On the Road Again

Hey, it is finally raining here!

Heading up to Lake Erie on Sunday-Wed, and hopefully, if I can get online, I will post lots of new pics. And hopefully, if I get alot of painting done while there, I can post those after returning home and scanning them in.

Vision

It's not what you look at that matters,
it's what you see.

Henry David Thoreau

Brook

Under Way

Pontooning on Hoover

My teacher Stan, took his students out in his pontoon boat on Hoover Reservoir this morning. We took our cameras to take pictures to use in our watercolors.

Stan, our Captain:



Hoover Grill viewed from the water.

Sunflower

Jax's Limited Palette

Experimenting with the Jack in the Pulpit composition. Used a limited palette of indigo, a violet and sap green.

Jax's Pulpit

Here is what I did in class last night. It is a different style than what I have been doing. I like parts of it, but it is not really a complete painting, just playing around.

Hocking Reflection

Blacklick Metro Park

Enjoy

Enjoy special moments. Even if they only come in spurts...They all count...

Vanessa Valencia (www.aFancifulTwist.Typepad.com)

Orchids

Limited Palettes

Last class from Charlie last night. Down to one class a week - two is too many....

He showed us limited palettes. I painted a different dogwood scene using only Indigo, Burnt Sienna and Yellow Ochre. It has a victorian feel.

New Class - New Teacher

Was recently asked to join a different watercolor study class. Stan Pierce (yes - Stan the model) hand picks students to be part of a group on Tuesdays at his home. I was honored to be asked and last night was my first class. These are just quick studies, not finished paintings - We were to work on focal points... making an area recede... sharp edges contrasting.... darks against lights..

Sedona

Stan - the Model

Stan Pierce sat in on our watercolor class so we could experience drawing/painting from a live model -although in my version, he is about 30 yrs younger than actual....

Spice

Snap Peas

Leaf and Butterfly

Bahama Cottages

Bailey in her pink tu-tu

Caramel Apples

Villa de la Palm

Villa de la Palm.... OK, ok, I am now done with villas.... Some improvement though, don't you think?

And below, we have the Small Crowd. This is a technique the teacher showed and this was my first try. I will try this again, although these guys are not too good....

"One of the hardest things in life is having words in your heart that you can't utter." - -- James Earl Jones

Plaza de la Balboa Park

Class work Week 5.....Isn't this cool? This is from one of my pics of the spanish village at Balboa Park at the San Diego Zoo area... I love the lightness and free strokes of this painting. There are some problems and things I should add, but I am leaving this one as is, and try to paint another one...

I love it......

Another barn

Class work for week 4. Loved this, even though it wasn't quite finished... Too large to scan in one shot, so that is the line down the middle....

Lost and Found

This is what we painted in class last night. It was all about 'lost and found edges'... I am extremely pleased with my work. Yes, it might need a bit more work, but I am leaving it as is... My new mantra is "Put the brush down and walk away from the painting"...Hahaha. (Like in, "put the gun down and walk away from the body....")

What IS that guy doing?

I had to laugh when I looked at my latest painting.... just what IS that guy doing??

Not real happy yet with the progress.... but this is only the second week....

Rose

Love this pic...

Dreary Country Lane

New session of painting class. Here's the class work. It looks so dreary and dirty and overdone.
I gotta remember how to lighten up......

Generosity

"Sometimes when we are generous in small, barely detectable ways it can change someone else's life forever."

Don't know who's quote this is, but I like it.

I want my next lover to speak little, if any, English. It's really only necessary for two people to have a few things in common: sex, food, and vacation destinations...
- Mary Louise Parker, stating her current love philosophy

Cliff House

Waterfall

Sunsets

Goodbye San Diego!!

Riggings...

This boat below was used in the Russell Crowe movie, Master and Commander...