tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49351730011172171622024-02-19T20:22:08.356-05:00100 Watercolors in 100 DaysCreativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep. Dilbert Cartoonist Scott AdamsThe Eclectic Artisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17121511579355199316noreply@blogger.comBlogger46125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4935173001117217162.post-3006230311830110252013-02-11T19:00:00.001-05:002013-02-11T19:00:12.857-05:00The Marshes of GlynnI had a magical morning a year ago. I was with Captain Lawrence Piper, fishing guide, who took me out in the early morning in very foggy conditions. As the fog lifted in the morning, a thunderstorm was forming over the marsh off in the distance. As the thunder rolled, the birds were completely unaffected, silent in the landscape.<br />
<br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn46fKp1FD0_6Hh_yeuUjZqVK3zV4SI_eQRnlXJsBZB91nrClvUd1P5eHad5Z4b1seV27MLjJCowTMqJp46A3qkDXlxJu__0GGoeV0xnv__rNRPbei35rlNpGpx-Jm53SOro7_sTdkMxQ/s640/blogger-image--1352430359.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn46fKp1FD0_6Hh_yeuUjZqVK3zV4SI_eQRnlXJsBZB91nrClvUd1P5eHad5Z4b1seV27MLjJCowTMqJp46A3qkDXlxJu__0GGoeV0xnv__rNRPbei35rlNpGpx-Jm53SOro7_sTdkMxQ/s640/blogger-image--1352430359.jpg" /></a></div>The Eclectic Artisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17121511579355199316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4935173001117217162.post-83702673924466487692013-02-11T10:36:00.003-05:002013-02-11T10:46:05.841-05:00Morning Sunrise, Jekyll Island, GAI attended my 45th high school reunion on Jekyll Island in the fall of 2012 and thankfully one of my classmates captured this inspiring scene one morning.<br />
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Old wind blown oak trees on Jekyll and on the coast of Georgia are always accompanied by other trees around them and lean in mass to the prevailing winds over time. This poor tree was stripped of its friends when the dunes were leveled for a run down motel now on the site. It has become a sad reminder of man's lack of appreciation for and knowledge of the ecosystems of the coastal region. <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVEVI5hAB-cHOe1eIx2HrIHkI2gwza1y3c5ooY5FsnL4grqBqk0OTYnxpImrewiA7xqf0o6Yx7HUnGxeA5bKolu75XZ-8Zbcqc_owWASUaw9fUt9pK56gLb2KRID9MIq_XCB7B7nulhWU/s640/blogger-image--225707809.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVEVI5hAB-cHOe1eIx2HrIHkI2gwza1y3c5ooY5FsnL4grqBqk0OTYnxpImrewiA7xqf0o6Yx7HUnGxeA5bKolu75XZ-8Zbcqc_owWASUaw9fUt9pK56gLb2KRID9MIq_XCB7B7nulhWU/s640/blogger-image--225707809.jpg" /></a></div>The Eclectic Artisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17121511579355199316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4935173001117217162.post-10681430927861491552013-02-11T09:50:00.001-05:002013-02-11T10:00:33.784-05:00The Shrimp DockGrowing up on the coast of Georgia offered many opportunities for poking around docks. At the time Brunswick, GA was considered the Shrimp Capital of the World and over 600 shrimp boats were docked there. I'd often be in someone's boat passing the shrimp docks and see a scene like this one, a lonely skiff, often made by renowned Brunswick boat builder Oscar Harris, resting waiting for the tide to come in. <br />
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I'd like to acknowledge one of my favorite painters, Susan Renee Lammers for the inspiration of her paintings. <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHYO5m5UuUoy6P-WQJPc91Kucu-rp2lAKyd_wyZtHP69EI2PPfKyQZFXXyKdoZz6a2yqQYV5hXsgBoyA-L1TEw-LJkRUoSueCHhPNGWj2eXJfh4uJniJ_9J2DyCAybtY9vN6eJZjVbSbg/s640/blogger-image--167724795.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHYO5m5UuUoy6P-WQJPc91Kucu-rp2lAKyd_wyZtHP69EI2PPfKyQZFXXyKdoZz6a2yqQYV5hXsgBoyA-L1TEw-LJkRUoSueCHhPNGWj2eXJfh4uJniJ_9J2DyCAybtY9vN6eJZjVbSbg/s640/blogger-image--167724795.jpg" /></a></div>The Eclectic Artisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17121511579355199316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4935173001117217162.post-33237071419736356102013-02-10T23:50:00.001-05:002013-02-10T23:50:03.484-05:00Fernandina BeachThis is my first completed oil painting and heck, if nothing else, I was proud I finished it. It's of the beach house we stayed for a week with our friends Robin, Michael and their pooch Libby. The log cabin beach house was a substitute, l must admit a rather less grand one, for the Grange on Cumberland Island. I'd painted one earlier oil with my distinguished painter friend Jack Hannula (President, Arts Club of Washington, DC) and he'd explained to me that the brush is at one end and the paint goes on the brush. 'But Jack' I said, 'how do you clean the brush'? His patience along with my other painter friend Chris Sherry have helped to free me up and understand oils a little. <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2lEzpFWlz0ZVl7JsRSlinKqnla6QVa7BCudnWXKEzV1rbzFODs1V2gookCdyAbnnAyryooUc2oBP_YLcwbq9aBQXuNIjBXUO0Yq_Ogxc3p6p4-8UNBnh9Ibv0EYbuSpY0JBQTh_p5vnA/s640/blogger-image--482685191.