Trying to maintain a loose style. It is so easy to get all worked up and tied tight while drawing and painting. I have done some pages in my sketchbook with just random color…they have been sitting in my book for awhile now. I have decided to try some drawing over top the color, it’s oddly liberating. I will keep trying this for awhile. In some ways the color suggests the drawing and in some ways the drawing leans towards one of the previous done grounds. I like the way that works!
broken shell
Spring brings these beautiful daffodils! I love them. They are incredibly cheery! It’s still on the chilly side here in Maine, so it’s great to have a little color to cheer one up. I think that I will do a series of these. This one I have decided to give to a friend, but I will miss it, so on to the next one.
I thought I would be able to open my Art Shed last weekend, but it was still too cold and other chores caught up to me. I am hoping that this weekend will be full of good weather and some extra time. I need to open the shed and make a plan for the summer projects.
sketch for painting
It’s funny, I keep thinking that I will get back to my snow shadows (I have several that need to be completed!), but the spring weather is pushing me to the flowers. Especially when they are growing in my own back yard. Inspiration everywhere. I really like the sketch above, I am going to work on a water color and a casein painting for this composition. I am still finishing up the Iris painting, but almost done.
I found a little stretched canvas at the Goodwill for 99 cents, so I am experimenting with that. I am trying a casein painting of a seagull sitting on a granite wall. The layers will be really thin in order to make it work on this substrate. So far, the ground is really fun, we will see where it all ends up. So different to work on from paper.
light layers of casein on canvas
Study for next casein painting
I need to get organized! I have at least 5 paintings started and not finished. I think that some are destined to always be partially done, but others deserve my attention. It is so difficult for me not to start a new piece once the vision hits. Sketching is so much fun, I love the graphite, the spontaneity and immediate gratification. Casein is a difficult medium and one that forces you to work in stages. However, I like the challenge of tackling something new and different. The color of the casein is rich, the layers offer a lot of possibility.
Below is a piece I did while traveling of an evening primrose. These were all over Frisco and Avon (outer banks of North Carolina). They indeed only bloom at early evening and through the night! If you get up really early, some are still open. They are charming.
Water soluble colored crayons and colored pencil: 4″ x 6″
Art Projects 