Two New Spiral Watercolor Pads

 Ink

Watercolor

Gouache

Water

Fingers

Brushes

New water color pads or small pieces of watercolor paper

Paper towel

1/2 1 hour

A few new Intuitive Sketches

Stones and Arches Lead My Way

Ink Watercolor Gouache

7" x 7"

Watercolor Paper

Bird Watch

Ink Watercolor Gouache

7" x 5"

Canson A5 Spiral Watercolor Pad

Traveling Through Space

Ink Watercolor Gouache

7" x 7"

Watercolor Paper

I Glimpse Into My Fantasy

Ink Watercolor Gouache

7" x 7"

Watercolor Paper

Beyond the Fence

Ink Watercolor Gouache

7" x 7"

Watercolor Paper

Have finished some various scrapes of watercolor paper and now on to my 2 new Canson 300gm spiral watercolor pads, A4, A5.  Have even started one, and on the first page. 

I use the technique I learned from Stan Kurth last September, which seems like ages ago, called Intuitive Painting with Watercolor, Ink and Gouache. I block out the size on the pad and start with a water-soluble ink pen, making intuitive mark-making, wetting with water and my finger to make smudges. Sometimes wet the paper and put ink marks. One can use watercolor pencils, water-soluble graphite and other mark making tools. Using watercolor washes over the ink, also intuitively. Going back with pen and editing with more opaque gouache. Stan does this complete process in one sitting, as his demonstration, but I like to work doing a few ink starts. Next day adding watercolor, and then another time to the editing process, which is the most difficult. As soon as my thinking process kicks in, I am in big trouble.

Study in Orange

Purposely left a small piece of cut canvas taped to a kappa-board on my worktable.  It called out to me. 

Cadmium Red + Yellow Ochre  Paynes Grey, my new black, white, and Buff

Ice Cream Anyone

15.5 x 15.5 "

Oils on Cut Canvas

Another underpants

 Work seems to come in spats... than a lag.. then another push.  As I write another cut-canvas awaits on the table and a few watercolor sketches also waiting to be finished or not. Too much time and not enough PUSH! So here I am instead of painting, writing!

Looking Toward New and Greener Pastures

Oils on cut canvas 21.5" x 15.5"

Collage

Decided to choose two colors of the same hue for my main color choice along with Paynes Grey, instead of black, white, and buff. The orange is an oil pastel. Felt good with this one so gave it a title influenced by Milton's Lycidas

And now the Sun had stretch'd out all the hills,

And now was dropt into the Western bay;

At last he rose, and twitch'd his Mantle blew:

To morrow to fresh Woods, and Pastures new

Hard to Decide

 Back to working on cut canvas and oils. I based this on BP#1. When I finished all the prompts, I felt it was a disaster.  Like I usually do. Thought that after a year I would have learned to accept what comes out.  Put it away because I knew I had to stop and not continue. It will continue to be a WIP until I give it a title. Did get a good review from Joan.

WIP

Oils on canvas 19.75 x 29.75"

Just a short rant. I know it is a difficult time for all, especially artists that usually have one to one workshops. But sometimes it gets to be a bit too aggressive. Not going to mention names, but I do expect that a free webinar on zoom be live and have more content than just selling.  

Sharing a Visit

This pandemic has been a difficult, trying and frustrating time, but I find it is teaching us some valuable lessons. One such lesson is, don't take things for granted.  Before the pandemic, I would make weekly visits to my daughter and grand-sons.  It's a fairly simple drive, half an hour on the major highway to Jerusalem. I took these outings for granted. Tuesday morning was art workshop day, Wednesday visit Yael. When they were much younger my weekly visits were helpful because that was the day Yael had evening classes to teach and I had to make supper, see that they took their bathes, and read before bedtime. It was a sleepover when they were still living in Aminadav, outside of Jerusalem. Since their move to Neve Shalom two years ago, the visits are easier, I can drive, and Yael usually is at home, so we enjoy a coffee together while catching up. The kids don't "need my help" but my presence is important to them. 

This changed with Covid, lockdowns and visiting restrictions.

So when I can make a visit WOW what a treat!  Noam wasn't at home because his school allows him to take part in their boarding school, two weeks at school, two weeks at home, but I had an enjoyable visit with Uri, 11, and Yael. Maybe next week Uri will start school. It was good to get out of the house in the fresh air! 

  

View from the deck

They built the house around the tree!

Zoom homeschooling

Caught Uri in the middle of his class, later went out on the deck to paint. A lesson in intuitive painting!

My creation

Gouache + oil pastel 

Uri's drawing

Uri's painting with a view of the garden

Uri's painting closeup

Gouache

Not going to take these visits "for granted."

