What I Have (Not) Been Painting

I have been starting and not finishing a lot of painting for the last few weeks.

 I think part of it is that I am trying a lot of new things and my ideas get ahead of what I am doing and I want to move on - not continue what I am working on. It started when I got so frustrated with my watercolor that I decided to try and paint in oil.  Of course, that means learning a lot of new things, both materials and the way oil works, not to mention doing some amazingly cruddy painting. 

Then, Awesome Myrna Wacknov 

came to town and I went back to watercolor in order to try out all kinds of new ideas and techniques I watched her demonstrate over the course of a 6 day workshop.

Notes from the workshop...

 Now, I have watercolors and oils which are all in some degree of an unfinished state. 

Below are some examples. I do plan to finish something from here, but for now - 

I  am posting only the fruits of my discontent!

a larger, unfinished watercolor version of this sketch

maybe 1/2 finished oil of my son, Seth

New (to me) technique
of drawing directly onto
tracing paper. (Thanks, Myrna!)

Almost finished watercolor of my dad from the drawing above.

Seth (10 years old)

Charlie

watercolor just barely started from the above drawing.

Studies in preparation for the oil painting started below

Sushi with Vuillard postcards

Transparent watercolor on Fabriano 17 x 23 cm

I think this is the first time I have ever set up a still life to paint. It wasn't so bad. I needed to get that sushi in there somewhere for Karin Jurick.

I have been very preoccupied, excited, having fun getting ready for my trip to the U.S.  As I have probably mentioned like 500 times, I am going to participate in a workshop in South Carolina with Charles Reid the end of this month.  

The following can be filled under"probably more  than you wanted to know".

I have gone through all my watercolors and chosen the 20 colors I am going to take with me (closest to the colors he recommends).  

I made  new value charts, mixing charts and even glazing charts with all 20. (This is just one of the mixing charts. I think there are 6 altogether.)

(I say "even glazing" because C Reid doesn't use that technique, but I thought, why not, as long as I am being obsessive.)

I have reread all 5 books I have by him. I cleaned and sorted all my brushes.

I have a new easel, a new, smaller folding palette and I have been trying to work exclusively on it so I will be used to it, and the angle I will need to use to paint. (I usually paint either flat on my little desk - to the right on the photo- or on my lap outside.)

and here is a close up of my palette after I finished the little painting above.  See? No muddy puddle colors.

And not only am I excited about going to this workshop, but it has also been one and a half years since I have been to the U.S. or seen my parents, brother or my favorite cousin, Dorothy. I will be gone for an entire month and am going to join another workshop near Tulsa with my old painting buddies from around there with Pat Weaver. I am feeling like one lucky woman!

Today

Transparent Watercolor on Yupo paper  13 x 18 cm

It's not as though I haven't been painting. It is just that everything has been ending up in the trash.  I have become increasingly frustrated with my lack of understanding of the characteristics of watercolor and seem to be incapable of discerning values. Over the last 2 weeks I have reread all my watercolor books, color theory and drawing books.  I made color charts, value scales and tested all my watercolors for transparency and staining characteristics.  I took on as a student a very nice person who wants to learn watercolor. 

(Teaching is the best teacher?)

I signed up for 2 watercolor workshops in the U.S. and made plane reservations. (Any one else going to the Charles Reid workshop in South Carolina or the Pat Weaver in Oklahoma?)

Today I really wanted to paint something besides little pie-shaped swatches of watercolor, so I pulled out the Yupo again :-) and did this quick painting (?) of the same girl I did a drawing of a few weeks ago.  Yupo is so fun. And, magically, in the mail, I received a wonderful package from a wonderful artist full of info about how to use Yupo!

Thank you Hillary!!

I know what I will be doing tonight!

Also, something else I have been preoccupied with... my baby daughter began her mandatory service as a soldier in the IDF a little over a week ago.  

This is an extraordinary challenge for her,beyond the usual reasons,  as she only began learning Hebrew about 5  years ago.  But, she has gone in with a good attitude and is really moved by feeling a part of something larger than herself.  

Look at how wonderful she is.

EspressoBarKiosk

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Transparent Watercolor 20x25 cm (approx 8"x10")

Inspiration from Karin Jurik 

and the sketching we did from the Sketchcrawl a couple of weeks ago on Rothschild.

Karin posted a photo of the Jefferson Memorial in Washington DC lit from the interior at night.  Never having seen it, I still thought it was a beautiful idea for a painting, so turned to our coffee kiosk with the pillars and put it into the same composition as Karin's night scene.

Portrait of artist John E. Vander Stelt

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Transparent watercolor 20x25.5 cm (8"x10")

This is a painting of  John (website, blog), who is an artist living and working in Iowa.  We have never met, but traded photos of each other via Karin Jurick's blog.  Everyone who asked to participate received an anonymous photo to paint in any way and interpretation we wanted. You can go there and see how everyone painted everyone else.

(boring...the following is for other painters to read, only!!)

The first watercolor portrait I ever attempted was of my daughter at about 10 years old.  (Actually, it was about the 3rd watercolor I had ever attempted.)  Anyway, it was enough to scare me away from portraits for a long time.  However, I didn't want to get left out of the fun over at Karin's, so I sent my photo in and received a photo of John to paint. 

 

Then I chickened out.  After about a week I forced myself to sit down and at least draw him. (Sorry to disappoint anyone who guessed the drawing was of a stoic Israeli!) 

Then I sat around for another week or so and painted 2 little paintings of him and finally a larger one, each time getting a little more confident.  Having just a couple of more days left until the deadline, I finally locked myself in my room and painted this one last night using one of my last sheets of my favorite wc paper, Arches 140 cp. (If anyone wants to volunteer to shlep over a roll of this paper for me in Israel when you come on a visit, I would be very grateful and indebted!)  Anyway, it turned out to be fun and I am glad I did it.

