A Passion for Watercolour!

Cosmic WIP

2012-01-17T16:26:00.001Z

Cosmic Poppies

15" x 11", watercolour on Fabriano Artistico extra white

The news that I was included in Robin Berry's new book (see my previous blog post) inspired me, and I found my work going in a new direction. Cosmic Poppies is the result, and I believe it's my best ever work. I had the reference in my "to paint" file since June last year, these unusual oriental poppies are part of a huge plant in my garden and I always wonder at the strange colour combinations - both magenta and red in one bloom, another almost completely red, and some more of a purple shade. I worked with the colours and chose an analogous palette, using ever one of the eight reds on my palette for impact.

I recorded my progress in a series of photos, shared below.

A wonderful start to 2012

2012-01-12T19:12:00.000Z

Just over a week ago I learned that my painting "Pretty Peas" (above) has been included in a new watercolour book by Robin Berry, a huge privilege and my first published work!

Having received my copy of "Compendium of Watercolour Techniques - 200 Tips, Techniques and Trade Secrets" I am even more thrilled, this is a fabulous book, very well written and illustrated, and I can recommend it both to beginners and more experienced watercolour painters (and no, I don't get any money from the sales!) It's already inspired me to try something different which has got to be a good thing.

Sun Sisters

2011-11-03T09:41:00.000Z

I'm back! September and October were crazy, with Adult kids coming and going and a solo exhibition to organise, but things have calmed down somewhat now thankfully!

Sun Sisters

15" x 11", watercolour on 140lb Artistico paper

This was the last painting I completed before the exhibition, in between mount cutting and framing the other 20+ watercolours. I painted it from life very quickly and love how it turned out. I'm really enjoying working from life now after years of being afraid of it!

Exploration of a theme

2011-08-21T19:29:00.000+01:00

I don't usually paint in series, preferring to do different flowers as the mood takes me, but I have recently become just a little bit obsessed with lacecap hydrangeas. I've experimented with different papers and new ways to depict the delicate flowers, learning something each time. Strangely I started with the largest, a half sheet of hot pressed Artistico, and have got progressively smaller.

The second attempt was a quarter sheet of Whatman, a very different paper.

Third, and last for now, a smaller study in analogous colours, measuring just 10" x 7". I think this is my favourite so far.

The Yellow Spectrum

2011-07-04T18:23:00.000+01:00

I know it's been a while, but I did finish the roses at last! Here are the final two stages:

Overall I am very happy with the result, and I might have beaten my rose phobia!

I hate roses!

2011-06-24T16:14:00.001+01:00

They're beautiful and fragrant but they're so complicated!!!! Every so often I need to challenge myself to paint something I don't enjoy, so here's my WIP of yellow (in for a penny, in for a pound!) roses.

I started by wetting the paper after very lightly sketching in the basic shapes, then dropped in azo yellow, cad. yellow and quin. coral, then added some greens for background while the paper was drying, which left some good lost edges. Now I gradually built up the rose shapes with glazes....

See the ugly man in the rose on the left? Now I had to get rid of him! I also worked on the background.

The ugly man is starting to vanish! I gradually shaped the roses by adding shadows.

Sick of yellow, I did a little green leaf and the rose bud on the right

And this is where it stands now, the roses are taking shape nicely!

Iris from life

2011-06-02T14:10:00.001+01:00

It's always good to get your observational skills honed by painting from life, but I'm ashamed to admit that I rarely do so. I don't enjoy painting out of doors, there are too many distractions and the light changes constantly. Last week a single flower snapped from its stem and I brought it inside to paint it quickly, before it wilted.

Wasn't it a stunner? My friend Janet said "that's not a flower, it's a floozy!" and I agree! I went straight in with the paintbrush, no pencil sketch, and was amazed at how well it turned out. I added an invented stem and foliage and here's the result:

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

2011-05-24T09:46:00.000+01:00

We hadn't mown the lawn for a few weeks and the daisies were taking over..... wonderful! I know that most gardeners think of them as weeds, but I love them.... they cheer up boring green lawns! I took a bunch of photos, knowing that I had to paint them.

Wild Daisies

7" x 7"

Watercolour on Fabriano Artistico paper

I wanted the painting to be loose to suit the subject, starting by pouring water in rivulets down the paper and dropping yellow and a touch of rose into the wet area, letting the colours merge. Then I spattered weak quin. rose in places. I am usually too nervous to do this kind of thing when a painting is almost finished, afraid to ruin all that work, so it makes sense to get it out of the way early!

After that, it was just a case of painting around the petals (I rarely use masking fluid now since discovering several older works had yellowed where masking had been). I used very juicy azo yellow and pthalo blue for a vibrant background, letting the colours do their own mixing on the paper. The flower centres were added using azo and cadmium yellow, then I painted the pthalo blue shadows and tiny gaps between the petals using the background colours. I might just paint more, it was fun to use this extremely limited palette!

Poppy Power

2011-05-21T17:59:00.000+01:00

I am a control freak.... there, I said it! I hate letting go, I like to know what is going to happen...... I don't even like surprise gifts!

I'm trying hard to let go a little, so with this painting I didn't sketch it out first. I quite like what happened, it's loose without being too messy, and actually looks something like I was hoping it would.

Poppy Power

Watercolour on Fabriano Artistico rough

15" x 11"

Backlit

2011-05-11T14:44:00.001+01:00

I can't resist standing flowers in the window on sunny days, the lighting effects can be magical. This is one of those days - I had a bunch of pale yellow daffodils, you know the fancy kind that look nothing like daffs? There were too many for the vase, I squeezed in as many as I could so the arrangement looked like a lollipop, and stood the vase in the window.

