Sunday, October 23, 2016
Friday, October 21, 2016
Posted by Joan Y at 1:09 PM 0 comments
Thursday, October 20, 2016
Alala (Hawaiian crow) returns to the wild!
UPDATE: Thanks for those of you that purchased the Alala notecards at the Alala Project VIP and public celebrations at Mokupapapa Discovery Center in Hilo and my art sale in November! We raised at least $400 for the Alala Project! Mahalo Nui Loa!
Posted by Joan Y at 8:35 PM 0 comments
Sunday, October 16, 2016
The dogs have it!
Pugs, French Bulldogs, and Boston Terriers are just fun dogs to paint. I love their distinct look and their funny-when-trying-not-to-be-funny faces.
I got the reference photos from Draw my Photos, which are royalty and copyright-free images. Thanks Christine C!
Posted by Joan Y at 7:29 AM 1 comments
Saturday, October 15, 2016
Melon and mushroom fun
Melon seeds are HARD to paint! So, I took the melon scoop by the handle (or bull by the horns, whichever) and had at it. It did force me to take the painterly approach, which I sort of liked. I couldn't get too hung up on accuracy and it did flex my creative muscle so in a way, it was a good exercise ... tho' I won't be doing THAT again anytime soon. I painted the cantaloupe first and then the mushrooms last. Notice the pattern? Loose, less loose, kinda tight, and back to really tight again. My mantra this week ... flex that muscle ... flex that muscle ... flex that muscle ... Lord help me.
Posted by Joan Y at 10:21 PM 0 comments
Wednesday, October 12, 2016
Barn owl and peaches
Posted by Joan Y at 9:34 PM 0 comments
Friday, September 23, 2016
Posted by Joan Y at 6:03 PM 1 comments
Saturday, September 17, 2016
I've been busy painting!
I've been busy painting almost every day and thoroughly enjoying the process of learning a new form of expression. I've just been enjoying learning new things, stretching my limited understanding of oil paints and different media. It has been a little over 2 months since I first picked up my oil brush so these are just works in progress. The smell of stand oil reminds me of my days in college, when I took my first art class. And the sound of a brush laden with oil paints against a canvas is like music to my ears. At the time, I am so glad for the advice my art teacher gave me when she knew art was my passion. She said, "Joan, focus on getting your science degree. You can always do art." I took her advice and have loved my career in natural resources management. It took me decades to find my creativity again but I'm glad I did. It's never too late to rediscover your passion. I love what I do (as a rare plant botanist ... now an administrator) and it's never too late to find your other passions and invest in them too. Seeking balance in life has been tough these days but I definitely believe it's worth it.
Here are several paintings I've done recently, with the oldest at the bottom. I'll try to post more frequently once I get a new computer (my old beast is ready to retire and refusing to post anymore ... she's a good girl and needs her rest). For now, I hope you enjoy the barrage of images.
Posted by Joan Y at 8:10 AM 0 comments
Monday, August 1, 2016
Oils!
Posted by Joan Y at 2:50 PM 0 comments
Saturday, July 9, 2016
Mamane
Posted by Joan Y at 2:12 PM 0 comments
Monday, July 4, 2016
Wet on wet
Posted by Joan Y at 1:36 PM 0 comments
Saturday, July 2, 2016
Getting started
The Hawaiian flora is spectacular and I really don't have a good reason why I don't spend more time painting it. It really is a curious thing, especially because I have spent the majority of my life getting acquainted with some of the rarest plant species on Earth, Or, maybe in my mind it's just impossible to replicate that kind of beauty in a static medium ... or I haven't yet figured how. So, I'll give it a try and do my best to map out a painting of mamane (Sophora chrysophylla), a Hawaiian endemic plant that grows nearby. It's in the pea family so I'll have fun painting those yellow flowers and gnarly pods.
Now: With the wind blowing through the hapu`u (tree ferns, Cibotium glaucum) outside and Dax snoring at my feet, I can barely hear apapane chirping through my window. I'm feeling a little nervous because I haven't painted seriously in a long while. I just hope that mamane gods are with me.
Posted by Joan Y at 1:42 PM 0 comments
Wednesday, June 29, 2016
JKPP: Kevin Henry
Posted by Joan Y at 8:18 PM 2 comments
Pugilicious!
Posted by Joan Y at 8:11 PM 0 comments
Small format artcards
These little drawings and paintings remind me that I need to slow down, because I seem to be able to carve only bits and pieces of my day to do something I love. These take relatively little time to do and I can finish one in a couple hours, or less.
I mean, I love my job. I really do and I work with amazing people and I know I'm destined to be a botanist and conservationist. It's my life's work and I can't imagine a better mission ... but it does take its toll. Perhaps everyone in this middle age stage goes through this. Busy with kids, work, obligations, etc. Maybe it's just important to know what you love and fix our busy lives to keep doing the fun stuff along with all the harder stuff. Celebrate the bright spots, you know?
Posted by Joan Y at 8:06 PM 1 comments
Saturday, May 28, 2016
Duck in watercolor
Posted by Joan Y at 1:20 PM 3 comments
Labels: 2.5"x3.5", animal, artcard, Chicken, duck, Silkie, watercolor
Thursday, January 14, 2016
Marine Barbaroux
Tiny graphite drawing of Marine Barbaroux (Miss Embe) for Julia Kay's Portrait Party. Picking up the pencil after many months is like welcoming home an old friend. I do believe that a pencil and paper will be my friends for life.
Posted by Joan Y at 9:15 PM 2 comments
Labels: 2.5"x3.5", art card, graphite pencil, Julia Kay's Portrait Party, Marine Barbaroux, Miss Embe
Sunday, January 10, 2016
The Hiker
Posted by Joan Y at 2:52 PM 2 comments
Saturday, October 17, 2015
Exilio Cosmico
Posted by Joan Y at 4:31 PM 2 comments
Labels: 2.5"x3.5", artcard, transparent watercolor, watercolor
Sunday, June 7, 2015
Marmalade
Posted by Joan Y at 8:21 PM 2 comments
Labels: 5"x7", cat, Clearprint, drawing, Marmalade, pen and ink, pigma micron 005, vellum