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2lEzpFWlz0ZVl7JsRSlinKqnla6QVa7BCudnWXKEzV1rbzFODs1V2gookCdyAbnnAyryooUc2oBP_YLcwbq9aBQXuNIjBXUO0Yq_Ogxc3p6p4-8UNBnh9Ibv0EYbuSpY0JBQTh_p5vnA/s640/blogger-image--482685191.jpg" /></a></div>The Eclectic Artisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17121511579355199316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4935173001117217162.post-45376828122329353182013-02-10T21:01:00.001-05:002013-02-11T18:40:45.258-05:00Bad Dog DockCumberland Island has a magical hold on me. After many years of visiting Cumberland Island at the Grange I've come to appreciate so much of the subtlety of the place. This painting of the Grange dock, lovingly referred to as the Bad Dog Dock, has been my place for reading, relaxation, and watching the weather, the fiddler crabs, the tide, alligators, beaching porpoises, seaplanes, nuclear submarines, mega yachts and horses grazing in the marsh. I've watched the marsh change colors over the seasons, and a horse die after becoming bogged in the marsh mud. I've seen raccoons, sharks, catfish, jellyfish, trout, stingrays, Pink Ibises, Great Blue Herons, Wood Storks, buzzards, white herons, green herons, possums, all with a cold beverage in my hand and friends gathered for the show. This painting is an ode to emptiness. The emptiness of the dock, never to see it's loving and many friends again. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivDvBNgclwk2Le4rtEvHdv78Uwj1UdkKFZLicCtfFPtvPE0LOybc76OAsBeP0tTjFgkwhY5WSMGxtOEPiHyCTO54f5WRwfij6Xf-3vj5eCJfvmSpUq7UR-t9JIhtRy_8ArGv2tBKOyENk/s640/blogger-image--1659758635.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivDvBNgclwk2Le4rtEvHdv78Uwj1UdkKFZLicCtfFPtvPE0LOybc76OAsBeP0tTjFgkwhY5WSMGxtOEPiHyCTO54f5WRwfij6Xf-3vj5eCJfvmSpUq7UR-t9JIhtRy_8ArGv2tBKOyENk/s640/blogger-image--1659758635.jpg" /></a></div>
The Eclectic Artisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17121511579355199316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4935173001117217162.post-45083137167198192292010-03-01T09:47:00.005-05:002010-03-01T10:07:50.770-05:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOmp92o6ftFw42tOqanDE5KqrzZMU8bHQNaw9TFGEq4GUh1gUYJ-HlQB8orhMN5V3OrBvoYZV41KSLFTzEm_Sd7Z66asAnH9f0R62XB_Epkx43L6LX15ncTUTitxmsuxY8fSwH_i0wXOI/s1600-h/Deep+Dene+Park,+FLO.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 294px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443677161737488978" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOmp92o6ftFw42tOqanDE5KqrzZMU8bHQNaw9TFGEq4GUh1gUYJ-HlQB8orhMN5V3OrBvoYZV41KSLFTzEm_Sd7Z66asAnH9f0R62XB_Epkx43L6LX15ncTUTitxmsuxY8fSwH_i0wXOI/s400/Deep+Dene+Park,+FLO.jpg" /></a> The Bridge in Deep Dene Park was completed recently as a donation to the <a href="http://www.atlantaolmstedpark.org/">OLPA</a> (Olmsted Linear Park Alliance) auction to benefit the restoration and continued maintenance of one of the nations greatest treasures. The Linear Parks designed by the most famous landscape architect to have ever practiced Fredrick Law Olmsted is indeed a triumph of landscape design. Over two miles long and located in Historic Druid Hills in Atlanta it is one of only a few places Olmsted designed in the south including the Biltmore in Asheville, NC. Once neglected and actually slated for destruction by the Georgia Department of Transportation in the 1980's, the parks became a rallying cry for the neighborhood and some 15 years later they have been completely restored and provide the last complete linear park he designed still in existence. Many new amenities have been added over the years all included in the original design but never completed until now which provide bucolic spaces for the public to sit and relax or walk its entire length.<br /><br />Deep Dene is the easternmost segment of the parks and the only completely natural space. Olmsted in his design wisdom realized that this area was a major drainage catchment and instead of paving around it let it remain natural to provide absorption for run-off. It to this day still functions as designed and has been updated to work even better.<br /><br />This painting utilizing gauche and watercolor contains over 12 washes and I experimented with a new technique to create the woodland effect. A few more tries and I think it'll be a wonderful technique.The Eclectic Artisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17121511579355199316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4935173001117217162.post-84705748165759699012010-01-18T12:22:00.004-05:002013-02-11T10:38:03.320-05:00Seaside, FL<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaXl5rZvelG1t02zot8TYTZMyL10grUrWqINjnIsVGFhhywziMy2gpZxFd_JhkLtHAiC3BUEFpYc4SGNAv8EA9vZ9ye8xnHYOyY0a_Fp628JKYCok-_on78Lyq_bZP0dK7IcDZhJtb90w/s1600-h/Seaside2.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 274px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428131864139311730" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaXl5rZvelG1t02zot8TYTZMyL10grUrWqINjnIsVGFhhywziMy2gpZxFd_JhkLtHAiC3BUEFpYc4SGNAv8EA9vZ9ye8xnHYOyY0a_Fp628JKYCok-_on78Lyq_bZP0dK7IcDZhJtb90w/s400/Seaside2.jpg" /></a> Here's a little painting I did a couple of years ago after a visit to Seaside in Florida. For those of you that have never visited Seaside it is the first really good example of New Urbanism planning in the United States and although it's meant to be a relaxing holiday beach retreat it has become a huge tourist attraction. Almost any day you'll find busloads of tourists milling around the place viewing the quite interesting architecture and enjoying the open space and beach. <br />
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This little house characterizes the 'beach' style of houses at Seaside. Although it seems strange to have a small tower on a house at the beach it harkens back to the day when sea captains built such a place on their homes so their wives could stand and view the harbour to welcome them back home after a long voyage. Only too often the sea captains would not return so these are sadly referred to as 'the widows peak' in coastal lore.<br />