The lighting was wonderful! Browsing my reference photos for something to paint last night, this one called out. It's not at all my usual style but I thought I'd have a go, just a small one to see what I could do with it. I'm happy, it's loose and clearly about the light.... success!

Daffs for Mum

Watercolour

7.25" x 7.5"

Not quite white

2011-05-07T17:35:00.000+01:00

I've enjoyed the challenge that comes with painting white flowers, getting the balance between coloured shadows and white highlights right. I'm very pleased with how this has worked, the shadows are delicate but not boring grey.

Blushing Bride

Watercolour on paper, 15" x 11"

Tree Peony WIP

2011-05-05T18:31:00.000+01:00

I drew out a new flower last night and after just a few hours it is already taking shape nicely! The beauty of white flowers is that you only need to paint the shadows...

The Last Dance

2011-04-23T23:13:00.000+01:00

I completed a new floral yesterday, this time of something which has fascinated me for years...... the way flowers change as they die, yet still have a unique beauty.

The Last Dance

Watercolour, 14" x 11"

AVAILABLE

I painted a single tulip with one drooping petal some years ago. I think it's a subject I need to explore further.

Tired Tulip

Watercolour, 10" x 14"

SOLD

More spring flowers

2011-04-06T17:17:00.000+01:00

Spring really is here now, with the usual mix of beautiful warm days and dull, wet days. I'm enjoying painting the brave early flowers which cheer up the garden.

The most recent is this pink hellebore, I loved how the light was hitting the petals, cancelling out the colour so all I could see was bright white highlights contrasting with deep pink.

Take a Bow - watercolour, 7" x 5"

Before that, these delicate primroses, again the lighting was special.

Primrose Posy - Watercolour, 15" x 11"

The last, but first to be painted, more hellebores! This was much looser than the other two.

Lenten Roses - Watercolour, 14" x 10"

Spring has sprung

2011-03-05T13:44:00.003Z

While the mornings are still very chilly it's good to see the first green shoots appearing from bare soil. The daffodils aren't quite flowering in my garden so I bought some from the supermarket for the bargain price of £2, and they inspired me to paint this!

Fresh Faced

15" x 15", Watercolour on Fabriano Artistico 140lb

Holiday memories

2011-02-20T10:48:00.000Z

I rarely paint landscapes, but occasionally I am inspired to try. This is a view from clifftops on the Gower Peninsula, South Wales. I spent a wonderful day walking along these cliffs with my husband, I think it's the most beautiful place. I am truly blessed to live in such a beautiful country.

Gower View

Watercolour, 22" x 14"

Not for sale

FREEBIES!!!!!

2011-02-10T09:44:00.000Z

I'm running a giveaway on my facebook "fan" page and thought my blog followers would like a chance to take part too!

One lucky winner will get to choose three greeting cards from this group:

To enter, you need to be a facebook member (so you are able to comment) and simply leave a comment on this image (you might have to "like" my page first). I'll be selecting the winner using a random number generator, and the draw takes place on Friday 18th February. I hope to see some of you over there!

KISS...... and this blog in top 50 list!

2011-02-09T10:16:00.000Z

Keep It Simple, Stupid - what I had in mind for this painting. I had a very busy reference, a mass of purple coneflowers, it could have been extremely complicated. I chose to isolate a single flower, keeping the background very simple (in theory), and using complementary colours.

Centre of Attention

watercolour on hot press Fab. Artistico

10" x 14"

My selection of hot pressed paper was, on reflection, a mistake as it made it far more difficult to get a smooth background. There are a few hard edges but it didn't turn out too badly. The trick is to use lots of water, wetting the whole of the area before adding strong pigment and letting it mingle.

A nice surprise this morning as I learned that this blog was included in a new article about the top 50 watercolour blogs! I'm at #40, and I'm thrilled to see that I'm in some very good company!

Well I never!

2011-02-03T16:53:00.000Z

I rarely paint abstracts, mainly because I never know where to start, and then what do I do next? On the occasions I've tried, I have rushed, not considering my next move, and ended up with a big mess. This time, I went slowly, planning each brush stroke..... amazingly, I really like the result!

Abstract - Watercolour, 14" x 11"

Breaking out

2011-01-31T19:08:00.000Z

I almost always paint quarter sheet paintings, not because I love working at that size, but because it's the most practical size for my own work area. I've been feeling more and more frustrated and penned in, not able to enjoy the truly magical effects of watercolour as much as I would like. I finally broke out, taking a half sheet and letting the paint do the work.... what fun!

Popping Poppies - 15 x 22 inches

Peony #2

2011-01-24T16:07:00.000Z

A second peony, more procrastination as the chocolates are still waiting for me to return. All those delicious white-edged pink petals were fun to paint, even at just 7" x 7"!

Peony Procrastination

2011-01-18T12:35:00.000Z

Yes, I am still avoiding the chocolates! I just need to be in the right mood for that kind of painting, and I'm not at the moment.

Todays distraction is a small peony, painted without any initial sketch on a scrap of Fabriano Artistico extra white paper. I quite like the looseness I've achieved!

