Blog

Evidently, sold two of these prints. I am thrilled as I feel it is a really nice piece of work and have had many compliments on it. I think the photo file is two big for this venue but you can see it under my artwork. I am blogging on Blogspot regularly now. http://bit.ly/OpLas

Evidently, sold two of these prints. I am thrilled as I feel it is a really nice piece of work and have had many compliments on it. I think the photo file is two big for this venue but you can see it under my artwork. I am blogging on Blogspot regularly now. http://bit.ly/OpLas

Wow, a whole month since I posted. Well, I have been painting! Every Monday at the Longhorn Ranch. Fantastic vistas, pond views, cattle views, birdhouses and flowers. My biggest problem is photoing! I never seem to get them light enough and have to edit the photos. Then I painted at Put-in-Bay at Lake Erie and left my two paintings there! My daughter will bring them back next week but I really wanted to touch them up. I am attempting to paint 3 paiintings a week although some will be commissions for Christmas.

Finally some new paintings. A sunset scene sold at Lakeside and the photo turned out poorly and won't upload good here but it can be seen on my Facebook page. I have more but they need some work. and the uploaded ones are in a competition that I should hear about acceptance Aug. 15. In meantime will be fixing up paintings and painting more. Mom is in assisted living now and I have so much more time to paint.

This painting and my bench painting upload with vibration lines in swirls so will have to rephoto. Don't know why it is happening here as all the other sites I have uploaded don't have those lines.Maybe I didn't steady the camera on the tripod.

This was done from a photo one day when I couldn't get out to paint. I added the little stream through the meadow to make it more interesting.

This is small 5x7. Very interesting to work with coffee. The coffee paintings will be for sale after my 8 teaching classes at the local libraries. I believe the large sailboat coffee painting is on a previous blog

Another of my Bench Series. This was done in plein air last week at Kingwood Center.

Finally got to plein air paint. Went to Kingwood and met lots of nice visitors and accomplished this painting. It will be added to my site in the next few days. It rather matches my bench painting that I am doing a series. I could call it MISSING BENCH!

Finally got to at least photo the last two paintings that were done 2-3 weeks ago. Unable to paint as I am doing 24 hr care for my Mother right now until I get some assistance and get her into assisted living.

Sorry, but Mom fell and until I can get some more help, no blogging, no painting, I can barely get myself a shower. Maybe back next week. Assisted Living on hold due to government regulations!

I can't believe its been since the first that I have blogged here. Too much going on. Ohio Plein Air was here on Sat. 22 OPAS artist and at least 10 other artists. I was the host, so some prep work and after event work. Then to Lake Erie to give things to the Gallery. That was Monday. Great Day at the Lake with 2 other artists. Tues night was Artist's Night Out with a potluck. Talked to director of the Art Center about a show in the future and a paintout. Wed was prep for my class. Great class but forgot to take pictures! I thought I would paint today but continued catch up from putting things off previously and worked in the yard since the ground was wet and the weeds pull up easier. My painting area is a mess, too. Not enough time....I try and do too much. I wan't to do it all! My dogs, my garden, my painting. I don't want to clean house, do household chores or mow lawn!!

Even with photographing with 8m on tripod, outside I still get fuzzy image when blown up so I have been only offering approximate sizes of the originals. It is very upsetting and I think it is actually my photo program that compresses the image. I don't actually know what to do about it.

Wiill photo and upload later but you can see on my blog. www.judyfischerwalton.blogspot.com. It was not photographed straight so don't want to post here. I got a free night at the Mohican Ohio Park Resort so paid for another night so I could paint. Had to take my mother with me and that took a lot of time. The place is not too handicapped friendly. So a lot of carrying wheelchair up the steps and then helping her, and taking her to meals and getting her settled so I could paint. I got one and a half paintings done. The weather was great, warm and sunny. I did take a number of photos to paint from. Today I take a couple of paintings (actually prints)to the Richland Academy and pick up two that have been there since December. I don't like tying them up that long. I have 2 more shows to enter and a box of paintings to go to the Blue Cottage Gallery for the summer season at Lake Erie. All are backed, noted and packaged. So should be able to paint. House is not clean but dogs walked, laundry done, grocery done. Then have watercolor class to teach tonight. check out my blog. http://www.judyfischerwalton.blogspot.com.

