Pansies, they smile for sure
My garden provides me will all painting subjects which I usually use for floral and still life paintings. I can also see quite a landscape from the second-floor balcony, so I’m all set up for any nature painting without needing to take any photos. First of all, with nowadays cameras, perspective is completely distorted, it would damage drawing or painting to huge extent. Colors are practically never true, and that is a reason good enough to rely rather on our own eyes. This time I’m presenting the new smiling yellow pansy faces surrounded by great shapes of leaves and abstracted background.
Never-ending supply of art ideas
We had big problems buying any seeds this past spring, therefore, I have mostly what grows from my own seeds and flowers and veggies which planted themselves. I got 2 sets of pansies. The one which I painted this time, was larger. It had interesting colors in the middle: not completely purple and not completely dark red in the lower part. Yellow is not that difficult color to paint as it is very annoying getting pictures of it. I can never go wrong with art ideas which grow all around the garden. It’s never-ending inspiration, always something new and more beautiful than before.
More art, less reality
When I draw or paint something, I usually change a lot from what it is in reality. I want on my painting more art, more me, more my style, and less reality. That doesn’t mean I will paint my subject in a completely abstract manner. The reason is there’s way too much abstract art already, and also – it is much easier to work on one’s style and maintain it when using recognizable and nature-like things. Pansies are a convenient subject for painting, especially when you have some around. For photo-taking reasons, I will make next painting pink or red because watercolors in such palette shades are much easier captured with any camera.
You see what you see
I regret that most of you will ever see only images of my art. I dare saying that you will never know what I and how I paint in reality. I surely can tell you that the camera made the light-yellow spaces white and caused the darker areas look like outline which they are not, I can tell that my colors are crafted and very balanced, but you see what you see. Plus, there’s no perception of size and its impact. It is again a 24 x 18 in or 61 x 46 cm painting, and that is quite large for watercolor. As it leans against the white support board, it lights up the entire studio. It’s cloudy and rainy today and this painting just shines as extra light source.
Pansy smiles, purple hearts, watercolor 24 x 18 in or 61 x 46 cm
New live art classes
After a long interruption of almost 2 years, I’m resuming live art classes in a very cozy outdoor space which is surrounded by blooming and green plants. This feature will add more safety to participants. It’s just so that I haven’t seen that many yet. To be honest, I’ve never met or had a student who learned mastering their style or medium online. I’ve written about that before: it’s one-sided, and that’s the problem. The human perception is very distinctive when it comes to any art concepts, therefore, everybody understands and applies the same thing in all kinds of ways, and rarely – correctly. In my mind, there’s nothing which can replace a real, live interaction, but that’s just my opinion. I suppose for drawing and painting animated outline drawing or extra simplified watercolor wash, anything is fine.
Real classes versus online: Compare
Mastering medium: Learn more
If you dream to become a master of your medium, you need a real art class. Apply here; Art classes
I don’t know how you keep the “white” bits white with all the other colours so close. Lovely paintings, as always, Inese. You have a real eye for colour and subject. Cheers!
Thanks very much Jo-Anne!
I paint large, 24 x 18 is quite large sheet of paper. These spots look small online, but, in fact, they are easy to paint around. I don’t like masking medium, so I just always paint around. I also use only number 14 large round watercolor brush with fine tip for practically all painting, just one brush. It holds lots of water and lots of paint and releases it as I want to. At the very end I need to add a few tiny edges and then I use for that step number 6 round brush.
I really wish photos were better, they are quite dark, but I suppose the idea is clear.
Have a good weekend!
I love your style and technique, your paintings make me smile! 🙂
❤️carmen
Thanks Carmen!
That’s a good reaction. I was just sitting in the studio and thinking that all paintings on desks, on all walls, everywhere, they create such an incredibly strong protective layer.
It simply feels fantastic to be surrounded by such art.
Like I said, I regret, no photo can show the real thing, but, the energy which comes out of these pieces of art is great. I know that other people can feel this energy, too. Some can stand and look at some painting for a hours, not literally, but for a long time for sure
I appreciate your nice comment!.
Have a good Sunday!
Love your art! Beautiful
Thanks very much!
I love creating it, it’s been half a century at least.
I understand, I feel the same about craft)
So you know how rewarding that is!
I do)
Thanks for your comments! I will return a bit later and look at your posts, as well. Have a nice Sunday afternoon!
Thank you too, I enjoy looking throw your posts, I love watercolor, acrylic paint, pencils and gouache, I post them on another my blog. Have a nice day)
Oh, I didn’t see the link to the other blog, will have to check later. Customer coming right now.
You, too, have a good afternoon!