<div></div>The Eclectic Artisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17121511579355199316noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4935173001117217162.post-10090373824055723842009-12-13T16:04:00.001-05:002009-12-13T16:04:20.630-05:00Stay tuned more paintings to come!The Eclectic Artisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17121511579355199316noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4935173001117217162.post-23858817667529282682009-11-13T14:59:00.010-05:002009-11-16T11:30:16.158-05:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMcCOFWpHvUWrMJAkegB01AG7EA5MG3HgvOnSCwLi-fhiVl212-4p_OP3r9qomzyPRayxY4zedbnLJnzhrTZjvkOg95YdrVwtG7dmvWViNc4-hVOhC6qZZ2rklyKtvKTp3srqR5kKbhpU/s1600/SequoiaPainting3.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 301px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404739099882337586" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMcCOFWpHvUWrMJAkegB01AG7EA5MG3HgvOnSCwLi-fhiVl212-4p_OP3r9qomzyPRayxY4zedbnLJnzhrTZjvkOg95YdrVwtG7dmvWViNc4-hVOhC6qZZ2rklyKtvKTp3srqR5kKbhpU/s400/SequoiaPainting3.jpg" /></a> My latest creation. Yes, I know I haven't done a painting in a while but I ran out of subjects and decided that I needed to recharge my batteries before trying another one. When it ceases to be pleasurable stop and wait, it'll get fun again!<br /><br /><div><div><div><div>And this one was fun! <a href="http://www.sequoiayacht.com/index.htm"><span style="color:#3366ff;">Sequoia</span> </a>was the US Presidential yacht for many years and is well known as the boat on which FDR hosted Churchill. No longer owned by the US, it was sold by President Carter and has had a very interesting life. Restored in the last number of years it is now harbored in downtown Washington as a tourist attraction and rented for special occasions. Built by Trumpy Yachts in 1925, it is considered one of the finest of American yacht designs with its spirited bow and grand salon that hosted JFK's last birthday party. </div><br /><div>This painting posed several design and painting challenges. First was getting the yacht in the correct position on the paper to allow for the wonderful sunset. With a burst of sun shining through the yacht seems to glisten in the sun while waiting to dock.</div><br /><div>Also, I had a funny experience with the water, which if you've followed my blog you know it's been one of my painting challenges. But this time, I painted it, didn't like it, took a cloth and wiped it all off and voila' I loved the effect. So water, although you're not mastered yet, I'm still working on you.</div></div></div></div>The Eclectic Artisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17121511579355199316noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4935173001117217162.post-90551471332991827592009-11-01T17:19:00.004-05:002009-11-01T17:25:02.037-05:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn2lJVUvKhXwVA6V4v5burKll3LAm-lRGR6L7QBoFwHJPPKSJd57IJs8KoTof1ztpobTix4kZpGtGOJCZgvUkUFLkyuXutjneayx02nVGfklSoRUd3yLrHjvEsKd2qmumi5EEvw0YGiWE/s1600-h/Village+Blau1.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 285px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399263380428080578" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn2lJVUvKhXwVA6V4v5burKll3LAm-lRGR6L7QBoFwHJPPKSJd57IJs8KoTof1ztpobTix4kZpGtGOJCZgvUkUFLkyuXutjneayx02nVGfklSoRUd3yLrHjvEsKd2qmumi5EEvw0YGiWE/s400/Village+Blau1.jpg" /></a>Another of my European series Village Blau is set in France. You'll notice a primitive look to this. I'm trying as I go along to loosen up and not paint so tightly. This is an attempt to accomplish that. As a person trained in architecture it proves to be more of a task than I ever thought, too many years sitting in front of a computer doing CAD drawings mostly in straight precise lines. To simply do very imprecise drawings is almost anathema to me but I persist!The Eclectic Artisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17121511579355199316noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4935173001117217162.post-17359728850118605262009-10-29T16:17:00.004-04:002009-10-29T22:43:35.506-04:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvWa4JkAchi0vwN-eTPIuXUCzKQImWVFhW5EECE3WiBIkXbz7hIwTo-ZIaOpbR3F1FwdQGURLQyKNMdUnr1Ynd4m7iz0z1Hx51VaiomwKYN3JWpK7cAXysV-sqcwPhkYO8K6sYtj3Nu_0/s1600-h/Italian+Door+%23+4+(1).jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 267px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398118818630680978" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvWa4JkAchi0vwN-eTPIuXUCzKQImWVFhW5EECE3WiBIkXbz7hIwTo-ZIaOpbR3F1FwdQGURLQyKNMdUnr1Ynd4m7iz0z1Hx51VaiomwKYN3JWpK7cAXysV-sqcwPhkYO8K6sYtj3Nu_0/s400/Italian+Door+%23+4+(1).jpg" /></a>I just love doing these little studies of Italian scenes. They're two dimensional but have such a wonderful ambience about them. This reminds me so much of a time I long ago visited the isle of Burano in the Venetian Lagoon. We had a wonderful supper in an out of the way little restaurant and while there met a very interesting couple who asked us back to their room for a nightcap on Piazza San Marco. We left the restaurant and boarded our boat home around midnight and went to our new found friends room known as the Verdi Suite and actually was home to Verdi on his frequent visits to Venice. A piece of his original work was framed on the wall as proof.The Eclectic Artisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17121511579355199316noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4935173001117217162.post-52213590599203821932009-10-26T12:12:00.002-04:002009-10-26T12:19:56.503-04:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilrZUyrQG8e_g86ulYH2R7XbiI1U0txSG62fQSwg6lZhPSIgSEZ6oJfZcALH6YrChQ01fHCbVvN8ajZXLrvFaLfX6S9duG74Ey2ayqtgSeynsbVzGiHxrsNJNTzMy5QP_bEgKMDS85rjo/s1600-h/Vernazza+1.