The Importance of Play

iris sketch

approx. 9" x 5"

gouache on colored paper

©2012 Stacy L. Rowan

In last week's post I talked about how I would like to work toward a more painterly style and give up a little bit of control over the paint in order to leave room for some of the watercolor magic to happen.

This week I decided to really throw caution to the wind and give myself permission to just play.

I think as an artist it is very important to allow time for play. Playing with your art materials without expectation can really get the creative juices flowing. And I believe it can help keep the dreaded artist slump away.

So for my sketching play time this week I set aside my comfortable favorites and gathered together new paints and new paper. Talk about walking the tightrope without a net!

Last week, for some reason, I found myself thinking about painting on colored paper. It is not something that I have considered before, but I saw some Canson Mi-Teintes paper that I have used with charcoal, and I was curious how it would take watercolors.

Later in the week I received an unexpected gift of a small set of gouache paints.

(An interesting aside... When I first started using watercolors I turned my nose up at gouache because I couldn't imagine liking an opaque paint. But the work of this artist changed my mind. He creates stunning watercolor paintings and charcoal drawings too.)

When I saw the gift, I immediately thought that I couldn't wait to try sketching with these paints. And since gouache is opaque it seemed a good choice for the colored paper.

Feeling brave, I decided to take the leap. I gathered up the Mi-Teintes paper, the set of paints and my trusty water brush and went outside with the goal of sketching an iris or two. I love the shapes of the iris petals with their wavy edges and graceful curves.

My plan was to work from life and try out a few different approaches with my new paints. But the session didn't quite go according to plan.

Before I had even made the first brush stroke I heard the rumble of thunder. Let me tell you, if you want to practice sketching fast and loosening up, let your time limit for sketching be set by an approaching storm!

I made the quick decision to capture the form with white paint and then add color when I was safely inside. A few passes with the water brush and I had this...

iris sketch in process

approx. 9" x 5"

white gouache on colored paper

©2012 Stacy L. Rowan

I decided that was good enough and hustled inside to deposit my materials on the kitchen table. I then grabbed my little camera and raced outside to snap a quick photo to use as a color reference.

Back inside once again, and away from the threat of being struck by lightening, I finished the sketch. You can see the results at the very top of this post.

I have to say that this time spent playing was an exhilarating experience. I'm just not sure if the excitement was from the lack of expectations, the new materials or the approaching thunderstorm!

I'd love to hear your best sketching stories. Please feel free to share them in the comments below.

Evolution of Painting Style

another azalea sketch

approx 4" x 6"

ink and watercolor on paper

©2012 Stacy L. Rowan

I am having a bit of a style crisis. I think it is a natural part of artistic growth.

In the beginning most artists just want the skills to be able to draw something recognizable. If a new artist draws or paints an apple and people say "Wow! That is a great apple!" they are thrilled. Mainly because the people who commented didn't think it was a plum or a pepper.

However, as their skills improve they start wanting more.

For me, I am finding that I want to paint in a more "painterly" fashion - still realistic, but a little looser.

However, when I sit down with a brush, what comes out is very controlled. The part of my brain that controls the brush just can't help it.

Alright, if I am totally honest, this style crisis effects more than just my painting style. I hold the misguided belief that if I am in control of everything nothing bad will ever happen, life will be made up of rainbows and butterflies and the whole world will be happy.

At least I recognize that it is a misguided belief.

And I am working on being comfortable with relinquishing control - in my paintings and in life.

Typically in my watercolor paintings I have worked a lot on dry paper. When I apply the paint on dry paper it is easier to control where the paint goes.

I also mix my colors on the palette so I make sure I get the exact color and value I want before brushing it on the paper.

While this method of controlled application is very effective for painting realistic and detailed works, there is a trade off. Pre-mixing colors on palette and applying them to the dry paper means I lose some of the magic of watercolor.

One of the things I love most about watercolor is the way the paints mix on wet paper. Beautiful things can happen when an artist "lets the paints do the work for her".

But letting the paints do the work requires that I give up some of the control and take on a certain amount of courage.

