As you probably know, it isn’t easy to restart anything after a long absence. My health took a big blow, so I am just starting out again. This time, I decided to make my return with a flower painting on Arches cotton paper. As always, it’s quite large since I completely dislike painting tiny art. I have still some issues, therefore, I am limiting my painting activities to 2-3 hours a day. The flower painting took me about 6 days.
12 years in making
There’s no doubt, cotton paper is the easiest paper to paint on, yet, it has become extremely expensive. Many of my watercolor paintings are drawing-based. I don’t aim for copying the reality, but I want my subject to be recognizable and having some emotional impact. I had begun this particular painting with a drawing which I did some 12 years ago. The paper is good and why to waste it? While I had no other reference, but only the drawing, I still tried to figure out how to proceed progressing slowly and cautiously.
Painting in layers
I usually paint in layers, especially when it comes to complex subject with many parts. Since I don’t have a photo or the actual flowers, the first layers help me understand what and where to place and what colors to use. I make my drawing very light in order the graphite pencil wouldn’t shine through too much. Every subsequent layer will add more vibrance and increase the value intensity wherever necessary.
Color temperature and values
Not only flower painting in watercolor, but also any other complex subject we paint, benefits from coordination of color temperature and values. I certainly start out light, just because I don’t know exactly where what should be. In this case, I also leaved the background white for a while. The paper I am using isn’t the bright white, but somewhat off-white. Nevertheless, colors shine and make sense.
Choosing warm and cool colors
Beautiful soft colors for attractive flower painting. I used a few red tones and also quite a few yellow shades for the most important areas. The green colors are a combination of blue, Payne’s grey and different shades of yellow and green. I normally allow colors mixing on paper, but sometimes I need strong pure color to add the vibrancy. You probably won’t notice on photos much difference in warm and cold colors, and iPhone doesn’t like light colors making them practically white.
Flower painting that soothes
I intentionally kept everything rather calm and soft. I think the slight shades of background help. I am very satisfied with the finished painting and not that much with the photos of it. When viewing art online, you have to always remember that there are numerous devices and apps involved. Also, large painting online looks exactly like the small ones, but in reality, that makes all the difference. I hope this flower painting will make you feel good and calm just like it helped me to overcome pain and health issues.
Who doesn’t love painting during the fall season and applying the vivid and bright fall colors? I haven’t met any nature artist so far who is intentionally avoiding the warmth of golden tones and sparkling red, orange and yellow, as well as rich and saturated earthy colors. I have posted recently many watercolor paintings because I switch from one medium to another, and acrylic art will be posted soon.
Here are Bright autumn leaves, original watercolor 20.5 x 16.5 in
Bright autumn leaves, original watercolor 20.5 x 16.5 in
I have accumulated numerous half-done paintings during the years of giving art classes. While I had my own studio-gallery in downtown Whitby, I sometimes gave art classes and workshops almost every day, including weekends. Especially busy all art classes were during the fall season and that is understandable: subject is so attractive, traveling and garden work are in the past. Most people have free time on their hands and using it smartly is a big deal.
Fall fruit still life, original watercolor painting 11 x 14 in
My problem has always been framing, that’s why I try creating more acrylic paintings because frame isn’t a must for acrylic art on canvas. Yet, I have the need to bring to conclusion any painting which looks promising, especially the ones I have started on very thick and heavy cotton paper which has become quite unaffordable now. I sure have throwaway pieces, too, which I use for color testing and just toss in the garbage.
Still life with onions, original watercolor 15 x 11 in
This time, I’d love to share one big watercolor painting which wasn’t added to my store yet and a few smaller ones which were in the beginning stages. I added a few more layers and brought them to completion. The common feature is subject relating to the fall season or painted during it. If you are blogging for many years, you most likely now how everything becomes invisible over time because attention is on the most recent or most viewed posts.
Bright red Bell peppers, still life painting, original watercolor 15 x 11 in
Fall season has lots to offer, including harvest vegetables and fruit, stunning colors, inviting views and late blooming flowers. The combinations of fall season painting subjects are endless. We can certainly use any style we prefer: from abstract wash to detailed focal points and so forth. Painting nature is an excellent practice for any potential or established artist because it really moves and activates our imagination.