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 298px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396942333357579474" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilrZUyrQG8e_g86ulYH2R7XbiI1U0txSG62fQSwg6lZhPSIgSEZ6oJfZcALH6YrChQ01fHCbVvN8ajZXLrvFaLfX6S9duG74Ey2ayqtgSeynsbVzGiHxrsNJNTzMy5QP_bEgKMDS85rjo/s400/Vernazza+1.jpg" /></a> I tried a number of different approaches to this scene and although a wonderful subject I'm just not there yet dealing with the complexity of this type of painting. But I soldier on and hope the next will get better. I like a lots of things I did with this painting. The sky, little town and to some degree the water I've been struggling with are getting better. But I'm still having a problem getting the boats to actually rest on the water. Should I paint the water-shadows darker? Or should I forget the shadows and concentrate on just the boats? Lots of choices. But slowly I'm learning new techniques and hope to pull them all together at some point into a really good painting.<br /><br /><div>Did you notice the building in the background is too dark taking the eye away from the subject?</div>The Eclectic Artisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17121511579355199316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4935173001117217162.post-27501380723337158752009-10-23T11:04:00.006-04:002009-10-23T11:33:04.917-04:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSTg_1qUW3TzLc3zzz1QfGIGj-N-o9ybFa1HEZYhO_TGCcaHLez1TTJmdoivEFe1augD2MtbZ96WjuOj-gi295fVJiowkL3POHmnTw5zagsbLL6u3NzRAl6HkbY-w8UQF94IH0k0muQrI/s1600-h/Lost+to+the+Horizon1.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 297px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395811781265102850" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSTg_1qUW3TzLc3zzz1QfGIGj-N-o9ybFa1HEZYhO_TGCcaHLez1TTJmdoivEFe1augD2MtbZ96WjuOj-gi295fVJiowkL3POHmnTw5zagsbLL6u3NzRAl6HkbY-w8UQF94IH0k0muQrI/s400/Lost+to+the+Horizon1.jpg" /></a> This painting is for those of you who've been out on the open ocean. It is truly one of those experiences that offers insight into how to deal with life. Your entire existence is locked into a small space and every single element in that space must perform or your life is literally on the line. Here we have a crew of three having that experience. I dedicate this painting to a close friend soon to complete a 10 day cruise across the Atlantic.<br /><br />Since I grew up in a maritime coastal city the sea has became a part of me at an early age. I've spent many a day bobbing on a surfboard staring at the horizon and wondering what was just over it. The horizon allows the brain to decompress, expand beyond the tangible and imagine.<br />The sailboat, or any boat for that matter, allows you to actually travel across the time/space horizon and explore. After all, isn't that the American spirit?<br /><br />This painting challenged me in several ways. I wanted the deep blues of the open ocean and I think I've achieved that. But how to show the huge waves that one encounters on the ocean? My next painting challenge!<br /><br /><div></div>The Eclectic Artisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17121511579355199316noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4935173001117217162.post-22406703761716512182009-10-19T11:50:00.008-04:002009-10-20T15:13:59.843-04:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvvZb_aL8v7LUXupnhdGvXbweiOp2F4-1jWfWjfsauqPZLu3SRwXRl2swhfp80cwRBZ_ma4-iIdEzn-ickQm8FixwTHZ5JTj-KBec2HRcPT5UETsgIaGORnPRccNxTNNaXBVFkkCwdDmc/s1600-h/French+Village1.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 298px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394339262717167042" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvvZb_aL8v7LUXupnhdGvXbweiOp2F4-1jWfWjfsauqPZLu3SRwXRl2swhfp80cwRBZ_ma4-iIdEzn-ickQm8FixwTHZ5JTj-KBec2HRcPT5UETsgIaGORnPRccNxTNNaXBVFkkCwdDmc/s400/French+Village1.jpg" /></a>I choose this painting to do because I've been complaining about better understanding how to paint values. It's a fine example of using extremely dark colors to provide a contrast to the wonderful tower in the background. I even put just a hint of three people in the alleyway behind.<br /><br />This is an exercise from a really fun website called <a href="http://www.watercolorpainting.com/"><span style="color:#3366ff;">Watercolorpainting.com</span></a>. The 'class' shows how to do this painting step by step and it's fun to utilize other painter's techniques to see if you can indeed do it. I learn something every time I've done an exercise and this one is no different. Actually, it turned out to be a rough copy of the original and for those who've tried to copy someone else's work you know its almost impossible to do. Not even the original painter can make a similar copy twice in a row. So I added my embellishments and changed a few things to make it easier to understand which makes it my own creation.