Packaged up a painting to send for a sale. Getting a sale is better than getting into the Art Center. That is two paintings that would have gone to the Lake Gallery. Going to have to paint more!!! Also framed a painting for the May Show at Kingwood. The painting sold is West Gibraltar Sail. Too big to upload here.

Well,well....rejected for the May Show, My White Tulips and the Heron watercolors.. It has always been a far out show, They have notoriously picked the farthest out stuff. I guess my cow and calf pastel last year got in because it was pastel and cows. There was very little representational art. So.....I don't need to pay high bucks to get rejected. I am selling in FAA, even originals, and selling at the Lake Gallery. I don't care to be famous. Just want to sell enough to keep painting. FAA has been good to me this year and the other members are very helpful. Got the book DIGITAL ART PHOTOGRAPHY FOR DUMMIES. Very interesting and am learning a lot. Also bought a form holder and having my son make it so it fits on a tripod to make my paintouts more weightless! So bring it one Spring!

I now have an art blog. The ART SPARK. http://judyfischerwalton.blogspot.com. I plan on maintaining it daily with paintings, composition lessons, what started the painting and the planning that goes into it. I hope this will be helpful to those students of art. I know I am helped tremendously by MarcHansonArt.com and his Painting Marathon blog. Check it out.

I am thrilled! My WHITE TULIPS received 11 votes the the on Spring Celebration contest. I was 7th down from the top with 462 paintings. The first five were from the same artist. So I feel I was really the third artist! So that is the painting that I will enter in the May Show. That and my little SPRING WATERFALL. I can only enter two. I spent yesterday deciding what paintings go to what show. The show at the Lake will get PARTY and GIBRALTAR MORN. Or Maybe LAKESIDE HOLLYHOCKS. I feel Gibraltar Morn would qualify for a Plein Air Show somewhere. I think my body of work may be all the Lake paintings but they are going to the Blue Cottage Gallery at the Lake. I love painting Plein Air but also want to keep doing watercolors as I teach watercolor. My pastels are technically good but very time consuming. So....I have put the pastels away for now. I can be very expressionistic with the watercolors and am loosening up with my oils. Hard to get inspired to paint out as it is cold, gray, and no color. Guess it is ...painting from photos...unless I do daffodils.

Finished the Herons , photographed and uploaded. I think I will enter those, the tulips and the waterfall in the Art Center Show. Maybe the cattle...l think I need to touch it up a bit. Then I need to frame the Herons. Honest if I could just spend the amount of time painting that all the processing takes.

For some reason the cattle pic and blog won't come through...so will go work on painting for a while

Will see how this photos. I was really tired when I painted this, but the tulips were fading fast and everyone was in bed and it was quiet.

Yesterday I got 2 and a half paintings done. I am working on a large watercolor of a misty landscape with some blue herons. This one is about half done. Then I finished a small 5x7 watercolor of some black angus cattle. The next was an 8x10 oil of some tulips that I bought at the grocery that are fading fast. If I can get the large w/c done and do another painting I will be caught up to my goal of 2 a week. The sun is out and it is 40 degrees. Just too cold to paint outside. I will photo the paintings today and post tonight.

Rephotoed at 5M so the prints are better in case anyone wants to make prints. The Lakeside Lillies never was photographed for some reason. Now organizing for the paintings to go to the Lake.

Posted two more paintings. One little oil of a Lake carousel and a seascape on Yupo paper. I think I will experiment some more with the Yupo. It is very uncontrolable and the watercolor slides all over the paper and doesn't stay where you put it, but the effects are really different. I also painted the carousel with a much more loose impressionistic way. Not sure I am completely happy with it. Sold one of my coyote prints today. Yea!

This was a fun piece to do. I miskited out the water then poured and sprayed color where I thought it should go. Then removed the mask and painted the water. Then went back and darkened the shadows. I have always loved waterfalls. I should photo my tiny waterfalls that I have done as miniatures. I will photo the carousel today, the only problem is ....I slipped it into a frame and it looks crooked so we will see....it may need worked on. So far it looks as if my sale of Mountain Lake went through...so the photo at 5m must have worked. Here's hoping.

Got my painting back and photographed it at 5m so hope it works for the print. I touched up my watercolor PARTY and posted it. I also posted a small watercolor of WAITING IN CHARLESTON. Today I did an oil of a carousel at Put-in-Bay, OH that I have been wanting to do. I did loosen up on that one. Taking to heart the lessons I learned at the Ohio Plein Air Society annual meeting and demos. I squinted so much to not see so much detail that I think the painting is not at all detailed and is blurry. Will photo and post tomorrow. Very tired.

