Summer makes one a believer in better things ahead of us. The stage is set, nature unfolds all it has to offer. No doubt, we have to enjoy everything from short walks to distant trips, from simple garden chores to breathtaking adventures. My choices are not that many at the moment, but I make my garden a place where everything is as it should be in the real world: healthy, relaxing, soothing and rewarding.
I don’t mind having flowers between vegetables, roses next to zucchinis, green peas and marigolds friendly sharing their spot under the sun: they all make my place look more magic. I have to intentionally find time for painting because it’s always so much to do in the summer if you have a garden. July 1st is the first day of World watercolor month. I’m very sure I cannot get done a painting a day since my paintings usually take more like a week or two weeks each, but I will try to present more of my most recent watercolor paintings.
The garden rose sort of asked to be painted. After rain, every bloom was covered with shiny water pearls and I cut a few small branches and took inside. As I was sitting there and looking at the well-defined and artistic shapes of petals, I started to draw what I saw. For watercolor painting, I actually would need only outlines, but pencil just kept moving and I got a value drawing on my transfer paper.
Next day, I transferred outline drawing onto watercolor paper which happened to be quite large in size: 24 x 18 inches, or 61 x 46 cm. If you have read my art blog, you probably know that whenever possible, I paint and draw large.
This painting organically developed itself while my model flower stayed fresh and lovely. It changed shape slightly, but for adjustment, I could use my drawing.
If you could ever see this watercolor painting of garden rose in person, you most likely would find that water drops feel like you can touch them and the size is such that the rose bloom literally takes one’s full attention not only with its colors, but also size and composition.
As soon as get the second dose of vaccine and 2 weeks pass, I could restart the live art classes. However, for materials and demo paintings, I will create more garden paintings. Subjects are right here, and they are all kinds of! Summer days are long, but, nevertheless, they simply disappear. I can say my garden provides me with everything: models for my art, opportunity to recharge, colorful dreams and it also is a rewarding experience for my soul. Small place with everything which my universe consists of.
For now, please, love, share and enjoy the pink garden rose painting! I wish you a happy and adventurous summer!!
For art prints, please, check out this page:
This is such a gorgeous painting Inese! Sending sweet summer warmth and love your way!
Thank you very much Tania Marie!
I think it worked well using the subject straight on the painting desk, and I also had the large drawing and that’s very helpful. There’s no special need to always create a value drawing as a reference material because it takes quite many hours when it’s so large, but, on the other hand, value drawing is the best reference and help we can have when painting.
Thanks for great wishes and I hope you also have a fantastic summer!
you’re welcome! always love reading your artistic experiences and wisdom!
That really makes me happy! I love when others love reading my articles and looking at creative process.
Beautiful paintings!
Thank you very much Victoria!
I think just in time for World watercolor month which starts today and summer.
Have a great summer!
Love the dew drops, Inese, and the time lapse to see each step. Fun! Enjoy the summer garden.
Thank you very much Jo-Anne!
I am enjoying that a lot!
I wish you also a great summer!
I love those roses, just beautiful!
Enjoy your summer, Inese.
Many Blessings,
Lisa
Thank you very much Lisa!
It makes me happy that others find this painting great, too, and love it!
I wish you also a great summer with all pleasures it comes with!
Thanks! 🙂
…for the soul indeed! Gorgeous, my dear Inese! xoxo
Thank you very much Marina! I feel like it came out right, although, I didn’t even have the right tools or paper.
Have a blessed summer!
When the heart is there, no medium can affect the monentum! 😉😘
You too, my dear Inese!
I think so, too. Heart is a big part of anything we do regardless of big or small it is.
Take care!
😉❤
Right..
Summer is the indicator of good things to come..
That’s a lovely painting..vibrant and alive.
Stay blessed always 🙏🌹🙏
We all hope so. I suppose we just really want to put this all behind us.
More garden paintings to come. I like myself how this one came out, although, I didn’t have the good paper.
Thanks very much Jas, and you, too, have a blessed summer!
🌹🌹🙏
Oh. Look at the detail, the water droplets look like they’ll roll right off the painting and the colors.. this is just lovely.
It’s wonderful that you added the process from sketch to completed, what you do is incredible, and this shows us more of how you do it.
Thanks very much Sheri!
I’m creating materials for art classes and some glimpses will be published on my blog.
