Hunting, through Thick and Thin

Scavenger Hunt 126 has several items that are open to each artist's interpretation. You will find the list for this nine day Hunt and the rules on the link.

I remind you that I sketch mostly with ink pens, freehand. This is to push myself to "look and see" well and put down sure strokes quickly. It works for me. These two sketches have perspective and long lines, a personal test .. of sorts. These sketches are in the 7 x 10 inch sketchbook with a Micron 05 pen, half page and full page, 15 - 20 minutes each.

Number 6, thick and thin. I thought of sketching myself, before and after, but I only have "thick" to sketch from life. I chose a couple of books that were on the coffee table.



Number 7, two of something. The controls for the TV and VCR.

Scroll down for post earlier today.

Pastel Painting, Saguaros

I painted with pastels yesterday. I have a frame with a mat for putting in three 5 x 7 inch paintings. This frame was put aside to do saguaro paintings in it for my show in Magdalena, New Mexico, in July.

The way the mat is made it is much easier to cut the paper to fit the frame and mark the area to be seen through the mat. Prevents sliding around and the tape coming loose after framing.

The paintings without the mat.

Three of a Kind
Three pastels, 5 x 7 inches each

A snapshot of the paintings with the mat over them to give you an idea of the final framed version. It was late evening so the shadow from the mat is large on the tops of the images. I will try to get a better photo with the paintings and frame today, without the glass.

I also taped a video of this painting which I hope to get edited and on line before the baseball game tonight.

Sketches - Stamp, top, tweezers

Scavenger Hunt 126 is gathering speed. Not as many sketches on the weekends, but some interesting ones. I did a few this evening in my 7 x 10 inch sketchbook with my Micron pens. They are half a page each and took about 10-15 minutes each.

Number 3, Stamp on envelope

Number 4, Tweezers

Number 5, Top

Gene is visiting his Mom in New Mexico so after listening to the UT Baseball game, they lost after winning on Friday (drat), I went to Austin last night to the CD Release Party of Byrd and Street with Joanna, Jennie and Larry. Larry had been taking photographs of the Texas Relays, a track and field event. We had dinner and listened to the entertaining music. We had a great evening.

Today I was a couch potato, watched the preview of SouthLAnd online, the UT Baseball game on TV. They won, so they took two of three games from Oklahoma State in Stillwater, Oklahoma. We almost went but didn't get tickets in time. After seeing the weather there today, I much preferred watching on TV. It was in the thirties with the wind chill. Ouch! You can read about the interesting game on Joanna's Longhorn Baseball Page and on the official UT site. Tonight I sketched and watched PBS.

And the blogs for tonight, I am not posting them in any particular order, they are all favorites:

• I'm repeating Marc Hanson again in case you forgot to check it out, because his Four Paintings A Day Marathon is so wonderful. Sign up for the newsletter so you won't miss any. He is doing some great paintings. Painting My Way Through Life http://marchanson.blogspot.com/
• Fishing Guy in Ohio. He came to visit in Texas. He posts wonderful photographs and tells great fishing stories, true ones! He has great links to the community photo blogs he takes part in. Great stuff. http://thefishingguy.blogspot.com/
• Karin Jurick's blog is one that many of you look at, too. But I need to include A Painting Today http://karinjurick.blogspot.com/ and the Different Strokes From Different Folks http://differentstrokesfromdifferentfolks.blogspot.com/ because she is an amazing artist, too. I can't believe she accomplishes so much and is generous and sharing to do the Different Strokes blog, including so many paintings. It must take a lot of time.
  

Oil Paintings with the New Paints

I had a chance this past week to work with the Winsor - Newton Artisan Oil Paints. I am pleased with them. I did not purchase any of their medium, so have been painting directly from the tubes with only the brushes being damp when I clean them so not adding much water either.

The color change is minimal. What I'm speaking to here is that when you paint with acrylics, when the water evaporates in drying, the color darkens. These oil paints seem to hold their own and stay very close to what I put down. The white is made with safflower oil which helps me on the odor, I am sure, as you use more white than the other colors. I did not have a headache after using them. I did paint three small paintings and did not use a thick impasto style. I hope to try another with more texture and paint. The paint is not as thick as some oils so I'm not sure how they will work with a knife. I will check it out.

Mountain Sun
Oil on Canvas, 8 x 10 inches

I posted the first two weeks ago. (Boy, how time flies.) A small landscape on canvas. These paintings of New Mexico are for my show at Peppers in Magdalena, New Mexico, in July.

