August is here, and it’s about time to create some fall landscape and treescape. The colors are not here yet, but they’ll be everywhere before we know. Just as I wrote before, I get tired of green and I need something completely different. This post shows my most recent acrylic painting ” Golden view of early fall” on lots of textures in the background, or underneath the multiple layers of paint.
I started creating very textured paintings many years ago. Before modeling paste was available, I used plaster and plaster cloth, then cured it and, thus, got amazing textures. It’s hard to say which one is easier to use. Plaster takes more layers of primer before paint application, but modeling paste sometimes dries too quick. Nowadays, textured art is common, but it wasn’t when I started creating it some 15 years ago.
I asked my husband to take a few pictures with me working on this painting in order to present the size of it. Everything I post just as a cropped image of painting alone doesn’t allow seeing it in space and with dimensions. For a textured art and in order textures were more or less visible on a photo, it is important to get some angled views.
Just adding more layers to Golden eternity painting. The perspective of iPhone is quite terrible, but one can see the size at least
Golden eternity painting on the easel. It took me about 3 weeks to get it painted going over layer by layer and so for many times.
Textures and color, close-upand I hope you can see how textures push through the paint layers
The “Golden eternity” is 81 x 66 cm or 32 x 28 inches in size.
Textured paintings are very special, especially when you can see them in person. Colors slightly change with different light conditions. I usually have to ask not to touch such paintings. Well, they draw attention of a viewer and it’s hard to resist not to trace the visible lines of textured trees and leaves.
Have a great August and fun enjoying nature! Nature is an endless source of the best things on our Earth.
When else to use live flowers as a model if not in summer when everything is in full bloom and getting more beautiful by hour? Although, we’ve been hit by a heat wave, there’s plenty to paint outdoors and indoors. I won’t write a long text this time because pictures will display the painting steps I use and also probably inspire somebody to get a brush, pencil and watercolor paper. There you have it: I’m presenting pink and purple summer flowers with painting steps.
Petunias
Petunias are usually in every garden. The pink and purple petunia painting is more abstract. I do usually create a drawing on a separate paper for reference and not to damage the watercolor paper with erasing anything. I transfer my drawing onto watercolor paper using daylight on a glass door and how it perfectly shines through even thick watercolor paper.
Watercolor paper
Watercolor paper is one of the most important aspects of watercolor painting. I started Bright petunias believing that I was using Arches watercolor paper. After a while, I realized it didn’t work like Arches. If you have painting experience, you know that Arches facilitates beautiful washes and easy flow of paint. It is possible to lift paint also. I discovered that this sheet came from leftover Saunders-Waterford paper. Some 10 years ago, it used to be a good paper, but it gradually became worse and worse, and the last batch they sent me was so bad, that I will simply never buy any Saunders-Waterford paper again.
Washes with big brushes
I always start with basic washes which I am applying to wet paper. Any cotton paper needs to be wet in areas which you intend to work on, except for fine details which we add at the end. Then I gradually build the shadows and shapes using multiple layers of paint. My pictures show how unsuitable the paper actually is. The only plus is it doesn’t buckle; therefore, I don’t have to tape it down as with cheap watercolor papers.
Paints and brush
I always use round brush with fine tip, size 14. I always use large brushes as long as possible for they hold a lot of water and pigment, yet allow getting extra fine edges and lines, too. I switch to number 6 round brush with fine tip only at the end when I need some tiny elements painted. I always use St. Petersburg original and authentic watercolor paints. I’ve never had better paints so far and I have tried very many. I’d give the second place Da Vinci paints, but they don’t sell them any longer at my art store. St. Petersburg paints have all the best qualities of watercolor paint thanks to the manufacturing process and raw materials.
Bright petunias
The result could be smoother, but for an abstracted painting, it works. I use colors intuitively and carelessly actually and lots of water. For color testing, I am making use of extra sheet of cheaper watercolor paper because it shows the exact color I will have.
Morning pansy
For Morning pansy, I followed exactly the same steps. I’m creating drawing, transferring drawing to paper, making paper wet around the central flowers, starting with applying paint around the main part and allowing it to dry before I move on and start putting paint on flower. Then, I create leaves. The entire painting requires going over and over some parts. At the end I’m adding water drops. In the base of every single painting are the same principles: want impact, create values. Color to me is always secondary and I use that color which I prefer at the moment.
Result
While I didn’t try to paint reality since I never do, colors and shapes work extremely well in this painting.
Inspiration
I think that could inspire you to paint your own summer flowers, but I will sell later drawing templates on this website. My art is always based on drawings and I like it that way. Such art reveals progress and refinement of my personal style. I’ve done abstract watercolors, too, but they seem to be way too simple and never a real challenge. I love tricky things and exploration of effects and somewhat realistic art allows me doing that.
