MAGGIE LATHAM FINE ART

The Essence of Landscape Painting

2012-02-23T15:41:00.004Z

February has been the month for my class and I to really explore landscape painting in watercolour in deph. We looked at several different techniques used in watercolour painting, such as dry brushing, washes, glazes etc. I showed everyone various different landscape paintings of mine and spent a quite a bit of time demonstrating techniques. We worked from photos creating thumbnails and value studies, and talked about simplifying the landscape to three or four main elements…. large masses and the role of value in creating the illusion of depth. Brush strokes are of course so important in watercolour painting, and there was much discussion about changing brushes to create the right effect or do the right job.

Landscape painted some time ago using a little white gouache and watercolour.....

A good deal of time was spent on discussing the role of trees in the landscape, which I always think of as props, which pull the landscape together. I always like to think of the washes as the backdrop, direct painting of trees and foliage the armature, and field furrows/fences/water/streams/wildlife as the finishing touches which bring it all together.

We also discussed the role of using a limited palette, keeping washes and mixes clean, creating harmony using analogous colours and bringing a glaze of the sky colour down to create foreground shadows.

Winter is the best time to look at tree structures, when limbs are bare....

Charcoal sketch from some time ago....

It ‘s been a wonderful four weeks and I think everyone has a better understanding of how to put a landscape painting together. I actually had to do quite a bit of demoing, which is sometimes hit and miss in a class situation (lol). Today we all created the same landscape from one of my own paintings, painted in three distinct stages with drying time in between…everyone using predominantly the same colours. I don’t often do step by step teaching, but felt this was necessary today to teach a certain method of execution.

My class should be proud of themselves, because they have painted some lively landscape work this month. The most interesting thing that came up was that Winsor Blue mixed with Burnt Umber on the palette makes a lovely sea green…and when greyed down a bit with Quinacridone Magenta creates a lovely lively English sky colour.

Above are a couple of two colour mixing colour charts we painted to explore different mixes of blues and yellows compared to tube greens mixed with one other colour.

This is one of the trees I painted for the class which has become known as my 'Wesson Tree' because one lady in my group absolutely loves Ted Wesson’s work and thought it kind of looked like one of his trees! …which made me chuckle......

Using a limited palette and varying techniques can create lively landscape work....

IMPORTANT NOTICE ABOUT MY FACEBOOK GROUP

2012-02-22T14:17:00.001Z

FB GROUP WILL BE CLOSED FROM LATER TODAY…

I have received several e-mails from members of my FB group whose work and painting ethics I very much respect who have requested to leave the group as they are not comfortable with this group being used as platform for self promotion of classes, blogs, paintings etc. I too wrote about this very subject earlier today asking that this not be done.

When I set up the group I had not reckoned on this, or how much time it would take for me personally to be involved. It takes an inordinate amount of time for me anyhow to prepare my blog posts offering free tuition and exercises…so after a family discussion I have come to the conclusion the best way forward is to unfortunately CLOSE THE GROUP ASAP. So, NO MORE POSTS TO THE GROUP PLEASE AND I WILL ACT UPON CLOSING THE GROUP ENTIRELY ASAP.

I will continue to post a series of tutorials about exploring colour to my blog and you can follow along at home and post your work to your own blogs if you like. If you have specific questions about the information I post you can ask questions in the comments section under each blog post.

I am so sorry to those of you who have already been participating, but we will continue, just in a different format. I had thought about a separate blog for you to post your work, but I know from experience of the One Hundred Washes blog last year that I will not have time to host and maintain it.

I will be deleting the Facebook group entirely later today.

Facebook Friends and Facebook Group Info

2012-02-22T07:38:00.002Z

Good Morning everyone, A quick message regarding my personal Facebook page and friends: Since I have recently begun a Watercolour Facebook Group, I feel the need to keep my own personal FB page/account very personal and a way to communicate with family only.

The other thing that has come up about my Exploring Colour Facebook Group is to do with advertising your own classes, blogs, published books etc…. yesterday I posted this:

Hey guys…this group is about us 'exploring colour in watercolour' together, NOT a place to advertise your own classes etc. I am personally not affiliated with any ART manufacturer or product and write in my blog posts and on the FB group page about products I like because those are what I use and have experience with. I am not soliciting selling you one of my courses, a book or anything else…just sharing FREE tutorials and feedback! Please respect this and do not advertise your own products or post links to art tuition websites or blogs. Thanks for hearing me out…

Maggie

Watercolour Palettes

2012-02-19T09:56:00.013Z

Guerrilla Backpacker palettes from Judsons Art Outfitters Plein Air Store (USA)

Often I receive e-mails and questions from my class about which is the best palette to use/purchase, so I thought a brief post on my thoughts about my own experience with palettes might be of interest.

Over the years I have purchased many different types of watercolour palettes. Mostly after I have been to a workshop and have fallen for the workshop instructors palette. sometimes because I wrongly believed that the ‘right’ palette would somehow make me a better painter! I know...what can I say… except I’m sure many of us have been there with this thought!

These days I use two different sized palettes…one for studio work and a smaller one for plein air painting. For a long time I used a John Pike hard plastic palette with a lid, but found ultimately it was too large for ease of transportation. As my studio spaces seem to have gotten smaller rather than larger over the years, space on my working table is also a consideration.

As it’s important to squeeze out a lot of tube paint into the wells (if you want juicy colour…. you need to have lots of juicy paint) the size of the wells should be an important factor in choosing a palette. You also need adequate mixing space and a nice tight fitting lid. There are numerous watercolour palettes on the market, often these days endorsed with a well-known painters name…. but not all palettes are equal. I prefer the hard plastic variety to the flimsier plastic ones as these tend to crack and tear. It really depends on how much use and abuse your palette gets…. but my palette is often in the bottom of a tote bag being carted everywhere!

Here is a brand new palette from Judsons....deep wells, tight fitting lid and the lid can be used as a tray for further mixing or to hold your water containers....

My main studio palette I have been using for the past several years (like the one above and below) is a nine by twelve inch plastic Guerrilla Backpacker palette from Judsons Art Outfitters Plein Air Store (USA). I like the size, the wells are deep, there is adequate mixing and you can use the lid for extra mixing or as a tray to hold your water containers. The lid is tight fitting and it’s tough. It has twenty wells, so you can keep a variety of colours, even though some you may only use occasionally. It scrubs well with soapy water and a nailbrush when you need to really clean it out! It’s not cheap at $23.09 (on sale at the moment)…but a worthwhile investment. They also offer a tiny version, six by eight inches I believe which I sometimes use for outside work or field colour watercolour sketching.

This is my studio palette...I'm getting ready to change some of my colours in the

next month or two, and will write more about my colours in a different post.....

My other favourite palette is a folding palette from Jack Richeson (USA)...it’s cheap (around $6.00), folds, has deep wells and a place to rest your brushes. I like this one for plein air and studio work, but alas, I’ve had it for nearly five years and the hinges are now both broken! I do love this folding palette though and would love to get another one. It’s been held together with tape for the last two years…. and I just cleaned it out the other day and broke the last remaining hinge!!!! Again it’s constructed from tough plastic and I can’t tell you the amount of times I’ve scrubbed it out with detergent and a nailbrush!

I love this folding palette by Richeson, but sadly it is a little beat up now.....

I also have a couple of small travel size Winsor and Newton palettes. One is a small metal folding palette I purchased back in the early seventies when I was first starting out in watercolour. It came with pans, but these days I just squeeze out colour form my tube paints to fill the wells. It’s fine if you are travelling light and need to do a little colour sketching on the spot. I also have another little W&N plastic travel palette which is kind of cute as it has it’s own tiny water bottle, small brush and water reservoir. I don’t use this much any more, but it travelled around the world with me in a backpack in 2000! It’s quite something when half of your backpack is full of painting gear rather than clothes! And most rewarding to be able to do a tiny painting of the sun rising in Thailand while waiting for the first ferry to arrive to take you to one of the Islands!

My W&N watercolour sketching palettes.....