New Work

WIP

Cut Canvas 19.75 x 27.5 "

Graphite Mark Making

WIP

Cut Canvas 19.75 x 27.5 "

First layers using prompts

colored pencil oil pastels oils

Stream of Consciousness

  Creativity means thinking on your feet, making adjustments and sorties as you go along, advancing commitment as well as erasure. Unless you express your wishes, however modestly or timidly, you may never know your power. Your general overall theme may be audacious, even simply audacious, but it is the final, well-planned flourishes that will help your work to fly.  Robert Genn

 Sometimes I feel as if I am on some roller-coaster ride! Sometimes high and then very low, nothing in between. Although I made some starts, really haven't been able to push myself to move some further. I have even placed most face to the wall. Now really, Carol, what's the point! I wake up with lots of good intentions, but then find one and million things to do instead. 

I bought a new book to help me get over myself. The Artist's Journey: Bold Strokes To Spark Creativity. By Nancy Hillis. Her process is intuitive, much like John Fullerton. She talks a lot about "The stream of Consciousness, "  creating art in a state where you try to remove all traces of deliberate steering of the creative process.

Stage I

Stage II

Acrylic paint

Stage III

Added tone

At this stage I have removed the papers and see if there are some I want to move forward with.

 

Just Some more Intuitive Sketches

 

Have really lost track of what I have shown here. I have been publishing mostly on Instagram.  So here are a few since my last post " A Bit Fishy" 

I still have a lot to learn with these exercises. One, best to work on light paper. Tried a few with a brown paper and found it difficult to get what I wanted. Lots to learn about simplicity of shapes and colors. What to leave and what to take away. That's all part of the process. I love process! 

These are not in any special order!

Hey! Haven't you heard about Social Distancing! 

Intuitive sketch 5"x 7" Small Spiral Watercolor Pad

 Watercolor + gouache

Chagall animal dreams!(I wish)

 Intuitive sketch 4"x 5" Small Spiral Watercolor Pad

 Watercolor + gouache

Fall Melody 

Intuitive sketch 5"x 7" Small Spiral Watercolor Pad

 Pen +Watercolor + gouache

Lots of Goodies

 Intuitive sketch 8"x 8" FSC Organic paper 350gm

 Pen, Watercolor, gouache, charcoal pencil, ink intense pencils

On Dark Paper

Hidden Cities WIP 

Intuitive sketch 8"x 8" FSC Organic paper 350gm 

Pen +Watercolor + gouache

Dark paper with clear gesso

Oranges and Lemons Abstract Still-life
Intuitive sketch 5"x 7" Small Spiral Watercolor Pad

 Pen + Watercolor + Gouache

Silly Pooh! Christopher isn't under there!

 Intuitive sketch 5"x 7" Small Spiral Watercolor Pad

Pen + Watercolor + gouache

Watching Over You

 Intuitive sketch 5"x 7" Small Spiral Watercolor Pad 

Pen, Watercolor + gouache

Not going to bother you with all the thoughts running through my head. Difficult to get that awful critic out of my studio!

Love for Carmine and Turquoise

 With a few new cut canvas pieces from my friend Traudi. Back to oils and prompts!

Hidden Face. Adorned with happy flowers!

Oils on Cut Canvas

10.5" x 15" 

Traveling. Through Floating Galaxies and Stars

Oils on Cut Canvas

10.5" x 15" 

Six Word Stories

 Just read an interesting newsletter by Susan Flanagan describing this process. Can't find anything on her site/blog so can't show a link. She decided to use this formula to describe some of her recent paintings. What a fabulous idea... wonder how that will work on my abstracts? Shouldn' be hard to find 6 words!

Two Figures Standing. The open field.

7" x 5"  in watercolor pad

Intuitive Sketch 

Watercolor and Gouache

Getting Used to Small

 The day you stop doing the small things is the day you think you're above everybody else. Kevin Hart

 

I found this small sketch pad hidden on one of my shelves. Think it's A5 size with real heavy watercolor paper perfect for my small intuitive sketches. 10 more pages YAY! 

The Oracle

8" x 5"

Watercolor Pad

Abstract Landscape

8" x 5"

Watercolor Pad

Green Abyss

8" x 5"

Watercolor Pad

Lot's of Fruit

8" x 5"

Watercolor Pad

Some More Intuitive Sketches

 Learning is different. Learning is something we get to do, it’s a dance, an embrace, a chance to turn on some lights.

You don’t take a workshop. You are part of one. Seth Godin

 

From the one day online workshop with Stan Kurth

A bit late, but who's counting!

 

Hey! Have you seen Alice?

8" x 8"

FSC Organic paper 350gm

Let's Visit the Aquarium

8" x 8" FSC Organic paper 350gm

 

In Middle of the Night

Intuition comes very close to clairvoyance; it appears to be the extrasensory perception of reality. (Alexis Carrel)

Our weekly workshops have started, masks and all. So great to meet with my artist friends. We are so fortunate to have a huge space for our meetings and having a relatively small group. I hope it won't be cut short with this second wave, which is totally out of control here!

Took a cut canvas, my prompts, and oils. Great to work in oils again. This is what Joan calls the underpants. That is no editing after the prompts! As usual, I took it home and placed against my chest of drawers, guess I must have flipped 180. Looking at it fresh this morning I saw that my friend Jen had crept into my painting in the middle of the night!

