Just had a wonderful three hot sunny days Pein Air painting with the Ned Mueller Workshop and a wonderful group of painters.  Training my brain see value in the "open air" using oil was a challenge. Just being outside setting up and trying to get more paint on the picture and less on me was a project.
      The Fine Art Center Show which was much too short ,due to wet oil paintings returning home with their owners (impossible to ship them) was really inspiring.  Big  applause to the Fine Art Center and Susan Spar for organizing and bringing  plein-air to the peninsula.
 

Blackberries Blue Whole First Friday

    Blackberries will be shown along with Kalaloch Beach-watercolor,  Late Flight- mixed media semi abstract, Sequim Haying Time - watercolor, Continuance- oil monotype and Squawk on the Dock- watercolor will be shown at Blue Whole in September. Come enjoy First Friday.

Making an Owl Vase

First the shape is pulled on the wheel

The ears are pinched shut, an air hole is pierced  and the "owl" is left to stiffen

Feather -like texture , eyes, a beak and toes ate added. the bottom shaped . 

Green clay and finished Owl 

It is easier to make several at a time 

Each Owl has a personality and a shape .

Into the Blue Little Birds

It is always a challenge to present  window displays  at Blue Whole Art Gallery which include new elements or creative projects.  Hanging the birds from their drift wood stick was a strikingly fun  presentation.  Thanks to excellent help from other gallery members, the windows for May are a tribute to what a cooperative gallery can do.
       Coop galleries require a lot of commitment of time and energy to present their artist's work, in return for which friendships,  inspiration

, encouragement  and creative feed back are our rewards.

Two Day Workshops

Bring your materials paints and finished and unfinished  paintings, a lunch and your ideas and photographs for a Workshop on the Elements and Principles of Design, composition and content.
       LOCATION:  The Cabana at Sunny Shores, Serpentine Rd ,off Woodcock Rd. Sequim
       DATES ------   June 17-18  from 10:00 until 3:00  and July 22-23,  10 - 3)
       COST -------- $20.00 a day  (2 days $40.00)  LIMITED to 12 participants
       CONTACT -- Carol Janda  360 452 6356
                               1216 West 5th St Port Angeles  , WA 97363
                               Fees to be paid by June 10


     

Please Join My Blog

I just sent off the press release for my May show in the window at Blue Whole Art Gallery  in Sequim. Some fortunate artist's have a 'wife' to take care if this activity which is such an involved part of an artist's work.  This Blog has helped keep verbal communication working while isolation in the studio occupies the other side of my brain. I used an oil monotype and a watercolor  enhanced with w/c crayon  and the Teaching Buddha shown in  previous blog.
"My goal is to express , exercise teach and test my accumulated ideas and philosophy through the art I make in clay and painting which has been a driving force and pleasure in my life."

Fields Before an Ancient City

Retired 

 



I just finished a 10 week Watercolor Class which reminded me how much I enjoy sharing my idea, teaching and meeting other artists.  I hope in future to do Workshops with selected projects. (seascapes , abstracts, fog,textures etc.) .

Frogs

Perfect for the Art Nouveau Glaze I love, this frog is the first experiment .  It has a rather awkward water container below the lily pad intended to hold water which would  rise to surround the frog and  support  live flowers.  

Getting Ready to Teach

Monday January 28,2013 I will be starting my Watercolor Classes at the Landing Art Gallery in Port Angeles.  I hope to share some of  ideas and activities of the class on the blog with a link it to Face Book.
 The  previous comments about the Seashell value study made me think about getting back to the teaching.
It will be a pleasure to share the things I've studied for years.
    

Watercolor Classes 2013

I'm finally going to restart my watercolor classes. I've rented a great space at the Landing Art Gallery in Port Angeles  which will be set up for the first class on the  28th of January.  I hope to work with all levels on an individual studies approach to the Elements and Principle of Design for any style or subject.  The class room is easy access on the lower level with good parking.  Call 452 6356

Let's Hope the Mayans are Wrong

According to the Mayan Calender Dec 21is supposed to be the end of the world.

 As if we didn't have enough to worry about.

Winter Kale

Winter Kale , watercolor on 300 pound Arches paper  stretched over oil stretcher bars like an oil painting and sealed with acrylic for protection.  Gallery Wrapping is being used more often and works really well on Winter Kale, allowing it breathing room..

                      There will be a drawing to win this piece at Blue Whole December art walk.  

Buddha

                  This  Buddha for my garden represents kindness and calm, a reminder for a busy life.

The Elements and Principles of Design

I am  interested  in the Elements and Principles of Design used in any media. As a potter and painter,I need  criteria to guide the making and critiquing  of my work.  Most of my study of the elements and principles has been done for painting but pottery follows the same ideas in a different media.
     Personal  choice of what to paint or make in clay provides the desire  to do the work.
 Focal point and composition are job-one once something catches my attention.  After starting , maybe thinking about  the work for weeks or even having struggled with an idea through several failures, decisions are made using  the Elements of color, value, shape, line, texture, size and rhythm integrated with the Principles of unity, conflict, dominance,  repetition, balance, harmony, alternation and gradation.

                                                          It's a brain game, the right side is trying to make sense of the left side.

 This small study was done with dominate value , limited complimentary colors, strong line, repeated  rounded shapes in large and small sizes which lead the eye in a rhythmic path supported by the shadow
.
 This kind of analysis isn't useful   if there's no chance to make changes especially with watercolor and clay.  Having a method to study and plan is really helpful when it becomes part of the procedure.  

Some 2012 Posts I Lost

The Petunia was in the August show at Blue Whole
along with  Easter Lillies

Celebrate Life

The Landing Art Gallery in Port Angeles will be showing the art of cancer survivor's.
 Oct 1st  thru the 31st with a reception on Oct 6 at 5:00 - 8:00.

This piece was painted on a plastic like paper called yupo using watercolor and metallics in a loose abstract manner. 

A second work on the same type of paper called Dance Aerobics  has that same bright full color effect due to the non absorbent  surface of the paper.

          

Red and Aqua = Purple What?

In efforts to pour watercolor and create a semi abstract painting  the effect of the chemistry of paint was strikingly not what I expected.  Red and green are supposed to mix grays but this lovely purple is much more appealing.

What Happened?

Some how all of the 2012 blogs have been lost, can't figure out why?

Constellations

Glazed color with the depth of many layers of paint and the shifting of the plate enrich this suggestion of the sky at night .

Oil Monotypes

My oil monotypes where produced on an Ettan Press using plexiglass bevel edge plates with oil paint. The plate is coated with a thin skin of color which is transferred in the reverse to the paper. Additional layers of color , texture and design create a depth of glazing, achieving a painting unique to this process. Although these originals are called mono(one)prints, there may be a ghost print made if enough oil paint is left from the first run.

Masking with templates, plant material, brayer marks , wiping out ,over painting ,oil pastel,and using varied sizes of plates make this process thoughtful, creative and challenging.

Monotypes have that magic of surprise when they are pulled from the plate each time added elements change the color and design.

Featured Artist Show at Blue Whole

My Featured Artist Show for August at Blue Whole is all oil monotype except for one watercolor, Remembering Georgia.

Oil monotypes to be posted