There are so many different palettes out there to choose from, including circular ones so that you can lay your colour out based on the colour wheel.

Whatever you choose, make friends with it, because it is one of the most valuable tools you will buy. As it’s going to hold all those expensive pigments, it needs to be the right size to fit your lifestyle and your method of painting.

Below are some links to where to purchase some of my favourite palettes. I am not affiliated with any of these manufacturers or receive any commission from these products.

Judsons: http://www.judsonsart.com/pleinair/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=105&idcategory=10

Richeson folding palette at Utrecht: http://www.uas.miretail.com/Jack-Richeson-Folding-Palette-10-5x4-5in-MP51720-i1008026.utrecht

John Pike palette in the UK at Jacksons: http://www.jacksonsart.com/Watercolour_Painting-Watercolour_Palettes

If you have recently joined my Facebook group ‘Exploring Colour In Watercolour’ and would like to share photos and info about your favourite palette for watercolour painting…then please go ahead.

New Facebook Exploring Colour Group

2012-02-15T18:37:00.007Z

Some pages from my colour mixing binder...

New Exploring Colour In Watercolour Group

Hi everyone, I’ve just set up a Facebook group which will be a place were everyone can interact and post images of their colour exploration work in combination to my free Exploring Colour tutorials on this blog.

The link is here: EXPLORING COLOUR Facebook group page

I’m not exactly sure if you have to be a member of Facebook (I know most people are) to join, but you do have to go to the page on the link above and request to join the group. I will then add you as a member. You don’t necessarily have to be ‘Face Book friends’ with me to do this. I’m new to organising a FB group, so don’t know all the ins and outs of it yet......but think it is fairly simple. It is a CLOSED group, which means that only members of the group can comment, and view what has been posted, but anyone can see who belongs to the group. This is how most of the groups are set up. You can interact with each other and post as often or as little as you want, and if it’s fast moving please don’t worry if you don’t here from me all he time, as I may miss some of the posts. You can still ask questions in the comments section of this blog also. Later on in the year we will get into techniques and colour washes, so that is going to be fun.

All skill levels are welcome......and you can join at any time as everyone will work within their own personal time scale. No pressure!!!....the group is about learning and sharing and having fun while learning about colour in watercolour painting.

If any of the members so far would like to post a colour wheel, or comment, that would be a good test that the group is set up properly…

Please post comments under this post if you have difficulties in joining the group. You might also want to post info about my tutorials and the group on your own blog or tell your friends if they are interested in exploring colour with watercolour too.

Maggie

A Facebook Group for Exploring Colour?

2012-02-14T17:50:00.003Z

Would you like to join my FB group to explore colour?

I know some of you may be following along at home from my posts about Exploring Colour…… and I promise the posts will become more exciting and less like lessons for beginners in the coming months…. So I wondered if any one would like to post their colour work based on my blog tuition in a Facebook group format.

You will only be able to join the group and to comment and post work by requesting to join the group. Only members will be allowed to post work and comments, but anyone will be able to view the page contents (this can be changed to a private group at a later time if necessary).

I thought this might be an interesting way of interacting with each other, and encouraging each other in our exploration of colour. If I have a good enough response I will set this up.

Please let me know if you are interested. This group will be open ended so anyone can join at any time and you don’t have to post regularly…just when you have time.… you just have to request to me to join the group. And already belong to Facebook.

Maggie Feb14 2012

New Group page set up here: EXPLORING COLOUR
***You will need to request through Facebook***

EXPLORING COLOUR in Watercolour: 2

2012-02-13T20:41:00.034Z

This is the 2nd in the series of free tutorial posts about exploring colour. You can follow along at home at your own pace. Some of the exercises may seen very basic, but it is always good to re-visit the basics from time to time as we often pick up bad colour habits over the years. This is an expanded tutorial based on my article: ‘Refining Your Eye For Color’ in the April 2012 edition of Watercolor Artist magazine (USA). I will post two or three tutorials monthly over a four-month period, and please feel free to ask questions or interact in the comments section.

Lovely juicy colour....

What’s In Your Tube?

Watercolour pigments (the paint that’s in your tube) fall into three main categories: transparent, semi transparent and opaque. Transparent means see-through, where you can create a jewel like effect, semi opaque (or semi transparent) means the pigment is not completely transparent and opaque means dense and opaque.

Manufacturers typically mark tubes of artist grade watercolour paint with a symbol indicating transparency, and opacity. In Winsor and Newton range the clear square symbol indicates transparent, half full indicates semi transparent and a dark symbol indicates opaque.

Colour Index Generic Name and Colour Index Numbers

Just to make it more confusing, different manufactures call the same pigments by different tube colour names. This is a marketing ploy to get us interested in products because they have exotic names, (often a certain palette or range of colours is even endorsed by a well known artist and the paint named after him or her)..... exotic colour names might sound cute, but how can you tell what’s really in your tube of paint or who manufactured it? In fact you have no idea about the quality of pigment used or the consistency of paint without purchasing it and trying it out...by which time you are stuck with tubes of paint you may not like. I have brand loyalty to Winsor and Newton, because I find the paint consistently good quality. I know many of the nuances of their watercolour range and water to pigment ratio to mix the correct value or colour is second nature to me now.

Recently I did a demo using an entirely different brand (artist grade) and was shocked by how vivid certain colours were. The consistency of paint was such that when I filled the empty wells of my palette, the paint was such a soft consistency that it moved in transportation to my class and made an enormous mess. I have NEVER had this problem with W&N tube colours! My point is not to try to sell you W&N brand over everything else....but once you find paints you like, to stick with that brand of paint and really get to know the colours well. You will only come to know your colours well by actually painting, painting, painting, mixing, mixing, mixing, testing, testing, testing!

Universal generic colour index names
To combat this confusion between manufacturers colour names, a universal generic colour index name or number can identify each pigment. Known as either C.I. name or C.I. index number.

For example, French Ultramarine Blue is coded as PB29 (pigment blue 29) and Winsor Lemon is coded PY175 (pigment yellow 175). Some tube colours may have several pigment codes…… so by cross referencing you can tell exactly which colours the manufacturer has mixed to make that particular tube colour.

It’s interesting to note that Payne’s Gray and Neutral Tint (Winsor and Newton) are made up of the same three pigments…. but Payne’s Gray is so much bluer and colder than Neutral Tint, so we can presume that the ratio of the mixed pigments by the manufacturer differ slightly within these two colours.

Pigments can also be identified by their C.I. number (colour index number). For example: French Ultramarine is known by both PB29 (pigment Blue 29) and the C.I. number 77007.

Many leading manufacturers offer charts with this detailed information so that you can explore what is exactly in your tube and cross-reference pigments. Winsor and Newton offers this information which you can print directly from their website (see link below). I personally print out these charts, which I then file in the same binder as my colour wheels and colour theory work.

W&N colour chart and pigment info charts in my ring binder......

If you have a spare five minuets and are not yawning yet, it is interesting to explore exactly what is in your tube of paint from these kind of charts. I think you might be surprised.

Links: Winsor and Newton composition and permanence info:

http://www.winsornewton.com/main.aspx?PageID=269

http://www.winsornewton.com/main.aspx?PageID=43#termsexplained

How much do we need to know?

You might be wondering if you really need to know all this stuff about pigment names and universal pigment identification codes. The short answer is probably not!...You only really need to worry about if your pigment is transparent, semi transparent, opaque, staining or granulating. However, I often wish that some one had systematically taught me colour in this way years ago when I was starting out…..it would have relieved many of the headaches of learning by doing…..and making a lot of colour mistakes over the years. My first set of artist grade paints was a Winsor and Newton metal paint box with hard pans back in the early seventies….this set cost an arm and a leg even back then! No one advised me that tube colours would be more juicy, or that I wouldn’t use half of the colours in my set picked out by the manufacturer!

Learning methodically about pigments can be very beneficial in learning the nuances of colour and why certain colour mixing combinations work and others turn to mud. There is nothing more satisfying than just diving straight in with paint with confidence...... and successful paintings executed in this way come from confidently choosing a limited palette of pigments for your subject, which react well together when mixed and blended on the surface.