Since courage can be harder to come by on large studio pieces, I decided to start with baby steps, also known as sketches.

After completing the azalea sketch last week, I knew I wanted to try it again only this time working more "wet on wet." Working "wet on wet" mean working on wet paper so the pigment can move and spread on its own.

Using last week's sketch as a reference, I started by creating an ink sketch of the outlines of the flowers and leaves.

Once that was complete, I applied yellow to all of the leaves. While it was still wet, I brushed in greens and blues and let the paint do its thing.

Once I was happy with the leaves I moved on to the flowers. Again I started with a light yellow wash and worked in with different yellows, yellow-oranges and oranges while the paper was still wet.

Although the outcome of the sketch might not look all that different, I was happy with the process of how I applied the paint. And I love the places where you can really tell that the watercolor pigments mixed and blended on their own.

Best of all, I gave up a little of my control and nothing horrible happened. In fact, it was fun to try a new technique.

Having fun builds courage, so I will definitely be trying more wet-on-wet experiments. I'm looking forward to seeing how these exercises influence my style.

One of the things I love about art is that there are always new things to try and always room for growth. Life in the studio is never boring!!
 

Spring Reward

sketch of yellow azalea flowers

Schminke pan watercolors on Fabriano CP paper

©2012 Stacy L. Rowan

When we hired someone to plant landscaping across the front of our house, one of my requests was for flowering bushes, especially ones with yellow flowers. Yellow flowers are my favorite, perhaps because they remind me of the sun and are a spot of brightness even on a cloudy day.

Our landscaper included four azalea bushes in his plan. Along the edge of the front porch are three that get bright, pink flowers and in the corner by the garage is one that gets yellow flowers.

I remember him telling us that the plant in the corner would "reward us with magnificent yellow blooms in the spring." He made no claims about the pink bushes.

To this day, fourteen springs later, when we see the buds form on the yellow azalea, we talk about how we are soon going to be "rewarded".

Sure the talk is mostly in jest, one of those family jokes that gets carried on year-to-year like a tradition, but in truth, I always look forward to seeing the yellow azalea bloom. For the pink azaleas there is no sense of anticipation. More often I am surprised when I notice they are covered in flowers, because I didn't notice the buds at all.

For the few days that the yellow flowers are at their peak, I take time to stop and appreciate them. And this isn't just because I love yellow flowers. It is also because our family "joke" has programmed me to think of the flowers as a reward. A reward that appears for a short time every spring and then disappears again until the next year.

I have no such programming with the other azaleas. Or with most of the other flowering plants that are in our yard.

The difference in my reaction is the mindset that the landscaper provided back on the day he shared his plans. This bush was special. It would reward me every year. Easy as that.

It kind of makes me wonder about how easy it would be to have a life full of rewards.

Or how simple it would be to change something we anticipate with dread into something less unpleasant.

Food for thought as I enjoy my annual gift of magnificent yellow flowers.

Is there anything in your life that could benefit from a mindset shift?

Changing the Mood of a Painting

Promise of Spring

approx. 4" x 3" watercolor on paper

©2012 Stacy L. Rowan

Last week I did a sketch of snowdrops for my newsletter. I love snowdrops because they are the first flower of the new growing season to bloom.

As soon as I notice the winter sun feeling a little warmer, I go out into my yard and see if any snowdrops are peeking up out of the ground.

To me these flowers represent hope. Hope that winter is coming to an end and that the warmer, brighter days of spring are on their way.

Not being a big fan of the cold, gray weather, come the end of February I am normally desperate for some sign that winter is going to retreat and allow the sun to return.

This year we had an uncharacteristically sunny and dry winter. When the snowdrops bloomed we already were enjoying the clear blue skies that I am normally pining for.

As I painted my sketch for the newsletter I was thinking of the type of weather we had this year when I found the first flowers, and I painted the snowdrops on a backdrop of cheerful blue. You can see that sketch (and this months newsletter) here.

As I thought about my painting and how it was representative of this year's winter experience, I had the urge to create something that would be a better representation of the typical winter.

