I think Barbara influenced us all!

Take a look at what everyone has done since she visited us---

Above, is Marsha's Mushroom.  

She is always doing some exciting experimental paintings and they are always so, so colorful!!

Below, is Kathy's pokeberries.  She is trying to loosen up by not developing parts of her paintings. 

 It's working!!

This one, below, is Jim's Valentine card he was working on for his wife.

Isn't this exquisite!!

And, last (below), is Julia's portrait.  Breathtaking already!

January 27, 2010

There you have it!

Barb's FINISHED painting that she demonstrated for us (see demo below painting).

January 13, 2010

Last Night at our Troy Hayner Cultural Center "Intermediate Watercolor Class," we were privileged to be visited by my long time friend and co-worker (we both taught high school art in Shelby County) Barbara Sailor.   Please enjoy some photos from her POURING DEMONSTRATION below:

As Barbara begins her demo, she has our undivided attention!

(even the Ceramics students joined us!) 

Before she began pouring, Barbara discussed a photo of a finished painting and how she created the highlights, negative painting, etc.

In this image, Barbara is wetting the entire surface.   

She wants it a certain dampness, not too wet!  Before wetting, she had spent around 6-7 hours meticulously drawing her image and applying masking fluid (with a sharpened "old" handle of a watercolor brush!) so she can get really nice fine lines.   She has ceased using the Masque Pen  because although it does give fine lines, the sharpened wood handle is VERY fine!

Here, she is using a dropper to apply (POURING) Acrylic Inks that have been watered down.   This was the most amazing thing to ME.   I have often wanted to try this and now I know how.  The Acrylic inks (watered down) "stain" the paper with those bright hues that acrylics are known for.   They will not fade as watercolors do.   They are permanent, do not lift when dry.   Because the acrylics are thin and staining, they are also transparent, which is quite desirable when painting florals!

See the puddles?   It is still runny, wet, and can be "lifted" at this point only.

She has used a hairdryer and the painting is dry and now ready for WATERCOLOR.

Just under her palette, you can see her image (photo in plastic sleeve).   The plastic sleeve has permanent marker lines that create a 16 square grid, so her drawing was to scale (very important).   Yes, that is a WATERCOLOR palette!   She IS painting watercolor over dried acrylic!!!   I love this!!!

At this point, all is very dry, and Barbara (oh, she is SO sweet!!) is now drawing meticulously some markings on the petals of these delicate lilies.

In this photo, you can see she has begun to add the paint:   Holbein Quinacridone Cherry!!   She is enamored (for good reason!) with Quinacridones as they are deliciously transparent and wonderful for florals.   Quinacridones are also permanent!   

Here you can see the amazing results of using transparent Quinacridone Cherry (Holbein).  Notice those delicate little markings on this petal!  The shiny areas are the masking fluid.   Barbara will post her finished painting on HER BLOG.   I will update this IN THE STUDIO asap!!!!!!

Now, done you just want to go home and PAINT like this!!

THANKS, BARBARA!!!!

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ABSTRACTS !!

PAINTING NUMBER ONE

For this first one (and I started 3 in one session), I used the cruciform format, 5 shapes, one as the focal area, with the other 4 pointed in that direction to guide the eye movement of the viewer.   Notice I have a few silk fall leaves on the side.   I'm hoping to incorporate them, but maybe not.   I'll let the painting "speak to me" and tell me what it wants to do.   That's the joy of YUPO ABSTRACTS!   Such freedom!

Here it is closer-up.

At this stage of painting number one, I have traced around the bubble wrap pieces, removed the plastic bubble wrap, painted some bright fall warm colors within the traced areas, then placed the bubble wrap over the paint.   The rocks are there to weight it down while it dries.   And that is what all 3 paintings are doing right now.   Drying, while I'm entering the info. so you'll see what I did.

PAINTING NUMBER 2

For Painting Number 2 I have chosen a DIAGONAL THRUST which cuts diagonally through the entire composition.   The two diagonal pieces have a grid design placed over them.   That shine is the bubble wrap placed over all and it will show up on the remaining blue and orange areas.    However when all this wrap is removed, color will come with it.   And I will be intentionally "losing" alot of the texture.   Too much of a good thing is too much!   I will strive for a balance.

