watercolor, 2016
available, 11"x15"
In a previous post I said I wanted to stay away from Angkor Wat in Virtual Paintout's Cambodia month because it seemed like an obvious choice. But, of course, I still wanted to explore the site a little in case there were views I just couldn't pass up -- like this one. Even more appropriate is the fact that the site opens extra early - 5 am - to allow tourists to catch the sunrise from the temple. Now, add to that the fact that I think I hit a loose, impressionist rendering of the scene spot on and I am as happy with this as I'm likely to get.
watercolor, 2016
available, 11"x15"
A scene obviously near Banner Elk, NC in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
watercolor, 2016
available, 11"x15"
A classic rv (or motor home or caravan depending on your location) now serves out its remaining days as an office for a junkyard (or waste re-assignment facility). Travco built their classic motor homes on Dodge chassis; that's where we get the disparity between the title and the poorly maintained Dodge badge on the front end. I'm especially happy with the reflection in the windshield; that worked out better than I intended.
watercolor, 2016
available, 9"x12"
Here's a quick sketch of a temple ruin in Cambodia for Virtual Paintout. I know everyone will be doing the temples this month. For VP I usually try to find the less obvious subjects. But, frankly, there are so many temples to paint with such pictorial appeal it's astounding. I easily could paint dozens of images here. And, hopefully, most people will stick to the more famous Angkor Wat area instead of venturing out to the lesser known temples.
watercolor, 2016
available, 11"x15"
Getting a little looser with my classic cars. Extremely rough Moulin du Roi paper doesn't hurt either. It's hard to be precise when the paper texture is like stucco. Clean water and paint spatter added some texture and interest to the grass, as well.
watercolor, 2016
nfs, 11"x15"
I'm especially happy with this one. It's from a photo I took of my wife years ago.I'm very happy with the looseness, paint handling and lost/found edges here. This one probably will end up on a wall in the house somewhere.
watercolor, 2016
available, 11"x15"
Another one from Charleston SC.
watercolor, 2016
available, 11"x15"
This easily could be in Tuscany instead of Napa Valley, California. The Castello di Amorosa is a castle and winery presumably authentic in (most) details near Calistoga CA. Virtual Paintout is in Napa Valley this month. I'm opting for this beautiful location because, try as I might, I just can't paint grape vines to my liking. I'm not even happy with these trees. That's part of the reason I've been on such a landscape bender the last year or so. I'm trying to get better at something I used to avoid.
Porta Del Castello
available, 9"x12"
This one is closer to my comfort zone. No trees, grass or sky to screw up. It's a bit smaller, done in a 9x12 sketch book. I've lately been using a watercolor Visual Journal from Strathmore. I like the cold-pressed texture and the general construction. It has very thick, stiff pressboard covers and is wire-bound to allow flat opening or flipping the forward pages completely under the page you're working on (like wire-bound composition books in school). This is Strathmore paper, though. And a SKETCH book. This paper can't handle too many layers or corrections. You need to get it right in two or three layers or just understand that sketches aren't meant to be finished masterpieces (though many can be). Beyond that, I like this paper for my uses better than some other brands.
watercolor, 2016
available, 11"x15"
This is from a stock photo I've been sitting on for years. The rough paper texture really made this one pop.
watercolor, 2016
available, 11"x15"
I played with the texture on this one a bit after I deemed in "finished" because I wasn't happy. So, clean water drops led to lifting out to create some light spots; white gouache added some white highlights; and some white china marker brought up some other areas I thought were too dark.
watercolor, 2016
nfs, 11"x15"
Painted from a shot of my wife with the paper spread out on the bed. Actually, she's much neater than this. I added 90% of the newspaper for the composition's sake. This one hits all the notes: loose, impressionistic, not too photographic, but recognizable, and most importantly, she likes it!
watercolor, 2015
available, 11"x15"
This is the third attempt at this image and I'm still not sure about it.
