Art is Autobiography: 2013

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

~2013 Art~

What an exciting year it was for me. Finding Art Tutor.com was the best gift I gave to myself.

I painted more this year than in any previous year and found the courage to get out of my comfort zone and try new subject matter.

My first attempt at painting an animal in watercolor. It's a fair resemblance to my cat, Raji.

I painted 3 series this year~that's a first. The Ishidori Series were all painted from photographs taken in the Alfred Kahn Garden in Paris.

The next four paintings were done from photographs by family and friends.

Tanzania

Bozeman, Montana in winter and summer.

Winter storm NEMO~ Bristol, Maine

The following paintings have "people" in them. I never felt comfortable painting human figures. Thanks to Art Tutor, that's changed!

I love owls. The one on the left is done with watercolor and pastel; the one on the right is watercolor and ink.

This is a sculpture at the Louvre Museum in Paris.

I took an "Imaginary Trip to New Zealand"...what beautiful islands with very diverse sites, culture and landscapes.

Mont St. Michel, France

This is a birthday card for a special friend.

Another series~ Dandelions

The last paintings of the year. The Peru Series inspired by the photos of a special Denver friend.

I have a large file of ideas for "possible paintings" in 2014. I'm ready to paint.

Friday, November 22, 2013

~Imaginary Trip to New Zealand~

I took another Imaginary Trip with Laure Ferlita....this time we went to New Zealand.
This trip surpassed my expectations!

My Art Journal~Imaginary Trip to New Zealand

This is the cover of my journal.

Most of our lessons were timed so that we would get the idea of painting on location. We were usually given 40 minutes. Unless noted, all my pages took more than 40 minutes.

First stop~ Auckland on the North Island. Auckland Domain is Auckland's oldest park.

Beautiful view of the Manukau Lighthouse on the west side of the North Island. I love painting lighthouses.

Then over to the east side of the North Island~north of Auckland. Another 40 minute lesson.

I painted this from a photo I found on Wikimedia. It's Lake Taupo.

I painted this not as a timed sketch. It was more an exercise on painting rocks.

This page was done in 40 minutes. I opted to use my time sketching and not painting.

These sites are on the North Island~south of Auckland. I was just amazed at the diversity of the island.
Karangahake Gorge

Now we've crossed over to the South Island. The Kaikoura Penisula, on the northeast coast of the South Island is a haven for wildlife.

When I think of New Zealand, I think Maori. I became fascinated with the carvings and face paintings. Everything has a meaning.

Central part of the South Island. High mountains and many lakes.

In this lesson we were to make 3 sketches and only paint the "point of interest"

Scenes along the coastline of the South Island. We were to make our sketches on scraps of watercolor paper, then mount them into our journal.

Fjords and monstrous boulders. The spectacular sites are never-ending.

If I had done this virtual tour 30 years ago, it would definitely be on my "bucket list". Magnificent, diverse and breathtaking sites!

I wonder the next Imaginary Trip will find us.