Golden fall reflection, original abstract watercolor, 14 x 11 in
Teaching drawing and painting is an almost impossible undertaking. We can teach and explain many aspects of art creation, but the fact that one knows these principles and techniques doesn’t mean they are going to apply them. Also, there are aspects we can teach, and many other things we cannot. In my opinion, the most important part of creating art is gearing it towards your personal preference. My group art classes focus on personal palette, preferred color combinations and original style: Art classes, schedule and registration
The other area which is practically not teachable is the emotional aspect of creation. That can only happen when we have already good technical skills, efficient brushing and drawing techniques, as well as knowledge of basic painting principles. Blindly tracing a photo is not the key to a successful painting. Understanding all elements of painting and adding our personal touch to every one of them make all the difference. My private art classes focus on that; Classes specifically for your needs
The adorable fall season is here, and all we have to do is let it in! Canadian Thanksgiving is on October 11, here you can find inspiration, click on image:
Have a wonderful time viewing, watching and painting fall colors!
Geranium is a healing plant, my mom told me to have a geranium plant always at my workspace, window ledge or in living room. Its energy is simply uplifting, and it blocks out bad vibrations and cleans air. How can you not love the geranium blooms? I have two kinds of blooming geranium currently: the pink rose geranium and bright orange-red geranium; besides, the red is more present, altogether looking like one of my most favorite colors. Well, pink color is great for painting. It’s also easier to photograph than, for instance yellow or red.
I started this painting not only because I adore the fluffy, colorful blooms and well-shaped leaves of geranium plants, but also because I wanted to create support material for art classes. Most students who’d love to learn painting, cannot really draw. Therefore, they normally trace photos or print-outs. It must be tough, and, thanks to my early devotion to drawing, I can draw anything on the spot. I created outline drawing of a large bloom and added a few leaves. As it appears, the drawing paper (it was actually some kind of newsprint I think, large sheets) was a bit smaller than my watercolor paper.
Here you can see the progress of geranium painting
My painting composition looked fine as outline sketch, but after a few first layers I could see that something is missing, so I got a reference leaf and drew it in the upper right part. I kept adding layers, and the flower which actually consists of numerous small blooms came more and more to life. Around layer 5 I think, I discovered that the bottom part needs something more, so I added half of a leaf and small corner of as if leaf.
Detail of the pink geranium watercolor painting
While it is step 1, step 2 and so forth, each step took quite a few hours, and the entire painting – about 8 full days. I hadn’t counted on all parts requiring so many layers. The paper isn’t Arches again, it is Strathmore 400 series which comes in this size I like 24 x 18 inches (61 x 46 cm) and which I had available. You cannot create very attractive washes on this paper, therefore, I intentionally left the background white. Certainly, if you want washes in your painting, you have to use cotton paper. There is no comparison how wash looks on Strathmore paper which is still very thick and firm, and on Arches which is at least 140 lb.
I do most parts of painting with my number 14 brush. I’m so happy it has still the fine tip, but it has started to wear down. Well, I have 3 of the same brushes, and two are useable. Not only it is faster, it is a lot easier, too, to cover an area with paint and add some other color to it. I do not like a few things with watercolor – using masking fluid and using very dark colors. I never use black in watercolor. For that case, there’s Payne’s grey, we can use Sepia, purple, indigo and so on. That allows creating gradual transparent color which looks almost black, but shaded black.
I love the transparency of watercolor, and I do aim for flowing lines, as well as colors which do not hurt, but have a soothing quality. I didn’t have Opera pink color which is extra bright and can be used for such flower paintings, I simply couldn’t find it, therefore, I used what I had, many shades of dark red and Carmine, plus some purple and blue, although, it isn’t well visible on photos.
It’s beauty which always touches me, the elegant shape of leaves, the fragile softness of petals. If you paint, add some heart onto your painting. Don’t worry always about the technical aspects and perfection. Having heart in art is already enough and that feature makes it shine and stand out among others.