I just haven't been able to photo as it has been cloudy and rainy. Would have sold a print online here but the image was poor and the painting was sold. I am getting the painting back but FAA wanted it immediately and that was impossible. So will rephoto and post. The owners of the painting said they didn't mind it being printed and sold. I wish I knew how many more images are poor. Today looks sunny but cold. Had a good critique group yesterday. I stayed until 2pm! I want to work on my Party boats and start an oil painting. So must go get dressed, walk the dogs so they quit bothering me and get to work!

This is a large 11x14. May hang at May show or send to the Lake

Oil 6x8 will see how it uploads before I post

Well, here it is. What a challenge. Let's see if it is small enough for the blog

Was asked to do a series at our local library for 6-8th graders this summer on coffee painting. Researched and found there are coffee painters out there. Should be fun. I saved some coffee and will try today. went to a great seminar on Humor and the brain. How we can change. Will do this! Still working on a watercolor of party boats. Need to download photos. Must get busy.

Tues was her Perm, and then I bought her a 47 in TV as she couldn't see the 27 in well. Then calling the cable co. and getting the set picked up and having it hooked up and by the time all the chores were done....Oh, well...She is happy. and I have spent time on the phone trying to get digital phone. Don't know about it! I was misconnected 3 times. No one called back like they said they would. 3 calls where all the info was given to each person and then they misconnected me! I think they will hook it up next week and then I will have to call to get the Life Alert box changed to digital. I need an art vacation!!

So far have taken my paintings #3 to Henne's Art Cellar to go up next week. Friday I will take down and hang at Gorman Nature Center, Saturday hanging my side by side show and Monday is the changing art at the Cafe on Main. Tonight is my watercolor class! Maybe this weekend I can paint again. Right now it is all the paper work and mainentance of moving this work to the scheduled places. Sent out all my e-mails for the Side by Side Show today also. Voted in the current contest. Voted for Sadie , a colorful water color of a dog. No votes for my painting yet.

Picked the wrong photo yesterday. Today I have lots to do and nothing I want to do. To the pharmacy for Mom's pain patches. Grocery for a few items, gather trash, walk dogs, and hopefully find a mat for my one watercolor, and a frame for the show. Just all the mundane stuff and I want to paint! It is cold, 14 degrees but the sun is shining and good day to paint. Got to hurry and get all this stuff done.

Well, I made up the custom e-mail and sent it to family and myself. I will see how it looks and then send to friends. I guess I need to upload this pic as Art work and then add it to the e-mail. don't know how else to do it. Gosh, I need to be doing something more today. This all took too long and I deleted the first one and lost the second one and the first one came back back so I edited it and submitted. I am so untechy!!

Have been working on the watercolor NaPali. This used to be a half sheet size but I reworked it. The face and some shading. This has a lot of memories for me. Also reworked the Hurry Home 8x 10 oil . It is much more dramatic now. It was rather pastel dramatic previously. Still having trouble photoing. Especially watercolors. They are always gray in the corners. I'm sure it is the lighting and will be glad when I can photo outside in the natural light. Worked on a small 6x7.5 sailboat today that turned out well. Also listed my paintings and where they will be shown and where next etc. All the shows are about the same time, and some to go to a gallery at the Lake in April so I have to plan ahead and not tie something up for two months. I have framed almost everything. I am out of plein air frames. The prices have risen and they are also out of stock. I am not sealing any of the oil paintings as I may need to change pictures out of good frames.I am hoping for some sales as I need to order some metal frames also. I can afford the metal but they don't present as well.

What has happened to the week? Mom had some health problems and that has taken some extra time. I have not painted! I have made cards for my upcoming show and Care of paintings paper to be attached to the backs of the paintings. I have been working on Nursing CEU's to renew my RN license this year. The photo is what we sent to the paper with a story about Lori and I painting together plein air this year and our show the month of March.

Now I am officially on the www.Ohiopleinairsociety.com. Website. Debra did a great job and it looks so nice. I am in the company of so many great artists. Now to get all the paintings framed and cards made. Then to decide what to paint next.

I reworked the tulips and need to rephoto for the artwork. It is not large enough. The new three were too large for the blog. You can see the three new paintings that I have put on my artwork. This finishes the 12 for my March show with Lori Smith. SIDE BY SIDE. As we painted the same area together. Now for the next project. Perhaps the watercolor, self portrait if I can rework it for the show Life's Journeys at Henne's in March. Then gather up some for my Dentist who wants to see some.