PAINTING NUMBER 3    

For PAINTING NUMBER 3, I have chosen to begin with 3 shapes:   large, medium, and small in shape.   I tried to place that smaller shape in one of the 4 possible and preferred areas for focal points.    This shape is more detailed in design than the other meandering, larger shapes.   All of the shapes interlock to create a flow throughout the painting.   I used analogous colors of greens and blues (one of my personal favorite color schemes).   These are all cool colors and will require the juxtaposition of some warmer hues.    I'm just letting this dry with no addition of texture.

Stay tuned...........more is coming!    

FOR MORE -------   SEE THE DAILY BLOG, CLICK HERE.

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My grandaughter, Kinslee always paints such fun colors!!   I pointed to a silk rose laying on shelf and asked her if she would like to paint it.   She got so excited!   Here is her result.  

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Below  STEP-BY-STEP       GOLD 'n GREENS  

This luscious crushed green velvet will serve its purpose for many still lifes to come, I'm sure!   And, per chance it will find its way into a Christmas arrangement in the livingroom!    

Nope, it's not a photographic likeness, this is an artist's rendition.  I could have gone farther with this, adding some golds to the fabric to bring it closer to the original, but ooh!  I love Pthalo Green just the way it is.

Step One---Transparent/Staining New Gamboge was painted carefully over the goblet and the apple.

Still staying with Transparent/Staining (T/St) colors, I put Permanent Green Light over the apple, and in selected areas Richeson Red Light and some of the Permanent Green Light on the goblet.   After those applications dried very "bone" dry, I mixed some T/St Pthalo with some T/St Quinacridone Rose to make a dulled down staining green background.   

After that background was thoroughly dry, I wet the entire background, and then gently dropped/brushed pure undiluted T/St Pthalo Green all around the edges of the apple and goblet.   Quickly, I placed Saranwrap over all and crushed the Saranwrap to make what is the "beginning" of a crushed velvet look for this painting.   Within about 4-5 minutes, I gently peeled the Saranwrap from the painting and quickly brushed with clean water some of the areas of the goblet and the apple where that Pthalo overlapped.   Then, I set the painting in front of the fan to dry.   Hair dryers are nice, but I'm a multi-tasker, so the fan did its thing as I did mine.

When this part was dry, I carefully painted another layer of T/St New Gamboge over the apple and the goblet.   

Now that the Pthalo has dried, it is much lighter and ready for more direct painting.  The New Gamboge has added some brightness to apple and the goblet and they as well, are ready for more direct painting.

I did another layer of Pthalo Green mixed with Quinacridone Rose and Saranwrap to get some deep greens.   When that was all dry, I used Quinacridone Gold, Rose, Burnt Sienna, some Cadmium Orange, and a little bit more of the Permanent Green Light to develop the apple and the goblet.    

Then, I added even more Pthalo and Quinacridone Rose to the bottom of the painting, layed on more Saranwrap, let it dry...........and I was done.

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September 2nd already!  

I put the Open Acrylics away for a few days and I've been working with watercolor. 

This cool weather is bringing on thoughts of Christmas, so I've been experimenting with several color combinations (different backgrounds, different still life set ups) and working with the paintings for the University of Dayton show for 2011.   I will not be posting the Marian paintings until closer to show time (2011), but today I have a still life "work in steps" from GOLD N BERRIES.

GOLD N BERRIES STEP BY STEP----------

First, I drew the image, then added some masking fluid on the tall, narrow vase, the berries, and the small round vase (the Pebo masking fluid brand is bluish).

Second, I put in a random wash of purple, deeper and darker in some areas, lighter in others.  I rotated the paper until it was upside down to get the paint to flow away from the image.

Thirdly, I began painting the image with cadmium red (an orange red) for the berries, and ultramarine for the small vase.   When that dried, I worked a bit more paint into the background (Verzino Violet, more purple, and some Ultramarine blue).

Fourthly, I deepened the Ultramarine in the vase and deepened the berries with some Quinacridone Rose.   I also added a little Verzino Violet into the fabric areas and a grey mix of B. Sienna and Ultramarine blue for the inside of the tall vase--then dropped in a bit of Viridian green into that grey mixture.  I let all of that dry well.

Fifthly, began to work much more with the round vase and the leaf areas with these colors:   Quinacridone Gold, Burnt Sienna, and some viridian green.   At this time, there is no green in the leaf areas, only on the vase.

Sixth, I removed all of the masking fluid and further developed the gold vase with more Burnt Sienna, some purple, and more Viridian Green.  I used Permanent Green Light for the leaves, and when the leaves were dry, I put a light layer of thalo green over those leaves and then scraped out lines with the edges of a cut up credit card (best use for those dudes!).   With the masking fluid gone, you can now see the sparkles of the berries and the gold vase.