Peony Procrastination - 7" x 7"

Green Skies

2011-01-16T16:20:00.001Z

Taking a break from the chocolates, I felt like playing with pigments and water, inspired partly by Maggie Latham's "100 Washes" blog, and partly by the book "Wet in Wet Watercolour" by Ewa Karpinska. What started as a simple wash of shades of blue and indigo became something completely different when I accidentally dipped my brush into green gold - a dramatic stormy sky appeared on the paper! I had to use it, and turned the wash into a stormy landscape. I wish I hadn't left the patch of white paper in the centre, that was an unhappy accident, but the discovery that green gold and indigo make a wonderful brooding sky was happier!

Still plugging away...

2011-01-13T22:36:00.005Z

I never imagined it would take me so long to paint these chocolates! I'm concentrating on painting the darker areas on the tissue paper, I'll add some colour to the lighter areas once I have the shadows in. I wish I was more disciplined and didn't procrastinate!

Chocaholic dreams..... or nightmares?

2011-01-07T18:20:00.002Z

The chocolate painting is coming along, especially the sweet treats themselves. The real headache is painting the magenta tissue paper, very slow going!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T14:41:00.006Z

Starting 2011 with a still life - this time of chocolates I was given for Christmas! They were a loose selection, chosen specially for me, and presented in a beautiful box, surrounded by magenta tissue paper. I has been hard to resist eating them, but painting chocolate is almost as much fun!

This is the full painting, it's a challenge but I think I need that right now!

A busy time, but I'm still finding time for painting

2010-09-22T09:18:00.011+01:00

September has been hectic, with two more visits to The Kington Gallery, and making arrangements for my youngest daughter to move to University in South Wales. I have managed to complete two watercolours though (I think I'd go mad without painting!)

First I painted these crocuses which were a joyful sight earlier this year, after a very hard winter.

Crocus Chorus
15" x 11", watercolour on Fabriano Artistico 140lb

Then I was inspired to return to macro florals after visiting the studio of Peter Horrocks in Kington, Herefordshire. His work is fascinating, abstracts "painted" with pure earth pigments rubbed onto the support in layers.

I chose a single gladiolus flower which had wonderful lighting, great to paint in this exciting medium!

Glad All Over
11" x 15", watercolour on Fab. Artistico 140lb

I think I'll continue to explore macros for a while, they present some interesting challenges.

Another racing scene and an exhibition

2010-09-02T08:52:00.005+01:00

I worked hard to get this watercolour completed in time for my joint exhibition with Janet Thomas at The Kington Gallery, which opened on Saturday and runs until late September. The time constraints seemed to do me good because I think this is one of my best!

I attended the opening day, which wasn't only an exhibition opening, it was also the opening of this unique new gallery, and was thrilled to make a "big" sale within the first hour! "In The Running" has gone to a new home with a lovely lady who I know will enjoy it - it's a wonderful feeling when that perfect match happens, the right painting for the right person.

The gallery itself is very special. For the last year, it has been a labour of love for Janet Thomas who bought a disused restaurant and set about turning it into a welcoming place for both artists and art lovers. It is going to be a massive asset for this small market town in rural Herefordshire!

More racehorses

2010-08-11T20:21:00.003+01:00

In the Running
Watercolours, 15" x 11"

Another painting based on reference photos taken at Hereford racecourse. This time I was inspired by the lighting, especially the shadows being cast by one horse and jockey, landing on the lead horse.

This painting will join two other racehorse paintings and several florals in an exhibition in my friend's new gallery in Kington, Herefordshire.

Horses for a change

2010-08-05T17:10:00.003+01:00

Final Hurdle
15" x 11"
Watercolours on hot pressed Fabriano Artistico

I needed a change from flowers, and I always enjoy the challenge of painting horses in motion, so I looked through my reference files and found a photo I took at Hereford racecourse a few years ago. The challenge I was presented with involved working out how to depict movement and speed when the horses were literally running straight at me! I think I managed it.

Another busy week....and some great news!

2010-07-28T09:22:00.004+01:00

Just when I thought I'd be able to get back to painting we had a surprise visit from good friends! It was amazing to see them all after 7 years, but it means I have nothing new to share.

I do have exciting news though - I have just signed a contract to license 6 of my watercolours for use on greeting cards! The 6 paintings selected are "Distilled Sunlight"(daffodils), "Song of Summer"(poppies), "Rainbow Tulips", "Summer Breeze"(daisies), "Drumstick Primula"and "Violas". This is how they should look as a group.

It's a huge step forward in my art career, hopefully this will lead to even bigger things!

A busy time

2010-07-18T09:54:00.006+01:00

I've mostly been doing small sketches over the last couple of weeks, life has been busy with wonderful highs and a few lows. The biggest high was my eldest daughter's graduation ceremony on Friday! We travelled to North Wales on Thursday, staying the night in a hotel before the Friday morning ceremony at Bangor University. We were bursting with pride when our daughter walked onto the stage in the wonderful hall and was admitted to her degree, a BA Hons. in Criminology and Criminal Justice, by the Vice-Chancellor and the President of the University. Any lows were more than cancelled out.

The last finished painting I did before the trip was this, another loose floral on hot pressed paper. For once I'm going to share the reference, which is a photo I provided for the Mindbender challenge on the Painting Friends art forum. The challenge is to adapt the reference, by cropping, rotating, adding, subtracting, whatever you want to do to make the painting your own. I chose to just crop.

And here is my painting, a loose and pretty floral. Violas are so cheerful, I hope I managed to convey that feeling.