<br /><br />*For those interested the blue highlighted area is linked to the website.The Eclectic Artisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17121511579355199316noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4935173001117217162.post-5872267441851049872009-10-18T12:40:00.004-04:002009-10-20T15:14:36.530-04:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGuAyYIpI49BQHzuQZheM9JXUKv487GwwgTETnN2jCPFKWP2Oh21cZAJ-TpQZu7TtN1xF76CZMrU7Zh-LNtzkgfqAkt534NKi8dAJC5RBwjhmZsFYpqKs7v774LzWk5bDWyR-J8Leh_Ag/s1600-h/Carribean+Sunshine1.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 301px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393980886751077906" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGuAyYIpI49BQHzuQZheM9JXUKv487GwwgTETnN2jCPFKWP2Oh21cZAJ-TpQZu7TtN1xF76CZMrU7Zh-LNtzkgfqAkt534NKi8dAJC5RBwjhmZsFYpqKs7v774LzWk5bDWyR-J8Leh_Ag/s400/Carribean+Sunshine1.jpg" /></a> You know in the winter it can get pretty drab with all the rain, snow, clouds and wind and I choose this photograph on a day that was both rainy and cold. You can certainly tell where my head was can't you?<br /><br />Painting palm trees is a something new for me. I don't think I effectively painted this one but I did get the shadow right! Maybe next time I should concentrate on the tree instead of the shadow. But that brings me to the subject of getting the values correct in a painting. Those of you who've followed this blog know I've been struggling with this issue almost from the beginning. One of my followers, <a href="http://www.kryspettit.com/"><span style="color:#3366ff;">Krys Pettit</span></a>, watercolorist extraordinaire, recently commented that as I move further along in my knowledge of watercolor I'll realize that value contrast is the name of the game. This painting proves that completely.<br /><br />Standing back from this painting I realize that the shadow value makes such a big difference here. Also the color of the sky. I should have gone back and re-glazed the sky one more time to get a darker hue. Just not enough contrast between it and the ocean. I like the feel of the painting. At least it gives me a 'warm' feeling especially on those cold days!The Eclectic Artisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17121511579355199316noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4935173001117217162.post-47714657835380887042009-10-13T18:59:00.008-04:002009-10-20T15:15:08.059-04:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxcs89gmN4Q2RHQiHw-mD0bohaDm0bkBoxTcQr8pHACAtvruEmX2CyGq_VueVL_BORuFiuWZW7xFs0KC6EdUG_brLKjTFnegrMgHOHEtTaR9W9oryg5uQ_wx4SvrgrhSB6lhJRRlpfhyA/s1600-h/Whitford's+Barn2.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 297px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393979648542980402" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxcs89gmN4Q2RHQiHw-mD0bohaDm0bkBoxTcQr8pHACAtvruEmX2CyGq_VueVL_BORuFiuWZW7xFs0KC6EdUG_brLKjTFnegrMgHOHEtTaR9W9oryg5uQ_wx4SvrgrhSB6lhJRRlpfhyA/s400/Whitford's+Barn2.jpg" /></a>Actually I think this painting came out pretty well considering it was probably the most difficult project I've done so far. I tried twice to get the dimensions on the barn correct and 'finally' I think the length and depth are in the correct ratio.<br /><br />Whitford's barn is located on Cuba Lake at Cuba, NY. I'll bet you didn't know Cuba was actually in NY did you? What are they famous for? <a href="http://www.cubacheese.com/"><span style="color:#3366ff;">Cuba Cheese</span> </a>which is some of the finest domestic cheese in the country and while there we bought a chunk of 15 year-old aged cheddar. I promise some of the finest you'll ever taste.<br /><br />This barn is an old one and I don't really know what style you would call it. Mr. Whitford has done an extensive preservation of it and I think its one of the most beautiful barns I've ever photographed. See the photo below of it.<br /><br />Lots of good things in this painting and lots of not so good. I'll leave it to the viewer this time to tell me what they think and what I should do to improve.The Eclectic Artisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17121511579355199316noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4935173001117217162.post-25299213163068583612009-10-11T13:06:00.004-04:002009-10-20T15:15:37.577-04:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg_T7CdOdhVhVMYkadQi0z6P26Sr8BXRdch9FT82sWRdfAKZHxQ1sB1b0Cb0BmAlQGFtzmOUTjDn2J0t3Naou7RnkxRnBBGMqSCJAgrlgYmS3H6vfLKs7f7xZI1_LQdWTJCaRWWIKMTRk/s1600-h/Camp+Road1.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 295px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391391359076401474" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg_T7CdOdhVhVMYkadQi0z6P26Sr8BXRdch9FT82sWRdfAKZHxQ1sB1b0Cb0BmAlQGFtzmOUTjDn2J0t3Naou7RnkxRnBBGMqSCJAgrlgYmS3H6vfLKs7f7xZI1_LQdWTJCaRWWIKMTRk/s400/Camp+Road1.jpg" /></a> Everyone has a 'camp' in Upstate NY it seems. Camp is often a confusing term often meaning a tent, sometimes a trailer, often a very crude cabin but most likely a very comfortable place to wile away the hours. Most often used in winter for a place to base a hunting group camps are as much a part of the landscape in the NE as 'beach houses' are in the southern part of the US.<br /><br />This road leads to the 'camp' in Belmont, NY and is bordered along its length with birches, oaks and sugar maples and you can see a panoply of beautiful wildflowers during three months of the year. My recent painting of the aster was taken along the road.