EXPLORING COLOUR in Watercolour: 1

2012-02-08T14:44:00.019Z

This is the 1^st in the series of free tutorial posts about exploring colour. You can follow along at home at your own pace. Some of the exercises may seen very basic, but it is always good to re-visit the basics from time to time as we often pick up bad colour habits over the years. This is an expanded tutorial based on my article: ‘Refining Your Eye For Color’ in the April 2012 edition of Watercolor Artist magazine (USA). I will post two or three tutorials monthly over a four-month period, and please feel free to ask questions or interact in the comments section.

Here is one of my ring binders where I store all my colour notes…

E X P L O R I N G C O L O U R: 1

We will begin our exploration into colour in watercolour by looking at the traditional Colour Wheel. This is a basic way of visually seeing how colour mixes on your palette and even though you may have painted colour wheels before, it’s good to revisit the basics. Painting a colour wheel can be more beneficial than just painting colour-mixing charts as you can clearly see complementary colours, triads, and harmonious colour schemes.

In watercolour, having a good grasp about which of the three primaries (yellow, blue and red) mix well together can help tremendously in planning your painting. Having a basic understanding about the inherent properties of each particular pigment can lead to knowing which glaze to use to create a certain effect.

Coupled with practising different techniques of applying paint, colour theory will enhance your painting experience and lead to cleaner, brighter looking paintings.

Ever wondered why certain artist’s paintings are always clean and bright? Ever wondered why many of your own washes end up muddy or opaque, or why certain washes granulate? Well, it has everything to do with what is in your tube and comprehending some basic colour theory rules and painting techniques.

VARIATIONS ON A THEME

There are different varieties of colour wheels, but we will begin with a basic twelve section primary wheel using Yellow, Blue and Red. Begin with Winsor Blue (also known as Pthalo Blue), Winsor Lemon and Quinacridone Magenta. I have chosen these three primary colours as they are very ‘clean’ colours and mix well together. Try to keep the ratio of paint to water equal in all of your mixes as you don’t want the added distraction of value (the relative lightness or darkness of a colour) to confuse your wheel.

Mix up three puddles of paint, one for each colour in separate mixing wells so that the colours don’t run into each other on your palette. I keep my water clean for this by having three or more separate water containers such as jam jars. I also change my water often when painting colour wheels and colour charts.

Create your own template from the inside of a cereal packet or thin card stock. Use this template to draw around on your binder size watercolour paper sheet and to mark off the sections quickly and easily.

An example page from my colour binder......

Paint section 1 in Yellow, section 3 in blue, section 5 in red (or in this case magenta). By mixing two of the primaries together (yellow and blue) you will create the secondary colour of green for section 2. By adding more yellow to this mix you will make yellow green (section 1A), by adding more blue you will make blue green (section 2A) and so forth until your wheel is completed.

This basic wheel shows the tube colour of each primary colour, the secondary colours of green violet and orange and the tertiary colours of yellow green, blue green, blue violet, red violet, red orange and yellow orange. These three primaries are clean colours so each section of your wheel should be bright and clean not muddy or granulated.

Your wheels should look something like this (or the one above), although I used Cad Lemon, French Ultramarine Blue and Quinacridone Magenta for this particular one....

Neutrals from the three primaries: Lastly mix all three primaries together to create a neutral grey. Once again, by mixing unequal amounts of yellow, blue and red you will create many different shades of neutrals. Paint a swatch of this neutral colour to the side of your colour wheel, so that you have a record of the neutral that this set of three primaries create.

When you wheel is dry write the colour name at the top of each section.

VARIATIONS OF THE THREE PRIMARY COLOURS

Next use three different primaries, maybe French Ultramarine Blue, Winsor Lemon and Quinacridone Red, and repeat the steps above. When dry, place your sheets of paper next to each other and you will clearly see how by changing the type of primary pigment used, the secondary and tertiary colours change dramatically. In this case with French Ultramarine Blue the greens look a little muddier than when using Winsor blue. Note how Quinacridone Red is every different from Quinacridone Magenta.

Continue painting as many colour wheels as possible varying the types of primaries used. You will be surprised by some of the colour mixes! If you use a cerulean blue you will clearly see granulation at play.

Once your colour wheels are dry, punch holes in your binder size sheet of paper and keep them all together in your ring binder. Take care when paint your colour wheels, as the pages/charts will become your friends and help you when choosing colours for certain subjects. In fact they will become lifelong painting friends and a useful resource to return to again and again.

Studio Tip: You could use 9olb paper, but I like to use the same type of paper that I use for my paintings which is 140lb (300gms) Arches CP (Not) surface…as paperweight and brand generally affects the outcome of the colour swatches. Learning about colour is an important step to becoming a better painter, and scrimping at this stage is not the way to go.

Studio Tip: Cut a 6-7 inch diameter circular template from thin card stock, marking off twelve equal sections with a ruler and permanent marker. This provides a quick and easy template to use to draw around when painting several colour wheels in one session. Also leaving a thin white line between each section of colour avoids the risk of wet colour contamination by running into the adjoining colour. If you paint sections 1, 3 and 5 first they should be dry by the time you are ready to paint your mixed colours. Always add staining colours like WB last to mixes, as it is very strong. Using a hairdryer speeds up the process, although I like my watercolours to dry naturally.

Studio Tip: Use clear water containers such as old jam jars, this way you can see exactly how dirty your water is.

Studio Tip: Use a decorators paint bucket with a handle to dump your dirty water into, and keep several bottles or jugs of clean water nearby. This way you don’t have to keep running to the water faucet or sink when you need clean water or to ditch dirty water. My upstairs studio space does not have running water, so I try to make just one trip to the kitchen at the end of my painting session.

EXPLORING COLOUR in Watercolour

2012-02-06T07:17:00.014Z

This is a page from one of my 2-ring binders, which holds all my colour theory work......
Showing a twelve section, basic three primary colour wheel…… I love the way colour wheels look…don’t you?

E X P L O R I N G C O L O U R

I thought a weekly series of posts looking in depth at ‘Exploring Colour’ in watercolour would be a fun, informative and a more in depth continuation of my article in the recent issue (April 2012) of Watercolour Artist magazine.

This series of blog posts, spread over a period of ten weeks or so, may be used as a personal guide to exploring colour and you are quite welcome to follow along. If you post your efforts to your personal blog, please link back to this one.

What you will need to begin your Exploring Colour Workshop

* A two or three ring binder and equivalent hole punch

* Arches 140lb (300gms) CP paper cut to fit your ring binder, plus several additional sheets in both half and quarter sheet size. I will be using quite a lot of paper and it is important to use the same quality as you use for your paintings

* Pencil, eraser, ruler and circle template or protractor

* Masking tape, paper towels and tissues and an old terry cloth or tea towel

* Permanent black ink pen such as an extra fine Sharpie or Pilot

* Artist quality TUBE (not pans) watercolour paint (I use Winsor and Newton brand)

* A variety of good quality watercolour brushes (round with good points and a mop or flat if your prefer)

* Plastic palette and two or more clear water containers (such as old jam jars)
* India Ink and masking fluid
* A regular time slot as often as you can to explore the exercises

My two ring binder where I keep most of my colour wheels, colour notes, colour charts etc. It is very useful to keep everything together in one place.

Something About Gouache

2012-02-04T13:44:00.003Z

©Maggie Latham

Small gouache painting....I never get tired of atmosphere, sea and little boats bolt

upright in the fog and mist......

There is something about atmosphere, the sea, little boats bobbing in the mist and fog, moorlands and winter landscapes (bare trees) that just speak to me as consistent subjects for my paintings. I sketch a variety of subjects, enjoy paintings watercolour florals, enjoy painting tropical palms…. but I always go back to my true love of minimal seascapes. This small painting, painted around three years ago is gouache on paper gessoed first with a grey pastel primer. Such artists as the great Turner used white gouache as ‘body colour’ under watercolour washes. Its chalk like consistency is creamy and thick and it dries matte and of course is opaque, not transparent. Some people get confused between gouache and Tempera, but they are two different mediums. It has a distinct smell, which is reminiscent (for me at least) of powder paint from my very early school years.

