Along the way to Eilat

This painting went quickly. I did the mountains with a palette knife. Still need more practice with that. The mountains were seen from the bus window so my original photo was not too clear. We were traveling down the highway to Eilat (Israel) at the end of the winter. The mountains are in Jordan, the desert and date trees are in Israel. I was impressed with the way the sunlight hit the mountains in certain spots. I tried to take a few pictures, but it's hard to do that through a bus window.  I still need to finish a little glazing on the painting and then varnish it. My teacher felt that the gray sky needed to be lightened up a little, but it was a very gray day, so I think I will leave it as is.

Acrylic painting, 11" X 14" on canvas panel. Available by contacting me directly.

I'm not sure if I will have access to internet to post next week as I will be traveling. I will try to put something up if I have a chance. I will have my laptop with me. I did more pen and ink work on the earlier drawing (Old City), but haven't decided whether or not to add any color to it.

Bougainvillea

Acrylic painting on smooth finish Ampersand artist panel, 8" X 10". I did not like painting on this surface and I'm glad I only bought 2 panels to try out.  I am making cards of this one and will have up on my website later today.

The painting was from my photo of  flowers that I saw in Eilat, Israel while on the trip this past winter. We don't have them in New Hampshire, but they grow in southern and warm climates (including Australia according to my teacher). I had fun playing with the background first using a sponge - see my post earlier this month. The flowers come in many colors and look very beautiful. I saw them hanging from fences there.

Old City drawing variations

I have been playing with my pen and ink drawing of the Old City (inside the walls in Jerusalem, Israel). The drawing on the left is the original with sepia pens on vellum paper. I'm not sure if I'm done with the drawing yet. I have to think about it some more.

The drawing in the middle is a print made by scanning in my original, putting it into Photoshop and adding some red. It comes out looking like a wash of sepia.

The drawing on the far right is the scanned in original, printed out (without the red) and colored with Derwent Inktense watercolor pencils.  An interesting process, but acid free cardstock paper is not the best choice when using a little water with the pencils. I'm not sure how it will work on the vellum paper. I'll wait until I have another class and discuss further with my teacher.  Just a fun exercise for me.

Another view of the easel with my original photograph printed out. The colors are somewhat dull since it was later in the day. Although the sun was out and the sky quite blue, there were many shadows in the alley.  If you look at the photo carefully, you'll notice that I omitted the trash bags in my drawing. I like being able to pick and choose what I include and exclude when I draw or paint.

On the easel this week

I am recovering from blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery) and thought just to post work in progress. The painting on the left is acrylic on canvas board, 11" X 14". It is an olive tree in the Galilee region of Israel (north, near the border with Lebanon). This painting is almost finished.

The picture on the right is an 8" X 10" pen and ink drawing of inside the old city walls in Jerusalem. I just started that one yesterday so it needs more work, but I enjoy drawing. I may put some color on it later with colored pencils. I haven't decided yet.

The eyelid surgery was interesting and you can see before and after pictures online, also videos (just use any search engine for blepharoplasty).  My left eyelid was hanging down so much it was interfering with my vision. The joys of aging, although my friend Max says it's better on this side of the grass, so I agree with him.

Underpainting

I have been playing with acrylic color paints for the background of a flower painting. I have a beautiful photo I took in Eilat of bougainvillea. These flowers are bright red (also have some photos of the flowers in magenta and orange). I'm not sure what I'm going to put in the background so I was playing with mixing a variety of different colors. Meanwhile, I have done a color study in my sketch book and I think I have an idea of how to proceed.

The 2 panels above are 8" X 10".  They are Ampersand artist panels, smooth finish (1/8" flat). I have not tried smooth finish boards before.  I applied the mix of paint with a sponge on the right one, and a combination of sponge and brush on the left.  This was so much fun to do that I covered another board too. The combination is Dark Titanium White (Master's Touch), Burnt Sienna (Atelier) and Arylamide Yellow Light (Atelier).

This one is a Fredrix 11" X 14" canvas board ("Quality Artist Canvas Panel"). I don't know what I'm going to paint on these yet, but I was having a good time and I'll figure out something.  I thought the color would be lighter, but it dried a bit darker than I expected. I probably should have mixed in some white. The color splashes on the right are done on an acrylic acid free pad (Canson).

Winter sunset in Netanya (Israel)

I finally finished this painting. I took off the oil pastel (see mixed media in March posting) and just using acrylic paint brightened up some areas. It is 11" X 14" on mounted canvas (regular canvas, not board or panel). I made some cards from it as well. I will be having a table at a craft fair on Sunday in Nashua (NH). This painting is available for purchase.

The view is looking down from the 3rd floor of the King Solomon Hotel in Netanya. If you are a new reader, you can go back to my postings from January - March to learn about my winter trip to Israel.