Since I paint and draw for a long time, there’ s no chance to really video record it. Due to my condition, I have to take sudden breaks sometimes, so I can paint when I can
I think this came out nicely, thanks to the live flower in front of me. Photos actually distort everything so much that I wouldn’t even try to depend on them.
Have a great day!
You drew and painted that from a live flower? That’s so impressive!
It really did turn out beautifully, looking at it you wouldn’t guess you took any breaks at all.
A lovely new addition to your collection.
Thank you! I hope you have a good weekend!
Whenever possible I use the real model. Pansies are blooming right now, I hope I will have time enough to go outdoors and draw some.
You can see the model flowers straight next to the painting. What’s the problem with photos? Maybe some other phones are better, but my iPhone really doesn’t recognize colors well, green is either yellow or blue, but never true. Color is easy to change to whatever I want, but the worst is distortion of perspective and size.
Pictures of drawing didn’t come out that well, because phone drew the front part closer, just like as if that was the real thing. You can see all the time when somebody has been using a photo for landscape or still life painting: all proportions are wrong, shadows and reflections are not where they should be, that type of thing. I will be heading out, yes.
Americans have the 4th of July, and I wish you a happy celebration!
Pansies are beautiful. Our Wisteria looks like it might be making an appearance soon.
You really can tell the difference between art created by seeing the real thing and those done by looking at pictures.
My husband says that technology hasn’t yet reached the same level that our brains are capable of perceiving colors at.. That actually reassures me. But I don’t think they’ll ever make a camera that’s able to recreate an exact replicable of the real thing.
I still think it turned out beautifully.. but the artististic are their own biggest critics.
Thank you for the happy wishes! I hope you’ve enjoyed a wonderful weekend, yourself!
Summer is fantastic. I miss the wild mushroom and berry picking in Latvia, but that will have to wait.
You definitely can tell which art was created from a photo. Especially, if you’re good in drawing, like I am, it’s possible to notice whatever is from photo only. I suppose I mentioned shadows, reflections, perspective and proportion. These are important things for realistic or semi-realistic art, and they cannot be found on a photo.
I usually have only things which would be visible simply looking at subject. I do add some things from imagination or for purpose of painting which the real thing doesn’t have.
Most online art now is animated forms, fairly abstracted or childlike drawings and sketches. I do sometimes think that my student actually were very good, but I pushed them more to become excellent. Well, they were better than people who say they are artists now. This comes from the fact that observational drawing is something nobody teaches any longer, or hardly anybody. One cannot teach what they cannot do. It was different in Europe.
Camera takes a global picture. We can create image which is not only warm or only cold, but has all color temperatures and all gradations of color. Camera cannot do that because its settings are automated.
Thanks for your comment!
This sounds like an amazing way to learn, if more teachers taught like you’re describing, more students might enjoy learning and challenging themselves.
Honestly, I appreciate many different forms of art, I think that the differences set you apart from one another and make what each of you does that all the more unique.
And there’s you, you’re keeping the technique alive, and passing on a love for it to every student you teach.
Happy to!
That’s true. When observational drawing is something nobody teaches, it’s a way to stand out.
When I was still on Pinterest (I deleted my account because of all image thefts) I looked at a page: abstract paintings, all in the same colors, compositionally about the same and I thought it was just one artist. In fact, it was about 10 different artists, but that’s the aspect of abstracts which is not easy to manage: many paintings look the same. That happens especially when artist follows up on market demands, meaning, there are lots of people who follow the same trends. On Google image search, it was so that when one looked for some art entry, like “watercolor flowers” or “acrylic landscape” lots of very good images would come up. Now, it is that all big companies with their related or completely unrelated art for sale come up, and the rest is the childlike or beginner type of paintings. It somehow became all the same with no distinctive features.
I remember we were drawing from real flowers at a class. After a while, one lady says: why your drawing looks like that flower, but my is animated and has no detail? I said: I draw it that way and pay attention to special things in that flower because they are not all the same. That’s exactly what we should be looking for: the unique, the special and the distinctive. Well, it also takes a bit of knowledge, at least realizing that there are many types of shadows, all kinds of values, contrast, highlights and the actual things have volume, too. That’s what is missing on the flat, animated drawings.