The link to another blog: https://nadiiasstories.wordpress.com/
I checked it out! Very nice!
Thank you) Of course, there is no comparasing to your work) I just had a break from collage, I do not know why, but after 4 years of watercolor, drawing and other stuff in collage, I hated watercolor so much that did not do it for 7 years, so, coming back for serious work now.
I know what you mean. I have periods when I am only doing acrylic or drawing, then when I get tired of acrylic, I turn to watercolor. I like switching between styles and use different medium options.
I didn’t have Arches paper for the recent paintings, therefore, washes are not smooth like they would be on Arches, but it’s still ok.
I also most often use only the large brush number 12 or 14, paint big size with St Petersburg watercolors. Before pandemic, I used to fly back to Latvia where I am originally from and I always bought paints and brushes there. These t Petersburg watercolor paints are way better than what I can buy in Canada. My students ordered the same paints online, and they didn’t feel the same, plus, they were tiny. Sooner or later, I will go visit my daughter, grandchildren (they’re adults) and sister’s family in Latvia, and then, I will charge up again on great art supplies.
No worries, any art takes time and efforts. It’s so that we are trying to make it look effortless as much as possible.
Have a good day!
Oh, I understand about switching, I do it too. As for materials, I use pain from US now and, honestly, it is really bad, not good spots, hard to work with in general, I also used to paint with Saints Petersburg watercolor, Sonet, after I got Ukrainian brand which is still better than paint from USA. Well, gonna finish this one and will get my favorite one too)
I have tried paints which I could buy at the art store here, all kinds of brands, and, certainly, the St. Petersburg pigments beat them all. I suppose they are much purer and more concentrated, therefore, you get very clean color. It’s just so that when I photograph the paintings, that is not visible. I currently do not have camera and the iPhone is such garbage, extremely disappointed with it. Mostly, it doesn’t recognize colors, distorts perspective and size and makes contrast absurd. No editing can ever fix that.
Good luck!
I understand, same thing, but I have camera. Anyway, I am using Royal & Langnickel and it is terrible. Also I have Rosa (Ukraine) it is good, way better.
I know, I haven’t tried this particular one, but Daniel Smith, Da Vinci, Winsor & Newton, Cotman, Graham and some others, too. Nothing was as good. Some didn’t have any pigment in them at all.
I need camera, new laptop, my is like ancient, and lots of money because after these 2 pandemic years I’m not ok. Since I cannot make videos and zoom classes, nothing good happens.
Oh, I was lucky to get new camera and laptop right before pandemic. But the rest, just work and stuff also not good. I guess, I will have to get lots of Rosa and Leningrad paint with me)
My situation isn’t splendid by any means. I’m fairly close to retirement age, and that will probably be the point when I have to stop spending anything on art supplies. I don’t know when I will get camera, laptop and computer. My devices are very old. The main computer already broke down once, lost a lot of pictures. My medical expenses are abnormally high because these things cost about 5 times more than they were in Europe.
Balance should be much, much, much better. Doing what and how I’m doing right now isn’t gonna change that. Other artists of my age and range have video editors, filming crews, social media staff and so on. It is too much for one person to create, deal with all household chores and also take care of internet presence and online products. Not gonna happen when we have 24 hour day and spend part of it sleeping. Something always gives.
Yeah, it does not sound easy, I do art as a hobby, but want to do more serious job already and I see how much time needs for that and still lots of stuff to do, I have editor on my laptop and learning, how to use it. I cannot affort a crew. Well, I hope you will find a way. Good luck!
Oh, my friend artists have a person who edits and adjusts all videos, that saves a lot of time.
I don’t think I will try to do that because I have started classes, at the moment only private art classes, and there’s definitely no time.
Like I said, I’m close to retirement and I have other things I’m doing, as well, so I made art the number one priority.
It’s very difficult to make money on art unless you can go big and invest a lot, plus get hired staff which fills in the gaps.
Art as hobby is a fantastic thing!
Have a good weekend!
Thank you, you too)
Welcome, and have fun!
Thank you) Good luck you too) Did you try Windsor & Newton, Van Gogh?
I did, they fall in the same category. If you don’t have anything better, you can use these paints, but they only go that far.
so pretty! just read somewhere that pansies are poisonous – interesting to think that something so sweet looking… lol
As far as I can recall, we have had some pansies in the garden. Well, I don’t eat them, but I like pansy shapes and all colors they come in. Also, I usually use my subject live and straight in front of me, and that’s easy to do with pansies. Some years, I have pink, dark red or purple, this year I have yellow and purple small ones. They seeded themselves, I just noticed in spring, some had appeared.