Letting Go!

2012-02-01T18:46:00.008Z

5x10.5 inch ..... India ink and watercolour wash on 300lb HP Fabriano paper

©Maggie Latham 2012

Last week was the last session in my month long weekly class about exploring ink, pen and wash. Throughout the class, I encouraged everyone to try different types of permanent ink pens…. thick, thin, broad, fine…. and we also focused on different ways of applying permanent India ink with unconventional tools .....such as a bamboo pen, nib writing pen, twigs and sharpened lolly sticks. We looked at the role of washes over a completed ink sketch applying the wash both on top of a finished sketch and randomly on the paper before the sketch. We also experimented with the traditional role of pen and ink for sketching buildings using photo reference..... pen, ink and wash is a versatile and transportable medium....great for both 'on location' and studio work.

We also looked at how different papers play a vital role in the outcome of the finished painting. It was intense, and a lot of fun. I like to teach my class an arsenal of techniques, trying out various tools, brushes and papers.... so they can figure out which techniques best suite how to individually express themselves through their paintings. They never just sit and copy my paintings step by step.

As a final piece, to demonstrate a point about using black India ink with wash I painted the slightly abstract painting above. Using 300lb (600gms)HP paper the surface was slick and my ink just glided over the surface. One of the pitfalls of using ink with a brush is that areas can become completely saturated with ink very quickly, and unlike watercolour, adding more clean water rarely helps....just spreads the pool of dark ink. Plus ink dries very rapidly so you have to work fast and have a tissue handy to blot.

For this painting I floated in a pouring consistency watercolour wash while the ink was still slightly damp which caused the fabulous granulating effect concentrated in the bottom left portion. I have never had this happen before, so I was surprised to say the least! Once it began forming, I realised that I needed to quickly lay my paper flat and leave it alone! I also used direct brush techniques and several different pours.

Using a limited palette of just red and blue (plus black ink) kept colour harmony throughout. The slightly abstract shapes (created by not wetting the entire surface when I poured) enhanced the effect of light filtering through dense tropical foliage.

I had absolutely no vision or idea of a finished piece when I began, but made decisions very quickly (often intuitively) as ‘things’ were happening on the paper, and let what was ‘happening’ visually with pigment and brushstrokes guide me to the end.

Painting is not always about creating a representational piece, or sketching an intense study from life…sometimes you just have to let go, roll with the punches.... and have some fun! You never know what will happen….and that of course, is the point!

Balance

2012-01-30T20:18:00.009Z

It was snowing early this morning, and a long list of chores needing attending to…housekeeping mostly. So, I was feeling rather glum about it all and did not relish the thought of running up and down the garden to the log store in the cold driving snow. Then the postman handed me a package and it was my contributor copy of the April edition of Watercolor Artist magazine…. with my article ‘Refine Your Eye For Color’. It looks nice, reads well and I can’t believe that it’s been published already. Where is 2012 going? The magazine looks choc full of really nice work, great interviews and articles and I can’t wait to sit down and read it from cover to cover.

April edition available in Feb in the USA...

Here is a link to the April edition if you do not subscribe and wish to purchase it.......

I tidied away all my acrylics and journal-making supplies last night as Jan is almost over, and Jan was my experimental month with techniques for new journal covers. I’ve had a lot of fun and some heartache with exploring new techniques, but I have a much clearer idea now of which type of journals are most time/cost effective, and which techniques I prefer to use and look the nicest. I’m actually really much more into creating and painting the covers…...although I like the binding stage, it takes a lot of time (and skill and patience) ......time I would prefer to use painting in watercolor. This is a good positive thing to realise, though! I love it when my little journals are all finished and I always think…. wow!…I can’t believe I created 'that' from start to finish. It’s a different buzz than being pleased with a painting or having a painting framed.

So, like everything else in life, BALANCE is the key, I need to analytically divide up my time to build up journal stock this year to supply a few select outlets…and spend the bulk of my creative enrgy on my fine art painting.

I think it’s important every once in a while to analyse the best use of your creative time, especially if you are female and have the traditional role of cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, laundry, mother etc. It’s often a battle for me between getting the duster out or washing the dishes and painting…. but most times painting wins! Then of course I feel guilty when the house looks a mess (lol)……

Blog Housekeeping and a New Look

2012-01-29T06:38:00.001Z

I’ve been having several problems with my bog recently, mostly problems relating to followers not being able to leave a comment and my blog disappearing from their saved blog lists/dashboard. Not sure why this has been happening, but I thought some blog housekeeping might help things a little. To this end I have cleaned out my own saved blog lists so if my name and head has disappeared from your followers list, it’s because I have cleaned up and deleted many of the blogs I follow, tried to sort out the dead links and retired blogs…etc. I will add to my favourite blogs again this week…. My blog list and dashboard seemed crammed with blogs who’s names I didn’t even recognise…and umpteen blogs unrelated to art!

I’ve also finally decided on a new look for this blog, after going through several different blog banners and layouts over the past few weeks. I hope you like the new look and that it is readable and easy to follow. The only blogs of mine, which are active right now, is this one and my Hand Made Journal blog, which is full of tips and techniques as I discover the realms of bookbinding and journal making. Please sign up as a follower if you would like to follow my journey with journal making, or are interested in journal making yourself. This is not an art journaling blog, but a blog documenting my journey into bookbinding and making blank journals. Art journaling is something else entirely…something I don’t have time for at the moment, although I do like to look at artists journal pages from time to time. Even though my journal covers are mostly mixed media, I am not pursuing mixed media in my fine art work.

I will also limit the amount of posts I link to my FB page, as some of my problems began when I began posting to FB from Blogger…. It’s also too confusing for me to have some comments about my blog and work on FB and some on my blog…and I would like to spend less time on FB in 2012.

My new watercolour class begins next week…. February is watercolour landscape month, so I am busy preparing for that. If any of you create small initial thumbnails as a prelude to landscape painting in watercolour, oil, pastel, acrylic…. using pencil, charcoal or markers (Notan style or small sketch style)…please drop me an e-mail, as I would like to post a series of posts on this subject to this blog featuring some of my followers work. I think the thought process behind a finished painting is something of interest to many readers of all skill levels, and it would be nice to showcase some of my loyal followers work on this blog in 2012.

I often make thumbnails in wash pencils as a prelude to landscape painting....

Two Older Works

2012-01-28T20:02:00.009Z

Just been looking through some older work and these are two that caught my eye, so I thought I would post them again…

Oil on wood 6x6 inches built up over time with glazes from 2009(?)….
......every time I look at my old oil paintings, I always yearn to get back to them, but I struggle
so with the medium of oil

Acrylic on paper from early 2011….going for more of a soft pastel feel to this one...I think this one might have begun with a coat of Colourfix Pastel primer on 300lb paper. These particular acrylics dry Matte, so that enhances the mood somewhat.

Focus On Art Cards: Cropping Original Art

2012-01-22T08:03:00.017Z

Small orignal art cards from cropped paintings.....

If you are like me, you have boxes or drawers/portfolios of ‘not so hot’ work. Stuff that never makes it to a mount and frame but is too nice to ditch also. I often chop these up and use the back, if it’s clean, as colour testing paper while painting. Last week I was handing out some such cut up paintings to my class to use as colour mixing scrap paper, and one of my students looked at the cropped painting on the other side (which happened to be a rather nice pink and purple texture pattern) and asked if she could take it home and frame it! I laughed out loud...but it did get me thinking about going through my 'not so hot’ stock pile and explore the possibilities for cropping and use for original greeting cards.

So that’s pretty much how I spent yesterday, looking with new eyes, cropping, and assembling around fifty aperture type greeting cards. It was fun, productive and a great use of my time…and now I have a free drawer space.

Some finished cards with original paintings, cropped and mounted in aperture cards.....