Where I come from, observational drawing is still going strong and there are many talented people who can do that no problem because they never use photos and camera. Once a person gets used to tracing photo outlines, they cannot return to observation, vice versa it is possible.
In global sense of human mind, that could be described as loss of self-reliance, lack of attention and it’s basically not trusting one’s eyes and hand. It is possible to characterize any person just looking at how and what they draw. Sometimes, that is an indication of cognitive decline or other health issues. Our drawings are similar to handwriting; there is a strong connection to what the person is, can see and what they think. Since every artist paints him/herself regardless of subject, we can also tell what their character is just by seeing lines of drawing or brushstroke on painting.
Thanks and have a good day!
You may have noticed that things are taught over here by how quickly you can get from point a to point b. It’s not seen as useful to teach how the individual, and how that persons differences, are what’s needed to make their pieces unique. Instead we end up with carbon copies.
Some people are born to paint, but those who learn through hard work, depend on the teacher to know where/how to improve. If the teacher doesn’t know, the student won’t.
And art just isn’t done the same way here.
How you said Latvia still does it by observation.. I noticed when in Europe that a lot of the older, smaller countries have extraordinary art/supplies/teachers.. The differences are remarkable.
I’ve also noticed that you seem very confident in your self and your skills.. that’s not something that comes without a lot of hard work and experience. If a student isn’t interested in the same level of effort it takes.. they won’t get anything close to the same results.
And that’s such a beautiful way to put it!
Have a good day, yourself! Hope the pansies are cooperating!
I agree, it feels like everything has to be rushed. I’d say, who cares whether creating a painting takes 10 minutes or 10 days? That shouldn’t be a factor.
Art classes are limited in time, and that puts a bit of pressure on me.
The aspect that always surprised me most is this one: expecting to master something within an hour. That obviously can never happen, and we have numerous underworked, unfinished practice pieces presented as art.
No other art forms allow learning that quick: singing, composing music, playing an instrument, writing a novel, etc. There is always knowledge, skill and practice underneath. I’ve never met a person who went to, for instance, a piano class and intended to play complex music in an hour. Yet, often people who come to art class believe that this is all it takes, attending 1 or 2 classes, and that is about it.
This is a century of all things fast and right away. That pretty much makes me want to just slow down and do everything at my own pace.
I never watch other people painting. I check out sometimes what else is created, but other than that, if you want to keep your own style, you cannot allow for external influences to disrupt your own intentions. It might be the only way to maintain integrity and wholesomeness.
In my case, we are talking about more than 60 years of a very different background. My approach might be not better, but it’s simply different.
I never lacked confidence and I also never compare myself with somebody else. I usually either do things well, or don’t do them at all. That refers to everything: designing and sewing my outfits, even cooking or gardening, or simple things like cleaning. If I’m not in the mood or don’t feel like doing something, I won’t touch it. I will return to that particular task when the time is right. Breaking a wall with our forehead is not a good idea.
Timing tasks also comes from painting: there is always a moment when watermedia work like magic, but if timing is off, you cannot even do what you want, it’s not going to happen either in acrylic, or watercolor painting. Timing our life is a bit more challenging, but it works.
How long a painting takes should depend on the person. Only the artist is able to say when it’s really ‘complete’.
And teachers will never have the time they need to teach their students everything, you can only do your best with what time you have.
I agree Wholeheartedly. There is no way art can be mastered in a series of short classes. I’m sorry. A real artist literally dedicates their Life to their craft.. a class or two will never equal that.
That’s such an intelligent way of looking at it. Returning to a task later, when you’re in the right headspace, I’ll have to try apply that to my life more.. My forehead could use a break. 😅
That’s so fascinating though.. knowing that your work depends on so many factors. You’re almost creating a symphony in color.
The best thing about creative types? We live for a challenge.
Stay well and have a lovely week!
Thanks very much Sheri!
Challenge definitely has a big role in everything creative. I have noticed that I have hard times repeating the same image or the same set-up (like for repeat classes), so I always choose a new one. That’s probably why I didn’t stick to one medium also. I used to paint with oils, as well, but it’s too painful, they cause me abnormal allergic reaction, and I cannot take that smell, not even with water-soluble smell, makes my insides turn upside down.
Our life is a summary of so many aspects. It’s good not to be like somebody else while knowing we are part of it.
