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Shadows and daylilies, installment 2

A couple weeks ago I wrote an in-progress blog post about a new painting, "Shadows and daylilies".  I've been working on it on and off since then and I wanted to post another installment. It was inspired by a photo I took outside of Galter Life Center in Chicago. That day the sun was hitting the day lilies in such a beautiful way that I knew right away I wanted to try and paint it.

I'm at that point right now where I'm not positive if I should stop before I ruin it, or if I should continue and try to take it further. Yesterday I thought the painting was done but now the more I look at it I am feeling like the painting is about 75% there.

So - I'm going to keep going. Next step is to start working into the areas of shadow with more depth and to add some slivers of shadows in the areas of light. I'm excited to get back to it!

 

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Justin's sunset - the Aqua series

Well - I have many talented friends. This painting was inspired by a gorgeous sunset photo taken by my neighbor, Justin. I think it fits nicely into my "Aqua" series.

Justin's photo jumped right out at me because of the drama created by the composition and intense color contrast. His photo was amazing - I hope this painting does it justice!

Pictured above, "Justin's Sunset" - the Aqua series. Measures 32" x 40" framed.

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Seascapes

Pictured above, "Rolling", watercolor, 32" x 40" framed.

Browsing through Facebook I saw a couple beautiful ocean shots taken by my friend Celia. (I occasionally scroll through Celia's albums because she's got an amazing eye. This is not the first painting I did inspired by her photography).

I've been looking for some subject matter that would translate well to a large canvas and my aesthetic, and that had a tendency toward abstraction. Celia's photos felt like the perfect inspiration. Following are two large scale (22" x 30") paintings finished today. I think I may be on to something here.

"Break", watercolor painting by Rochelle Weiner

"Break", watercolor painting by Rochelle Weiner

Underpainting

In progress: Shadows and daylilies

Original photo - "Shadows and daylilies"

Original photo - "Shadows and daylilies"

I've started working on a new painting based on a photo I took last week. Even though stopping to take a few photos made me a little late to my class, I think it was worth it. I feel strongly that you have to grab the moments of inspiration when they are presented to you. The light in this scene was too lovely to pass up.

Wet into wet

The image at left is the photo I took, and last night I started working on the underpainting (below). The underpainting is the first layer of paint, and it's where I determine the beginnings of my composition and the pattern of color I want to create. I always do this step "wet into wet" - which means I thoroughly soak my paper first (I use Arches 140lb watercolor paper) and then work into it with very wet watercolor paint. The effect is that the color seeps like crazy, fuzzing out the hard edges and leaving you with a soft layer of color.

Don't forget the seasoning

Once I'm happy with the underpainting and pretty much ready to leave it to dry, lots of times I will add salt into the wet. The salt has the effect of repelling the color that it sits on, so you are left with spots of white around each grain of salt. If you've ever worked in watercolor you know how important it is to preserve your whites as it's very hard (sometimes impossible) to get them back once you've applied paint to the area. The salt helps keep the whites and adds a freshness and unpredictability to the panel since you can't control how the color will repel.

I couldn't help myself and as it was drying I did start putting in a few sharp lines and shadows. This is not technically the underpainting stage but I just couldn't wait. I finally walked away and left the painting to dry overnight - next step is to start laying in more color and depth. Can't wait!

Read more

See the progress on "Shadows and daylilies".

RO

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