Representational art and my transition to personalized realism
To me personally, creating art means observing and creating it without help of any devices, and where possible, using the real things as references. It also means drawing and painting the subject in a recognizable way, but not necessary sticking to life-likeness so tightly that I cannot implement my own adjustments which are not present in reality. Representational art is pretty much neglected and not recognized in Canada. The modernism and contemporary traditions run here deep, and, certainly, artists who engage in abstract and contemporary abstract art, are way better off.
Flooding spring water, watercolor, 42 x 18 in or 61 x 46 cm.
So, how come I prefer realism in art?
First of all, my background is very different from Canada-born artist’s background. I moved over here when I was close to 50. By that age, the local Canadian artists have established their niche, gotten decent visibility and have participated in numerous juried and other shows. Well, I had with me 2 brushes and a travel set of watercolor paints, and that’s it. No portfolio, no previous paintings because you just don’t have space in one suitcase. I hadn’t even ever had a camera before I arrived here, therefore, I had no images also. So, I started from scratch. I’ve been very successful and productive comparatively, but I certainly couldn’t catch up in a few years with what others had done during quite many decades.
Country barn in spring landscape, size of this painting is 22 x 16 in or 56 x 41 cm
Talent and practice
I had some features which lots of artists do not have when they start out, even if it is at quite old age. I was drawing since early childhood, all on my own. Unlike in North America where somebody would immediately get a private tutor for talented kid or send this kid to a specialized school, nobody gave anything about my well-done drawings. I didn’t have any artists around, moreover, I had never seen any real art. We didn’t have TV those times, nobody had even dreamt about internet back then. It was a countryside out of a small picturesque Latvian town where we lived, but there were no museums, no exhibitions. I had the feeling that I can draw, and my goal was to create drawings so that the things on them looked real.
Country barn, spring, pen and watercolor, 16 x 12 in or 41 x 30.5 cm
Self-criticism
I was very critical and paid attention to every flaw in my drawings since there was nobody else to provide with critique, explanation or suggestion. I practiced for numerous hours until my drawings looked good to me. The paper I had wasn’t a drawing paper, nothing like it. It could be wrapping paper, white pages in front of a book, some paper for notes and later notebooks for school. I was certainly not selective when it came to art supplies, I simply didn’t have them, but pencils were around. I didn’t have eraser, therefore, I learned to draw without necessity to use an eraser.
Old countryside house in pen and watercolor, 18 x 12 in or 46 x 30.5 cm
Rocks and water, size of painting is 22 x 15 in or 56 x 38 cm.
Big works for me
I always loved drawing big or as big as I could depending on paper size. In high school, I was drawing life-size figures, huge posters. Well, Latvia was still in the Soviet Union, you couldn’t just go out and get a photo of a musician or modern poster because there weren’t any. I filled this gap and my paintings and drawings were very popular. I added to my stipendium during the University years (government paid students who had excellent results) income from drawing portraits of fellow students. It was a decent extra income which I immediately spent in old and rare book store. That explains why I do not draw and paint portraits while in Canada: I always did it from a real person, not photography.
Peaceful, lake view, watercolor, size is 20 x 16 in or 51 x 41 cm
My favorite subjects
We always had a garden and orchard ever since I can remember me. After helping my parents with most urgent work (we always had to work as soon as we were able to, like 5 or 6, and it was due to necessity of life, not my parents’ dictatorship), I sat down in front of some building, in a park or next to a flower or plant in the garden and just drew and drew for countless hours. When the drawing had all decent values, contrast and proportions, I was genuinely happy. I called my lines “completed lines”. If there was something not fitting in or sticking out, I started over. I developed my own style eventually since I had zero outside influence. Zero, and it’s a good thing. Although, I couldn’t study at art academy, I never gave up art and always kept it close to me.
While anemone forest, spring painting, 24 x 18″
Canada got me going on watercolors
The first paintings I did upon my arrival to Canada were all full sheet watercolor paintings: 30 x 23 in or 76 x 58 cm. This was the first time I ever had a real watercolor paper. It was Arches, 300 lb or 640 gsm. It felt like wood, and I loved it. Its cost was about 10 times less what it is now, and, yes, I used it for everything, even color tests. I was wondering how could the American and some Canadian artists get so much detail in their paintings because, realistically, what I cannot see, I cannot paint. This was the first time also when I discovered that artists were repainting photos, too. That was new since I was always told that repainting a photo is the worst of artistic sins.
