~The 2013 Project~

Last Christmas I received a card from an old friend; inside she wrote a beautiful haiku.

Snow softly falling

Landing on trees,glistening

This Christmas evening.

I've been writing haiku for more than 15 years; usually inspired by something very beautiful or memorable.

I was introduced to the idea of creating haiku for my art after a presentation at the art guild I belonged to in Denver. However, most of the haiku I've been writing has nothing to do with my art;  it's been inspired by memorable events, deep emotions or sites I've seen while travelling.

At the same time that I received my friend's Christmas haiku, I was taking an art workshop on-line.  In this particular lesson, we were learning how to apply different watercolor techniques to various subjects.  I became mesmerized by the dandelions.  I don't know how many I attempted before I got it right; but after one, I painted another then another...a had started a 'series'.  While painting, the haiku just spilled out.

That is how the "project" began.  Each subsequent painting has it's own haiku.  Here they are:

Dainty fluffy tufts

Dancing wistfully along

Through Nature’s playground.

Dandelion painting done following Art Tutor artist Sian Dudley's tutorial.

In the midst of winter

I reflect on what has passed,

Dream of what’s to be.

The Art Tutor December Watercolor challenge photo.

Majestic abbey

On craggy promontory

It’s Mont St. Michel.

Mont St. Michel is located off the coast of Normandy.  It's a place I've always wanted to visit and have tried painting many, many times.  This pen and watercolor technique was taught by Art Tutor artist Joanne Boone Thomas.

Snow covered mountains

Veiled in a mantle of clouds

A cold, crisp morning.

My nephew Matt, who lives in Bozeman, Montana shared this photo.  I had to paint it.

The dancer transforms.

Movement becomes poetry,

Sensuous with grace.

Another Art Tutor inspired painting.   The tutorial was in the Drawing category. The subject was figure drawing.

Medieval fortress

Built on a tidal islet

Scottish sentinel.

The February Art Tutor Challenge.  The subject is Castle Stalker on the west coast of Scotland.

A blast of winter
fierce,cold relentless wind
epic storm Nemo.

This painting was inspired by a video a friend took looking out her back door (New Harbor, Maine) during winter storm Nemo.  In the video, the trees were swaying and the blowing snow almost obscured the scene.

I am very excited by the start of the New Year and by this project.  I have 2 paintings, one in my head and one to start on the table.   It's great to be painting this much.

~Imaginary Trip to the Japanese Garden~

From Greece, I'm off with the art group to a Japanese Garden.  This class is only 4 weeks.

Lesson 1~Going Green
 We began the class making color charts, mixing various blues and yellows to make GREEN.  I soon learned that not all blues & yellows make a nice green.  I think green is the color most artists struggle with.  We were shown how to let the colors blend together on the paper rather than blending them on the palette and applying to the paper.  This is not easy.  You must learn the strength of the various pigments.  Some blues are very strong, so you only need a little added to yellow.  This was a very good exercise!

   ~Know your colors~

Lesson 2~ Lighting the Way

The lesson began with another color chart~mixing grays.  I had a hard time at first, all the combinations were coming out green or brown.  We were to use the grays in the painting of lanterns in the garden.

I did end up with some beautiful grays made with colors I never would have tried or thought would make gray.  My favorite was the combination of Moonglow & Cobalt Teal (Daniel Smith Watercolors)~it's the swatch in the lower right-hand corner (below).

The goal for this lesson was to paint our lantern in 30 minutes.  Laure asks us to use a timer.  At the end of the 30 minutes we post our painting, then we can finish at our leisure.  The first painting is my 30 minute one.

It took an additional 15 minutes to complete.

 Lesson 3 ~ Structurally Sound

For this lesson our reference photos were the buildings found in Japanese gardens~teahouses, temples, etc.  I went way over the time limit because I got a bad start; I didn't plan very well.  Choosing an ambitious scene for 30 minutes is not a good idea.  I end up more concerned about the time than the art.

I was able to do most of the temple in the 30 minutes.  I needed an additional 10 minutes for more details and contrast.

Lesson 4 ~Nishikigoi


  Nishikigoi is Japanese for "brocaded carp".
I was excited about this topic.  I've always wanted to paint the koi that are always present in the watergardens.  We learned how to put fish "in" the water; also, how to create the various appearances of the water (reflections, shadows, ripples, and rocks beneath the water).  It is actually done in 5 steps (layers).  This was a great lesson.  I'd like to do the koi again using different colors~I'm not real fond the green "swamp" look.

This was a really fun class.  The artists who participate learn as much from the other artists as from Laure, our teacher.  When we post our paintings, we include how we approached the painting, the problems we encountered and how we like the outcome.  Others can comment always focusing on what they really liked about our painting and offering suggestions from their own experience.  Laure critiques our work and always makes wonderful suggestions~she is an excellent critic.

I'm not sure where I will go next.....Paris or San Francisco.... I love to travel and I love to paint so there is definitely another Imaginary Trip in my future.