Here are some pointers from my own card making experience:

· Make sure that the image or cropped image you use for your card is nice enough to represent your work.... Be mindful of how a cropped piece of work will best represent you, especially if you intend to sell your cards.

· Use a tape gun such as an ATG gun for double sided tape…it makes the job go much faster than using hand cut rolls of double-sided tape. Double sided tape is far superior to PVA glue as there’s no warping, stretching or wrinkling with tape.

· Use a sharp blade, rotary cutting tool or paper cutter to keep everything neat and tidy.

· Purchase pre cut and pre-scored greeting card stock from craft stores or specialist on line stores. You can also find try-fold cards with apertures already cut in many craft outlets. Card packs often come with envelopes, be sure to purchase the right size clear bag to fit your envelope size, not your card size. Clear bags are self sealing and ready to go. be sure to include a business card or stamp/write your details on the back of your card....it's sound marketing/business practise.

· If embellishing with beads or 3D objects, remember that you won’t be able to put this kind of card in the mail in a regular envelope. Embellished cards may look cool, but you should advise the customer that they are preferred for hand delivery only.

· Make sure you have your copyright details on the back …you might also want to include a business card with each card if you are selling through local outlets.

· Work in a clean environment…there is nothing worse than pet hair sticking to your tape! Card stock marks easily, so your work surface needs to be clean and tidy and free from wet media.

· Use GOOD QUALITY card stock…. use the best quality materials to get the most out of your original piece of mini art.

· Original watercolours can be pre-sprayed with a matte protector for water media…and you should do this ahead of time after your image has been cropped but before it goes into the card. I don’t actually use a spray varnish/protector as I figure that folk know better than to run a greeting card under the faucet, or spill coffee on it! If it is a concern to you that your watercolour image can be re-constituted with water, then type something up and place it inside the plastic envelope/cover facing outwards to the back…. as a warning for customers.

· Respect that your card, although a mere greeting card, is an ORIGINAL piece of artwork…and let your pricing reflect that. Original art cards are in a different league to regular printed cards or craft cards made form purchased stickers and clip art. Remember…. your customer is buying a mini original piece of hand painted art, and your marketing, packaging and pricing should reflect that.

A quick wash demo painted in class last week to help one of my students with techniques for a blended sky she was having trouble with.......

I liked the look of this one area for one of my cards......

Another demo piece using black ink, white gouache and some poured washes.....

I cropped two sections from this demo piece and made two different small cards.

My desk yesterday showing card stock and some original paintings/demo pieces......

I use a sharp knife, a paper cutter, and a fabric rotary cutting tool with a steel rule.

Cropping one wash demo has created two different cards ......

Invest in an ATG gun...it makes the job go fast.....with no mess on your fingers!!!!

Two sweet little cards, already for packaging......well that's if I don't go bonkers with beads and other cool embellishments!

sewing in a folded insert and adding some cute beads.....finishing touches like these creates a uniques card.
...but you can't put this kind of 3D card in the regular mail in an envelope because of the beads......

I also use sew on tassels and raffia for sewing in the inserts and sometimes ribbon. In my opinion, sewn on embellishments look more up market than glued on embellishments...but that's just me.....

Finished batch of original art greeting cards.
I generally use 140lb paper for all my work, including class demos and wash strudies. Using pre-cut aperture cards also gives the opportunity for marketing your cards as mini originals ready to be framed. OK, your customer is not buying a good quality mount/matt, but selling original art like this (that might not otherwise make it to a frame) is a valid add-on sale and an affordable option for those customers who could just not afford a framed piece of your work. Plus it uses up all your 'not so hot' studies, colour washes, on location studies and paintings...especially when you crop the composition and crop out the blooms and icky muddy bits!

Watercolor Artist Magazine

2012-01-18T07:56:00.001Z

Exciting News!

I’ve just seen a copy of the layout of my 8 page article in April 2012 edition of Watercolor Artist Magazine…’Refine Your Eye For Color’…and I ‘m very excited about how fabulous it looks. The guys in the art department have done a wonderful job with the layout… A big thanks to my editor and every one in the design department.

The April edition will be available mid February on US newsstands, I believe…. so please check it out if you don’t already subscribe....you can also subscribe to an on line viewing version, which might be the best option for folks outside the US....... I can’t wait to see it in print.

Here is a link to the publisher’s site…. F&W also publish art books and various art related magazines, including the wonderful Pastel Journal. Overseas subscriptions are available on line.

Journals and Journals

2012-01-17T06:44:00.003Z

Finished journal from yesterday's batch of painted paper.......

You may have been wondering why I have not posted any new watercolour paintings for a while… well, I have been working flat out on my Journal making…… and although fabulously exiting and very creative…it takes up a lot of my time. Yesterday for instance I spent the day painting paper for journal covers (you can read all about it here)…and then made up a small journal including covering the boards with some of my painted paper, cutting the signatures, folding and sewing the binding. I must say though, that I am getting much better and faster at the hand-sewn bindings now, than I was six months ago!

January will be pretty much tied up with journal cover making, trying out different techniques and products…an intense month of creativity…and then February I will fall back into a routine of my watercolour painting as well as journal making.

I will also resume my personal 1000 washes challenge in March…. I’m re-thinking the format of this challenge at the moment as I would like to incorporate the entire 1000 washes into several hand bound books, which means I might have to start from number one again using a different format/paper…. haven’t quite made up my mind about it all yet. I love the concept of the deliberate practise of 1000 Washes…but the first one hundred I painted last October were painted on 90lb paper…and have really buckled so can’t be bound into a book. If I work out how I am going to bind my washes first, that will determine the format, paperweight etc.

I’m meeting up with a friend today, who creates encaustic art…so that will be fun…. hanging out, talking about art and watching how she works.

100 Washes blog winner......

2012-01-14T09:32:00.005Z

This is one of my washes paintings voted by Anamaria as one of her favourites from my group ofone hundred washes/paintings...

You can view all the winning paintings HERE

Anamaria’s name has been pulled randomly out of the hat as the winner of a set of fourteen greeting cards.

I tallied up the votes of your favourite washes/wash paintings from our year of work on this blog and was shocked to see such an across–the-board array of choices. In most cases there were no really out and out clear winners. Some of the paintings were placed as winners by only one vote. It was a difficult task to sort through the votes and to the best of my knowledge I have added up the votes correctly.

Please click here to view the winning washes paintings......

Thank you to everyone who participated in the voting, congratulations to Anamaria, and a huge thank you for the continued support from those of you who have followed our world of washes and left encouraging comments along the way.

May all your watercolour-painting dreams come true for 2012…

To be in England!

2012-01-11T19:44:00.002Z

Nice and loose, letting pigment and water do most of the work,

creating just the essence of the day...

I remember when I painted these in the summer of 2008…. not long after we had moved back to the UK from the States. How time goes by!

Books and Journals

2012-01-10T08:21:00.001Z

CALLING OTHER LIKE-MINDED HANDMADE BOOK ARTISTS…..

Studio Clutter Busting...cont....

2012-01-07T13:13:00.000Z

As part of my ‘clearout the clutter’ list of both my studio and mind, I recently set about looking throughheaps of digital photos of my work, work in progress, classes and workshops from over the years. In fact I have more photos of thiskind of thing than photos of my family and myself.

My intention was tosort my photos out by year, and subdivide into categories within categories….and delete anything which was blurred (as they often are when you are paintingwith one hand and holding the camera in the other) or just not relevant (like ashot of the curtains instead of my painting)!

This kind of clutterbusting can take twists and turns and before you know it a whole day has goneby.... down memory lane. I’ve spent a long time with this, and am only aboutone third done…. so this might turn out to be a yearlong quest of tidying updigital files and photos. One of the most irritating things is that so many ofmy folders have been labelled (by myself).... MISC or misc!! Because the photos are a mixture of family, work in progress,landscape and inspiration shots etc..... I guess at the time 'misc' seemed like an appropriate folder!!!! The big lesson here is that I need to sort photos assoon as I download them, and especially before I transfer them to an externalhard drive.

