Christmas Greetings to Everyone

NEW WORKS FROM THE STUDIO OF ART BY WENDY

Merry Christmas and a Joyous New Year 

from Wendy, Steve and Rusty

Hunt and Peck - 12 x 16 - watercolour

This little pair of Downy Woodpeckers arrived at our feeder late this fall. They were only here for a few days but managed to fit a photo shoot into their busy schedule.  I was delighted with my pictures and featured them with a sudden early snow fall for my Christmas Picture.

Steve, Rusty and I are very excited to spend Christmas with our family, our little grandson is now 1 and walking so he will add a special note to our celebration.  We hope that you will have a wonderful time with family and friends.
See you in the New Year,
Wendy

Special Note: 
February is Marketing Month for Artists!!
My all day Marketing Workshop is set for Sunday, February 22, 2015.  Build your Marketing Skills to become an Independent Artist.  See my Marketing Page for more information and registration.

 Contact Wendy to purchase any of my Work.  Collectors enjoy a 10% on all original work.

More Bumps lead to a Small Fry!!

NEW WORKS FROM THE STUDIO OF ART BY WENDY

My adventures with bumps continues!!

Two In The Sunshine - 3.25 x 3.25 - watercolour

After finishing my last little miniature, I have been fired up to try again.  My Christmas commissions were finished so back I went.

The first layers of paint look terrible! Bumpy, flat and uninviting.  Was this really how the colours worked.  It has been over a week so I wasn't sure.  I pressed on.

Glazed with my colours.  The richness started to emerge.  I glazed some more.

"Supper time", my husband said.

"Hold on."I responded.

"Things are getting cold."

"Okay, just a minute."

It was so hard to stop, things were working!  New ideas were flying!  Try a little more blue. Hit it with some yellow. The purple needs more red.  Blue green here.  Don't forget the sun glow on the leaves.

Suddenly I was done!

Black-eyed Susies, one of my favourite flowers, lots of yellows and reds, glowing in the sunshine.  They come late in the summer to help keep that summer glow alive.

Special Note: 
February is Marketing Month for Artists!!
My all day Marketing Workshop is set for Sunday, February 22, 2015.  Build your Marketing Skills to become an Independent Artist.  See my Marketing Page for more information and registration.

 Contact Wendy to purchase any of my Work.  Collectors enjoy a 10% on all original work.

Can "Bumps in the night" be a good thing?

NEW WORKS FROM THE STUDIO OF ART BY WENDY

It started when I decided to make colour theory my learning focus. 

Being basically a black and white person with my art I have always found colour a challenge.  I had been reading about French Ultramarine Blue (FUBlue) and what a wonderful colour it was.  Ultramarine Blue (UBlue) has been my standby but my book said they were not the same.  Well as you probably already know, they sure aren't!  

Colour-wise they look similar but they act quite different. It is a colour that likes to granulate.

The big surprise came with Mini Sunshine!  I carefully drew the picture, put down some frisket and did my wash: Alizarine Crimson and French Ultramarine mixed to lovely purple colour.  Things were very wet so I left my piece till morning.

Detail from that first wash. 

Wow!! Were there ever bumps in the night!  

You guessed it.  I had my purple but intermixed were flecks of blue.  I thought my piece was ruined. 

I studied it for a bit and decided to push ahead and finish. It seemed the best way to really learn. I used the FUBlue to mix with my yellow for my greens, the texture from the granulation really did add a new dimension.  I glazed with it. Kind of neat. I changed to my yellows and reds and painted the flower.  Here it is. 

 Mini Sunshine - 3.25 x 3.25 -  watercolour 

 I kind of like the contrast of the smooth yellow petals and granulated colours.

I went back to my last picture "River Run", some of you may have noticed the interesting texture in the background rocks.  I used FUBlue there as well, but with a mixture of other colours and salt, there was lots of action.  Now I realize that most of the action was from the FUBlue.  

Detail from River Run, my last post. 

I have a second miniature started with the same colours, I was holding back on it but now I am anxious to get it underway.  This FUBlue, does add a different dimension.  It won't replace my UBlue but I can see it will definitely be in the mix again.

Have a great day,

Wendy 

Special Note:

February is Marketing Month for Artists!!  
My all day Marketing Workshop is set for Sunday, February 22,  2015.  Build your Marketing Skills to become an Independent Artist.  See my Marketing Page for more information and registration.

Have you seen the River Run??

NEW WORKS FROM THE STUDIO OF ART BY WENDY

Squawk!! Screech!!

It's mine!!

No mine!!

I found it!!

Squeals and Screeches fill the air.

The river is alive with sound!

During the hot summer things were quiet, the water a slow trickle weaving through the rocks, in no special hurry out to sea.

But now it's fall!!

The winds are howling, leaves are dancing and the river is a raging beast, filled by our heavy rains. This is the time of the salmon!

River Run - 12 x 16 - Watercolour -Available

They have been waiting out in the bay for the rivers to rise so they can start their trek up to the spawning grounds. With them comes a collections of others: eagles, bears, seals and gulls.  To name just a few.  All waiting for the salmon.

To watch the run is breathtaking.  How can they do it?  The water is so fast, the rapids so rough and  the elevation changes so steep. Still they move on, up river to the spawning grounds.

This year on the coast it was a bumper year, a record numbers of sockeye were returning.  We decided to join the migration and head to Adams River, the site of biggest sockeye spawning ground in southern British Columbia. It was amazing to see the fish at the end of the run, brilliant red and green shining in the sunlight.

Driving up from the west coast east to the Interior of British Columbia, we really appreciated their journey.  They had entered the Fraser River early in September and reached the Adams River by mid October.  Quite a feat if you have ever seen the Hell's Gate section of the Fraser River Canyon!!

Once the eggs are laid the fish die. Their bodies litter the rivers, providing food for gulls and eagles. They come from everywhere to share in the feast.

River Run is part of this story.  The gulls have found a dead fish, wedged in the rocks and now they are squawking and screeching: announcing their find and claiming their share.  The river is full of these sounds as this ritual is happening at every crevice and rock along the shore.  Quite a sight to see!
Have a great day,
Wendy
Special Note: February is Marketing Month for Artists!!  My all day Marketing Workshop is set for Sunday, February 22, 2015.  Build your Marketing Skills to become an Independent Artist. See my Marketing Page for more information and registration.