<br /><br />My painting is an attempt to give you the feel that you're traveling through a cathedral of nature. You'll notice that I painted the limbs above the road to give the viewer that feel.<br /><br />I think I overworked this painting and it should have been simpler in execution. Painting a forest is a complicated and confusing thing to do, limbs, vines and shrubs all converge and confuse the painter. I suffered from some of this and after I was done I stood back and looked at the limb structures and realized they didn't make logical sense. A limb follows a very logical sequence on the tree and in some cases mine didn't.<br /><br />I do like the feel of the painting and look forward to trying another forest painting in the future.<br />I think as painters we're looking for more complex paintings to try and I find I'm not quite up to speed yet to attempt some of these but I give them a shot anyway!The Eclectic Artisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17121511579355199316noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4935173001117217162.post-254725720447536852009-10-09T17:18:00.003-04:002009-10-20T15:16:05.620-04:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh06R4g2O9TwW2geT-rA7hffxTITYkBcIkVbJBByF9w8eI-SdLBYNFwR5OE-Nn9X18ni9bRV88VQbKSRRu4eXHWLK4EWuapp_aiJwIaATB3Zrgwug1L4aX9iHe2VHYB7UB6nr5dIfsYciM/s1600-h/Angelica+Barn1.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 296px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390712930031156802" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh06R4g2O9TwW2geT-rA7hffxTITYkBcIkVbJBByF9w8eI-SdLBYNFwR5OE-Nn9X18ni9bRV88VQbKSRRu4eXHWLK4EWuapp_aiJwIaATB3Zrgwug1L4aX9iHe2VHYB7UB6nr5dIfsYciM/s400/Angelica+Barn1.jpg" /></a> Here's one I'm a little more proud of. This old barn located near Angelica, NY has been sitting here looking at me for many years. I really never noticed it and frankly it was probably a working farm when I first saw it almost 7 years ago. But winters are tough in Angelica and they'll take an old barn like this down quickly.<br /><br />I loosened up on this painting, didn't overwork it and I think it turned out fine. I used some of <a href="http://www.tonycouch.com/index.jp?edge=content.dspContentPage&value=biography"><span style="color:#3366ff;">Tony Couch's</span> </a>methods and they do make it easier if you follow him closely. I've yet to master the wet on wet technique he uses but this one had a few spots in it that lent themselves to experimentation, the barn and roof for instance.The Eclectic Artisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17121511579355199316noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4935173001117217162.post-9269119696281968632009-10-06T17:21:00.004-04:002009-10-20T15:16:56.412-04:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJxlq4zTQ5z0zRCLihY_9JjCVMK1jo2PwqmYpWbEGi1IO6ryN4cTLsfvXzj8c2pQaL-zdisoLbQXerNtJ99KIAKcooy878tjPD0dj1m-Ye0EfuGjCVQaXWueGvMhLOmLiRFaxs4W_0Uyc/s1600-h/Blera,+Italy1.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 318px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389601659098287442" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJxlq4zTQ5z0zRCLihY_9JjCVMK1jo2PwqmYpWbEGi1IO6ryN4cTLsfvXzj8c2pQaL-zdisoLbQXerNtJ99KIAKcooy878tjPD0dj1m-Ye0EfuGjCVQaXWueGvMhLOmLiRFaxs4W_0Uyc/s400/Blera,+Italy1.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://www.latuscia.com/en_comune_blera.php"><span style="color:#3366ff;">Blera, Italy</span> </a>a wonderful little out-of-the way Italian town some 1 hour north of Rome is situated right in the middle of the Etruscan countryside. Blera is surrounded on three sides by river canyons and literally thousands of Etruscan tombs are burrowed into the hillsides of the canyon walls. The business of grave robbing must have started here, with over 7,000 tombs robbed over the 2,000+ years since the Etruscans disappeared into the haze of time.<br /><br />Blera remains a quiet agricultural based economy and in the evening the farmers and townsmen gather at the ancient overlook in the main piazza for discussion and an occasional drink together. The rhythm of the seasons drives the lifestyle but alas like many of the small Italian towns Blera is mostly populated by older citizens with children drifting off to larger cities.<br /><br />My intention with this painting is to feature the town on the hill. I'll leave it up to you if I succeeded. The painting has the same problems that have cropped up in past attempts and I'm beginning to appreciate how difficult it is to get those deep colors needed in watercolor paintings sometimes. It's hard to see how dark your values will remain since when wet they appear two to three times darker than when dry.The Eclectic Artisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17121511579355199316noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4935173001117217162.post-85255194074247957502009-10-05T15:55:00.003-04:002009-10-20T15:19:51.090-04:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEnRL-fqdv45Y1ZGwnq1gRkz_qlqtMmgoLmrwJoKn_iRuYAtxKrW4UyJGLzNMBhqtsZJi61muXwwnuuhDNIEdJV_XtZqHBXPQQsAzEHPmWwQRtdQq8S7KJKgIEy65YkhbZMMulRq1PWQo/s1600-h/Fall+Flower,+NY1.