"Proud"

My latest piece, Proud, is a different direction for me. It is 7" x 10" (which is pretty small for me) and is more illustrative than usual. I used this reference photo from MorgueFile since peacocks don't grow on trees.

This one is in the collection of my friend Harold Shull, an illustrator and artist for whom I have great respect. I am happy for him to own one of my little pieces!

I used Iridescent watercolors from Daniel Smith except for the blues, which are French Ultramarine from Winsor & Newton, and the Peacock Blue by Holbein. I used drybrush with a fan brush on the feathers to create a wispy feel while letting some of the paper shine through, keeping some whites. I wish my photo communicated the shimmer - it was so much fun to use such yummy paints. I used Iridescent Scarab Red by DS in the feathers - an awesome shimmery warm rust red, but has a warm yellow-green glow. So when you turn the paper it changes tone, just like a peacock's feathers.

Sue Galos' Trees!

I have to post about a new painting in my collection by my friend, Sue Galos, a wonderful watermedia artist in Sarnia, Ontario. You can see from her website that she has a love of intense color, tangible textures, and has an experimental spirit. I love this piece, and framed it with a rustic frame to contrast the approach, which is very modern, with the subject, which is very traditional and of course, the material from which the frame originated. It is now hanging in the only hallway in my home, in a place of honor.