Violas
11"x15", watercolours on paper

Different styles for different flowers

2010-07-03T10:46:00.006+01:00

When I look through my paintings I realise that I treat different flowers in very different ways. Some need to be very controlled, others work best when the paint is allowed to do the work without too much interference.

First, magnolias. They're very elegant flowers, on stiff branches and with waxy petals. I feel that these are best suited to the controlled approach, as you can see in this painting which I finished last weekend.

Magnolias
11" x 15" watercolour and acrylic ink on paper

The background is quite fluid and loose, but the flowers themselves much stiffer and well-defined.

Now the irises, much more delicate with ruffled petals which move easily in the breeze. Strong colours and lots of movement work really well, mostly wet-in-wet for exciting lost edges.

Iris Carnival
11" x 15", watercolours on paper

Finally poppies - loose, delicate washes for papery petals, wet-in-wet for soft edges and movement, soft colours for summer.

Summer Days
12" x 10", watercolours on paper

All three completed in the last week, but totally different.

Pattys Plum - final painting

2010-06-19T16:36:00.004+01:00

I have a confession - I don't always enjoy the painting process! Shocking, I know, but sometimes it's a struggle, decisions don't come easily, and getting to the end is a battle.

Occasionally it seems like a watercolour just paints itself, the brush has a life of its own, and you arrive at the final painting feeling like you hardly did anything! This was one of those paintings and, as always seems to happen when I enjoy the process, I love the painting!

Pattys Plum
14" x 11"
watercolours on Fabriano Artistico extra white 140lb paper

Pattys' Plum WIP continued...

2010-06-19T09:32:00.005+01:00

This has been so much fun to work on! I loved painting the ruffled petals and dark markings! These are the last WIP images, I'll post the finished work later.

Pattys' Plum

2010-06-15T20:13:00.008+01:00

I've been working on a new watercolour of a Pattys' Plum poppy - a wonderful ruffled flower in rich plum shades. I'm loving the challenge of depicting the wrinkled, paper-like petals with pigment and brush!

I should get at least close to completing it tomorrow...... fingers crossed!

Caught by the bug!

2010-05-28T12:32:00.004+01:00

It seems dandelions in paint are as hard to escape as dandelions in the garden are! Once I started thinking of them I was surprised to come up with several different ideas for colours and compositions so I am going to explore more in the next few weeks, see what I can come up with!

Here is one more I've done, this time sticking to a cooler palette of colours. I really love these shades of blue and green together!

Dandelion on Jade and Blue
10" x 10", watercolour on paper

The exciting news is that this, with several more of my floral watercolours, might be appearing on greeting cards throughout the UK very soon! As soon as things are finalised I will share the details here.

A return to an old favourite

2010-05-20T17:08:00.003+01:00

A few years ago, I was a little obsessed with painting dandelions. I don't know how many I did, but they were popular and always sold quickly. Eventually I grew tired of the same subject and moved onto other things. Last week I was contacted by a small, independent greeting card company who are interested in making cards using some of my work, and the owner mentioned how much he liked the dandelions! I almost groaned, but then I thought "why not?" so here are my two new dandelion paintings!

Cobalt Wishes

Three O'Clock

Hopefully they'll be what the company were thinking of!

Cathedral Gold WIP

2010-05-01T10:54:00.010+01:00

I had this reference, golden lilies in the gardens of Hereford Cathedral, in my "to paint" file for several years, but somehow I always passed it over. I imagine I was avoiding the numerous challenges it offered - the first being yellow! It's so hard to shade yellow without ending up with mud. My pet hate is the recommended complementary colour, violet, which results in a dull grey. I prefer to use colours which are closer to yellow - orange and red.

Stage one, I'm already getting some good form in the flowers using azo yellow, winsor yellow deep and alizarin crimson. The background is started using the yellows and indanthrene blue.

The first lily is pretty much done now, the stamens are painted in a strong red made with WYD and AC.

Starting to add form to the main flower, while also working on the background elements. My second challenge was the foliage, and I chose to keep it fairly loose with quick brushstrokes in AY and adding blue wet in wet.

Taking shape nicely now, most of the background flowers are done.

Now the really strong shadows are added to the main lily, using an orange made with AC and WYD. The last of the foliage is painted in the same way as the rest.

Now to finish the background and another dilemma - do I paint over the fiddly foliage or paint around it? I decided on a combination of both so some would be more defined and others would blend into the rest of the background.

A few finishing touches and it's done!

Catch-up time!

2010-04-22T14:57:00.005+01:00

I'm still busy painting, although I've also been spending time gardening with the weather perfect at the moment!

What have I done since the evening primrose? Well first were the ox-eye daisies, beautifully sunny and completely about summer! The challenge in this painting was in depicting the movement of the flowers in a gentle breeze.

Summer Breeze
15" x 11", watercolours on Fab. Artistico 140lb

Then Mollie Jones suggested I might enjoy painting hollyhocks, so I thought "why not?" and dug out a reference I photographed in the gardens of Hereford Cathedral a few years ago. I really enjoyed this one, especially the foliage towards the bottom. Choir Practice
11" x 15", watercolours on Fab. Artistico 140lb

And this one, painted between gardening sessions, is of cowslips which, unusually for me, are actually growing in my garden right now!

Spring Celebration
11" x 15", watercolours and acrylic ink on Fab. Artistico 140lb

Painting summer in spring

2010-04-06T10:16:00.004+01:00

This seems to be my normal habit - through winter and spring, I am more likely to paint summer and autumn, then through summer I might paint spring. Winter doesn't usually come into it, there is little colour in the garden, the lighting is poor, so the inspiration isn't there.

