, with exciting ideas to explore for painting, drawing, teaching, learning; things that need to be done to care for myself and others; gardening projects, housework, paperwork, etc. But weekends (and most days) always end the same way: feeling disappointed because I didn’t accomplish half of what I thought I could do.

They say (whoever “they” is) that with age comes wisdom. Well I got a huge chunk of wisdom today, and this is what I learned:

There will NEVER be enough time to do everything. Not only that, there will never be enough time to do HALF of what my busy mind comes up with on any given day, week, month, year.

So all I have to do is accept the reality that time is finite and that my little brain, full of ideas, is not. Instead of fooling myself into thinking I can do it all, I need to reassure myself that I probably can’t do half of it, and just pick what I most want to do that day, do it, and rejoice.

When I told Michael about this discovery, he asked if that meant I’d no longer be living in what we call “Jana’s World” where time is this fluffy substance that is mostly ignored until it suddenly surprises me to discover I’m late, yet again. But I like living in Jana’s World and I’m not looking to relocate; it’s (Jana’s) World peace I’m after.

Categories
Sketchbook Pages Watercolor

Farmers Market, El Cerrito Plaza

El Cerrito Farmers Market

Please click here to enlarge.

I packed my little painting kit in my backpack and walked the mile up to El Cerrito Plaza after lunch to sketch at the Saturday farmers market. It was a rare sunny, warm day in this usually foggy, windy neighborhood. Unfortunately when I arrived I learned they would be closing in only 20 minutes. That was just long enough to stand and do most of the drawing, but not to paint. Time was cut even shorter by the various people who came over to see what I was doing and wanted to chat a bit. At 1:00 I took a few photos and headed back home with a pound of Peets Coffee Special Decaf beans.

I wish I could have painted at the Plaza because I knew exactly how I wanted to do it–very quick and fresh, with a light touch. But instead, sitting at my drawing table painting from the photos, I overworked it, eventually making one grand mistake (painting the background red since everything in the fruit stand had a red glow to it from the red shade structure–that is everything except the background which was NOT UNDER the structure–and clearly obvious in the photo!)

The red background looked awful, which gave me the chance to try out my bottle of Aquacover, which is like liquid paper but designed to work with and match different brands of watercolor paper. Supposedly you can use it to reclaim white areas in a watercolor painting without it being noticeable AND you can paint back over them. I used it to hide the red background and then, before it was quite dry, painted some green on top of it, which sort of blended in a bit instead of sitting on top. I think if I’d waited until it was dry, and had used it a little more thickly (I diluted it) it might just have worked better. I can tell that it would definitely work well for small areas without any problem. The Arches Bright White Aquacover matches the Moleskine watercolor notebook well.

Ink, watercolor and Creative Mark Aquacover in “Arches Bright White” in large watercolor Moleskine notebook.