One thing that keptcrossing my mind as I was looking through my photos was that:.... just like how weourselves change in appearance over the years, so does our work…. and yet someinfluences remain a steady constant. For me in watercolour my constant is softblended washes of beautiful harmonious colour...sometimes abstract, sometimesabout nature, often about the sea.

My studio spaces havealso changed over the years, and I covert some of the easels andequipment/supplies I owned while living in the States… which I had to sell orgive away before we left. This kind of studio furniture I have never seemed tohave quite replaced, due to either funds or space. I found a photo of somefabulous wood and wire trays I purchased form Dakota Pastels, which stacked ontop of each other…they were expensive and a really useful way to store softpastels…but they never made it to England with us……..In fact I remember sellingthem in our last yard sale for a few dollars each (very sad)... I have also neverreplaced two fabulous wooden easels I used to use.

The redeeming thoughtin all this is..... I guess I did not realise at the time how fortunate I was when Ilived in South Florida regarding the amount of studio space I had, along withequipment and almost unlimited funds for supplies! (Which of course goes hand inhand with consistent sales of paintings). Yes, the economy was different thenfor selling artwork, and of course I no longer live in a tourist driven area.

I did come across somewonderful photos of various shows, workshops and classes I tutored…along withphotos of awards, art show events and demos. Those days all seem like a bit ofa blur at the moment (lol)….

When you have a spareday (or make sure you have a spare day)… why not take a look at some of yourold art related photos, and see which 'constants' remain in your own work..... ortake a trip down memory lane just for the fun of it. You might even get yourphotos organised along the way!

Somehow it is all very therapeutic!

I thought this was aparticular gem of a photo from last year…

And this one...how muchpigment is on that?........or how much pigment does one NEED on a watercolour painting (lol).........

Acrylic on paper.....fun with mixed media....

Summer Art Camp Fun

2012-01-04T10:15:00.000Z

Yesterday I was sorting through stacks ofphotos and came across these two from around 2003. This was my class of littleguys in South Florida one year in early 2000 when I tutored a Summer Art Campfor kids. This was a mixed group with ages six to ten if I remember correctly. Themain project for week one was bead making using polymer clay….then constructingthe beads into watches. It was alot of fun, very energetic and I remember taking hundreds of beads home to my toasteroven (a dedicated one for baking polymer clay) to bake.

I no longer use polymer clay as an artform, but it’s a lot of fun for many different craft/art projects.

If anyone is interested in using polymerclay there are some great books and teaching videos out there. I personally love the beadwork of Donna Kato andthe fabulous jewelry of Gwen Gibson.

Art Camp fun in South Florida several years ago...... in the bottom photo you can just about see some of our beads on cocktail sticks as we apply a finishing varnish.

News Flash….blog consolidation

2012-01-03T05:32:00.001Z

From Jan 1^st2012 my sketching blog will be defunct along with my tuition blog.

All info regardingweekly classes and workshops will be posted to THIS blog, my main art blog.Info about my class schedule is accessible by clicking on the tab above under theblog heading. New sketches will beincorporated into the posts of this blog. My journal blog is HERE.....

Positive Affirmations for 2012

2011-12-30T11:31:00.002Z

Watercolour ©Maggie Latham 2011

Embracing the Positiveand Dumping the Negative

Oh, how time marcheson….. fast! It is almost the end of 2011 and I am itching to get back into agood creative routine after the festivities and entertaining over the holidayseason..... but too much food and the indulgencies of the season coupled with adifferent routine are making me feel sluggish and not very creative/productiveat the moment.

And my thought for today…Over-indulgence= sluggish, heavy, weighed down, unproductive, non-creative and slow of mind!

So, my mantra andcreative goals for the New Year (2012) begin like this:

· Eat only what I need to maintain, cut out whitesugar and eat much more of the stuff which is green and uncooked rather thanprocessed.

· More routine quiet exercise, such as walking…where I can formulate creative ideas at the same time as being inspired by thebeauty of nature.

· Read only those words that inspire me, stophanging out with people who are woe-begotten and negative…. although beavailable for help to folk if/when the situation arises.

· Train my creative mind to focus on thepositive, not the negative, and embrace all aspects of my creativity….including the paintings/sketches which don’t go so well, along with embracingcreative urges to try a different approaches to the same subject, differentmedia..... or a totally new creative direction.

· Deliberately open up avenues of thought toembrace new aspects of creativity and try to work more spontaneously andintuitively. Have less worry about external things outside of my control, andfocus energy from the heart into my daily creative process.

· In my sketching/plein air painting routine I wouldlike to focus more on sketching with an open mind, responsive to what I amseeing, not what I think I am seeing! ………. This may require a set series ofexercises to try to empty my conscious of all learnt perceptions…and I am notsure yet to the best approach for this.

By thinking about,writing and blogging my thoughts above…. I know it is the first step toattaining a higher understanding of reaching and maintaining these goals. Manyof my thoughts above interact with each other… however, my dominant ideal for 2012is:

…. To be more true tomyself as an artist and fully enjoy the journey guided by the voice within.When the heart speaks, and we allow ourselves to listen, miracles happen.Expect the unexpected and embrace the unknown…..

What will your creativemiracle(s) be for 2012?

2011... Year In Review

2011-12-28T07:59:00.001Z

My big thing for 2011 was to take a year off from selling and marketing my work to have time to concentrate on exploring different media and my own personal creative direction. This came in the form of Atelier Interactive acrylic (a medium I have had a love/hate relationship with over the years)…. this brand of artist acrylic had to meet a lot of expectations, and although I had a lot of fun testing it out, experimenting and some intensive creative activity with the medium…I’m still not particularly enamoured about using acrylic paint as my primary medium. It is a nice product though, with marks 9 out of 10….. with quite a few redeeming features… drying matte being the nicest feature for me.

I began the year with high hopes of maintaining a daily sketching blog, which dissipated after a few months. Much of my blogging time this past year was spent participating in, and maintaining, my One Hundred Washes Blog, which gave me the opportunity to get to know six other like minded watercolourists through a year of painting 100 washes. My personal art-blog relationship has been ‘on again, off again’…and after several copyright infringement episodes effecting not only myself, but also fellow artist friends and bloggers, I retired and deleted my blogs in haste while upset about it all.

Missing the interaction blogging brings I have recently begun two new blogs … in replacement of my deleted blogs. Copyright infringement is a huge issue in our cyber world of blogging and e-commerce, and there is a fine line between being enamoured and inspired by someone else’s art…. and actually copying and claiming the image or concept(s) as your own.

2011 has been a year of creative introspection for me, and I feel I have gained a broader understanding of who I am as an artist through taking the pressure off and not marketing my work…. however the down side is lack of funds from sales of paintings and related products…which help pay bills and funds my art material and marketing budget. Still, having a greater knowledge of who I am and where I want to go as an artist, has boosted my skills and given me confidence to seek other avenues of art marketing. The discipline of the One Hundred Washes Challenge has reiterated the benefits of deliberate practise and sharing ideas with like-minded individuals. Copyright infringement issues have just narrowed the gap and made me re-think as to how much Internet marketing and blogging is personally necessary.

2012 will be full of many new creative challenges, with my focus on managing my creative time more wisely, developing a wider range of skills and reaching a larger audience with both my paintings and tutoring. Knowing who you are as an artist, and understanding your strengths/weaknesses, good qualities/bad qualities… goes a long way to being happy with yourself and your work. Working deliberately and methodically on your creative weaknesses and allowing yourself to enjoy the journey (and by letting go of worrying about what others think or what others expect from you)……… the outcome will ultimately take care of itself.

Being positive, staying focused and mindful of the task at hand, and allowing yourself to be the best painter you can be at the given moment in time, will bring creative peace and fulfilment.......

Listening to your inner voice, and allowing your creativity to lead you will bring you great joy and fulfilment in your creative life......the trick is to know yourself and your creative mind well enough to not let the good opinion of others to cloud your judgement.

