Along the Great Western Trail-Watercolor and Gouache-unframed $140

Saturday, September 29th I led a group westward on the Great Western Trail.  We rode our bikes out 8 miles and saw some beautiful western suburb scenes along the trail.

This painting was inspired by a beautiful creek that runs across the trail.  The fall colors were just vibrant and enjoyable.

Along with painting, I LOVE to bike.  

"Cattails"

I think Illinois is having an early spring this year! Good....this winter was too long......anyway here is a watercolor that I painted of a scene at the Rollins Savannah Forest Preserve in Grayslake, IL

"Cattails"-watercolor-12 x 18-$125 unframed
!!!!SOLD!!!!!!

Nippersink Clearing

Nippersink Clearing-gouache and watercolor-unframed $125

Just finished this watercolor and gouache on Strathmore windpower 140 lb. watercolor paper, 12 x 18.

I soooooooo....much love to do landscape paintings!!!

Mystified

After being so depressed by the loss of my most favorite companion, I got right back into painting to ease the pain.  I imagined him right here with me as he always would be near me while I painted.  

Here is a watercolor and gouache that I just completed this morning.  I call it "Mystified".  It is 18 x 24 on watercolor paper.

Mystified-watercolor & gouache-$225

Summer Breeze

Summer Breeze-unframed watercolor and gouache $75

Okay, did this one this morning....this weather is already getting me down.  So here is a watercolor and gouache, 9 x 12.  

Winter in IL

Winter in IL-Unframed watercolor and white gouache-$75

On to winter scenes, since today the sky sure looks like winter is just around the corner....found this photo that I took years ago, so I painted this watercolor and white gouache on an Arches 8 x 11 cold press 140 lb paper.  

Fall Branches II

Fall Branches II-12 x 18 watercolor and gouache unframed $150

Last one in this Fall series...12 x 18 on Canson 140lb paper.  

Saplings near the Clearing

Here is another 12 x 18 watercolor and gouache on Canson 140 lb. paper.
I am on an autumn kick!  The colors are so breathtaking and so I looked back to 2009 and found another beautiful scene to work into a painting.

Saplings near the Clearing-watercolor and gouache- unframed $125

Last October

Last October-Transparent Watercolor- Unframed $150

This morning I started painting as I usually do each day (that is if I have the time) and drank my morning java with flavored cream and ice.  Three cups are usually my limit.

I have been messing around with acrylics and I am far from mastering that, but learning how to work with the medium. I started an 11 x 14 on canvas board of a large dahlia with a dark background.  It has a long way to go, so I will post when that one is completed if it is worthy of seeing.

And my watercolors are sometimes frustrating, but I continue to go back and try and work a full painting using transparent watercolor only.

Today, I did a scene that was from last October of a photo I took I believe in Libertyville, so of course, I call this one "Last October".  It is a transparent watercolor on Canson, 12 x 18, 140 lb. paper.  I used a variety of colors, which include: burnt alizrin, sepia, paynes gray, violet, indigo, hunter green, quinacridone gold, cadimuim and lemon yellow.  I usually mix my hunter with the indigo to get a darker green.  The violet, paynes gray and the indigo to get a dark deep color for depth.  And to give me my whites back, I scraped the surface of the tree trunks to brighten them.

Fall Colors III-Watercolor and White Gouache

Fall Colors III-Unframed 12 x 18-$80

Fall in Illinois can be very unpredictable.  Some years we have lots of red others lots of yellow.  This year is the year for yellows.  But, with a little imagination, I can see those other colors coming out everywhere.  The greens are especially interesting mixed with the yellows.
Here is a watercolor and white gouache that I painted a few days ago.  I shot the original photo on the way home from a plein air session in Lake Bluff.  This was a group of trees in Libertyville, IL on St. Mary's road and Rt. 176.  

Showing it's Age

Working with watercolors a bit more lately and enjoying the vibrant colors I am getting...also working with gouache...but my poor pastels are just sitting here....not very motivated to work with them lately.

Showing it's Age-Watercolor and Gouache-$125 unframed

Anyway, here is my latest painting.....enjoy! It's 12 x 16 on Canson watercolor paper.  

Wild Thistles

For the first time in my life, I am teaching a watercolor class! It has been a wonderful experience and I am not sure if they are getting more out of it or me!  It has reignited my passion for watercolors and brought attention to how much I know about watercolors and gouache painting.  I am totally enjoying the three students that I have and hope they are too.

I did these two paintings over the weekend to show the class the difference between using masking fluid and not using it.  Wild Thistles I was painted with masking fluid and gouache with watercolor on the flowers and Wild Thistles II was painted without masking, by reserving areas and watercolor with white gouache.

These are both 9 x 24 size on Canson watercolor paper.  