Now I can't view them only individually at this point. Have finished 3 paintings and will photo tomorrow. Finally warmed up 44 degrees at 8 pm. Where is all the water going to go? I still have 3 ft drifts at the street.

Plus it is showing up yellow when it should be white. I just have trouble with cameras!!!

The White Tulips are in the artwork now. I will not mat them until critique is over on Thursday. We artists meet as a group monthly and critique each others work. We seem to be more critiqueable? among ourselves. When we have a professional critiquer the other artist don't speak up. This watercolor of Perry's Monument needs rephotoed and may need some stronger contrast.It was photoed on an angel and Lake Erie is running off the page! Now to get to work on the next painting.

When I photoed this I didn't know how my digital camera worked! So it is not in my hands and I cannot make it bigger although I think the original is the next size and perhaps shouldn't be available. Just my ethics.

Photoed a lot today. Will upload more tomorrow. I did do a small 5x7 watercolor tonight and will photo it tomorrow if I like it tomorrow!! Need to go to bed now as Mom and the dogs will be up early.

I got the paintings photoed, uploaded....man is that time consuming! Could not photo pastels under glass from show as I need to get them out of frames and too many errands today. I hope to finish the Hollyhocks tonight. Will now go upload the paintings to FAA. Ok the hollyhock image is too large. I have had that trouble before and it will upload to the Artwork so you will have to wait until it is finished.

I promise to photo the paintings I have completed this past week today! Also will photo and upload the paintings I have picked up from a current show. Last night's watercolor class was great fun. I had seven students and we learned how to tear watercolor paper, painting tecniques and followed up with a leaf painting. Next week...Pears if mine last or I find some good ones at the market. I want tulips but the market's ones are still closed up and to bring them home in the warm to open...well, they don't last long. Plus the first two classes were cancelled due to cold, cold , cold and snow!

It is too cold to continue this. My feet and hands are cold so will upload more later. Now to get some tea and stand in front of the gas heater!

Today we had a high of zero! But the sun is shining so I took advantage of the bright light, snow reflections, and took apart my framed pastels and photoed them for the site. I have realized I am a news junkie and get addicted to watching the news, i.e. the downed Hudson river plane and all of the story and have been wasting time. I will turn it on tonight after supper. I am sure I haven't missed a thing as they repeat everything every hour! So now to upload. The one piece I really wanted to photo, I forgot that I had it hanging at the Gorman Nature Center so it will be probably March before you see my Barred Owl. This one is framed professionally and I can't get the reflections out but thought you might like to see it.Whoa! Too large an image.

Yuck! I have finally tallied it all up. Now to wait on all the paperwork to come to me, W-2, etc. Will write the check for sales tax tomorrow. Then maybe I can paint. Weather is bad and we are to get another storm tomorrow so it will keep me in and painting I hope. Think I will head up to bed for now. Too tired to be creative....too many figures bouncing around in my head!!

Finally completed this. The next one I will do will be darker in the shadows. Tonight we have snow and everyone is home, no tire marks in the alley. I am still surprised how bright it is.Interrupted Again! I swear the only time it doesn't happen is when everyone else is sound asleep. I did get a couple photos before someone made tracks and now there are tracks! I actually photoed some oils that I did previously this year but need to decide if I want to publish them. Tomorrow I will photo some pastels but these need taken out of frames before photoing. Class was cancelled tonight due to ice then snow. So we will try for next week. I did print some business cards that I am fairly happy with, but in the process and errors, I have run out of the card blanks so will have to do it again later. So far doing well with everything regarding resolutions except got my diet!

Have kept my resolutions so far. Last night I put 7 drawings on 7 gessoed canvas panels. It seems it is easier to do this than to find something individually and start painting. This way the drawing is there and I can just start painting on something that has inspired me. Today I have worked on Income tax stuff, helped my son fix the soffit under the roof that blew off in that bad wind we had, went to the library and picked up some fiction CD's for my Mom and a few watercolor books to inspire me as it looks like the Wednesday evening Watercolor class I teach is a go! Took theChristmas Tree down and all the decorations to the upstairs. Organized things better for next year. Fixed Mom supper. She is watching football. Isn't that crazy! 92 years old and likes football. We both will watch Ohio State beat Texas on Monday night! Go Bucks. Hey I am down one pound!!

