My Tax "Vacation"

Work in Progress: Petunias-(C) Jeanne Guerin-Daley

Here's a pic of a work-in-progress. I have been so busy working on my annual [always huge] tax-paper-gathering job. After spending most of the day and evening on that, I was starting to go stir-crazy. I decided it was time for a change of activity in order to stay sane!

So last night, even though it was already quite late, I got out a quarter sheet of some "Artistico Fabriano" watercolor paper. Then I chose a reference photo from my collection of images that I had photographed of my summer garden flowers, grabbed a brush and attacked the paper! This image is about two petunia blossoms (the mostly undone areas of yellowish white right now) next to a fence.

I tend to waver back and forth between loose and tight techniques, depending on my mood and the application. The acrylic paintings painted for the Michaels workshops lean toward the tight/realistic... which is as it should be, for the purposes of teaching the basics.

But when I paint for me, I try to let out whatever needs to come out. Being loose is often a way I might start out. But this one, I actually started with a quasi-realistic light pencil drawing. Not too much details, but I did spend time on erasing and redrawing to place the objects where and how I wanted them. When I started laying down those beautiful colors though, I let the brush and my muse take over and had such fun!

One way you can tell that painting is your passion:
Your son tells you that it's getting close to two AM and you thought it was just past midnight. . . And, you don't care! You just want to keep painting!  Sometimes I wish we didn't have to go to sleep at night to recharge. I would have so much more painting time!

Stay tuned to see the petunias emerge...

Sunflower Watercolor-A Progression

What you see above is a series of photographs that I took of my latest adventure in floral watercolors.
It portrays a sunflower blossom in the process of opening up.
Sunflowers always bring a smile to my face with their bright yellow sunshiny faces!

Using a technique commonly used by European Impressionist painters like Vincent Van Gogh and Paul Gauguin, I chose a background rich with purples since purple is the complementary (opposite) color of yellow. Placing complementary colors side by side increases the apparent intensity of each individual color.

I don't believe it's finished yet. I think I would like to see some more development and refining happening in the petals and leaves. Or shall I leave it very loose? Maybe go darker still in the background.

What do YOU think? Please share your thoughts on this by clicking "comments" below. Thanks. I would greatly appreciate feedback on this.

Watercolor vs Pastel(or other...)

I love to create artwork using different mediums; not usually at the same time, as in mixed media pieces, although I do combine them occasionally What I mean is, I love to paint in watercolor. I also enjoy working in soft pastel*. Then there's acrylic painting on canvas. And cyanotypes. And colored pencil . . .

Which medium I use depends a lot on the current situation. For instance, if I am at home and want to work in the evening, but I also want to spend time with my family,. I have found watercolor usually works perfectly.

I have a little area set up in my living room where I can work on small-sized watercolor projects while still keeping an eye on what other family members are viewing on the tube. Watching television is a popular evening activity in our house, so watching TV with my kids is one way (granted not the most ideal way, but oh well!) that I can stay tuned into my kids' lives. Even though TV watching is considered a passive activity, my family tends to converse and interact while watching. Often someone will make a comment about a situation in a show and that spurs on a discussion.

We also often enjoy interesting educational shows like Nova, programs that show us glimpses of our  natural world that we hadn't yet had the chance to see for ourselves. This can make watching while painting a somewhat inspirational event, since much of my art revolves around my fascination with nature, using images from our natural world.
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By the way,....
I recently read an interesting article about the nature-loving quality of people. You can read it by clicking here:
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So, although painting while watching TV can mean a less pinpointed focus on my artwork, for me, it is the perfect solution to the problem of having so many loves (two being art and family) and not enough time. (It is certainly better than not painting at all!)

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*Regarding soft pastel mentioned above:
Since I discovered the danger of breathing in pastel dust, I have stopped using them indoors when I'm near family members. More info about the dangers of pastels below.

*Click here for a link which I found with tips for pastelists to stay healthy and clean while using pastels.

~ also ~
Richard McKinley has a terrific post for fellow pastel artists called "Dealing with Dust" on his Pastel Pointers blog.

Flowers That Move!

Did you know that flowers really do move?

I worked on my latest watercolor again last night. What I am painting is part of a flower arrangement that I made in a vase. There's a deep purple setcreasea (aka Purple Heart) sprig in there, and some marigolds and daisy-like mums, along with some variegated green leaves from a shrub (of which I don't remember the name) and some wild daisies (the names of which my husband  says is "Weeds".)




I had started it the night before, and then when I worked on it again, many of the shapes and lines in the composition were totally different! Leaves that used to face one way, now faced t'other! It's okay though, I'm not going for total realism, just a general likeness. I will try and finish it tonight. (luckily I painted the part with the orange marigolds already, because they are looking mighty wilted already!) Wish me luck!?

 I can't wait to start my playtime with paint and render these red and yellow chrysanthemums!
   *  *  *  Enjoy the Color!  *  *  *

Rosebud #1-Watercolor

Influenced by Sarah Yeoman's presentation (see previous post) on loose watercolor technique, here is an experiment in the method. I think it is very different from much of my past work where would often try to record every detail. This working loosely is very freeing, mentally speaking. It allows me to be more playful with the paint and quite honestly, makes the creation of the piece more enjoyable. It is more about capturing the essence of the flower, rather than the details. That is something I have read about countless times, but it didn't quite sink in until now. How does that saying go? "When the student is ready, the teacher appears?"


"Pink Rosebud #1"
Copyright 2009 Jeanne Guerin-Daley
(Note cards of this image can be ordered by contacting the artist.)

Sarah Yeoman, Watercolorist

I am re-publishing this post after I realized I made a mistake with Sarah Yeoman's name. So sorry, Sarah! Below is the amended post.

This past Friday I attended the monthly meeting of the Delaware Valley Art League. This organization has over 200 members who are artists living and working in the Delaware Valley area. There are several juried group exhibits throughout the year. I’ve been a member for less than a year now, and enjoy learning new things at the monthly meeting.

There is always an artist who makes a presentation of some sort. This one was Sarah Yeoman, a watercolorist. She brought some samples of her work, some blank paper, brushes and paints and proceeded to create a watercolor painting, describing her process as she worked. It was fascinating, seeing how her interpretation of lights and darks, shapes and forms, evolved into a work of art. The subject she chose was (a photograph she had taken of ) a cluster of colored glass bottles, setting on a windowsill. There were lots of reflections and interesting shapes and values throughout the image. I was glad that, having arrived early, I was able to sit right up front and see the process up close. By the time I got home, I couldn’t wait to pick up a brush and try out some of the neat tricks that I learned. I had been playing around with some little watercolor projects. The artist's road is paved with experimentation!

If you're an artist who wants to check it out, you can attend a meeting of the Delaware Valley Art League before you decide to join. They are open to the public. You can find the meeting schedule and more info on their website: http://www.the-art-league.org/