Early spring, rural hills watercolor, size of this painting is 24 x 18 in or 61 x 45 cm.
I chose personalized realism
I never went that direction myself, though. There was no need. I can draw effortlessly anything assuming I want to or that subject seems interesting. It also shortens the number of steps: there’s no need for taking, downloading and editing photos or getting printouts. Yet, I need the subject to be present. That’s not always possible, like in winter and so forth, therefore, I added memory images to my reference sources. Indeed, due to drawing so much I developed photographic memory over time. I have numerous large drawings in a few huge folders. They include plenty of landscapes and most often flowers, still life and birds, as well as buildings. When I go through these drawings, I can usually find something I want to paint, or I just look for a new subject outdoors or indoors.
Uphill, rural house, size of this painting is 21.5 x 16.5 in or 54.5 x 42 cm
I hope it looks good
I have scattered my watercolor paintings from previous years all around this post. Many of them were posted before, but image quality had decreased, so, these are new images. I noticed on the phone that an article with too much text doesn’t look good. These paintings include black pen and watercolor wash and only transparent watercolor paintings. I do paint very loose actually. Students who have attended my classes know that. When demonstrating a feature or a particular subject, one simply doesn’t have too much time. I use targeted brushstroke, generous amount of water and paint, as well as excellent quality, pure-pigment-containing watercolor paints.
Early spring in rural village. Size of this painting is 18 x 24 in or 46 x 61 cm.
Realism it is, although, not strictly
I am not interested in abstract art, although, I can create it if somebody asks, for instance, for a commissioned painting. Completely abstract art doesn’t present me with enough challenge. The driving force for me is the subject, especially the challenging aspects of it, ability to create more complex and deeper paintings. I don’t care whether they look exactly like the real things. I want the viewer to get my message, the idea behind the visible lines and colors. That’s however, a theme for another post because these are aspects which internet display doesn’t bring to expression.
All paintings deserve being featured since my early posts get very little or no attention. I placed some on page for watercolor sales:
It’s probably a good reason for many to participate in World Watercolor Month and share the joy of creating art and using watercolor. Isn’t that great that it has become a tradition already? I read that it started only in 2016, and I believe many people are extra excited about that. I cannot post every day, but I am certainly happy to contribute at least some images and posts.
Manual abilities still matter
While we are swiftly becoming a digital and virtual society which uses devices and apps for everything, there are some things we should not delegate to devices. It’s in our favor to maintain ability to write and draw manually. Manual drawing and painting are extremely rewarding activities which not only make one happy and less stressed , but result in enjoyable art.
My current subjects: summer and nature
Nothing is better than nature, outdoors, gardens, flowers, growing vegetables in the summer. Nature is always genuine and honest. There is no pretense or flirting; that is the most real beauty we can have. I can draw and paint anything, but I have to admit that nature is the richest resource for any goal, any intention, anything in art. Therefore, while teaching and creating art I am teaching people to also love, appreciate and take care of this wonderful resource. Everything is connected. We can only harvest what we have planted.
The dreamy purple of summer pansies
Please, have a look and get inspired by my most recent watercolor project: The dreamy purple of summer pansies. I have posted 3 steps, but the first step is actually to transfer the drawing or draw with very light lines on watercolor paper. I used Saunders-Waterford watercolor paper, but medium to heavy Arches would serve better. The size is quite serious in order to capture flow of lines and shifts of color better.
The dreamy purple of pansies, step 1, painting in first layers on flowers and leaves, identifying the subject and composition
The dreamy purple of pansies, step 2, painting around the flowers and adding more layers on blossoms
The dreamy purple of pansies, step 3, adding more layers on flowers and defining more the background
The dreamy purple of pansies, step 3, adding more layers on flowers and defining more the background
Join us, create with watercolor
I know how excellent it is when one can use watercolor or pen and watercolor: it can easily become an obsession. If you were always attracted to watercolor, but are not completely sure what and how to paint, you are very welcome to join our watercolor summer painting sessions. Summer is the time to go out and paint nature. Enjoy the summer, get brushes and paint sets, and let us paint!