Lastly, I used some bright, opaque cadmium orange (#11 on the Quiller Pallette) to brighten up the berries and orange reflections in the gold vase.  I also mixed a deep "mixed black" with Quinacridone Rose, Thalo Green, and purple for the dark spots on those berries.   I signed the painting with the opaque cadmium orange.   Mixing opaques an transparent paints is fun! 

There you have it:   GOLD N BERRIES

Several weeks ago-----

We have a new addition to our family!  Hayley (below) loves her new family, although not adopted yet, she and her mother are joyfully looking forward to that special day.    She loves to paint with me, like all of my other dear grandchildren.

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Hayner Cultural Center Classes!!!

Take a look at all the wonderful things that are happening in the Hayner Studio in my Intermediate Watercolor class.   First, below, isn't this building gorgeous!!   Here is Pauline working on some collage papers she has created.   She will be teaching a collage class this coming summer and is using this space to choose pieces she has worked on at home.

Pauline making choices:

Pauline's final choice (isn't this gorgeous!!!)

Marsha's Still Life set up last night.

Marsha's Magnolia painting the week before.

Kathy's Pear painting.

Hope you enjoyed seeing what's happening at Hayner!!!

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Easter, which represents the resurrection and life of Jesus Christ, IS very important to me.

I just found THIS VIDEO which is a painting in progress.   This is a painting of Jesus.

CLICK HERE TO ENJOY THIS VIDEO and Happy Easter!!!

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In the Studio  MARBLEHEAD SHORES II on the Easel

I found these nifty decorative boxes at Hobby Lobby half off.   They house my Open Acrylic paints and panels.  When not painting, the desk looks pretty spiffy!

MARBLEHEAD SHORES II   STEP ONE below-----

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GICLEES HOT OFF THE PRESS!!!

The Winter Series was so popular and literally snatched right out of my hands!   I missed them!   So, I am having some beautiful giclees made of them.   The black edging is being printed on the borders so these can be mounted on stretcher bars.   The black will be on the sides of the canvas stretchers and these prints will be nice hung without frames or as well can be nicely framed in a floating frame.

"Emotive Expressions" a small but excellent giclee company in Canada (near Toronto) does my giclees.   And they are more beautiful than the actual paintings!   These are being printed on canvas and have a shimmering finish.   I highly recommend this company!

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HOW IT WAS DONE----

One of my favorite places, in the diningroom where there is an abundance of light coming in through many windows, both to my right and to my left of my little corner.   You can see the photo on the laptop, the tiny easel, and the TV!!   And, of course, the coffee!   If I don't have Christian TV on, I have a beautiful CD playing.   Multi-tasker?   Who me??

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In the Studio, for December 2008

Below, you can see stages in the creation of 

"STORM CLOUDS OVER TAOS"

	Step One Here, I have the initial drawing, masking fluid (pinkish color), and the sky has been done.
	Step Two Alot of layering, drying, then more layering. I have used complimentary colors: Maimeri Blu Primary Blue Cyan and Permanent Orange WN to block in the darks and lights.  Taos Pueblo is essentially red dirt everywhere, so as I went along,  I kept trying for a neutral "brown" but at the same time I didn't want it to be dull.
	Step Three I am still working on layering to achieve that perfect brown. The masking fluid is still there.
	"STORM CLOUDS OVER TAOS" is  now complete.  After removing the masking fluid, I added some straight Cyan to pump up the compliments and pushed the envelope with the addition of purple to give the painting a stormier effect.

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In the Studio, for November 2008

	FISHIN ON ROSE LAKE (Step Two) After the first warm yellow, oranges, and reds dried completely, I went back into the painting and"very" lightly applied a wash of cool blues for the water.   Painting on yupo takes a very gentle touch.  Several techniques are going on here: The top half was carefully cleaned with alcohol to insure a smooth, soft wash of undulating colors; whereas, in the application of the cool blues (which are a sedimentary and a transparent color combination) has caused much of the 'paper' to repel the paint, giving the water a sparkle.
	In STEP THREE, I have let the painting dry,then layered with an extremely soft touch more colors into the water area,let that dry, then carefully lifted out some white areas in the water (which will receive some bright pink and orange passages when this stage is done).   Next, I added some more luscious New Gamboge to brighten the tree area above the water's edge line.   I also have lifted away some of the ground area that meets the water's edge.   Because I am simultaneously adding and subtracting paint, I like to refer to this as the PUSH-PULL STAGE  or the "SCULPTING" stage. Except for some blues in the water, I have avoided any cool colors. It is usually best to place warmer colors first, while  gently placing any cool colors. SCROLL DOWN FOR STEP 4