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 279px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389207139020653746" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEnRL-fqdv45Y1ZGwnq1gRkz_qlqtMmgoLmrwJoKn_iRuYAtxKrW4UyJGLzNMBhqtsZJi61muXwwnuuhDNIEdJV_XtZqHBXPQQsAzEHPmWwQRtdQq8S7KJKgIEy65YkhbZMMulRq1PWQo/s400/Fall+Flower,+NY1.jpg" /></a> Here's a departure for me, a still life. This is officially the first one I've ever done and I enjoyed it. Taken from a photograph on my recent trip it displays a native <a href="http://wiseacre-gardens.com/plants/wildflower/aster.html"><span style="color:#3366ff;">aster</span></a>. The wildflowers were in full bloom in western NY during September and were truly a sight to behold. Goldenrod, asters, purple loosestrife, chicory, lots of seeds and native grasses all in full bloom/plume. Quite a riot of color heading into the drab winter months.<br /><br />I learned a few things with this painting. 1. The background is difficult to decide and paint. Do you simplify it like I did here or do you place all the little nuances of the background into it? 2. How do you paint the flower itself? Single or in multiple blooms. 3. How do you compose the painting? I consciously tried to create balance with this painting by leaving a large unpainted space on the right. 4. How detailed should it be? I've almost painted this in a Japanese style, very simple, not confused.<br /><br />My next project? An Italian landscape.The Eclectic Artisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17121511579355199316noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4935173001117217162.post-5507866775582879762009-10-02T15:20:00.004-04:002009-10-20T15:20:38.882-04:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOwhKrNQaf8tkxPS2jHiIj8v_oPLV8NBAWWj0IMcZCVmdR253t6JJATNyXs8YOvbKCVG23jwwWnDUkFiYNdBhwneLismYJrF6tvZQPHQIWyJon_cK2dX8vFKruL6LhH8IQSSGQCOD59HY/s1600-h/Angelica+Bridge1.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 296px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388084822640659842" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOwhKrNQaf8tkxPS2jHiIj8v_oPLV8NBAWWj0IMcZCVmdR253t6JJATNyXs8YOvbKCVG23jwwWnDUkFiYNdBhwneLismYJrF6tvZQPHQIWyJon_cK2dX8vFKruL6LhH8IQSSGQCOD59HY/s400/Angelica+Bridge1.jpg" /></a>The Alton Sylor Memorial Bridge over Joney Gorge in Angelica, NY is one of the modern wonders of this area. Constructed in the last several years the span is completely built of wood with its beams some 10' thick. I often wonder why DOTs around the US seem to ignore the majesty of bridges and give us the same old concrete Interstate Highway bridges <em>ad nauseum</em>. As you can see in the photo below it's a beautiful thing.<br /><br />Here's my painting and I'm beginning, and I say just beginning, to understand water and how to paint it. With this painting I see a number of things I'd like to change and elements I simply missed. For instance, my placement of the rocks in the foreground doesn't exactly tell the story of the river and the rock shelfing that happens in this stretch. Also, I'm working on my values, the darkness and lightness, here too much is of the same value so I'll need to continue work on that.<br /><br />I hope you enjoy this one, it took me awhile just to draw it, lots of details I just didn't see in the original photograph. Which reminds me that painting definitely improves your ability to see what's around you and appreciate the details.<br /><br />What do you think? Is it a fair representation of the scene? What could I have done better?The Eclectic Artisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17121511579355199316noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4935173001117217162.post-71478535324545301812009-09-29T20:22:00.007-04:002009-10-20T15:22:40.050-04:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC7cVwKrq5PUamwV9sglTim5Yu9W7lDYoKYAFoGQlqniaW8uJI6ZoiFJOYorYvBF95Hls8MdSDT_UIar1hwvQDS1EdpHG1Hyt2SVMVJR63P0b1c4HJgVLaOGFmsqoEsvF7xQ4xSVnqYok/s1600-h/DSC00581.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 175px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 217px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387051739495128386" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC7cVwKrq5PUamwV9sglTim5Yu9W7lDYoKYAFoGQlqniaW8uJI6ZoiFJOYorYvBF95Hls8MdSDT_UIar1hwvQDS1EdpHG1Hyt2SVMVJR63P0b1c4HJgVLaOGFmsqoEsvF7xQ4xSVnqYok/s400/DSC00581.JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIl_DfkHfBfcFbAIDz7HkfJS_ecRQFKlTrQr3ZC10IHsiTvw-F8dmnHoiDYwm5xit1yFMABIMHVEsieJr2OGMla4gt9kbg_tZFYnSLoSRxLR6BrFn5OQb0mZfciXsvnoSXNbxQv1tPuHs/s1600-h/DSC00619.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 181px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 153px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387051180674491826" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIl_DfkHfBfcFbAIDz7HkfJS_ecRQFKlTrQr3ZC10IHsiTvw-F8dmnHoiDYwm5xit1yFMABIMHVEsieJr2OGMla4gt9kbg_tZFYnSLoSRxLR6BrFn5OQb0mZfciXsvnoSXNbxQv1tPuHs/s400/DSC00619.JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf2sRL0j0oV_EF9qzEnD71KGZ7QYJyCF6BNIYk7uy0Vz8lXCvYE8B0UsBzMdxbRN1Pnf5e57_jIfsEjbJ466HPkKPxHiau1yQfFHXM1OV-Uo4QdhI2NPTwzcG-tyZVrh4-2vjDi0iEOm0/s1600-h/DSC00542.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 174px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387050611929938098" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf2sRL0j0oV_EF9qzEnD71KGZ7QYJyCF6BNIYk7uy0Vz8lXCvYE8B0UsBzMdxbRN1Pnf5e57_jIfsEjbJ466HPkKPxHiau1yQfFHXM1OV-Uo4QdhI2NPTwzcG-tyZVrh4-2vjDi0iEOm0/s400/DSC00542.JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKT0gQwkziQYBM_ud1a5LGTtbwb3z242HuJpkDf8mCe85H4uKHa4WfFB4yiDZ6aXcMKB1631G6kSQ5Fy1SBiw_fO_9Jo-UKOcKPS_ovcMg9wd24idyrx5tQt77TojaXIAc-SyYfiQyM4g/s1600-h/DSC00569.