More Tomatoes

I did a little more with my tomato study and began the big painting.  The study served to work out some color concerns and little technique issues on which I took notes so I could begin the big painting.  The large painting is 24" x 24" and I've posted what is a VERY early stage.  As you can see, it doesn't even contain all the washes yet.  But it's fun to chronicle the work in this way -- hopefully it will inspire other artists exploring watercolor:  the paintings don't always start out visually making a lot of sense at first.  It truly is a journey. That's something I try to point out to my students. 

"Big Tomatoes!" (what I'm calling it for now)
24" x 24"

This painting is on illustration board, so we'll see how it all comes together.  It's a lot of pressure for me to even post the beginning of a painting - because it's always a craps-shoot.  Who knows if I'll mess it all up (that's confidence, eh!?)  :)  But I guess it's to illustrate (mainly to myself, but others too) that it's all a process and sometimes we hit but sometimes we miss . . . and so what.  We should get pleasure creating the misses too.

It's like that saying  "A bad day at golf is still better than a good day at the office."  You get the drift . . . anyway. . . Happy Painting!

Tomato Study
6" x 6"

New Study

Just started this little "Tomato Study" today in preparation for a much larger painting.  Last year I picked these tomatoes at the home of my friend's son and daughter-in-law.  In addition to providing an interesting subject for a painting, they were really delicious!  I'm so looking forward to some fresh tomatoes again this summer!

Tomato Study
6" x 6"

Daily Paintworks Challenge - "NYC Girl"

Goofed around with the latest DPW Challenge.  It was a good exercise for me.  I don't normally paint figures, so this was good practice.  I did it in watercolor . . . had trouble with the hands, though, so I did some more sketching and finally got those.  Here's the watercolor.  These challenges really get me working outside my comfort zone and I really enjoy the process of each challenge . . . I learn so much from each one.

4" x 5"

Oliver

I didn't do too much painting yesterday just some messing around.  I definitely have to get back into the painting I started of the Ware mill though.  In the meantime, here's the product of my messing around: a little sketch I did of our cat, Oliver.  I took out the watercolor pencils and regular colored pencils and gave it a whirl.  It's a rainy day - so I'll probably spend most of my time painting today - that's always good . . . and Oliver will spend most of his time sleeping.  :)

Oliver
4.5" x 5.5"

All Done!

Just finished the strawberries.  This was a tough one for me . . . those seeds were killing me!  Hope you like it.  :)

Strawberries
6" x 6"
$150

Strawberries

I've been torturing myself to find something to paint for this week's Daily Paintworks Challenge.  It's a color wheel challenge - which is terrific for me - making me think hard about my color choices.  But it's been a real challenge to say the least.  Why is that?  It doesn't seem like it should be such a task!  Anyway, here is the beginning stage of my entry.  I went with the pretty simple complementary color scheme . . . hopefully I can finish it up this afternoon.

6" x 6"

Old Window

Here's my painting for today.

Old Window
5" x 6.5"

Paintings for $200 or less

I have recently added a new page to my website that lists paintings I am selling for $200 or less.  (This price however, does not include shipping.)  Some paintings may come framed under glass or plexi, while others are listed as being backed with foamcore within a protective plastic sleeve.  You can access the portfolio page for these paintings here.

To pique your curiosity, here is a small sampling of the paintings I have listed so far.  Click on the name of the image to be taken its page on my website, so that you can view how the artwork is presented.  If you have any questions, please contact me at kkoz517@charter.net.  However there are still more than just these paintings listed presently and I hope to have an even larger selection soon, so please keep checking the site for updates.

Ok . . . enough business chat . . . I'm off to paint!

Abraham Lincoln
6" x 7"
$100

Dancing Silhouettes
8.5" x 13.5"
$200

The Color Wheel
7" x 9"
$125

Williamsville Chapel
6.75" x 9"
$150

On A Clear Day
7" x 15"
$175

She Stands Alone
7"x 11"
$200

Williamsville Toppers

I can't believe it's been so long since I last blogged.  Yikes!  I've been working on some other projects -- art-related of course -- but they've taken me away from my watercolor painting.  I'm happy to have "finished" (aside from perhaps a little tweaking once I've gotten away from it for a few days) this second painting of the Williamsville Chapel.

On a Clear Day
7" x 15"

I'm hoping to take part in this week's Daily Paintworks challenge, but I'm in need of a subject.  As soon as I get going on that, I'll post again.  Well . . . I'm off to do a little laundry, vacuuming and then more painting!  Ahhh . . . wouldn't it be lovely to just paint without the daily chores!?  :)

Accepted!

I just got in from the mailbox and found out that "Insight Into My Sole" was accepted into the Academic Artists Association 61st National Exhibition of Contemporary Realism.  I'm very excited.  The show will run May 1st - May 14th, from noon to 4 pm at the Karen Sprague Cultural Arts Center in Springfield, MA.