This world would be so boring without the creative types who move it!
Tomorrow getting the second dose, finally. I might disappear for a few days.
You’re so very welcome, Inese!
It’s so easy to get bored when your mind is used to a challenge, you have to constantly feed it new things, and care for it like you would your body or starve. It can be a lot of work to challenge yourself in ways that will continue to stimulate your creativity. But it’s always worth it.
I’m sorry to hear you have such a poor reaction to oils, wow, that’s a shame. That’s certainly a good reason to avoid them though!
I think artists and creative types are here to make sure the logician’s and thinkers don’t forget how beautiful the world is while they try to define it all. Maybe we’re all just here to offer one another a different perspective or clarity of sorts..
Congratulations and best of luck with the second dose! Enjoy the temporary break from all this craziness!
Challenging oneself is the best part of being creative.
I don’t feel that great after the second dose. Have to rest for a while.
And challenges are sure to be the one thing we never run low on.
I’m sorry to hear that, Inese, prayers that you recover quickly.
It’s normal. I’m always sensitive to such things.
I can’t imagine our bodies appreciate whatever is in those shots but.. We do what we must. I hope you’re feeling better already but, if not, soon!
The new type of vaccines are ok.
I’m simply never ok with anything, even Advil which is like a basic pill. I do extremely rarely use medications, so they cause me side effects.
It’s ok, I’m fine. Just tired of everything, so many pointless and annoying things. Too much work piled up.
Being unaccustomed to such things, it’s no wonder! Are you getting enough rest? It sounds like a good time for a few peaceful days to relax and recover, well, if you’re able to..
Well, we usually know what to expect. It’s just so that I have to accomplish many things at the moment. Too many things at once. Being retirement age doesn’t help, when I was 30, I’d work at high school, give all 6 or 7 lessons, do shopping, get home, teach a few private classes, cook dinner, clean house and then start a new dress at 10 pm and by 2 am it’s ready to wear the next day.
When my daughter was just 8 months old, I moved to a place where they provided with an apartment. I worked at that school, full time, there were no conveniences, so getting wood for stove was tricky, I had to split the big pieces myself, then get them up to that apartment. Every bucket of water I had to take in and take out, there was no running water, or heating, or anything else. I also studied at the university still, and I was doing school paperwork, plus all writing for university lessons up to 2 am and was up again at 6 am fresh. I know it’s hard to imagine, but there was no internet, no smart phones, I hadn’t TV either, and there certainly weren’t any pumpers, so it was manual laundry twice a day with no dryer or washing machine, no formulas either. We can get done lots and lots when we are young.
Wow, I can’t say enough how impressed I am by what you’ve accomplished.
If only we had more role models to tell their stories like yours.. to illuminate younger generations of what you can accomplish by simply doing it.
Not as many people, and more than ever, live life moment by moment.. just trying to survive, to get by, and these are the stories we need. We need to remember that the world hasn’t always been like this, that we’re capable of so much more as individuals.
Forgive us for our youth.. some of us still have time(and the desire) to learn!
Thanks Sheri!
The part we can never choose is when we live. One time might be more fortunate than another, but we get what we get.
I believe that thanks to all issues I became very strong mentally and, in fact, physically, too. The advantage of not having always what to put on the table resulted in never being fussy about foods, as well as never fighting any weight gains because they just never happen.
The problem of nowadays is too much advice on everything which brings people in confusion. Instead, we try the internal resources. We all have them, a lot.
Tough life conditions taught me not to tolerate people are whiners.
While we are young we can accomplish very much, we just need to do that. However, it might not result in any financial gains.
I think we were much happier as kids, we loved being at high school, we loved being young. There was nothing much to compare with in the absence of TV and internet, as well as smart phones. Therefore, we had lots of confidence and loved ourselves passionately. That’s all.
Finally, just published Pansies, although, pictures are dark. It’s raining, many days in a row: https://inesepogagallery.com/2021/07/17/watercolor-pansies-and-new-art-classes/
Who’s to say we haven’t also, in some way, already lived other lives in older times? Energy exists in all places and times simultaneously, making anything possible.
And hardship builds great strength in so many ways, it’s not a pleasant process, but it has the benefit of lifting the weaker aspects in you out of the ashes.
The problem now isn’t just too much advice but the desire for more. Again, convenience wins, after all.. wouldn’t it be nice to just have the easy answer now and then?