Khayalot on the Way Home

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Transparent Watercolor 20x26 cm

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 This is how I saw 2 soldiers on the train on their way home for the weekend.  I love the affectionate way of people here  -  the natural coziness, being comfortable with being close  - both physically and personally. It is especially endearing between soldiers, classmates and the elderly.

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This watercolor was painted from the sketch which I made into a value study last week and was inspired by Karin's challenge entitled Work Boots. 

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Usually, I don't like to talk about the process of painting, but I have to say - 

I learned so much while painting this, that it felt as though I had taken a class when I was finished.  While it may be overworked and the colors may not be what I had envisioned, this painting will change the way I approach my next work.

Flowers on Rehov Balfour

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Transparent Watercolor  14x20 cm

Roses are in season right now, 10 sheckels (about $2.50)  for 10, so even though they barely last a week, I buy 30 at a time and enjoy the mass of warm color that picks up the color of the building across the street on Rehov Balfour so nicely.  Part of living near shuk haCarmel is the wealth of fresh flowers in addition to fresh vegetables all the time.  I love my life here.

Thanks to Karin Jurick for the inspiration. She posted a photo of some things she sees and loves every morning: a buddha and hydrangeas flowers.  I didn't really relate to her loved things, but I certainly related to loving to see them in the morning and just traded my "view" for her's.

Thanks, Karin!

Hardest Part

(click on photo)

Transparent Watercolor 20x24 cm

This is a watercolor I started the first part of October, then got busy and forgot about it. It is from some sketches I did on Bograshav Street during Yom Kippur. All I had done was sketch it on the paper and started a couple of too-tentative washes. (Which is probably why I gave up on it so quickly.) However, it saved me from having to begin something new, which is the hardest part of painting for me.

Walker

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Transparent watercolor 15 x 18 cm

My weekly watercolor challenge from the Different Strokes from Different Folks  blog.  Thanks Karin!

And yes, I painted it upside down* (except for the sunglasses) and no, I wasn't particularly happy with it, but I have promised myself I would post everything I am doing because I learn from it all and it is good to have my progress here to look at.

*sometimes, because of the nature of watercolor, I had to turn on its side or right side up so the watercolor would flow the right way.

On the Corner

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transparent watercolor 20x28 cm (approx. 8"x11")

I moved the corner to Tel Aviv and took everyone's coat off. 

Thanks to Karin Jurick for her inspiration this week!

Waiting (Room)

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Transparent Watercolor

Watercolor sketches from the waiting room at Assuta Hospital in Petach Tikva on the afternoon my daughter had her tonsils out. We sat in there 6 hours before her turn came for surgery...about 9 p.m. Long day for everyone.

The surgeon was really gentle and nice to her both before and after. We felt lucky our family doctor found him for her. It has been 11 days already and she is just now starting to be able to speak a little. How long before she can sing again??

What Dr. Rosenzweig (sort of) looks like.

Saturday morning coffee in Tel Aviv

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Transparent watercolor 17.5x24cm

Looking across Sheinken at coffee shop Sus Etz (Wooden Horse)

Big Day in the USA

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Transparent watercolor 14 x 22 cm (approx. 5.5” x 8.5”)

Different Strokes from Different Strokes challenge
Karin Jurick

http://differentstrokesfromdifferentfolks.blogspot.com/2008/10/week-9-challenge-us-capitol-washington.html

Cow

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transparent watercolor 12x14 cm (5.5"x4.75")

Different Strokes from Different Strokes challenge

Karin Jurick

See the whole herd:

http://differentstrokesfromdifferentfolks.blogspot.com/2008/10/week-8-challenge-alabama-cow.html

Hummus

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Transparent Watercolor 10x15 cm ( approx 4"x6")

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What I had for lunch yesterday at one of my regular hummus hangouts, Kaful, near where I live in Tel Aviv.

There really is a reason I painted this.

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I joined a group called Every Day Matters. (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/everydaymatters/)

The assignment this week was to draw a baked potato with the toppings. Except, I haven't seen a baked potato in about 5 years, much less with things like...bacon bits and sour cream. This is the closest thing I could think of , and I really didn't want to be left out!

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This hummus had ful (beans), kuzburro (cilantro), tachina ( umm, sesame something?), skug (hot chili paste), olive oil and a few falafel balls with a slice of onion and some hot peppers. There was also pita and a Goldstar, but I didn't want to stretch my luck.

Serious Business

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Transparent Watercolor 15x22 cm (6"x8.5")

Another assignment from Karin Jurick's website:

Week 6-7 Challenge - New York Stock Exchange

Tiul to Bet Keshet area

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transparent watercolor 12.5x17cm

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transparent watercolor 12.5x17 cm

Nice Sukkot hike up the the Bet Keshet area yesterday. I used my new little solid 1/2 pans to catch some scenery during our rest break.

Boats on the Yarkon

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Transparent watercolor 12x16 cm (approx 4.5"x6.5")

This is from the Every Day Matters group.

(Yes, I am more than a week behind already!)

The assignment was to draw "something that floats".

A watercolor sketch of the boats for rent on the Yarkon River, in the old north of Tel Aviv.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/everydaymatters/

More YK drawing

I am working on a larger (20x24cm)watercolor from this sketch (12x16cm) I did over Yom Kippur in front of the Sinai Synagogue on Bograshav.

A generous friend shlepped little 1/2 pans of solid watercolor for me from the U.S. last week and I can take them with me when I go out.

Bograshav on Yom Kippur

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I did a bunch of sketching over Yom Kippur of all the people in the streets, walking, biking, skating, skateboarding...some even just sitting, for the fun of there being no cars on the sreets for 25 hours. I hope some of them will magically turn into paintings.