Just a quiet New Years Eve. I cheated and taped CNN's New Year's. Went to bed at 11. Got up fed the animals, did the chores, watched the New Years tape, watched the Rose Parade some, walked the dogs. Resolved to make the young dog, King, walk better and not pull on the walk. Fixed Pork and Saurkraut in the Crock-pot for later. Now everyone, is napping but me!! Three cats 2 dogs and 92 year old Mom. I resolve to do something everyday applying to painting. I resolve to do two paintings a week. I resolve to photo some previous paintings and post them. Happy New Year to all who read this.

This is the painting I did for my daughter's boyfriend. This is his business on Put-in -Bay. It didn't photo too well as it was so wet and I had to frame it Christmas Eve. If I get it back to varnish it I will photo again. He was really surprised. I gave a watercolor of a covered bridge to my daughter-in-law. My son will get a painting later when he picks a picture. Now I will try and finish my Nocturne , although all the lights are out and I may have to improvise.

This is the painting I did for my daughter for Christmas. She is a pilot and ask for a painting with a biplane and a girl watching about two years ago and it was just until lately that I thought I was up to doing it. She was happy with it and that made me happy.

This I started last week when I noticed the alley across from me at night...it has been difficult as sometimes the lights are own and sometimes not. We had promises of snow and I wanted to do a Nocturne with snow but maybe it will snow next week. There is only snow on the walks and streets. Who knows how this will change as I work on it.I am also finishing up a painting for my daughter for Christmas but hesitate to put it here as I want it to be a surprise.

This is the blueberry patch painting I did in August. The owner of the Blueberry Patch liked it but did not purchase it and does not take consignments. I will photo it better and add it to the site.

The paiinting MOUNTAIN POND stands as is. My son and daughter-in-law approved it as a gift. It was sprayed with retouch varnish this morning and the search for a frame is on. I started my nocturne painting and decided I would wait until it snowed. Promised to snow tonight. I need to gesso some boards and start some gift paintings! Plus ned to photo some older works and add them to the site.

Ah, My son said the lines in the scum are from ducks swimming in the pond scum. So some ducks will fly in today and will be added to the painting! Plus I will spray the Christmas balls I painted as it is 49 degrees and by noon it turns to ice and snow. I spray on the porch because of the smell.

I finally read the book on my digital camera and now will reshoot my paintings when they are all finished at the Art Shows this month. Previously, I did not shoot with enough pixels and couldn't get any bigger sizes for prints. So now I know how to do it. Tomorrow I will shoot the paintings I have here. Wish I could see the moon....it is just a big fuzzy white area in the cloudy sky. From the radar it looks like we are in for some freezing rain but then it will turn warm and rain. Strange weather!

These are the silver balls I painted winter scenes on for gifts. They didn't photo too well. Will try to do better later.

I have to look at this a while and see if I want any changes.

I will take photos tomorrow of my ornaments. I took plain silver ball ornaments and painted winter scenes on them. After they were dry I etched out the drawing with a stylus and that gives them a sparkle. Tonight I put a drawing on a canvas to paint a Wyoming scene for my son for a gift for his friend is Wyoming. Hope I can complete that tomorrow so it will get dry enough to mail before Christmas. Snowing here in Ohio. We missed the horrible ice storm that hit New York and New England. We probably have three inches so it looks nice but cold. Never got above 23 degrees. Too cold to paint outside!! I look out my window from my sun room where I have the computer and I see an interesting night scene that I will sketch. Lights in the alley and Christmas lights inside the neighbors house. Must sketch before the lights go out!

Having trouble uploading this picture. It uploads bright like the original then reverts to the darker image. I have uploaded it several times with the same results. This picture is now hanging in a show so I can't photo it

I made this into my Christmas cards so that is what I have been doing. All this Christmas stuff sure cuts into the painting time! Today Mom and I met my daughter and we went for a the annual soup luncheon at the Mansfield Art Center. Delicious Red Pepper Bisque, Good bread and tea, and the cutest little square cupcakes made to look like a present. I would take a picture but Mom turned hers upside down in the napkin and squished the ribbon!

This I painted yesterday as I needed another painting for a Christmas Show. I never much cared for flower painting but think I will do more in the future. Now to find a mat and a frame!