Peace and creative blessings to everyone for 2012….Maggie

My garden studio in a frenzy of cropping, mounting and framing ~ summer 2011

Washes and more Washes..... Nov 2011

Demo showing monochrome painting with multiple glazing ~ Autumn 2011

Pouring and more pouring ~ Summer 2011

Often my paintings begin like this.......

...then end up like this......mixing up techniques with a class demo earlier in the year......

Plein air watercolour in Porlock Weir, Exmoor ~ spring 2011

Making do while painting on location 2011, no chairs, tables or running water here!

Experimenting large with Interactive Acrylic glazing ~ summer 2011

I had an intense few months with my new Interactive acrylics......

One of my first pieces using Interactive acrylics, playing with glazing

and a limited range of tones..... Spring 2011

Sketches from memory using graphite and wash......even though I don't post these

sketches any more to my blog, I practise this kind of sketching daily...

Jan, Feb and March 2011 saw an intensive sketchathon using graphite and wash.....

Many washes drying on the floor of my small indoor studio for my
One Hundred Washes Challenge blog.....which ended in November 2011.
A big thank you to Vandy, Olivia, Suzanne, Theresa, Jane, Christy and retired participants Caroline, Egle and Doug for making the One Hundred Washes blog exciting, fun, creative, challenging and fabulous. Thank you also to all our followers who left encouraging comments, and for those wonderful artists who featured our blog on their blogs.

Early January 2011, a snowy and cold Quay West harbour....not far from where
I live and paint...

Studio Clean Up Begins!

2011-12-14T09:17:00.009Z

Watercolour with a little white gouache from 2007. ©Maggie Latham

I began the big studio clean up yesterday, and spent all day only really moving art supplies from one place to another. …but sorting everything into either a trash pile, keep pile and give away pile.

The one big job was to go through all my sketchbooks and tear out and only keep the best of the best. I decided I don’t need to keep every thought and every nuance of every visual idea…. certainly do not need to keep umpteen Nolan’s, thumbnails and monochrome paint studies. Keep the best, yes, but not all. This in itself has cleared a lot of room from my bookshelf and drawers. I also sorted my art books, but am down to only a few now, as I had a really good sort out a few months.

I actually moved some furniture to make a little more space, as well as vacuuming the dust bunnies and cat hair hidden behind everything! My next big thing is to go through painting supplies and brushes as so many of my brushes are less than usable these days…. and even though I have many pencils…I can never find a 2B when I need one!!!

With the holidays coming up, and my routine changing slightly to accommodate more entertaining and seasonal activities, I get the feeling that my studio clutter busting is going ot take some time! But that’s OK. It needs to be done, and if it takes small hits of time over several weeks rather than days…. that’s fine with me. I do want the majority sorted before the New Year though….

New Year, clean studio, fresh creativity, fresh ideas and creative gusto!

Over the last couple of weeks, I also finally finished preparing my course work for January’s class (Ink, Pen and Wash)…which will be fun and something different for my students, began the prep work for February’s class, submitted all my supporting work for my article for Watercolor Artist Magazine next year (April 2012 edition), and began structuring my week of tutoring at the Marlborough Summer School next summer…

I wish I had a new painting to post, but have not had a moment to paint…. so am posting one of my wash favourites from around 2007. I seem to remember this was painted on a lovely piece of hand made paper… and I painted two at the same time, a tiny one and a larger version.

If I don’t get around to posting again before Christmas, have a wonderful Christmas everyone, or Happy Holidays if you don’t follow the Christian faith.

.....Peace and Goodwill to Everyone.....

Ten Clutter Busting Ideas

2011-12-06T14:34:00.007Z

Soft Pastel on Wallis board, 12x8 inches 2006/2007

©Maggie Latham

First, on behalf of my fellow blog participants from the One Hundred Washes challenge blog I would like to thank Donna Zagotta for showcasing our Washes blog on her blog post of yesterday. You can view the post HERE..... and please take some time to check out Donna’s DVD…it looks wonderfully creative and when I have more funds I intend to purchase it. You can also download a pdf version of an article about Donna and her work from the April 2008 edition of Watercolor Artist HERE.

Brenda Boylan wrote on her blog of last week about clearing up her studio clutter, which in turn led me to thinking about organizing an end of year big clear out of not only my studio, but also business related paperwork, class notes, etc.

My paintings and washes from the One Hundred Washes challenge blog need sorting and my class instruction work is between several folders at the moment and needs organizing. Old flyers and posters need ditching, receipts and invoices need filing and my palettes need cleaning. New paint needs to be ordered and brushes cleaned (especially my oil brushes, which don’t get that much use). I have umpteen acrylic brushes that are clogged up and need sorting, and heaps of rags, which need washing or ditching.

For me, being organized is a prelude to better use of my painting space and painting time. As artists we are 'one man bands', and have to not only paint and create, but also deal with the business side of our art world. As women we also have to juggle traditional roles as homemaker and possibly mother…and some how still find time to blog and paint! It gets even crazier if you like to use a variety of mediums, as each different media needs it’s own storage, possibly a different easel and working area and separate brushes/paints...

So here’s my list of end of year goals, why not let me know some of yours?

1. Sort out and inventory framed paintings. Type up inventory sheets including a thumbnail of the image, file digitally and print a hard copy.

2. Do the same for unframed matted watercolour paintings... change mats/mounts if soiled and re-bag with bio sheet and business card. Make an order for new mats/mounts for recent paintings.

3. Sort through greeting card stock and re-order depleted lines. Do same for business cards.

4. Sort through supplies, clean brushes and re-group supplies into containers pertaining to different media.

5. Clean palettes and fill watercolour palettes with fresh tube paint.

6. Box up supplies no longer needed and take to class to give to my students…. the same with art books/DVD’s and art magazines.

7. File reference material in shoeboxes or storage boxes…ditch/colour notes, thumbnail sketches and reference photos no longer needed or no longer inspiring. Sort through digital files of reference photos and print fresh photos to promote new working ideas.

8. Save scans and JPG's to external drive and clean up computer files. While doing that, clean up blogs, re-design header for main blog, make sure links and e-mail links on blogs are functioning. Think about designing a new web site for 2012. Along with on-line classes/ art instruction for 2012.

9. Mount small studies in wire bound sketchbooks with double sided tape, to use as reference material.

10 Begin brainstorming ideas for a marketing plan for 2012/2013, including printing class flyers and promotional literature.

So, there is my list of ten major clutter busting things to do in the next few weeks. Paintings which are not finished or I am not satisfied with I will ditch or gesso over if on canvas or board...and use again, or use the back of watercolour paintings as scrap paper.

In my next blog post I will talk about the role of promotional literature and ideas for expanding marketing possibilities for your art.

A Year of Washes~Looking Back

2011-11-29T11:44:00.020Z

This is the wash I used for the One Hundred Washes blog banner

As many of you know who have been following my blog (this one and my retired blog: maggielathamart) my year of One Hundred Washes is complete. Six other participants and myself (all watercolour painters of different skill levels dispersed around globe) took up my challenge of completing one hundred washes or wash driven paintings in one year, recording our colours, and our thoughts about painting in watercolour on a dedicated blog. When I first came up with the idea and posted an invite to join me on my blog last year, I had no idea what an incredible journey it would be!

I would like to thank everyone who followed our journey and left encouraging comments, and a big thank you to Jane Minter, Olivia Quintin, Theresa Evans, Vandy Massey, Christy Lemp and Suzanne Lindfield... Without whose dedication and commitment the One Hundred Washes blog would not have been possible. I would also like to thank Caroline Simmill, Egle and Doug Daniels who began the journey with us, but had to retire early due to other commitments. If you are not familiar with any of these artist, it is worth checking out their blogs…. the standard of work is high and they are highly creative individuals.

I have also just posted a poll to the Washes blog to vote on your two favourite painting by each artist…and you could win a set of greeting cards with the winning images. The post is available for viewing HERE

Yesterday I was reading Donna Zagotta's latest blog post about deliberate practice. She has a wonderfully informative blog, and it’s a joy to read. Her post of yesterday is HERE ……where she talks about the practice of deliberate practice. Just after I had gotten through reading her insightful post, I received an e-mail from Christy one of my fellow One Hundred Washes blog participants….