I think it's because I need time to allow ideas to develop in my head, or maybe I simply procrastinate too much!

Here's another work based on last summer. The evening primrose in my garden put on an amazing display, with the clearest yellow, papery flowers opening every day and giving out a delicious scent that filled the air. Yellow is an incredibly difficult colour in watercolour, avoiding muddy shadows is a challenge, but I am fairly happy with this one.

Evening Primrose
11" x 15"
Watercolours on 140lb Fab. Artistico X.white CP

Something different!

2010-04-02T12:40:00.004+01:00

It's unusual for me to be inspired by something other than flowers, they seem to call to me unlike anything else, but last weekend it happened!

I saw this adorable little girl, obviously totally absorbed in the task of feeding pigeons with scraps of leftover bread, and couldn't resist her charm.

Feed the Birds
Watercolour on 140lb Fabriano Artistico extra white

Fleeting Beauty

2010-03-30T17:01:00.003+01:00

Last summer my garden was full of vibrant colour from delicate opium poppies which moved with the gentle breezes on warm, sunny days. The fragile flowers only looked their best for a day, fading and losing their petals all too soon, but there was always another bud ready to open.

Fleeting Beauty
13x10, watercolours on
Fabriano Artistico extra white HP

Bearded Iris - Small Format Macro

2010-03-18T11:11:00.004Z

Bearded Iris
Watercolour on 140lb Fabriano Artistico, 5" x 5"

Here's my second small format macro floral, a colourful bearded iris up close and personal! The orangey yellows really stand out against the purple, making a small painting with big impact!

There's something about the square format, it forces you to think carefully about composition, using the space efficiently. I'll be doing more!

Spring is coming!

2010-03-13T22:19:00.003Z

This is a daffodil from last spring, but it won't be long before they flower again - green shoots are appearing all over the garden, even on plants which I was sure were dead after the hard winter we had (the coldest in 30 years!)

Daffodil Macro, 5" x 5"
watercolour on Fabriano Artistico extra white CP

The first in a short series of small format floral macros, painted after I discovered a sheet of paper with a fault. I tore the paper into smaller pieces so I wouldn't waste all of it, and I'm quite enjoying this size and format! Next is a macro view of a bearded iris, then maybe another daffodil!

Bearded Ladies

2010-03-11T15:53:00.005Z

Sometimes you have an idea and it just doesn't work - that's what happened with the little blue iris painting I was working on, it just hasn't worked out the way I envisioned. Maybe I can rescue it, but it's more likely to end up in my scrap pile.

So I decided to move on to a reference that had been in my "to do" file since last summer, two beautiful purple bearded iris. This was a completely different experience, I had a clear vision and enjoyed every brushstroke!

Bearded Ladies
14" x 10", watercolour on 140lb Fabriano Artistico extra white, cold pressed

Blue Eyes - WIP

2010-03-03T19:10:00.004Z

The first colour of the year in the garden, these delightful little flowers almost look like they don't belong among the greys and browns! I don't really know where I'm headed with this one, I'm hoping the composition will develop naturally as I paint.

Stargazer - backward WIP!

2010-03-01T15:23:00.004Z

Blogger is fun, you never know which way round your photos are going to show! lol OK, so here is the finished painting, with backwards WIP below - start at the bottom and work up for the progression ;o)

I used my new favourite colours - Daniel Smith Quin. coral, and W&N Cobalt Turquoise. They mix gorgeous muted purples!

Allium finished and onto the next!

2010-02-28T20:34:00.005Z

I did complete the allium, or "Nectaroscordum Bulgaricum", but only after some headaches. I thought I knew what I wanted, but I didn't. The background wasn't working at all...So I decided to crop the painting from vertical format to square and wash over the background with more dramatic colours!

And here is the finished work, much better!

Quiet Elegance

10" x 10", watercolour on Fabriano Artistico extra white CP 140lb

Is it an allium?

2010-02-16T18:36:00.003Z

I have some of these bulbs in my garden and I'm pretty sure that when I bought them they weren't labelled as allium, not sure what they were called though. Anyway, this is the start of a new watercolour based on a photo I took in my friend Janet Thomas' beautiful garden last summer. This is only a small section of the whole composition.

There's a long way to go yet, hopefully I'll get most of the little florets finished tomorrow!

Finishing touches

2010-02-16T16:31:00.003Z

The opium poppy is complete, it took 7 days of work and I was tired of seeing pink by the end - I'm
glad it's done!

Here are the last stages:Twirls and Curls
14" x 10"

Opium Poppy WIP

2010-02-10T15:09:00.004Z

I've been working on this watercolour for several days now and still there is no end in sight. So many tiny details, plus the dark areas have needed several washes to achieve the depth I want. Here are the steps so far:

Meet Winston!

2010-02-01T12:23:00.007Z

I had a busy day yesterday, finishing the painting of Winston for the Friday Foto challenge on www.paintingfriends.com , then creating my first Zazzle store in an effort to make some money from my obsession!

Here's Winston the French Bulldog, he owns Desiree Habicht's daughter and her family. Apparently he's a terror, but how could a face like that be hiding a monster?

Winston -
14x10, watercolours on Fabriano Artistico Xtrawhite HP

My new Zazzle store is very much a work in progress, but if you would like to have a look you will find it at http://www.zazzle.co.uk/RSHarts*

Playing with Acrylic Inks and texture

2010-01-27T10:44:00.005Z

Last year Deb Townsend demonstrated how she uses tissue paper and acrylic medium to create interesting textures and patterns on canvas. I was fascinated and recently bought some small canvases to try out the technique for myself.