Hopefully this loads lighter than in the artwork. I worked on this Friday. It is something I have wanted to paint since I saw a pair of red fox in the field that ran up to a little mound and turned around to look like something was chasing them . Such brilliant coats!

Well, I did these on Sunday and framed them and hung them in the Upper Crust Restaurant's WINTER WONDERLAND SHOW, AND I also hung my oil, OVER THE RIVER AND THROUGH THE WOODS in the same show. Now I want to paint some more to make a Christmas card. Just too much to do, taking Mom to appointments, laundry, putting up the Christmas tree and decorating other things. Frustrating as my pre-lit tree that is two years old has some lights out. Took the top back to the store and they said I need to replace some bulbs. They want me to save the holders and put the little bulbs into the holders. Ha, I don't have enough time to paint let alone do that tedious job. I went to the local drug store and bought a set that has some twinkling lights in it and strung that on the tree, too and it looks real nice. There are a few more decos to do and cards, although I am cutting down a lot. I bought 20 stamps and that will have to do ! Ha......I have customers to send to also and I forgot that! Tomorrow is the dentist and I need to hit the art stores with my 40 % off coupons, too. Hope I am back soon with another Poinsettia painting.

Maybe I can do flowers after all. We did a lot of wet on wet and negative painting. Exciting!

This was the first painting I did in the workshop. It really got me excited about doing watercolor again. This was the first chance I had to paint in almost two weeks.

This is about one third of a watercolor that I worked on a few days ago. The left side just got all blurry and just was not working. I matted and framed this 8x10 mat so the painting is about 5x7. I framed it in a bronze metal frame. I took it down to Henne's Art Cellar for their new show for December. Last night I did a watercolor demo at our Brush and Palette Club and there were about ten people who tried the same thing...traced leaves , painted them with clear water and dropped color along the edges and it bled into the center. Fun! Today was my last class for the month. Not sure if a December class will go or not. I will really try to get some more work on this blog soon.

I went down to Columbus for the Ohio Plein Air Society juried show at the Schumacher Gallery at Capital University. It was one of the best shows I have seen. Every piece of work was excellent. Many fine oils, some pastels and watercolors. The award winners deserved their winnings and some non-winners deserved recognition also.
I finally got to painting after putting up the outside decorations for Christmas. I won't turn the lights on until Thanksgiving but wanted to get it done while it was warm although raining. The rain turned to snow later and it is now cold so glad it is done. I was going to Columbus for a paiintout but it was 70% chance of rain so I stayed home. Guess the roads got icy so glad I stayed home. I finally worked on a watercolor. I managed to save half of it. I had to fix dinner in the middle of it. Watercolor doesn't like to be interrupted. I may try to do the painting in oil. For now half of it is in a mat and not too bad but could have been better. Will photo tomorrow.

Just have been too busy! I did get a drawing on some watercolor paper and my lessons for the next two classes I teach in watercolor. It is raining here now in Ohio and I had to get the leaves done before the rain and grocery shop. I picked up some lovely pears, Green, yellow and one ruby red one for a still life in class tomorrow. Very hard to get to painting when you are frustrated and the TV is blaring. My mother is hard of hearing and won't wear her hearing aids. Various excuses! This is a watercolor of pumpkins and mums that I did last year. I may upload it to my Artwork later.

Finally got to the painting....this is why I don't like painting at home...constant interruptions. At any rate, I am finally happy with it. Repainted and repainted. I had trouble with the yellow tree It wanted to jump out. I wanted it in front of the pines but behind the red maple. Difficult time with the water and reflections. It was time to quit on it.

As you can see from the photo previously, It was cloudy besides being cold. There were lots of ducks around and they came to see what I was doing. I have some work to do on this painting and hope to get to it today. First I must clear some areas so there is room for our Christmas Village and the Christmas tree. I will post the finished painting tonight. Oh ,l still on my diet. I have lost 3 lbs and kept it off since beginning. Need to take time to walk more.

This is the view I painted.