Peeking In
Oil on Canvas, 8 x 10 inches

The second painting is peeking into a patio from the street. I changed some of the background to be more like New Mexico and to help the flowers and chile stand out. I'm not sure about the name, ideas??

Rio Grande
Oil on Canvas Panel, 8 x 10 inches

The third is a landscape, the Rio Grande near Hatch, New Mexico, but could be any river you choose, right? This is from photos I took about three years ago when the rain had the state of New Mexico looking green all over.

I am enjoying painting these oil paintings. It is different to get out a brush and smoosh the paint around. I am still partial to pastels. You know I am lazy and when I paint with oils I then have to clean the brushes and palette after I finish, that part is not fun. The pastels just sit there waiting to be used!

More of my blog reading friends:

• 9. Blueberries, Art & Life - Teresa's blog caught my attention by the name, I think. I am always hungry and love blueberries! She is a great artist, working mostly in colored pencil. Her blog is humorous and full of information and sharing. http://blueberriesartlife.blogspot.com/
• 10. Jeanne Grant - Jeanne is another artist from the Scavenger Hunts. She lives in California and sketches and works in colored pencil. Her unique and quirky (I mean that in a very nice way) sense of humor shows through in her work. She takes part in so many areas of wetcanvas and local groups that I don't know how she finds time to blog about her work. She is dedicated to learning and always trying something new to improve her art. A good hunting friend!
  http://jeannegrant.blogspot.com/

Scroll down, I posted earlier today as I often do.

First Sketches for Hunt 126 and Marc Hanson Note

Scavenger Hunt 126 is up and running as of yesterday. I had time yesterday after Gene left to get a couple done outside. That is always nice to enjoy the weather and the quiet. Good thing, today there is work going on next door and the machinery is noisy and we have some new dogs down the street that bark for no apparent reason.

Number 1, tree. A little difficult to pick one tree and see the whole thing in our yard. The trees are huge for the most part and overlap where you can't see the tops. This oak tree has grown to the right in my view as there are two big pine trees right near it. Done on a page in the 7 x 10 inch sketchbook with a Micron 05 pen. About 15 minutes.

Number 2, trash. The trash and recycle barrels under the front steps with the door open. Same sketchbook and pen. About 25 minutes or less. I rarely check the time, though they ask for that on the Hunts.

• Keeping up with my blogs I follow, number 8, Marc Hanson. Marc is a great plein air painter. He is another artist I discovered and "met" on wetcanvas.com I like his work so much. He doesn't go for great detail, and has wonderful color, perspective and composition. Beautiful work in his studio landscapes as well. Plein air (painting outside in one sitting) is so popular now and many of the artists are becoming too minimal in my opinion. They try to paint a landscape with 3 strokes .. one for the sky, one for the trees and other objects and one for the land. I cannot tell which is which sometimes. :)

Marc is one of the Minnesota artists that tough it out painting in the snow and cold weather. (His April 1 paintings were done when it was snowing.) Marc is also pushing the "Painting a Day" theme to 4 Paintings a Day for April. You will like his work and this theme. You will find out about the marathon on his Painting My Way through Life Blog and see the paintings together on his My Painting Marathon page. Have a look at his studio work, check his workshops, you will be impressed.

La Villita Spring Arts Festival

Spring is in the air, really it is!


Regina Burchett is having a booth at La Villita for the Spring Arts Festival. Susan Carlin has her gallery/studio there all the time.

If you get a chance, stop by and tell them that Jo sent you! Have fun and take some photos for me.

We can golf until....... (no art)

Gene and I have a great time golfing. We aren't very good and do not work at getting better, but we have fun and walk nine holes, two or three times a week. When we are away from home we usually ride in a cart and play at eighteen holes to get some walking time.

We were out yesterday and saw Esther Wright golfing with the Senior group. She is amazing. Ninety two years old and still plays several times a week.

Esther walking to the putting green.

Esther watching her putt.

We met Esther and her late husband, Fred, when we moved to Bastrop. This was about twelve years ago. We played with them one day as the course was pretty busy. Fred was telling us that he played with right handed clubs for twenty five years and switched when they started making left handed clubs. They also used a 1934 Ford for their golf cart! The course then had only nine holes. They made it eighteen about the time we moved here. They could both easily, very easily, beat us at golf and won regularly with the Seniors. We still see Esther's name in the paper occasionally for closest to hole, or low score. A few years ago Fred was so proud, he had made his first hole in one, I think he was about ninety one or two at the time. Isn't that great? I hope that if I am around at Esther's age I will still be following the little white ball around.