Note: Please, respect my copyrights, and since these particular painting steps are not intended for copying, use your own drawing, but apply process and advice.
Art prints, all my paintings which I have uploaded to Fine Art America:
Properties of our eyesight are very unique, indeed. There are no two persons, who see everything exactly the same way. We could say, the way we see is just as unique as our DNA, fingerprints, iris of the eye and similar extra fine things. Therefore, when we create something, some people will love it, some people will think it’s nothing special and some will either ignore or dislike it. That is normal. The thing we have created has still the same value for us personally, at least it should, because its objective value does not change depending on subjective likes or dislikes. It’s social media which either stamps some creation as success or disregards it.
High ranked mediocrity
I do sometimes wonder why a painting which is really good does not get that many likes as something rather average. Go figure. Partially, this is because of ranking. Let’s say, I post my image at the right time and it immediately gets 30 likes in the first 20 seconds. That’s it! It immediately moves up the ranks, and that is all we need. New likes follow, comments are posted and we’ve got the attention of the invisible viewer mass. Now, does the response always indicate that we are becoming a master in some area? Not really. We still need to have our self-criticism and apply our personal judgement.
Versatility
We should have options, always. The trends are out there and whether to comply and act on them is up to us. People sometimes suggest: you should paint more abstracts, you should do some black and white art, you should post more drawings and so on. I could do all of the above. The problem is, however, that I do create art which I am deeply in at any particular moment. I am not good with following trends and I actually do not care that much about them either. It is bad for marketing, no doubt about that. However, it is the only way to stay true to oneself and do more of my own realism.
Specific realism
I love realism. I need to clarify, it’s not any realism, but my personal enhanced realism. We could say, it’s high definition because I adore adding something still tasteful, but very detailed. Details are risky, but they also make a view very unique. I love specific colors and cannot stand some other particular colors. I do not like using black, in fact, I use it only for mixing up other colors. I love greens which are mixed up from black plus blue, plus yellow plus burnt sienna and white. Some grey shades require black. I really dislike black in watercolors. I never have used even 1 drop of black in any of my watercolors.
The choice of subject
We normally paint what resonates with us. I at least do. I have also many favorite subjects: still life, seasonal landscape, buildings, perspective and flowers. I think all young people want to paint portraits and figures. I did, too. Some stick to them and some move over to other subjects. I love painting and drawing from reality, and to paint face or figure, I’d need a model. That complicates things because it makes me dependent on somebody else. With my subjects, I choose time, place and medium.
Too many paintings
I’ve read how people complain they don’t have enough artworks in portfolio. I think it is also problematic to have too many artworks. I’m adding 2-3 a week in average. I have numerous paintings in different completion stages. Some are drafts, some half-done, some need change in color or more highlights. I get tired of one medium or subject quickly. Therefore, I switch from acrylic to watercolor and vice versa, I sometimes do just pencil drawing or pastel drawing. I love creating all kinds of drawing-based art because I’m very good at drawing from reality, and for that matter, drawing anything.
Preferences
My preferences are very noticeable when it comes to art. I love clean colors. I never use paint straight from tube, but the mix must be clean. It is easy to create any color from 3 primary colors, plus black and white in acrylic. I add burnt sienna, burnt umber, ocher and many shades of blue. That way, my palette is complete. I’m not a big fan of Ultramarine. Instead, I use Prussian blue and brilliant blue. Seasons have huge effect on me. I basically paint spring in winter or early spring, summer in spring, and fall in summer. Does that mean I cannot wait until the actual season arrives? Yes, it does.
Enhanced and personalized realism in art; Summer place 2, I love how it came out, acrylic painting on canvas 18 x 24 inches or 46 x 61 cm
Summer place 2 and Breezy daisy field
I would love to post just one painting in every article, but there are so many lined up. I will limit myself to just two this time. Summer place 2 is the second one in Summer place series. Breezy daisy field is also continuing the flower field series. As usually, I started them for demo purposes at art classes. The summer place 2 took about 2 weeks and daisy field about a full week to complete. My paintings consist of many layers and under-layers. It is best to paint any acrylic painting on color-coated canvas. They both are the same size: 18 x 24 inches or 46 x 61 cm. One is horizontal, the other is vertical. I’m very sure, the internet display will make one look larger and the other smaller.
Breezy daisy field, it got a lot of attention on Facebook, acrylic painting on canvas 18 x 24 inches or 46 x 61 cm
Grey of spring and lush green of summer
It is still cold outdoors. This April came with such a nice promise of spring starting early. What a disappointment! It is almost May and we have freezing temperatures every night. That is why I am a lot in very strong and very rich green color. I’m not trying to overdo, but it feels so nice to surround myself with this color at the moment. My love relationship with green will pass, too, but it’s so pleasant to look at such art and be around it.