This is what Christy wrote to me:

Maggie,

Thank you so much for my card! I love it-it's sitting right on my desk as a reminder of our wonderful year.

I don't know if you know the scope of what you did for us this year. I think it was huge; getting us all painting regularly and creating such a great support group. Painting is so solitary and I love people, so this was a fantastic combination.

Now when we comment on each other' blogs we have a face and personality to go with it.

Thanks again for all you do.

Christy

I was shocked by the parallel between what Donna had been writing about yesterday and the words of Christy…and had never really thought about something so much fun as the washes challenge to be viewed as deliberate practice…

I do this (deliberate practice) all the time with my own work…deliberately focus on techniques or areas of my creativity which I think need improving or mastering.... it’s just the way I work and have always worked really. Quite often much of it ends up in the trash, or in learning folders with notes of what went wrong or why things worked. I am so glad that Donna has articulated so eloquently what all the 'washing girls’ participating in the One Hundred Washes challenge have been doing…deliberate practice in one area over a set time frame to become more proficient painters and to master wash techniques.

As you may know, I am continuing my own washes journey and my efforts can be viewed on the stand-alone pages accessed by clicking on the tabs under my blog banner/header above. I had begun a dedicated blog for this continuous journey, but have closed that particular blog and decided to post my work here instead. 1000 Washes is an enormous challenge, and I am looking forward to my continued growth in this area of the role of washes in watercolour painting. I truly believe that it is the repetition of technique and/or subject within either a set or repetitive time frame incorporated with zoning in on one area which helps us (definitely me) focus on the task in hand and become better painters.

I would also like to mention Rose from Florida who has also begun her own washes journey, inspired by the One Hundred Washes blog, and you can view her blog HERE.

I feel very fortunate to have been part of such a great group of artists, and know I have made new paintings friends for life. I literally had no idea how the blog would pan out when I set it up…. and although it’s been hard work at times to keep up with posting and maintaining momentum and indeed maintaining the blog itself… what a FABULOUS journey it has been.

Maggie

EXMOOR AUTUMN

2011-11-24T17:05:00.002Z

Watercolour 9 x 6 inches (23 x16cm)

This was painted some time ago, but looks like the Moor right now...everything is ochre-green with a tinge of sepia and maroon.....on a backdrop of cool blue grey.
I love this time of year......

Atelier Interactive

2011-11-19T18:59:00.006Z

Acrylic 9 x 5 inches (22.86 x 12.7cm)

I don’t know if any of you who were following my exploration with Atelier Interactive acrylic back in the summer remember this when it was just a tonal piece…but I have since been trying to glaze it with very light acrylic glazes using a glazing medium. I am really hoping to spend the next few months exploring further with Interactive Acrylic, but have some kinks to work out first in not only finding a good support that works for my way of working, but also with applying glazes. Although I like the idea of this landscape (it’s of one of my favourite places) I don’t think I had the correct tonal values in the underpainting to begin with…. and no amount of glazing will correct an underpainting which does not initially have the correct values!

I’m really hoping I can get back into a groove with my acrylic glazing alongside my watercolour painting, but have to organise two different workstations in my small indoor studio space first…. which is no mean feat in a small room where the furniture will only work one way. I hate the thought of having to clear my drafting table every time I switch from acrylic to watercolour. It’s not a problem in the summer months when I use my outdoor garden studio, but it’s getting to cold to work out there now.

Also wanted to post a note about Atelier Interactive Acrylics…these are similar to regular acrylics, and definitely NOT ‘liquid’ acrylics. They have a longer ‘open’ time which means they stay workable longer than regular acrylic paint, can be spritzed with water on your palette to stay workable, and also dry to a matte finish. I do prefer Atelier to regular acrylics, but they have less body than Liquitex I feel, and are more like butter to apply. For glazing I prefer to use a glazing medium from Atelier, mixed with a little acrylic pigment rather than just watered down acrylic washes.

STORM SETTING IN

2011-11-18T16:20:00.000Z

Watercolour 5x7.75 inches (12x19cm)

MISTY INTERLUDE ....afterthought

2011-11-15T16:15:00.001Z

Watercolour 4 x 6 inches (11 x 15cm)

Thus little painting was an afterthought... just using up left over paint on my palette…

MISTY INTERLUDE l

2011-11-14T13:31:00.008Z

Watercolour 10.25 x 6.25 inches (26 x 15.9cm)

By rights this should be really grungy, the amount of layering and abuse it has taken over the past two days!.....(and the amount of cerulean blue used) …. maybe it is a little grungy, but I think it works.

That’s the best thing about Arches 140lb cp paper…. it can take a lot of abuse, and ends up becoming your friend. I should have stopped about two washes before…. but you know how it goes when you are in the throws of creating…

PAINTING THE BLUES X

2011-11-13T19:20:00.002Z

Watercolour 10.25 x 6.25 inches (26 x 15.9cm)

I painted this earlier today after Jean left several comments about not usually using either Winsor Blue or Cerulean Blue in her paintings. I hope this will encourage you, Jean. The granulating properties of cerulean blue are just wonderful. Hope you like this one…. it was one of those very quick ones!!!!

You can view Jean Lurssen’s work on her blog HERE

PAINTING THE BLUES lX

2011-11-13T06:00:00.001Z

Watercolour 10.25 x 6.25 inches (26 x 15.9cm)

PAINTING THE BLUES Vlll

2011-11-12T18:03:00.003Z

Watercolour 10.25 x 6.25 inches (26 x 15.9cm)

Seven Mile Bridge, Florida Keys

42 bridges connect Key West, Florida to the mainland just outside of Miami. One of the longest is the Seven Mile Bridge, which takes you down to the lower Keys. When I lived in Key West I always knew I was almost home after a trip to the mainland when I reached the Seven Mile Bridge. It’s a three and half hour drive (160 miles) from mainland Miami to Key West!

I hope you can just about make out the bridge in the background, it really does look like this with tropical ocean/skies and numerous sail boats bobbing around.

Here it is on my quarter sheet paper......fresh off the easel.

PAINTING THE BLUES Vll

2011-11-10T04:13:00.002Z

Watercolour 9 x 5 inches (22.86 x 12.7cm)

PAINTING THE BLUES Vl

2011-11-09T14:48:00.001Z

Watercolour 10.25 x 6.25 inches (26 x 15.9cm)

PAINTING THE BLUES V

2011-11-08T18:15:00.001Z

Watercolour 10.25 x 6.25 inches (26 x 15.9cm)

PAINTING THE BLUES lV

2011-11-08T07:12:00.003Z

Watercolour 10.25 x 6.25 inches (26 x 15.9cm)

PAINTING THE BLUES lll

2011-11-07T18:25:00.002Z

Watercolour 9 x 5 inches (22.86 x 12.7cm)

PAINTING THE BLUES ll

2011-11-05T15:36:00.001Z

Watercolour 9 x 5 inches (22.86 x 12.7cm)

PAINTING THE BLUES l

2011-11-04T10:47:00.002Z

Watercolour 10.25 x 6.25 inches (26 x 15.9cm)

KINDNESS/PAINTING THE BLUES

2011-11-03T06:08:00.003Z

Watercolour 5.75 x 8.5 inches (14.51 x 21.59cm)

“Be kind whenever possible….It is always possible”…..Dalai Lama

Containment

2011-11-02T07:36:00.002Z

Acrylic on canvas panel 6x8 inches (20.32x15.24cm)

Water takes form by that which contains it.....

Colour takes form by that which surrounds it.....

IN THE BEGINNING

2011-10-31T19:24:00.001Z

In the beginning, there was light,

light fell from heaven to earth.

Out of light came colour,

out of colour came form,

out of form came lost and found edges,

out of edges came shadows,

out of shadows came contrast.

Contrast determined tonal value,

tonal value turned into light and dark.