New Braintree Sap

"New Braintree Sap"
16" x 12"
watercolor on clayboard

I can't believe how long it's been since I last posted. Good grief! As you well know, my consistency with blogging isn't always the best. Marketing and social media maintenance is my Achilles heel with regards to my art business. For me, the painting is the most comfortable part. While I enjoy posting, keeping up with it and "marketing" is tough for me. I have to really work at efficiently scheduling my time and when life gets in the way, it's the first thing that suffers. Just know that I will forever be working at this because I guess it's "just how I roll."  Ha!

That being said, even though some of my priorities have been shifted the past few weeks, I managed to finish a couple paintings and enter some shows. I'm also working on a solo exhibit that I'll be having this summer. I'll let you know more about that soon.

So . . . for now I'm sharing with you my new painting, "New Braintree Sap" and I'm excited to say that it's already found a "forever home." I'm so lucky to have such wonderful collectors.

Have a great start to your week!

Making Some Progress

"New Braintree Sap" - work-in-progress
16" x 12"
watercolor on clayboard

Well we received some more snow here in the Northeast yesterday. Hard to imagine that spring is on its way. Good grief! But a snowday makes for a good painting day. Here are my works-in-progress.

work-in-progress
14" x 11"
watercolor on clayboard

"Big Tomatoes" - work-in-progress
24" x 24"
watercolor on clayboard

Have a great day!

New Ones

work-in-progress
24" x 24"
watercolor on clayboard

I was absent from the blog last week, but I was busy in the studio. In the midst of finishing up old paintings I began some new ones.

The first is a 24" x 24" painting of tomatoes. My first version of this composition was on some kind of illustration board many years ago and although I was close to finishing it, I just didn't like the way the board was taking the watercolor. So I scrapped it. Then I painted a smaller version on watercolor paper -- I think around 10" x 10" -- of the same colander with tomatoes, a few years later. However I knew I always wanted to do this painting bigger than life. So I decided to jump in last week on the clayboard. I'm looking forward to sharing my progress with you ... and I can't wait to see what it's like all done!

Last week I also decided to turn my sap bucket sketch into a larger painting on clayboard. I so love painting on this surface!

New Braintree Sap - wip
16" x 12"
watercolor on clayboard

Lastly, I drew out three white pitchers.  I'm much further along on this one, but you'll just have to wait to see . . .

work-in-progress
11" x 14"
watercolor on aquabord

Happy Monday -- have a great start to your week!

Pasted

I decided to paste this little sketch into my watercolor sketchbook for reference. I don't keep a regular sketchbook but am once again trying to get into the habit as I'm always impressed when I see others' books. They're so inspiring and sketching in general is just a good way to practice skills.

So I will once again, try to do more sketching. I can't promise I will, but I'm going to try. Do you keep a sketchbook? How often do you sketch? What kinds of things do you sketch . . . and how much time do you devote to sketching? I'd love to read your responses!

Cutler Road sketch
8" x 8"
(watercolor on paper)

Happy Friday, Happy Sketching, and Have a great weekend!

Trees and Time-Lapse

I worked on this little sketch today. It's on an Arches hot-pressed watercolor block. Paper is not my favorite to paint on, but it's always good to practice. Trees are a challenge for me, so I decided to give them a little time today.

I've also been messing around with my new iPhone. I've never owned one (crazy, I know). But I broke down and got one about a month ago and have been having a lot of fun taking photos, and planning out animated Instagram posts not to mention some stop-animation video of my Fisher Price Little People. My time-lapse of today's sketch is below . . . enjoy the funky jams. Ha!

Happy painting and I'm heading back to the drawing board!  

Getting Close

"Laundry Day"
11" x 14"
(watercolor on cradled aquabord)

Tweaking and taking care of the final details.  Hope you all had a lovely long weekend.

"Laundry Day" - work in progress
11" x 14
(watercolor on cradled aquabord)

I'm making progress on my next painting from The Netherlands.  Have a great weekend . . . hope it's a long one!  

The Hours

"Princeton Barn"
9" x 12"
(watercolor on aquabord)

Oh the hours I've spent on this little ditty.  I'm throwing my hands up in the air and calling "uncle."  I don't know what to think.  I'm happy with some parts, but disappointed with others.  It was a good learning experience but I'm just going to sit on it for a while . . . at least for the weekend. 

Perhaps I'll crop it into a square: 

"Princeton Barn" - cropped into an 8" x 8"

Or crop it even so that only my favorite part shows -- that tree on the side - ha! 

"Princeton Barn" - detail

Any thoughts?

The Drama Continues

"Princeton Barn" - work in progress
9" x 12"
(watercolor on aquabord)

Oh boy . . . so after hours of painstakingly working on branches and such I decided I was getting way to detailed and nitpicky and just washed the tops of the trees right off!

"Princeton Barn" - work in progress
9" x 12"
(watercolor on aquabord)

So this is where I'm at.  The second image scanned a little lighter than the first one, which I messed around with in Photoshop at night - Yikes.  So the real colors and contrast are somewhere in between these two images.  However I think I like the drama in the first image.  Maybe I'll try recreate that in my painting.  What a wild ride this is turning out to be!

Have a lovely day.