This year will be marked by COVID-19 pandemic forever. This time is a very specific one, and so are our experiences. One can spend more hours on simply reminiscing about the moments which were captured on photos last year, the year before that and many years ago. This time also shows us how wrong we were about many things and how little we appreciated the freedom to move around and to go places whenever we felt like.
Art creation requires to be alone
However, for someone like me, there is no much change. I am not excited about Ontario winter which extends into spring, and in April as this year again. We had snowflakes dancing around daffodil buds for a few days now. Regretfully, it has been cold, and spring didn’t keep its promise about plenty of sunshine which it arrived with.
Missing and hoping
So, I was scrolling through pictures from previous years not only because I didn’t have anything better to do, but also because I needed to reinstall everything onto another computer after the old one crashed. The pictures from earlier years cause wide range of emotions. I am so proud of having painted numerous outstanding quality paintings, I miss the live art classes, I want to be in the blossoming spring backyard sooner. I start feeling older and I look at my own life as a train running away. I actually stopped making big plans many years ago after the accident in 1992. It would be interesting to know what my life would have turned out without going through that awful time. However, due to aftereffects of that accident I came to Canada.
Museum quality art
The attached images are of large watercolor paintings which I painted between 2008 and 2011. I honestly regret I cannot show you the actual paintings in their actual size. The image size is 23 x 30 inches or 58 x 76 cm. I am excited myself to explore the flow of lines, the perfection of detail, the soft and unexpected transitions of color which photos unfortunately cannot capture. Most of these paintings are put away and preserved in large folders. The ones in frames are under glass and neither pictures, nor videos would show them without a glare.
Mastering the medium
All of these paintings realistically show mastery in paint application and composition. I usually spend at least a few weeks to a few months on just one painting. They have been accepted in juried shows and exhibited in all kinds of galleries. After I broke the large museum grade glass on one painting, I stopped taking them out. These paintings are excellent value, and they should be treated like such.
Affordability of art supplies
It doesn’t even seem that long ago, just a decade or a bit longer, but art materials, especially watercolor paper was so affordable! I used very heavy duty and very thick Arches paper for anything, even sketches and quick drafts. The same paper costs a lot more money today because 1 sheet is $25-$35 in Canada. Is this only my imagination, or quality also does not feel the same? Any paint quality has definitely decreased big time over the past 10 years while prices are 3-4 times higher.
Art supplies matter
The truth is: great watercolor paper makes up for at least 25% of watercolor art quality. It is physically impossible to create good washes and flow of pigment on paper which does not absorb paint and water. Looking at these pictures makes me sad, too. I wish all art materials were available without any hassles again! I am waiting currently for some acrylic paints to arrive. I also hope watercolor paper became less expensive. Actually, the highest prices for any art materials are in Canada.
Should I even paint something more?
Most likely, I should sell more, not paint more. It is a matter of space and storage, as well. Yet, once somebody is hooked on creating art, it becomes like addiction. I’ve been in art for 50 years, and I don’t think I am going to ever discontinue painting. When I look at the art scene of today, I must say, I feel disappointed. Most images are computer generated, vector images, digitally enhanced or digitally painted images.
Good quality hand made art
Good quality hand made art is becoming quite rare. I would emphasize: good quality. The reason might be that most people do not want to spend time learning how to draw. It is way easier to trace or copy or print off and then paint over. While one has outline, they also need a lot more: understanding what values are, how contrast, light, direction of light and composition, as well as perspective contribute to any painting. These aspects are the ones which are missing in big part of today’s art.
The thorough painting process
I usually create full-size hand drawing for each of these paintings. Most of drawings show also the scale of values. Therefore, I do not need any other reference if the still life or landscape setup and view is not available any longer. I set up or looked at a scene and then drew it. Here is one example setup which was the base reference for my garden painting.
I transferred the drawing (I used a large window for that as a lightbox) onto watercolor paper and kept working every day when the weather allowed.
The garden painting: so much great time spent with it, painted in 2011. This painting is 23 x 30 inches or 58 x 76 cm.
I cannot recall the year, but I think it was 2008 when I painted this road. It is also full-sheet watercolor painting on Arches. Some of my paintings have never been published, this is one of them
The forest road watercolor from 2008, This painting is 23 x 30 inches or 58 x 76 cm.
The birch path painting refers to a Latvian forest path. When it comes to painting, I am always subconsciously referencing my memory which stores Latvian landscapes, views and scenery. I have added Canadian landscapes to my memory in the recent years, but Latvia still prevails.