I will post my painting tomorrow. I always think I will photo the place with the painting in it but I forget to do it. It was getting dark when I got home so will photo tomorrow. It was a two hour painting. It did not rain but was cloudy and the wind kept getting stronger. The other artists sat with their backs to the wind. That is something I will check in the future as I sat facing the wind. Then I went to a Pizza shop and had lunch with one of the artists. It is always interesting to find out how they got started and what they like to paint. Then I drove down to the Ohio Watercolor Society 2008 show. Very impressive! I mostly agreed with the judge on his picks. There was a variety of techniques, lots of blues and oranges. After that I went to the Dick Blick Store . That is like a candy store for artists! I bought an apron as I always get paint on my stomach! Bought a nice Rigger brush for making tree limbs, as yesterday's rain stripped most of the leaves off in our area and a tube of Gamblin Titanium. I also bought a package of 8x10 canvas panels.Then I had to get out of there before I found something else. It was a nice drive home. Plenty of time to think about my painting and ruminate over the Watercolor Show.

Yesterday I began my watercolor class with four students. We began with the basics. Then we used leaves from my yard and designed and painted. The students got real excited when we painted leaves with clear water and dropped in color.

I haven't painted except to demonstrate in class. Today was grocery shopping and getting ready for a paintout tomorrow in Columbus with the Ohio Plein Air Society. I will see if it continues to rain. The temp is to be in the low forties. Guess I better get my gloves and winter coat.

It was a beautiful day on Monday and the sun being low in the southern sky cast beautiful shadows across the leaves. Those shadows were difficult. At first I had stripes then attempted to make leaves. I finished up this morning. This was the final attempt. I want to go back to Clearfork Lake soon before all the leaves are gone. I did get some good photos. Especially of a Blue Heron. That painting will have to wait on a snowy wet day when I don't want to paint outside. I am posting a new painting that will be entered into the Winter Wonderland Show. I need to do another snow painting for another Winter Show, also. So many paintings, so little time!! Today I must run to the library and get my Mom some CD books to listen to. I haven't walked the dogs yet or been outside and It is another beautiful day, sun and 70 degrees. Wish I was painting somewhere!

Hopefully this is better. I toned down those lilies in the middle. I think they were wet when I photoed them.

I must look at the painting again and see why those middle lily pads are white in the photo!

Finally back again! This time the painting is better but I still don't care for it. I lowered the trees, put my characteristic violet in the background, eliminated some reflections. I attempted to portray what I first saw that I wanted to paint. I must learn simplicity! At least it is much brighter than previous. Yesterday afternoon, three of us went to Clearfork Lake in Lexington, OH. What an absolutely lovely Fall Day. Ah, that I could have stayed and painted another painting. But I had to run home, check on Mom, pick up a painting of mine and one of a friend that were juried into the Mansfield Art Center and hung in a show in Art on Main Gallery. This was my painting on this site of Gibralter Morn. I will rephoto this and add it to the site and delete the current one as some edges show. The Gallery said they liked my work and would I consider becoming a member of the Gallery. I am not sure I can afford $30 a month. Sales of Art are not a high priority in Mansfield. I am better off to paint for the Put-in-Bay Gallery as I have had sales there. Laundry today and take Mom to Kohl's for a new nightgown. Then I will photo my painting from the Lake yesterday and post it here. Go Vote if you haven't. I voted absentee last week so I would miss standing in line.

Today I drove to Columbus, Ohio, about 60 miles south of me, to see a demo of watercolor by Alvaro Castagnet. He is the judge for this year's Ohio Watercolor Society Show. He is from Uruguay and is a member of the Ohio Watercolor Society. His paintings are very vibrant and loose. His philosophy is wonderful and inspiring. He said," You have to feel it to express it well. "Do not be an illustrator! You must master value and depth and conquer light. Paint with flamboyancy and authority that the medium requires." So....I must study my latest painting (oil) and improve it. And I must get things together for my watercolor class on Thursday. Tomorrow is also the Portrait Society meeting in the evening, with a model, so need to get my things together for that. And pick up my painting from the Juried Art Center Show that ended today. The color of Autumn is dimming here. I will see what sets me afire tomorrow.

This piece really needs work! It is dull and your eye does not move through the painting well. It definitely needs work, brighter colors, more simplification, more compositional details.

It has been hectic this past two days.

While walking the dogs, a neighbor had set out a fold-down table and three maple chairs for $30. I offered $25 and got them. The table is watermarked and I could sand but I need a worktable instead of using the dining table and having to clear it off when I want to frame, gesso, etc. I used to do the Gessoing outside but with it getting cooler I will need to do it inside. The challenge will be to keep the cats off! Although, cat prints in Gesso may be interesting, cat prints in Gesso on the carpet are not. I have had purple painted paws at times and noticed Purple on a dog's ear. I never figured out how it got there. I know that how I hold my brushes I tend to hit my stomach! I need to get an apron! .