Most of paintings subjects go bad before I am done with painting, like all items of still life with food, fruit or vegetables, cut flowers, too. These grow in a pot, therefore, they’re perfect.
Lots of flowers and garden plants are deemed poisonous. I suppose, careful with eating them, LOL.
Thanks and have a good Sunday evening!
have I already invited you to guest blog post for my site? If so, pardon for insisting, but you’re so talented! If you’re so inclined, here’s a link to general guidelines: https://wp.me/p6OZAy-1eQ
Thanks very much for invitation! In a while, I’d love to. A few next weeks are extremely hectic, and I suppose I could do that closer to the end of August when there is less garden work and I probably won’t give that many classes.
Thanks for the link, I’ll check it out and we sure can do the guest post.
any time would be wonderful
Good to know. I will try to follow up on your invitation, it sounds very worth it. I definitely appreciate you thought some posts are interesting enough to share.
Just love your work, Inese…and do wish we lived close to one another because I would sign up right away for clases!! My Mom just loved pansies!! I dreamed of her right before I woke today and then saw your flowers…I know she is my guardian angel!!
Hope you are well…and that life is good!! 😊💜
Thank you very much Lorrie!
I know, lots of people would love my art classes. Unfortunately, I do not have equipment to teach online, and, quite frankly, real teaching is real where I can see whether the student got it right.
I love pansies, too I always grow some. My pictures don’t do justice to the painting this time, colors came out absolutely wrong, but all I can take pictures with at the moment is iPhone and soooo don’t like it. Especially, when it comes to yellow and green, it cannot capture the actual shades.
Well, life could always be better than it is, couldn’t it? All in all, we are fine, I cannot complain. I have private classes for now, they take a lot of time, therefore, didn’t get to my own painting or posting something new.
I hope you are good also! So nice to hear from you! I will return the visit at some quieter time.
Glad to hear things are going rather well, Inese. I know a lot of people were able to pivot to on-line teachings, but I agree that your art class has to be better in person. And it does take more sophisticated equipment which adds to your costs, etc.
I get what you mean about colors and taking photos with phones. I only have my cellphone as a camera and also find yellow to be a very difficult color to photograph.
Stay well…be safe. EnJOY life!! <3
We don’t really go anywhere, an it’s still masks, at least way into September.
The Ontario numbers are not that troublesome at the moment, hard to guess how everything is after some 6 months.
I hear about the States that virus numbers are still high, not good by any means.
In my case, I’d need all new equipment, operating here from one more than 10 years old desktop. I cannot just get everything which I would need and that is a lot.
You, too, stay well and be safe!
I get it…and it’s a whole new learning curve for new equipment. I believe that we live in one of..mif not THE highest rates of covid right now. Our governor has refused to order mask mandates. I keep away from crowds, don’t go many places, and wear a mask if I do. We are very blessed to live in a climate that we can be outdoors all year round. I have no idea how this will play out…but our hospitals and health care workers are stretched to the limits. Never thought I would live through something like this!
Take good care, Inese…and keep creating beautiful art!! 💜
Thanks Lorrie! I’m sorry, I couldn’t get sooner to respond. I still have a private class today, they really take a lot of time.
We could be looking forward to about 2 more years of uncertainty, by then, everybody should have developed some immunity.
nothing good about a global pandemic, and it managed to spread even to the most remote areas.
Ok, back to work.
Very nice exchanging some thoughts with you!
Hi Inese – I agree that photos can only show certain things and sometimes distort what is like in real life
– but at least photos give us some idea and some beauty 😉
Congrats on having the outdoor classes
And hope they turn out well
Thanks!
I just published a new article about drawing https://inesepogagallery.com/2021/08/08/the-extremely-calming-pencil-drawing/
Drawings were great, but pictures came out yellow, all bright white paper was in color of a dirty bed sheet. I converted pictures to Black and White, but, definitely, it’s not the same as the actual art. You ask me which company I cannot stand most, so it’s Apple. Their iPhones are nothing good, and I have to still pay off the iPhone 11 Pro Max which was promised to be something real good, but turned out to be something horrible for picture taking. The distortion I get is just mind blowing. Edit or not, it’s not good, just takes more time, a lot more time.
Art classes started, currently, only private art classes, so I had no moment to post anything anywhere. The advertising (which I didn’t get to yet) is sooooo time-consuming.
I so much would like to return to the previous in-person model where people just walk-in into my gallery and everything happens.
At least, I got started, so much more to do, abnormally so and I’m still way behind with everything.
I hope you have a good weekend!
You are an amazing artist!
Thanks very much Resa!