The picture comes from 2010 and might have more contrast. It was photographed through glass back then. However, the actual painting still looks very impressive and asks one to walk this path. This painting is 23 x 30 inches or 58 x 76 cm.
The spring creek was half imaginary, half photo-referenced. It took about a month to paint it. Image shows it more yellow, but it’s rather crisp light green and the blue is very attractive.
Spring creek, full-sheet or 23 x 30 inches (58 x 76 cm). spring watercolor painting
And finally, so far never published watercolor from 2010. It is also 23 x 30 inches or 58 x 76 cm
Along the summer stream, full-sheet watercolor on Arches
The difficult photo managing experience
Back then just as today, I was struggling with getting good photos of my paintings. It’s more struggle now thanks to Windows 10 photos app which seems to be incompatible with iPhone 11 Pro Max. Every time when I am trying to download pictures, one or another side doesn’t want to cooperate. Windows 10 photo app not only does not allow me to set my own parameters for download, they mess up everything and I have to manually copy over and delete lots of pictures. Sometimes this app wants to download all photos from phone, sometimes does not recognize any.
Simple editing tools
I was still using the great Microsoft Digital Image Editor 2006 up to the moment when my previous computer crashed. That was all I need for adjustment of my pictures. It was simple, fast, extremely efficient. One can find numerous photo manipulation apps now, but there is none for keeping the image as is, just fixing exposure, light and contrast. Most pictures displayed here were taken up to 2011. They are practically unedited, except, I added frames.
Blogging, pleasantries and some annoying habits
I have intended to post more of previous paintings since I also haven’t seen them for a while, that means for at least a few years. I know how people are busy. It’s just so that if you do not look at the actual post and the actual images, you most likely have no idea what I am talking about. I have noticed some bloggers click on “like” under 20 posts, but they certainly haven’t seen or read any of them. I am trying to always respond to all comments timely and I do appreciate your comments a lot. However, I never put blogging before the actual life, therefore, I will like back posts which deserve that and comment back in case I have something to say about your article when I have time.
My paintings on Fine Art America, large collection of art prints:
My show is finally up. Putting up a show, small or extensive, takes time, many hours of work, dealing with selection, adjustments and paperwork. It felt as if the small tasks were never-ending: glazing, covering with protective layer, attaching wires, designing and printing price tags. I have taken numerous pictures. Light was not that good some days; well, it’s February. Therefore, contrast ranged from extreme to none, brightness went from burnt out images to a total lack of light.
Lots of work and many decisions
Even putting up paintings at location was time-consuming. Any place has its pluses and minuses. Light is as it is, and I had to figure out the best layout immediately and without hesitation. There was staff, who went up the ladder and put up each painting, and while they were doing their best, everything took some adjustment. I think I managed to do very well with placement of my art.
It is a great advantage to see art in person
While less people attend shows or art events nowadays since everything is on the internet, I would like to still emphasize that nothing compares to seeing art with your own eyes and experience the feeling of direct presence. There are so many devices between the real painting and its image on the internet! Any of these devices change the look of painting to a great extent, so some things get lost along the way, which especially refers to balanced and carefully crafted colors and contrast.
Paintings which were included in this show
My paintings frequently display paths and roads. Road, as well as path is an important symbolic element of my art. We are always on the way, always going to something new which is still to be discovered and explored. I am posting this time a few completely new and a few overworked paintings. That especially refers to “Nostalgia” series.
Subjects of my art
I loved to find untouched landscapes in close vicinity of a town: old country barns, quiet streams, birch groves and meandering forest paths. I genuinely love wildflowers, they appear quite frequently in my art. The same goes for always painting spring in winter. That is a natural mood lift and fantastic way of spending dark and gloomy days when storms, snow, cold and ice make the outdoor landscape very hostile.
Less text, more art
This post is intended to show paintings, therefore, less text, more art.
Red country barn, early spring, acrylic painting 76 x 61 cm, acrylic on canvas
Red country barn, early spring won the easel, Nostalgia series
Path in blue bell woods, Nostalgia series, acrylic painting, 24 x 20 in or 61 x 51 cm
Reflection of clouds, summer stream, acrylic painting on 24 x 20 in or 61 x 51 cm canvas
Nostalgia, the painting which initiated the series of landscapes disappearing from our neighborhoods, acrylic on canvas, 24 x 20 in 61 x 51
If you happen to live in Greater Toronto Area and especially around Ajax, please stop by. My show is on at Ajax Town Hall Council Chambers Lobby until March 19. 25 works of art are exhibited. I take from the first responses, that people like it. Enjoy!