In addition, here are two paintings that I began today.  The mill is on a watercolor board -- the name escapes me right now.  It's an experiment for me, as I've never used it before.  So far I like the way it handles the watercolor, especially for this project.  I think it will work well for messing around with the brick.  Anyway . . . that's all for today.  I must get ready for my Backroads Studio Tour meeting.

9" x 12"

7" x 15"

Tweaks

Well, I did a little tweaking to the Cloth painting.  I think it needed some more darks to make those lights stand out.  Then I did a little scraping . . . and . . . well . . . may have overdone it, something I'm quite famous for!  But I like it from far away.  :)

Sketching Cloth

Last Friday my "watercolor ladies" (a small group of women who come here for watercolor lessons), suggested we try painting draping cloth.  So I took a photo of a white dishcloth draped over a chair in my living room.  Ever since, I've been obsessed with painting the cloth.  It's quite challenging.  When I taught high school art my students would draw the cloth in graphite.  I would stress the importance of following the contours in addition to capturing the slight nuances in the cloth with subtle value changes.  I felt confident drawing with the graphite.  It's so different with watercolor!  So I'll continue to practice, (in fact the second painting needs some finishing up anyway).  In the meantime here are two little studies I did of the cloth today.  There are things I like in each and things I need to do better.  Aaaah . . . so back to the drawing board!  :)

Cloth Study I
6" x 6"

Cloth Study II
8" x 8"

Foster Hill

I haven't blogged in a few days because I really haven't had anything to show.  I'm in a bit of a rut so I'm trying to paint through it.  I feel as if I've never picked up a paintbrush before.  Has that ever happened to you?  Ugh!  It's a bit frustrating but I'll get through it.  :)

In the meantime, here's a little sketch of a beautiful historic home here in town.  It's watercolor and ink.

Foster Hill
3" x 3"

Incidentally, I just brought a painting yesterday, to the Academic Artists Association to be juried.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will be accepted as it's a very competitive show.  One never knows!  Here's my entry:

Insight Into My Sole
12" x 16"

This piece actually just showed in Monson at their annual art exhibit and it was suggested that I put a mat around it to make it stand out more.   I originally had just framed it in a simple black frame.  Happily, I took their advice, matted it to 16" x 20" and it now seems to have a larger presence.  I should hear later this week if it was accepted or not.  In the meantime I'm going to enjoy this beautiful weather in between painting . . . it seems Spring is finally here (for now anyway).  Cheerio!

Little Study

I was messing around yesterday with my watercolor pencils.  I was inspired by a small painting at Daily Paintworks.  It was beautiful and soft.  Well . . . needless to say I have a very long way to go in mastering that media, but I'll keep plugging.  They're really great for sketching. 

Below is the little painting I did.  I have some beautiful photos I took in the Fall so I think I'll try some more tiny paintings today for practice.  I ended up using my colored pencils over the watercolor pencils.  Landscapes and trees are a constant struggle for me, so I'm very happy to practice.  

Tree Study
3" x 4"

Just a quick note:  (I usually "preview" my post before I publish it and it's been so helpful to see the artwork posted.  I can view it with fresh eyes and more objectively than when it's on my drawing board.  So like with this image, I now see so many things that need fixing that I'll probably go back into it.  I know it's important to let paintings sit before calling them "finished" . . . but I get impatient and excited to post and so I usually just throw it up here on my blog as soon as it's dry!  Usually though, I later, go back into it and fix the little areas that need adjusting.  So "blogging" for me has been a very useful tool in finishing my paintings.  I'll have to remember to upload this image again on a new post, if it changes so you can compare.  Well, that's all!)

Jaffrey Photo

I just received this photo that was taken in New Hampshire, outside the Jaffrey Civic Center last week.  (I'm the one on the right.)  The man on the left is Gary Ruuska.  If you aren't acquainted with his work, click here to visit his site.  He uses layers of colored pencil to create amazing pieces.  I was excited to meet him as I've followed and been inspired by his blog for a couple of years now.  I was very honored to be in his company as a recognized artist.

Williamsville Chapel

This small painting is a watercolor of Williamsville Chapel in between Barre and Hubbardston.  It's a charming building and the light was so brilliant the other day that I took a bunch of photos with the hopes of completing some paintings.  This is my first one; I hope you like it.  If you are interested in purchasing this painting or any others that you've seen on my blog or website, please feel free to contact me at kkoz517@charter.net.

7" x 9.25"
$150

Old Timer

On a recent trip to New Hampshire I snapped a few photos while poking around some antique stores. This is a painting from one of those photos.  It's not the most unique composition, but I wanted to practice my "realism." 

"Old Timer"
12.5" x 16"