On a typical March day the snowdrops are a bright spot of hope on a landscape of gray. Their white flowers stand out against the bleakness and whisper the promise that soon color will flood the world.

With these feelings held firmly in heart and mind I created a new version of the snowdrops . This time I chose complimentary colors, applied them wet to the background and allowed them to mix to grayish-blue hue which better represents the cloud cover of our winter months.

By changing the colors, I changed the mood and created an image that reflects my feelings of finding these little white blooms after a long, cold winter.

Sketching Eggs

sketch of eggs

approx. 8" x 7"

water soluble graphite on paper

Working some more with the water soluble graphite pencil, last night I decided to sketch some eggs. Well, actually it was one egg sketched from three different angles.

What better sketching subject than an egg on a beautiful spring night the week before Easter?

I really liked how the dry sketches looked, so in the end I only wet the one at the top. In fact, so far that is the only negative thing I have to say about this pencil. I enjoy the look of the dry sketches so much that it is difficult to decide if I want to finish them with the water brush or not.

(The lines emanating from the top egg aren't really there. The scanner picked up the shadows from the slightly wrinkled paper.)

Hazards of Sketching

daffodil sketch

graphite on paper

We have been having absolutely beautiful weather the last couple of weeks. Yesterday I finally made time to go outside and sketch some of the Spring flowers, trees and the random garden ornament.

Since I was headed outside anyway, I decided to refill my empty bird feeder before I settled in. Perhaps this wasn't the best idea.

What I didn't realize was that there is apparently some sort of "Bat-Signal" in our neighborhood which calls birds to refilled feeders.

sketch of metal garden ornament

graphite on paper

For my first sketch I sat on a small cushion on the patio right in front of a large bunch of daffodils. The daffodils are growing up right next to the hook that holds the bird feeder.

Within minutes a little bird showed up - drawn by the Bat-Signal that is invisible to the human eye - and landed in the dogwood tree behind the daffodils. He was happily hopping around until he spotted me. When he saw me, he froze for a split second, then started wildly flapping his little wings and flew away in what I can only assume was panic.

This scene repeated itself multiple times, including with a pair of woodpeckers. The way they frantically flew away and the sounds of their beating wings started to freak me out a bit. I mean what if in their confusion they flew at me instead of away from me? Or what if they flew at me on purpose with the intent to attack?!

... What? It could happen. It could.

rhododendron sketch

(I know it says azalea buds, but they are rhododendron buds. Honest.)

ink on paper

But I decided that I would not let the savage attack birdies chase me out of my own yard. After all they don't pay the mortgage. They don't even pay for the birdseed! And I should be allowed to sketch freely in my own backyard.

So I stood my ground.

And sketched as quickly as possible!

Then I moved on to other sections of the yard. Ones that were further away from the freshly filled bird feeder!

Preparing for Spring

ink sketch of swing supplies

Perhaps the title should be "Preparing for Swing" instead...

Last Christmas my daughter received a swing as one of her gifts. She has always loved to swing. As a toddler she would swing until my arms were so tired I couldn't push her even one more time.

We used to have a swing set in the yard, but after years of solid service it became significantly less solid. We were forced to take it down before it fell down on its own!

Now there is a new swing. With the warm weather we are having it seemed like time to hang it up, so my hubby went to the store to buy the necessary hardware - chain to hang over the tree limb and two clips to connect the swing to the chain.

After he got home, I sketched his purchase. The chain links are so large I felt I had to include the quarter for size comparison. The 37 links of chain must weigh over 5 pounds! And each clip is rated to hold roughly 250 pounds!

I'm not sure how many kids my hubby thinks are going to sit on the swing at one time - I'm thinking the one at a time rule should apply here - but I'd say he's prepared for just about any number. I guess it is better to over-engineer and be safe than to under-engineer and have a pile of kids heaped under the tree! I wonder if he has considered reinforcing the tree limb...

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Happy Winter is 65% Over Day

This winter my husband has been sending me emails with a winter countdown of sorts. Each email is titled similar to the title of this post.

crocus sketch

watercolor on paper

Most years, as soon as we get through the shortest day of the year he starts saying "Winter is on the run!" Mind you, the shortest day of the year occurs in December, and where we live winter pretty reliably lasts through March, but that doesn't phase him.