Thus, regarding the table, with the leaves up and a tablecloth and extra chairs, it will be perfect for large family dinners. So after rearranging the living room, Putting things in the attic, and finding things up there that needed attention, I never got to painting until yesterday.

I just overpainted. I am really trying to keep things simple and then I choose to paint complexity!!! I have been reading Bob Rohm's book THE PAINTERLY APPROACH and find it helpful. There is also a good article in The Artist's Magazine Dec. 08 on Perking Up Your Landscape Color by Michael Chesley Johnson that is very interesting and I will try to use his advice in the future. Too late for this piece.

The diet is still continuing....The scale has been up and down as usual but I am still working at it. Mostly counting calories, using Slimfast in the morning with my vitamins, etc.

What a wonderful day to paint out. Bright sun, a little breeze. Four of us went to the Gorman Nature Center and set up at the pond.

First II changed my Turning Autumn painting on the recommendation of my critique group. That is now uploaded. The background hills were the same color as a bush in the middle ground. I attempted to gray it down but then it looked like snow covered mountains. I then greened it up to bring it closer. That worked better. I will frame it today with a silver 3 in plein air frame. This painting will be hung today at a local restaurant, the Upper Crust, for a Harvest show for the month by the Brush and Palette Club.

That accomplished, I drew on my canvas what I wanted to paint. I usually work on a toned canvas but this one was left white. I found when putting out my colors that I couldn't get my new tube of white opened and my pliers had been taken out of my kit for framing purposes. They are now back in my painting box! Judi was closest to me but was painting in acrylic and I in oils. The other two artist were hard at work so I didn't want to bother them for white paint. Besides the light changes so fast outside that you need every minute to capture what impressed you.

So I had to use Portland gray light to lighten my colors. It is easy to gray down when you mix a tube gray. I put in the background trees with ochre and sap green then used a muted purple for the background shadows. Then for the darkened reeds I used magenta and violet. I added a few accents for color as I will finish it at home. I put in a few main trees and reflections so as not to lose my place. I tend to put trees in the wrong place if I don't mark my place. My center of interest is the lily pads in the lower left so I darkened the water there and put the pine trees in for reflections. I tend to change positions of the trees, eliminate or add to make the composition more pleasing. Just because there is a telephone pole there, you don't have to paint it!

So, that is as far as I got as it was 4pm, the air was getting colder, and trick or treat night was waiting. All the little ghosts, goblins, chicks, Harry Potters flocked up and down our closely packed houses. I had 200 pieces of tootsie roll candy and it was gone in a half an hour! I had to turn the lights out and go inside. The parents bring them in cars to our street. I just wish the teenagers would stay home and just let the little ones enjoy trick or treat. So now I better get to painting and framing.

I will walk the dogs this morning as I need the exercise as I AM losing weight. If I tell you, then maybe I will stick to it. If I could paint all day, I would forget about eating!

What a wonderful Fall Day. Four of us decided to paint at the Gorman Nature Center this afternoon. There was a low breeze, a bright sun. I took a lot of pictures and got a late start. I had been to a critique in the morning and it was suggested that I change the far background on my Harvest painting so I will post that tomorrow and delete the old image. Then to work on the painting. The image today is the photo and I will post the painting as much as was done on location tomorrow and hope to paint on it tomorrow and will post the continued work and tell you my method.

Lots of errands. One to Michael's to look for gold frames. No luck so ordered plein air frames at Jerry's Artarama. Low prices right now and 10% off, too. Up loaded a few more pics. I need better photos. Tomorrow is a Critique group in the morning and then paint out in afternoon. My paintings are ready for critiqueing . I need to pack up for painting in the cold. Ohio has had a cold snap and first snow. It didn't stick.

This is my first blog. This is my first website. I have accomplished a goal that I set earlier this year by completing this. I will sincerely attempt to continue this and do a daily blog. I haven't accomplished a painting a day but am doing two a week. One in Plein Air and one in the studio. I am working at getting some paintings ready for Spring at the Blue Cottage Gallery. At times, it is difficult as my 92 year old mother lives with me and needs some care. I have an Alaskan Malamute and a Siberian Husky that I adopted 2 years ago and three cats! A lot of pick-ups! Painting is my therapy! Today I hope to load some more paintings after taking Mom to the hairdresser and running around doing errands. I will load past paintings and then will load the weekly ones.