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 168px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 143px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387050288237773186" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKT0gQwkziQYBM_ud1a5LGTtbwb3z242HuJpkDf8mCe85H4uKHa4WfFB4yiDZ6aXcMKB1631G6kSQ5Fy1SBiw_fO_9Jo-UKOcKPS_ovcMg9wd24idyrx5tQt77TojaXIAc-SyYfiQyM4g/s400/DSC00569.JPG" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXg1yCM0yDWRlcRVZbi9P-bBhzIsV8a9SdjWaSPZ9iN_KLPfz1xd8KtECRoee5JEiSfSmRHpwMpoABttyPKq8J_znSxpQI_mhn2Hj87xzc7oE_xhDCPP3ZcAPpvHN9gXmzo_niLxP8SKc/s1600-h/DSC00539.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 152px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 187px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387049737973104578" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXg1yCM0yDWRlcRVZbi9P-bBhzIsV8a9SdjWaSPZ9iN_KLPfz1xd8KtECRoee5JEiSfSmRHpwMpoABttyPKq8J_znSxpQI_mhn2Hj87xzc7oE_xhDCPP3ZcAPpvHN9gXmzo_niLxP8SKc/s400/DSC00539.JPG" /></a> OK everyone, as I promised here are a few of the photos I took on my trip to western NY over the last week. Which would you like for me to paint? Put them in order and maybe I'll do them all! </div></div></div>The Eclectic Artisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17121511579355199316noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4935173001117217162.post-68936090684971651492009-09-27T19:37:00.004-04:002009-10-20T15:13:28.496-04:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW9TxUVeg0ycgc_BEj8JUQeO4zJvBaw77eoofUd9wF26AY2S0i9yV5HATcp5Avm8UimsVxRqUvUZgYrnu0lt-vJ6mFSfS1a6tu3h5Oa4AdDja7T9BcVf9GSvCcS_go_q9paNrAJUI3dOs/s1600-h/Seaside+Door1[1].JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 268px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386296061221165090" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW9TxUVeg0ycgc_BEj8JUQeO4zJvBaw77eoofUd9wF26AY2S0i9yV5HATcp5Avm8UimsVxRqUvUZgYrnu0lt-vJ6mFSfS1a6tu3h5Oa4AdDja7T9BcVf9GSvCcS_go_q9paNrAJUI3dOs/s400/Seaside+Door1%5B1%5D.JPG" /></a> Here's a painting I did early on in 2006 after a short trip to Seaside, FL.<br /><br /><div>Don't give up if you haven't seen a recent painting yet! I'll be back on line in a couple of days. I'm going to put a few of the photo's I've taken on my trip and get everyone to vote on which one's I should paint first.</div>The Eclectic Artisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17121511579355199316noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4935173001117217162.post-6799543865668642462009-09-22T19:18:00.005-04:002009-10-20T15:04:40.097-04:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfpRuWvcoh9ZWFsivCuFCrA6kwNFq4EcGhgkTjr6oBPDWhGf1j84lYotmHI5kEs6cnIhP0pGyzJv7Yk_E9Ga9ljLPi4zhb1ClRQ0oPoihkM-QX_rodVYwfnDEHnbSlXaG-tPLXZniTsFk/s1600-h/Camp+View.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 301px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384435335394829106" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfpRuWvcoh9ZWFsivCuFCrA6kwNFq4EcGhgkTjr6oBPDWhGf1j84lYotmHI5kEs6cnIhP0pGyzJv7Yk_E9Ga9ljLPi4zhb1ClRQ0oPoihkM-QX_rodVYwfnDEHnbSlXaG-tPLXZniTsFk/s400/Camp+View.jpg" /></a> Here's the painting for today, taken off a mountain in western NY, near the small village of Belmont. Western NY looks much like the mountain areas of northern Georgia except the fall comes much earlier. As of late September this area has already had two frosts and the maples are already starting to turn. It won't be long before the maple syrup gathers begin to reap their sugary harvest and make their wares.<br /><br />This painting was done above a small pond seen in the foreground. Off in the distance are two mountains I painted in different shades of blue. In retrospect I got a little too creative with this painting and needed to de-emphasize the background and concentrate on the foreground more. If you look at my previous painting, English Countryside you can see a better developed scene than this one. My next attempt will be one of the wonderful old barns that seem to be disappearing into dust in this part of NY once the part of the dairy capital of America. The Erie Canal was built in part to transport dairy products from the area but due to modern farming economics most farming is gone and the entire western part of NY is reverting to wind farms and forests. Even the people are leaving.<br /><div></div>The Eclectic Artisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17121511579355199316noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4935173001117217162.post-37206733902608701712009-09-22T15:22:00.006-04:002009-10-20T15:08:33.531-04:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitwq8t1-54VYpKFoVjA7UtoIsUUC_8HEeeklmH9miNiqgDt-OkHZMLopyg0oqcxAbUkV3W9ksT3GCh4xILtKLNA8xY-nj6KF95dsRasgka3uRODUpuIDyAAExZnIhV60qy-PAjhD_CwNA/s1600-h/Karen"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 341px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 228px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384376838821619586" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitwq8t1-54VYpKFoVjA7UtoIsUUC_8HEeeklmH9miNiqgDt-OkHZMLopyg0oqcxAbUkV3W9ksT3GCh4xILtKLNA8xY-nj6KF95dsRasgka3uRODUpuIDyAAExZnIhV60qy-PAjhD_CwNA/s400/Karen's+Beach2%5B1%5D.jpg" /></a>I painted this several years ago and although this isn't the best scan of the painting it gives you a good feel of a typical beachhouse located on almost any beach on the east coast of the US.<br /><br />I'm still on the road and will give you a few of my paintings soon. I've completely one mountain scene which I'll quickly post.The Eclectic Artisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17121511579355199316noreply@blogger.com1