Frustration to Ribbon

I'm excited to say the "Sunlite" won a Blue Ribbon, my 1st, at the Folly Beach Fine Art Show!!! This is encouraging.

Watercolor, you see is a medium I have struggled with for many years. I have always enjoyed watercolor painting, from the lite and translucent to the glazed and detailed. I would look a paintings in books and magazines and wish I could paint like that. Pick up my inexpencive little pad and give it a go.

To say the least it looked like mud. Taking classes at this time in my life was a little out of reach, and following the instructions in the How to books didn't quite work out, leaving me frustrated to say the least. Back in the closet they went till the next time.

I eventually invested in a small watercolor set of better quality I found on sale. There was some improvement, giving credit to the paint, but nothing I would show to any one. But still enough to start using watercolor as a background wash for some of my color pencil paintings. Then back in the closet they went.

Finally this year, I met a new friend on Facebook and when she offered video classes on line, I took them. The first painting was better then I had done in the past, but still nothing to brag about. The second painting was a beautiful Bird of Paridise flower, at least the photograph and the instuctor Julie's painting were, mine looked like washed out mud. We conversed, a few critiques and a helpful suggestions later I repainted the lesson and I haven't stopped painting since.

Painting, Matting, Framing, Preparing

Ok, so I’m not the best at this writing thing, but I’m working on it. It’s been a month since my last post, maybe I’ll strive for 2 weeks next time. I think I need to keep a “to do” calendar for blog and web postings. A gallery page has been started on this blog, with more work to be added soon. I am working on a web page where I hope to have links to all my web postings.

My time lately has been spent painting, matting and framing several of my latest pieces, some of which are on display at Eileen’s Restaurant in Summerville. For those in the Charleston, SC area I will have paintings in the Fine Arts Festival on Folly Beach, both in the Judged Exhibition and in a friend’s booth on October 23-24. This will be the first time I have entered my watercolors in a show as I have only been working seriously in watercolors since the beginning of this year. This is the first time in 5 years I have been able to enter any show. NO NERVES HERE, lol. I will also be entering the Coastal Carolina Fair Art Exhibit October 28 - November 6. Hope to be able to announce more shows soon.

I have at least been painting almost everyday. Watching videos, reading books and trying new techniques, learning and playing with this medium that till the beginning of this year eluded me. I will say that I learned more from past frustrations then I thought, and the similarities between watercolor and color pencil are greater then I imagined. I have a few color pencil “paintings” in the works, but I must admit they are on the back burner right now. I am enjoying this new found freedom from frustration with watercolor. There are 2 paintings in progress right now that I will show when they are finished.
Well, off the paint!