Once the tissue paper is stuck down and dry, gesso is applied over the top to give a good painting surface and also add more texture. I used acrylic inks to add vibrant colour.

The design is inspired by Deb's original work, but the colours were my own. My son likes it so much he wants it, and two more in different colours for his room!

Spring Forest
8" x 8", acrylic inks and collage on canvas

A First

2010-01-20T16:20:00.004Z

Solitary Daisy -
8" x 8" gallery wrapped canvas

This is my first acrylic on canvas, it's so completely different from anything I've done before but I enjoyed it!

Shout it from the rooftops

2010-01-17T21:35:00.003Z

This was painted for the Mindbender challenge on Painting Friends forum, the idea is to take a reference image that is too busy and find an interesting composition within it. The reference was mine, taken in Conwy, North Wales, and this is only a tiny part of the original photo.

About 10 x 14 on Fabriano Artistico rough 140lb

Shout it From the Rooftops -

10x14, watercolours on paper

Trying new things

2010-01-07T22:45:00.003Z

It' s sometimes fun to try different methods and media - here's a watercolour on masa paper that I did before Christmas. The crinkled masa paper creates interesting textures and the pigments look more vibrant.

Autumn Gold -
14x10, watercolour on masa paper

Another new year

2010-01-07T10:34:00.002Z

It's hard to believe another year has passed, where does the time go?

At the moment we are suffering the worst weather I can remember, at least 4 inches of snow (in a country that rarely gets more than 1 inch). I needed to do something to cheer me up, tulips are always cheerful so I dug out a reference photo I took quite a while ago and set to work.

About 12x10, watercolours on Fabriano Artistico extra white CP 14olb paper.

Pink Ladies #2

Song of Summer - WIP

2009-07-04T08:42:00.009+01:00

It's been a while, the garden has been demanding my attention, which means less time to paint, but the reward is plenty of exciting reference material for future watercolours!

I have found a bit of time though, and wonderful inspiration from a visit to an open garden 2 weeks ago.

I took photos of my progress, so this is a sort of WIP except it has already been finished!

Distilled Sunlight

2009-03-30T19:38:00.004+01:00

Daffodils on a bright spring day - they really are like the purest sunlight!

I tried to keep colours more delicate than my usual style uses - I wanted a fresh, soft look, not too many dark areas. I think I succeeded!

Distilled Sunlight
Watercolour on Fabriano paper, 12.5 x 10 inches

Exciting news! I added this painting to my RedBubble account tonight and it has already been featured!!!!!

What is Watercolour?

2009-03-13T12:25:00.002Z

Katherine Tyrell has an in-depth article about this often divisive question on her blog, Making a Mark today - it's well worth reading!

For me, watercolour is just that - watercolour paint (as labelled on the tube or pan), activated with water and painted on paper. Anything else should be labelled as watermedia. If, once dried, paint cannot be re-activated with water it isn't watercolour. I think it would be a terrible shame if the traditional media of watercolour, used by so many of our great artists in the past, was lost in a sea of watered down acrylics!

Wishing for Spring

2009-03-10T15:36:00.004Z

When this challenge was posted on painting friends I had to have a go at painting it! The idea is to choose one of a selection of references and paint it in two hours or less - not easy but fun!

Narcissus
9 x 7 inches, Fabriano Artistico extra white paper

Pink and White

2009-03-07T12:37:00.003Z

Another from last year, inspired again by the stunning Bodnant Gardens, near Conwy, North Wales.

I have a bit of a reputation for backgrounds, but for this I decided to leave the background as the white of the paper. I think it works really well, letting the echinacea take centre stage with no distractions!

Pink and White
14 x10, watercolours on Fabriano Artistico 140lb CP paper

Beach Pebbles

2009-03-04T21:54:00.006Z

My second play with acrylic inks, this time with a wider range of colours at my disposal. There was a challenge on paintingfriends.com to draw with ink, and without lifting the pen from the paper (known as "contour drawing"). I decided to combine it with an experiment in glazing with acrylic inks.

The results aren't bad! I like the colours and the inks act almost in the same way as watercolours, with the main difference being the inability to lift colours once dry!

Beach Pebbles, Acrylic ink on watercolour paper, 9 x 7.5 inches

A New Medium

2009-02-23T15:46:00.004Z

My birthday was yesterday, and my children decided, in their infinite wisdom, that it was about time I tried something new. My gift was a small set of acrylic inks in delicious colours! They hadn't found any blues, kind of important, so I was told to get myself some more and they'd pay. I found a great deal and ended up buying six more colours and also some Atelier Interactive acrylics - heck, if I have to learn a new media I might as well throw myself into it!

It's kind of scary starting out with a totally alien material - learning what it will and won't do, how it differs from watercolour, but it's scary in a good way! Watercolours will always be my passion but it'll do me good to play with the bright acrylic colours too.

A short session with my new paints/inks shows how exciting they are going to be! This was a very quick sketch with no real planning but I kinda like it!

Tulip Rainbow #2

2009-02-19T21:07:00.003Z

I wasn't thrilled with my first tulip painting (Primary Tulips) so I immediately started again with a different reference image! I'm very happy with the way this one turned out, there was no masking involved, colours were allowed to move and blend, but overall the effect isn't busy.