How could we not have been happier, as kids you have this wonder for the world that hasn’t yet been dampened by the harshness of reality. Only adults complicate things so outrageously, to children, life is black or white. It’s the tragedy of adulthood that we lose that joy for life.
I’m sorry to say that I’m going to have to check out your pansies another time, I have to rush off, but I will make sure to stop in and take a peak later!
Thanks Sheri!
It’s interesting you’d say to children, life is black and white. As far as I recall, it was always summer in bright sunny colors.
We didn’t have any kindergartens or nursery schools, so I spent all time outdoors. It was a countryside, nobody else around.
Everything is very complicated today, everything.
Have a good day, and I’d love to close these comments and move them to https://inesepogagallery.com/2021/07/17/watercolor-pansies-and-new-art-classes/
I meant more along the lines that children don’t complicated things unnecessarily.. you’re good or bad. A friend or not. They don’t judge the world by someone else’s standards.. it just is. And it’s beautiful.
I agree. Thing’s have been made too convoluted.
Will do! See you there!
Exactly so! I think social media contributes a lot to sorting people in categories and, thus, creating, unnecessary division.
That would be great because as you know we always need comments under the most recent post.
I can understand some things needing clarification but it seems like there should be a line.
And that we do! I really loved your latest pieces!
Thanks!
You’re very welcome!
Delicate and refined painting, beautiful.
Thanks very much! I think all my flower paintings have similar qualities. I’ve lost count of such paintings long ago.
I intend to go outdoors and draw some pansies while they have nice blooms in interesting colors.
Have a good weekend!
This painting is awesome, Inese. I especially love the raindrops on the rose petals. It reminds me of a song, My Favourite Things, from The Sound of Music – “Raindrops on roses and whiskas on kittens”. Your paintings are some of my favourite things. Thank you for the pleasure you bring.
Thanks very much for your so-nice comment!
That’s probably the best an artist can hear: that their art brings joy to others.
I am just sitting here and looking around and trying to figure out what’s going to be next. I have to make use of summer with all adorable models out there right now.
Have a great day!
Summer garden for the soul … how lovely! I also enjoy having flowers in my veg garden too 🙂 Your rose is beautiful Inese!
Thank you very much Julie! It is a good time to be outdoors, and, especially, when I can do something related to all this beauty!
I just leave whatever has seeded itself if it looks fine and let it grow. That creates very natural look, and I’m not a big fan of always trimming everything to the same height or width. I let them be, flowers and vegetables and they always do great.
I do the same with self seeded flowers, so I have loads of calendula is my veg garden. Mind you, in summer I always plant zinnias, they are just beautiful🙂
They definitely are beautiful. I don’t have any this year. It’s good I had my own seeds because due to lockdowns, it was very difficult to get them. Some never came up, most likely, expired.
Plants which I start from my own seeds grow much better. Had to smile: I have calendula, too, seeds itself. They have so many more blooms this year.
I know how beautiful your garden is! Mine is way smaller, yet, I manage to put in there a lot.
Have a good day and nice weekend!
And a lovely day and weekend to you 🙂
Thanks Julie! I hope it will be.
This watercolor painting is wonderful. 😍😍😍
Thanks!
My background in art is first drawing and then watercolor, and I’ve been doing it for many decades.
This isn’t a complex painting, but I simply didn’t have a good watercolor paper, therefore, left the background white on this, but it works well with this particular painting.
ah, I really like how you said the garden rose “sorta asked to be painted”
🙂
and it sure came out beautiful
Thanks! It really did that. I spend sometimes too much time just imaging how one or other part would look on canvas or paper.
Nature is so perfect in every smallest detail
🙂
your writing & art allow us to see beauty in new ways <3
Thanks very much!
It’s great to know you felt that way!
I sometimes wish my writing in English came close to how I am writing in my native Latvian. While I am trying, and it’s been many years of using English for life sciences writing (professionally), it never compares to my poems, stories, essays, articles which I have written and published in Latvian. I used to write in German, as well, still do translations, but English became the language of daily use, so I use that more than other 3 languages which I speak. Obviously, English makes most sense for both of my blogs.
your english is marvelous!
Thanks for such wonderful comment! That probably is because of reading, at least 2 books a week, sometimes more.