YUPO Fishin on Rose Lake  step 4 After the "push-pull" technique above dried completely, it left me some 'dry' areas  to add in some luscious reddish-orange reflections in the water.  I LOVE THE LOOSENESS OF YUPO!! As this painting progresses, I am trying very hard not to loose the looseness, those "first impression" brush strokes that say 'look at the heart of the painter!'  I want to be extremely careful to retain that 'heart' throughout the entire process.  I want this painting to say, "Donna Pierce-Clark painted that!"  I want 'my unique style' to be evident. Scroll down for step 4 & 5 compared.

	Steps 4 & 5 Compared At left, Step 4
	Step 5 Still striving to keep the freshness AND still staying in the warm tones for the most part, I have added a deeper "Brown Madder" to the tree area. Scroll down to Step 6

FISHIN ON ROSE LAKE(step 6) Now, this painting is getting  closer to reality.  I have used a paint roller to effect texturing in the tree area, but virtually left the water area untouched, as I want to retain as much as the YUPO effect in that area. Stay tuned for step 7, the final stage; wherein, I will pump up the colors, add some tree trunks, push the lights and darks a bit more,  and drop in the fishing boat!

FISHIN ON ROSE LAKE finally completed!! I'm happy with it!! Very loose, yet there is enough detail to know what it is. YUPO!

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In the Studio, August, 2008

	Last week, just before school was about to start, Grandma enjoyed watching Maddie and Kinslee paint! Maddie is so serious!   Her wheels were turning as she planned her paintings!
	Now, Kinslee is serious!!
	When the girls got tired of painting, Grandma brought out the Playdough!!! They made pizza and cookies and so much more!

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Upper Emerald Pool, Zion National Park, Utah 2008

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AND, here's my grandaughter's results of working with the Quiller colors!   She is using tempera paints and loves them over all other choices.   Which tells me, she will probably also love painting with acrylics or oils in the future.

TRINITY ONE 22 X 30 watercolor on paper CLICK ON PAINTING FOR MORE INFORMATION This painting was done partly in the studio and partly in our Hayner class. What a great group of people you are!!!

This portrait is in an antique frame that my mother gave me; so this painting represents 3 generations!

FINALLY!!  The easel is set up to paint in oils!  This will be a large painting of my grand daughter:  Madison.  This should be fun to watch develop.  When you paint those you love, painting is even more of a sweet journey!

	Well, today, February 9, 2008, I was considering what greens should go in the back ground of this gorgeous floral.  Typically, in the past, I may have opted to use the center (sap green) as it is a more "natural" color; but this floral is rather potent, so I chose the one on the right:   Thalo Green, with a little sap thrown in just to dull it a bit.
	First, I did try new gamboge, sap green, and some friscit and then some thalo over that.
	I didn't like the colors, so I tried friscit with more of the thalo in several layers from light to darker.
	I really didn't like the "controlled" look of the friscit and the leaf and grass forms; so I think I have decided upon this combination.   Tuesday night at class, everyone can see the results.   Hope it works!!!   It is always a study, experiment, and try something, and then something else, till you get it "just right."

I also did some experimentation with the yellows.   Yellows in the flower petals were a topic of discussion last Tuesday night and we will still have to talk about this and do some experimenting.  What kind of yellow?   Where?   And why or why not on top of some of these pinks and lavenders!   Some work, some don't!

	Here , you can see the Quiller Palette in use for the above painting.
	Some of Donna's Favorite BRUSHES: Angles, Rounds, and Flats

	Maddie's "March of the Jelly Beans!"
	Maddie's "Too Many Footprints"  (what it feels like in a crowded restaurant)
	Maddie and Kinslee painting in Grandma's Studio!

	Grandma teaching Madison (several years ago) (was she 4 or 5???) about the proper care of brushes.   Just a tiny girl, but lots of artful inspiration in her big and loving heart!!!
Kinslee is only 2 1/2 but loves to paint also!!!   This is the fish she did on Friday night at Grandma's (February 1, 2008).

And here is Maddie's fish.   She didn't want to color the fish that was already drawn.  Madison is her "own" artist!  Her fish is saying "Thanks!"   You'll have to ask Maddie what he is thankful for :)