Tulip Rainbow #2, watercolours on paper, 14x10

Summers End

2009-02-14T19:30:00.002Z

Back to the catch-ups! I saw this hydrangea while visiting Bodnant Gardens in North Wales last September. I love the colours that the previously white flowers (although technically they're bracts) turned as they faded. It's quite muted for me, but I really like how it turned out!

Summers End, Watercolour, 14x10 inches

Primary Tulips

2009-02-13T17:23:00.003Z

It's tulip time - the shops are full of colourful bunches, and I can never resist buying a bunch of mixed colours. I think the recent snowy weather got to me and affected my palette for this painting!

Primary Tulips, 10x14 inches on Fabriano Artistico watercolour paper.

Sunburst #2

2009-02-08T15:09:00.004Z

Here's my finished sunflower! I'm very pleased with how it turned out, especially that I managed to retain the freshness of my colours and looseness of my brush strokes. It's very easy to overwork watercolours and make the colours muddy.

Finished, but no photo yet!

2009-02-06T17:40:00.005Z

The sunflower is done, and I can honestly say I'm glad! Sometimes I start a new work and feel incredibly excited, but the process is interrupted and I lose the real excitement and end up plodding along. That's what happened with this sunflower.

Oh well, here's the final progress image!

Nearly There

2009-02-05T18:36:00.003Z

This is taking so much longer than I anticipated! One more push and it should be done though.

Sunflower - more progress

2009-02-02T12:42:00.003Z

The weekend is always busy in the Harris house, with people in and out constantly, so it's nice to find even a few minutes to paint amid the chaos!

I got a little further with the background (or setting) for the sunflower, and jumped in with my darkest darks in the centre.

Sunflowers - continued

2009-01-29T15:30:00.002Z

I had a little more time today, in between the housework and cooking! I'm trying to keep it loose and fresh, while the pencil lines are there, they are only a guide.

Roses are.... orange?

2009-01-28T22:30:00.002Z

Another catch-up, I find roses incredibly difficult to paint but every so often I challenge myself. This apricot/orange rose was one of many gorgeous flowers in Bodnant Gardens, North Wales, and I had to try painting it.

Antidote to winter

2009-01-27T18:24:00.005Z

On these long, dull, cold winter days I look for something to cheer me up, and that usually means painting a bright flower. This time it's a sunflower, from one of my own reference images.

I started out by sketching the outline then masking a few highlights. Once the masking fluid was completely dry I quickly wet the paper using a large brush - doing it quickly leaves a few dry areas which will stay white when pigment is added.

Here it is after the first pass - Azo yellow and gamboge wet in wet.

Now the individual petals need form, more wet in wet but one at a time, using azo yellow, gamboge and quinacridone coral.

I'm excited about this one, but life always gets in the way so this is all I've managed to do today - very frustrating!

Something new!

2009-01-24T17:35:00.002Z

I don't claim to be a great portrait artist - I struggle with getting a likeness, I much prefer the freedom I get from painting flowers! But, in the interest of improvement, I had a go at painting my youngest daughter, Katy.

Not content with the challenge of painting a portrait, I then chose a reference where Katy was smiling, all teeth! I'm mad!

After a week of stress, I'm done.

Purple or Pink?

2009-01-23T15:31:00.003Z

Echinacea, commonly known as purple coneflowers but they're usually a lovely, cheerful shade of pink! This was alot of fun to paint.

Purple Cone Flowers, watercolour, 14 x 10 inches

Original available for sale, contact me by email for details.

Simply Summer!

2009-01-22T22:52:00.004Z

This, to me, is what summer is all about - beautiful flowers and blue skies! It's pretty much my favourite painting from last year.

Giant Daisies, 14 x 20 inches.

Trying again!

2009-01-22T11:25:00.005Z

I've been pretty useless at this regular blogging thing, I'll try to do better.

I suppose this should be a catch up - I've done a fair amount of work over the last few months, some good, some not. Now where to start? Well I finished my second attempt at Summer Sorbets, and this was much better than the first!

I suppose it would be sensible to post one every day, so you'll have to wait for the next ;)

Summer Sorbets #1

2008-06-19T21:34:00.000+01:00

This one didn't work how I wanted it to so it's already being done again!

10x14, watercolours on Fabriano 140lb cold press.

I'm going to try to remember to take progress images while I paint Summer Sorbets 2, watch this space.

Thrill Me, Honey Honey, Thrill Me!

2008-06-17T09:02:00.002+01:00

After spending a fantastic day in the garden of a good friend, I looked through my photos and was instantly drawn to one of honeysuckle flowers. I remembered the delicious scent, the bees buzzing around the delicate flowers. I had to paint it!

Thrill Me, Honey Honey! 14 x 10 inches, watercolour
on Fabriano Artistico 140lb.

Lilacs and Pansies

2008-05-22T11:06:00.006+01:00

My last two watercolours, both from my own photographs (something I always aim to do - to be original it's important that the whole creative process, from reference to final painting, comes from you. Occasionally I am inspired by a photograph which isn't my own, in those instances I would make sure I had permission from the photographer to use their image before starting to paint. Respecting the copyright of other artists is vital!)

The Sweet Scent of Spring: 10x14, watercolours on Fabriano extra white 140lb paper

Black and Gold: 13x10, watercolours on Fabriano extra white 140lb paper

Both will be available as prints or cards from Redbubble

Some recent work!