A Secret Visit in the Middle of the Night

17.5 " x 25"

Oils on Cut Canvas

Detail

Learning to Cover Up

 

My goal is to surprise myself. (Peter William Brown)

I just love starts. They are the 3 Fs! Free Fast Fresh! But they are mostly NOT done. What to add and mostly what to hide, cover-up!

This was one of the sketches I did for Stan's Intuitive Sketch workshop. What a mess, but I liked it. Sometimes I just freeze with fear, not the best word! Today I took myself in hand. This one took 3 layers!

Love Having Tea with Friends

Final Cover-up

Intuitive sketch 8" x 8" FSC Organic paper 350gm

Ink Watercolor Gouache

Start

I liked the figures that started to show.

A Little Cover-Up

A Little More

Diving off the High Board

Getting out of messes is really what it's all about, problem solving. Stan Kurth

I was first introduced to Stan Kurth through Jen Jovan and immediately fell in love with his work.  At the time he only did one to one workshops so since living in Israel it was sort off limits for me. Well, the pandemic changed a lot of things and Stan has gone online and I took part in his first one-day workshop The Intuitive Sketch .

For me, it was like diving off the high board. Mainly because of the medium that I have shied away from, watercolor and gouache, and penwork. But I was so surprised when working that it was almost like working with oils. Yes a strange comparison I know, but this medium kept that paints alive and not dead like with acrylics. Even the paints in the palette can be used. And watercolor is so portable and making small compositions can be done almost anywhere. WIN-WIN!
I may even challenge myself to a 100-day challenge. I bought some gouache tubes more than 5 years ago, and my watercolor set a year and a half. It's about time they got some use! Always fun with new/old toys

Peek a Boo I See You

8" x 8"  FSC Organic paper 350gm

Water-soluble pen  watercolor  gouache

This was sent in for critique. He liked the balance and the color gradations. Made a point of the strong line element. One suggestion was to lighten the top area above the bird's head.

WIP

8" x 8"  FSC Organic paper 350gm

Water-soluble pen  watercolor  gouache  Chinese Pen

WIP

8" x 8"  FSC Organic paper 350gm

Water-soluble pen  watercolor  gouache

I learned that I have to rely on my instincts and be bolder even when treading in new territory!

Spells of Calm

Every life needs spells of calm,

every life needs expanses of time when nothing much occurs, 

when one may sit for several hours 

in the same place and gaze upon static things, 

upon some waxen-leafed desert plant, 

perhaps,or a patch of dried grass. 

Alexander McCall Smith, The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection

Nothing like going to the pool early in the morning. Quiet, not many swimmers, sun is not high, and if you are lucky, might catch a slight breeze.  After my 16 laps, I like to sit and rest with the book I am currently reading. (Trying to get more into the reading mode) One of my favorite authors is Alexander McCall Smith, he has several series, but my favorite is The No1 Ladies Detective Agency.
Set in Botswana I find the naive fresh philosophy enchanting and easy to read.

Background

20" x 20" cardboard

First layer from the previous purple and magenta painting  Keep adding marks and this morning I dropped a small container leftover yellowish-orange paint that a spread with a sponge, then another with a little thin magenta paint spread with the container's rim. (bottom right) So now I found a great quote and a nice background two good reasons to make a post!

Tread Lightly on the Stones

“ The only difference between stumbling blocks and stepping stones is the way you use them.” American

Treading Softly on the Stones

WIP

20" x 20" FSC Organic paper 350gm

Acrylics and Mixed Media

Bossypants#4 on toned canvas

Lost My Way in Storyland

“We are, as a species, addicted to story. Even when the body goes to sleep, the mind stays up all night, telling itself stories.” - Jonathan Gottschall, The Storytelling Animal

I Seem to Be Lost in Storyland

WIP

20" x 20"  FSC Eco Paper 350 gm

Acrylics and Mixed Media 

Start 

I thought that this would develop into an abstract floral but using the prompts of Bossypants #1 it went into another direction. Used a limited palette of Chrome Green and a vibrant orange, a magenta colored ink intense pencil, oil pastel forgot which color, and graphite pencil and crayon.  This will sit for a while till I decide what story or stories I wish to tell. 

Purple Skies

“The sky is already purple; the first few stars have appeared, suddenly, as if someone had thrown a handful of silver across the edge of the world.”
― Alice Hoffman, Here on Earth

Color mixing never ceases to surprise me.  Just the choice of what 2 colors to use in my intuitive process is exciting. Today I chose a fairly dark Magenta and a bright turquoise! This along with a watercolor pencil, oil pastel ( most often randomly chosen), and graphite pencil or crayon make up my limited palette combined with black, white, and titanium buff!  So what a surprise when I combined the two colors and got a really bright purple! There is such a wide variety in a limited palette and a wide variety when using a set of prompts.

Found Myself Gazing at the Purple Skies

20" x 20" FSC Organic paper 350gm 

Acrylics and Mixed Media

May lighten the bottom section to create more contrast. Thoughts?