Susie Short DVD

This is such a great DVD and I am so glad I bought it but...I can see that I need to paint this over and over until I paint like Susie! What I see so far is the green trees are all wrong and too centered. I forgot the shadows of the trees on the ice and the one I did paint is going the wrong direction? I like the feel of this but not the details. I need to do it over and pay closer attention. I need to practive the scraping of the trees because the color filled in after my scrape so I suspect that the paper was too wet?

My Philosophy-Go With The Flow

I am feeling rather philosophical lately and I would love to sum it all up.  These are the things I know to be true for my life.  I cannot control my reactions but I can control my actions (behaviour) as a result of my first gut feeling.  My reactions come from all that I have experienced and my actions result from all that I have learned.

Go with the flow - If there is a storm, I can't stop it but I can go with the flow of it.  I might get hurt and I might not, but it will not kill me.  The scars will heal if I allow it to happen.  I recently had an experience where my feelings got hurt in regards to my art.  I allowed my friends to support me, I continued to make art and I got over it very quickly.  For me, the trick is to not compulsively think about it.  I let go and the wound healed.  10 yeas ago I would have milked it for all it was worth for weeks and weeks.   I am a compulsive personality and I have learned to let Go.  This is part of my philosophy.  Now I will peacefully paint.
***the painting is an attempt at working on Susie Short's DVD "Winter Creek".    

Let It Snow!

Ok, I admit it.  I am ready for snow.  Thursday is Thanksgiving and I would love to have enough snow to look pretty but not so much as to make the roads slippery.  My family will be traveling along the major highways and byways and not over the river and through the woods.  I painted Mr. Cardinal so that I could have snow.  It was painted from a photo in Paintmyphoto.com.  Happy Thanksgiving to all of my friends and family.

Watercolor Workshop Project

I painted this using Watercolors and Gouache.  It is the November WCW project.  It is such a joy to be painting again.

Look Who's Painting Again!

Now I am moved and have an art teacher, I am painting again. It feels so good to get those brushes wet. This is painted from a wonderful photo by Patricia Elling, a dear friend.