2008-05-21T20:00:00.005+01:00

I've been a busy bee, got lots of painting done. It's nice when you find your muse and painting is fun again!

Now what was first? Hmmmm.

There were the Liquorice Allsorts, lots of fun this one, and even the "black" is watercolour! 13x10, and available for sale.

Next.......Dawn on the Dee, a small watercolour landscape, a complete change from the vibrant colours of the allsorts.

Now I went crazy! lol "The Clash" - pink and orange gladioli, 10x14 watercolour.
I'm still painting, today I finished Black and Gold, which will be in my next post!

2008-05-08T19:48:00.003+01:00

My Etsy shop is featured on the "Buried Treasury" Blog!

For all kinds of hand-made items it's well worth looking on "Buried Treasury"

2008-04-16T16:27:00.005+01:00

Cloister Cluster - completed painting.

With great advice from some very good friends I came to a decision and think this is finished.

2008-04-16T11:52:00.004+01:00

Decision time!

How am I going to paint the group of figures? I'm playing with this idea, but wonder whether it's too loose, or too colourful, or both for the setting? I painted the group on a scrap of paper, cut it out and placed it on the painting to see how it would look. I'm undecided, I might try another, less colourful version.

2008-04-15T16:13:00.004+01:00

Cloister Cluster - WIP continued

A little more work done, but this was a scary moment. I often feel apprehensive when I'm part way through a painting and know how easy it would be to ruin a promising start! At these times it's a good idea to step back and think about what you want to achieve, once you have a clear idea in your head set about making it happen.

2008-04-13T12:17:00.005+01:00

Cloister Cluster - Work in Progress

A recent visit to Gloucester Cathedral with a good friend has inspired me hugely! Just before we left I spotted a tour party in the cloisters, silhouetted against the stained glass windows, and I quickly took a photo knowing it would make a wonderful painting. Whether I can pull it off is another matter!

Here's my drawing, on 140lb Fabriano Artistico extra white paper. There's quite alot of detail in the archetecture, but I'm hoping it won't look too fiddly.

The first step was to lay in a wash of quinacridone gold on all but the windows, then I started building the stonework paying careful attention to the coloured light from the stained glass. I still have a long way to go but I think it might actually work!

2008-03-30T14:10:00.000+01:00

Taking Flight

This is a painting I've been mulling over for nearly three years, ever since a wonderful walk along a beach in Devon. The previous day had been stormy, the seas were rough, and the evidence was there on the sandy beach - huge clumps of seaweed washed up by the waves, and making the most of what must have been a feast were flocks of black headed gulls (in winter plumage of white and grey with a dark spot on their heads rather then the summer plumage with a black cap). As we walked along the shoreline the gulls took off, then returned when we had passed by.

A large painting, 21 x 14 inches on Fabriano Artistico extra white rough paper. I used a collection of reference images taken that day to arrange the gulls for a pleasing composition. I'm satisfield with how it's turned out.
©Ruth S Harris 2008

2008-03-22T10:39:00.000Z

Sad Demise

On a recent walk through Hereford I noticed an old friend had gone. She'd cheered up visitors to the Cathedral for two weeks every May for many years, but this year her presence will be missed, she's gone forever.

The building which supported her was in need of some work, so the contractors took a hacksaw and chopped her off just above the roots, a sad end for a beautiful wisteria which had flowered her heart out every year, covering the large Georgian building with purple chandeliers.

I'm relieved I managed to get some photos before this happened, and had a chance to paint some of the flowers.

2008-03-19T12:13:00.000Z

Watercolour Tulip Tutorial

I wrote this tutorial a while ago for an online forum and it just occurred to me that I could share it here! It should be clickable for a larger, readable image. Hope it's of some interest!

2008-03-18T10:12:00.000Z

Saving your best work?

I've started to go through some of the older work that I kept for myself, re-evaluating whether it should be on my walls or whether I should sell it. Mostly I prefer my more recent work, but occasionally I find a painting that still speaks to me, reminds me of a special time or place, and I can't imagine letting go.

This is one that I had kept back, but I think it's time to let it go to a new home where it will be seen and loved. "Peaceful Place" (2005) was a favourite, but I have another painting of the same place which speaks to me more.

I have many more to go through still, so many memories to revive - this could be emotional!

2008-03-16T15:22:00.001Z

How do you get your artwork seen by prospective customers? The old way was to take it to a bricks and mortar gallery, sign away your life (or at lease 40% of the sale price) and hope the right person would walk in - not the best method. Then Ebay came along, and for a while it was good, then fees escalated, sales took a nosedive. There is hope though - www.etsy.com is a new sales venue for all things handmade!

I've opened a shop on etsy to increase my online presence, the site has a real community feel, sellers and customers are friendly. Artists and craftspeople have a new venue for selling!

2008-03-10T20:35:00.000Z

Time to get into a new routine, I need to update my blog regularly with my latest adventures in art!

Recently I seem to have had a breakthrough of sorts - I feel like I know what I'm doing, know how to make a painting work. Friends say they see a difference in my work, that it seems more cohesive, background and subject working together as a whole. I don't know where this comes from, but I want it to continue, to never have that awful panic when I realise something is going completely wrong.

That wouldn't be good though, because every time I have a lull, a bad spell, where it seems I can't do right, when I reach the other side I've improved, found a new direction or the answer to a problem I didn't realise I had.

I guess I should just carry on, enjoying the good times and embracing the bad times!

Some recent work, completed in the good times!

Lacy Days

Sunburst