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

On the way to Cary, IL on Christmas Day, I shot a few photos of open fields.  I just loved the sky that day and knew that I would have a few neat photos to work from.  Here is what I came up with. 
Both paitnings are on Strathmore cold press, 140 lb paper and done in gouache.  They are approx. 8 x 8 in size. I call them "On the Way to Christmas I and II.   

Enjoy!  and have a great NEW YEAR!!! Welcome 2010~goodbye 2009!

Back to Watercolors and Gouache

Did these two paintings of some scenes I photograhed a few weeks back. I call them First Snow and First Snow II.

Both paintings are 9 x12 on Arches 140 lb paper.

First one is a watercolor and gouache the second one is a gouache. Both paintings can be purchased. For more information on the paintings please leave me a comment and I will contact you or go to my website and you can email me directly. Thanks for looking!

"Down the Beaten Path"

This past Saturday was such a wonderful morning to be painting outdoors at my plein air session. I found a place to paint and set up my stuff on a nearby bench. I knelt down to paint this scene of a path that led to a wonderful little lake. It was hard to decide what to paint, since there was so much beauty. There were a number of other painters and they too were set up and started taking in the breathtaking scene of that morning.

Here is the painting that I created. Most was completed at the session, around 2 hours and another hour at home to finish it up. Isn't nature beautiful? Those trees are so interesting and easy to look at!

This is a watercolor with some white gouache to highlight on Arches watercolor paper, approx. 12 x 16.

Learning something every Plein Air Session

Today I spent my morning at the Raven Glen Forest Preserve in Antioch, IL. It was a beautiful day and I am so happy that the weather cleared up for our plein air group meeting.

I took many photos of the area for later reference and after having a difficult session out there in the cold crisp morning I realized that taking a "cheap" paper to work on was not a good idea. The water was saturating the surface and making it warp out so bad that I was having a hard time getting the painting to look like anything. Then I tried a few smaller pieces with no luck and tore them up. Lastly, I folded the cheap paper and mounted it to my board and used very little water. It worked but my painting was not what I wanted in the sense of depth and color darkness, so it was a good lesson for me today.

After going home and sorting through the 75 pictures I shot, I ended up painting this scene on some good Arches 300 lb paper 12 x 16 size. I call it "Light from the east".

Yankee the Dog!

Well, I have been waiting to post this painting so that my friend Cindy Gross would not see this gift I was planing on giving her and her husband, Ed for having us over to their home up on Turtle Lake. And today, I was able to surprise them with the painting of their dog Yankee.

Yankee is a labordoodle (not sure how you spell that) He is so sweet and cute. I thought it would make a nice gift for their kind generosity of sharing a Friday up at their home on Turtle Lake with Debbie and I.

We really enjoyed spending the day with them. They served us lunch and let us ride on their go-kart and paddle boat. Unfortunately the weather wasn't cooperating with us, so it rained a bit on and off all day.

Then Cindy and I sat at the table on their porch, looking out at the lake and plein aired some art, while Ed found something to work on in the barn and Debbie sat back with her book. That was really fun. We enjoyed the peaceful quiet of the short but sweet Friday retreat up at the Gross' home on Turtle Lake.

Here is the painting that I did of the view from the porch, looking out onto the lake. It is watercolor and gouache with some pastel accents that I added after I returned home.

Can't wait until the next time we can return. I just loved the peace and quiet. And of course the company!!!

Wow! What a great day to Plein Air!

Today, I went over to downtown Antioch to join my plein air group. But only found one person sitting on the main drag set up for our 3 hour session. So, I opened my chair and set myself up just up the street and started painting one of the shops there. There were two big beautiful trees and a blue sky that attracted my attention. The shop was a dog grooming place and that too attracted me. So, here is the painting that I did.

Several people came up to me, including a policewoman and wanted to see my work. Another wanted to know if I did commissions and if I could work off a photo. So, maybe I will get a call and paint the jewelery store building for her.

There were so many interesting buildings, I could go back there and capture many interesting street scenes there, because of the very old and unique storefronts.

Sunday Brunch

Today I cooked a fantastic Sunday brunch for 15 of our friends. We served Mimosa's and Quiche with lots of other great side items. Like a strawberry spinach salad, bagels, muffins and a fresh fruit salad. Everyone ate and drank and had fun!

The best part was the cooking. I just loved it. I really have never cooked a quiche and I also made a strata. The worst part was when I went to put the pies in the oven, I spilled some of liquid and it started to burn and smoke up the house. But, I was able to clean up the spill and clear out the house in a about 10 minutes without the smoke alarm sounding.

Still sticking with the diet and learning my Spanish.

I will continue to work on getting myself together. I want to start something new, but nothing has worked so far.

I am planning on doing an art fair on June 16th to try and sell some of my watercolors. I got good response from people today regarding my work. I know if I price it right, it will sell!