Princeton Barn Progress

"Princeton Barn - work in progress
9" x 12"
(watercolor on aquabord)

Here are a couple more progress shots of my new painting.  I'm struggling with the level of detail vs. just shape.  I've even moved on from the shot below and have done more work.  This was a tough subject to mess with regarding some of what I'm trying to learn.  So I'm doing a little backtracking and painting how I normally would approach this.  Well, sort of.  

Let's just say this is a learning experience.  

"Princeton Barn" - work in progress
9" x 12"
(watercolor on aquabord)

Although I do love that little green tree on the right and the trees in the distance though.  More tomorrow.

New

"Princeton Barn" - work in progress
9" x 12"
(watercolor on aquabord)

I hope my American friends had a lovely long weekend.  I began a new painting.  This one measures 9" x 12" and is painted on aquabord. (of course)  I've been studying some oil paintings by a fewcontemporary masters and trying to glean how they do what they do in terms of value, shape, color and temperature - particularly with landscape and foliage - and applying what I learn to my paintings. (easier said than done!)  Obviously the media are completely different but the fundamentals are the same. Still, translating them into watercolor techniques is a challenge. But who doesn't like a challenge!?  :)

In addition I've been pouring over Andrew Wyeth's work as well.  I'm hoping to make significant improvements on my painting this year . . . we'll see how it goes.

In case you are interested, here are links to some of the work I've been viewing, it's just exceptional and inspiring:

T. Allen Lawson

Josh Clare

Clyde Aspevig

Have a great week!

Wheeler Farm Revisited

Wheeler Farm - 3.5"x5" - watercolor on paper

Click here to bid. Starting bid: $35


Another throwback painting today! This little painting would make a lovely addition to any home. I have reduced the price for auction. It comes as is. . . not matted or framed, but is a great and affordable start to building a collection of original art.

what this painting could look like framed

Thank you for viewing my work.

Provincetown Path

"Provincetown Path"
6" x 6"
(watercolor on aquabord) 

This is my last entry into Randy Higbee's "6 Inch Squared Show."  It's been a productive week!  Thank you for stopping by.

Christmas Card #2

"Big Wreath" - wip4
12.5" x 18"
(watercolor on aquabord)

I thought you might enjoy looking at these progress shots of my next Christmas card.  I usually do one for us and one for my dad (unless he decides to purchase his at Ocean State Job Lot . . . it's tough to pass up a bargain!)  :)  

Cheers!

"Big Wreath" - wip3
12.5" x 18"
(watercolor on aquabord)

"Big Wreath" - wip2
12.5" x 18"
(watercolor on aquabord)

"Big Wreath" - wip1
12.5" x 18"
(watercolor on aquabord)

Christmas?!

"Nantucket Christmas"
9.25" x 5.5"
(watercolor on paper)

Click here to bid.

What am I thinking?!  I can't say I'm looking forward to winter, but I am looking forward, preparing for my 2015 Christmas cards.  So this is my first design for this year.  My Thursday morning ladies inspired me . . . the "beachy" window was their idea.  I'm so lucky to have such creative students!  

I haven't yet come up with the inside sentiment, but if you'd like more information about getting a jump on the holidays and ordering cards, please email me kkoz517@charter.net.  

2015 Christmas card - before folding
5.5" x 4.25"

(what this painting could look like when framed)

Approval!

"Backlit Birches"
50" x 40"
watercolor on aquabord

Hello all . . . I had a fantastic meeting on Friday with my clients who commissioned this painting for their new home . . . and everyone is happy! Yippee!  So this is its official unveiling. 

This painting is very large, so unfortunately photographing it is a little difficult - you don't really get all the details, but hopefully you get the idea.  I'm pleased with it and think it's pretty cool in person (if I do say so myself).  :)  Might I add that I'm very grateful to Lynn and my clients  -- this has been a wonderful experience: thank you, thank you, thank you.  I grew so much as an artist and am excited to try my hand at some very large aquabord watercolors in the very near future.  Below are some photos from early on.  I think it's neat to see the way paintings evolve.

Have a great day and thank you for stopping by.

Little Yellow House

"Little Yellow House"
3" x 3"
watercolor on paper

Click here to bid.

I've been doing some little sketches and experimenting with architecture/landscapes.  I'm a very literal painter (it's all I can do not to paint every brick and leaf - gaaah!) and so I've been trying to do more editing while becoming a little more artistic (hopefully) in my choices.  (I've been greatly inspired by the amazing work of Joyce Hicks - she has a new book and it's fabulous!) 

Specifically for me, I've been working on value and color.  If you scroll down a little further you'll see my sketches and reference photo for this painting.  I'm still not wild and crazy, but hopefully you'll like what I've done.

Thanks for taking a peek.

what this painting could look like framed

reference photo

sketches - and final painting

Misty Forest Update

"Misty Forest"
8" x 10"
watercolor on aquabord

Nothing much to say . . . just"  I'm still playing with Nita Engle's book.  :)  Have a good weekend!

Another Small Painting

"Red Barn"
3" x 3"
watercolor on paper
$40

Click here to bid.

I love squares, don't you?  I'm having fun with these little paintings.  Thanks for stopping by!

what this painting could look like when framed

Small Painting Auction

"Wheeler Farm"
3.5" x 5"
watercolor on paper
$40

Click here to bid.

I've decided to auction off some of the little paintings I've been doing.  I think they would look sweet all matted and framed up.  This is the first one.

what this painting could look like when framed