This year he has taken it a step further. Using a calculation method known only to him, he has been having a count down and informing me of each milestone we hit. According to him "Happy Winter is 65% Over Day" was actually on Monday. Today might actually be 67.3% Over Day, but I decided a little rounding couldn't hurt.

My system for tracking the progress of Spring's arrival is a little more straight forward. I watch for nature's cues.

snowdrop sketch

graphite on paper

My snowdrops and winter aconites are up and blooming. The daffodil leaves are several inches tall. And the tips of the other Spring bulbs are starting to appear above ground.

We have had a mild winter, so I am finding hubby's emails entertaining. Last year I might have felt differently. You may recall that I was soliciting photos of Spring's arrival in other places because I wasn't sure if it would ever show up here and stay.

This week, to celebrate Spring's approach, I completed the sketch at the top of this post using the photo below for inspiration.

photo ©2011 M. J. Muir

I received this photo last year from Mary Jane who lives in Vancouver, Canada. The original sketch is now waiting to be mailed. This taste of Spring will be arriving in MJ's mailbox any day.

I hope that Spring is arriving as quickly as a sketch sent through the mail to those of you who are waiting patiently for it.

For those folks in the southern hemisphere, I hope winter takes her time arriving.

Happy Winter is 65% Over Day to everyone!!

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In case you missed last week's announcement, I am starting a monthly email newsletter the first week in April. The newsletter will feature more of my original sketches, photos of and information about works in progress, and news from my studio. To receive the newsletter simply click on the "Newsletter Signup" tab at the top of my blog, fill in the required fields on the subscriber form found there, and click the "Subscribe" button. You will receive an email asking you to click a link to confirm your subscription. Click the link and your sign up will be complete!

As always, I thank you for your interest in my art and I hope you enjoy the new newsletter!

This is Spring

Voting ends tonight at 11:59pm EST for the Morning Call Best of Blogs contest. Thanks to everyone who has voted! I have moved up from 7th to 3rd!
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I thought today I would share some pictures of Spring in my neighborhood just so you could see why I am still looking for pictures of Spring in other places.

Ten days ago Spring looked like this...

©2011 Stacy L. Rowan

Buds were getting ready to burst open.

©2011 Stacy L. Rowan

The early blooming flowers were spreading.The day was warm and sunny and the temperature hit a high of 70F. It was warm enough that I was able to ride around in the convertible with the top down and the heated seats off! I was loving it!

Three days later I woke up to this. It took me totally by surprise.

©2011 Stacy L. Rowan

Two mornings after that I looked outside to find even more! Yikes!

©2011 Stacy L. Rowan

At least snow in March is a temporary thing. And it is mostly all gone (again). Our temperatures are still hanging out about five to ten degrees below normal and are predicted to stay there for the next few days. Hopefully once we get through that Spring will be here to stay.

By the way, my mom says we should have expected this since March came in like a lamb, which means it will go out like a lion. That has me thinking - Bring on April! ......On the other hand, I'm a sunshine girl so I'm not real fond of April showers...

Spring in Wheeling, West Virginia

Photo of iris

©2011 Leslie Nutting

This beautiful flower photograph was sent to me by Leslie Nutting. According to Leslie this is an early type of iris which is very small and blooms when the snowdrops do. Who knew? Not me. So in addition to helping me hold on until Spring arrives and sticks around in my neighborhood, this project is also teaching me new things.

You probably won't be surprised to learn that I like to rush Spring. I want it to arrive as early as possible.

Of course, I actually have no influence on when Spring gets to town. Shocking, I know.

But I fool myself into thinking I do by planting early blooming flowers. First I planted daffodils. Then some crocuses. Last year a friend kindly gave me some snowdrops and winter aconites from her yard.

I'll give you three guesses to what flower I'll be looking to plant next. Oh yes, it will be the early iris. And I'll have Leslie to thank!

Leslie is an artist. She paints contemporary portraits, figures and landscapes. I especially love her figure paintings as they are full of emotion. If you'd like to check them out, her links are below.

Leslie Nutting Website
Leslie Nutting Facebook Fan Page

Spring in Vancouver, Canada

Photo of purple crocuses

©2011 Mary Jane Muir

Spring must have peeked in on Vancouver, Canada for a day or two because that is where my friend Mary Jane saw these beauties blooming. Have I ever mentioned that my favorite flower color is yellow? And purple is a close second. So you can bet I loved finding these pictures in my inbox.

Photo of yellow crocuses

©2011 Mary Jane Muir

I love how the yellow crocuses are all snuggled in among the daffodil leaves. They look so cozy.

Mary Jane is an illustrator and published author. She shares her colorful art and illustrations on her two blogs...
Painting Puppies
Maple Pancakes

If you have a moment, why don't you hop on over to check them out? I think you will like what you see.

Spring in Rome

Spring near Rome, Italy

photo ©2011 Kelly Medford

Kelly Medford was the first to send me a photo which showed evidence of the approaching Spring season. Thank you Kelly!

Kelly lives in Rome, Italy and carries her easel wherever she goes. Painting in plein air allows her to combine her love of being outdoors with her love of creating art. Her photo is from a recent hiking trip. Look carefully and you can see the green buds of leaves starting to unfurl and white blossoms.

When you get a chance, please check out the links below. Kelly's beautiful landscapes will brighten your day even if Spring hasn't showed up in your neighborhood yet.

Kelly Medford -
Website
Blog - Adventures in Painting
Facebook Page

Also if you have photographic evidence of Spring arriving near you, email me your photo and I'll share it here on my blog. Check out this post for details.

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On a separate topic, I have entered my blog into a "Best of Blogs" contest being run by the local newspaper. If you enjoy reading my blog, please consider voting for me here. You do not need to live in my area to vote, but you will need to register for the site. Voters may vote once a day in each of the categories. Voting ends at 11:59pm on March 27th.

Wish me luck! And thank you for voting!

Spring is on the Way... sort of

Photo - winter aconite

©2011 Stacy L. Rowan

This is my first year growing these early bloomers.

Seeing flowers growing in March makes me very happy!

Last week our snow finally melted. We've had a handful of days where the high temperatures were in the 40s. A few days it might have touched 50. And rumor has it that one day there was a record high of 67 degrees! I happened to be away on vacation that day though so I can't confirm the rumor.

Once the temperatures start becoming bearable I love to take a tour of my yard and look for green leaves poking their way through the dirt.

Photo - Leaves of mini daffodils

©Stacy L. Rowan

The monotone colors of winter are not very inspiring to me, but the new growth of Spring always gets the creative juices growing.

Of course where I live Spring is a fickle character. The day after the record high of 67, the temperatures dropped back to the mid 30s. Two days later it snowed.

Some years Spring can tease us for two months or more before arriving in all her glory. All the teasing is rather frustrating to me.

Photo - Snowdrops

©2011 Stacy L. Rowan

Also my first year growing these.

A kind friend gave me snowdrops and aconite from her garden last year.

I've been hearing stories of Spring arriving to stay in other locations and I had an idea of how you could help me bear my end of winter frustrations.

Email me* pictures of what Spring is doing in your corner of the world. I will share the pictures here for all of my readers to enjoy. I will also choose the picture that inspires me the most, do a small sketch of it and mail the sketch to the person who provided the photo.

That way I will have Spring on my blog, even if I don't have it in my neighborhood.

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* The fine details:
Email pictures to my email address located on the right hand side of the blog. Please make sure you own the copyright to the photo you are sending. Also please resize the photo to be web ready before sending (72ppi, max dimension 500pixels).

Please provide a link to your blog or website, if you have one, so I can post it along with your photo. A blog or website is not required to participate. But if you have one I'd like to share some link love. :)

I realize that only half of the world is heading into Spring. Those of you living in the southern hemisphere can play along by sending photos of what Autumn is doing. I don't discriminate against any of the colorful seasons.

My current plan is to post photos once or twice a week. Thanks for playing along!