Inspiration Tuesday

Pulsatilla vulgaris

Click the image to see it full size

I have no idea why this image won't post straight. I'll keep trying, but for some odd reason it won't.

This is an image that is available under the Creative Commons license from my own collection of photographs. You may use the image as you wish, provided that you attribute it to me and link to this blog.

The flowers here are Pulsatilla vulgaris, commonly known as the Pasque Flower. It is one of the first flowers to open after winter and depending on where in the world you are, that may be around Easter.

Art awards

There are thousands of art awards produced, artists nominated and presentations given in public amid fanfare and publicity. Awards are coveted for excellence in handling a medium, exploring a subject or being controversial. All have merit and some come with more glory and prestige than others.

The ones that mean the most are the ones given by friends, some of who we know more than others. The visual art community is a body of caring individuals who, through sharing information and keeping contact, provide a much more tangible connection. I have been given this award by several people, and have been slow in putting it on my site. That is not because I am ungrateful for the award, but usually because I am very busy with other parts of life.

Thank you to those who thought of me, who visited my blog and who took time to consider, comment and acknowledge my work. Painting, in itself, is a learned skill and still puts me outside my comfort zone very often. So with my own belief (or disbelief, as many artists have) in my ability, thank you for the boost in confidence.

I am supposed to name seven people and list seven things that I love. I have done this previously and as so many people who I visit have been given this award already, I won't do so again. The things I love number much more than seven.

So please visit the artists who have awarded and been awarded. You will be glad that you did.

Pat Reese
Chris Beck
Tracy Hall

Shell complete

I spent some time early this morning finishing the shell and am calling it complete now. The image above is scanned but the colour still looks off, making it look candy pink which it isn't in reality. The second image is a photo that shows the truer colours of the piece, even if the background then greys out. I'll have to find a happy medium between the two to get a final image worthy of printing.

I've been using the range of watercolour papers that were in the sample box I bought from Legion Paper awhile ago. This one is Lanaquarelle 140lb and is lovely and smooth. With the addition of pen to the piece, a rougher paper would risk having fibres clog the nib or not enable the pointillism technique to be used to its best.

I have to head to Toronto tomorrow on business for the weekend. Weekend meetings are the scourge of non profit business, but have to be done. So I'll likely be absent for a few days but back in business on Monday. I hope I'll be able to find some time for sketching people, even if the scenery may not be too inspiring where I'll be.

Forever the technofiend, I've invested in a little mini netbook that will make travel with technology easier and a lot lighter. Unfortunately, it hasn't been delivered in time for this trip. Travelling with laptops is a pain with the level of security in airports. I seem to be forever hauling one out of the case, having it scanned, stuffing it back in, only to have to haul it out a little later to use it in the airport. The mini netbook fits easily in my handbag and will make basic work, checking emails, etc. so much easier than lugging a large one around. I have an older smaller laptop that I may take with me, or I may simply rely on good old pen and paper to take notes.

Sea shells

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I’ve always had a fascination for objects on the beach and my house has boxes and bowls overflowing with some of my finds. Beach rocks, abandoned shells, bits of seaweed, coral and driftwood all find their way home.

This shell, however, isn’t a beach find but from an image by Lisilk who takes some beautiful photos from her life in Bermuda and generously shares them in the reference library of WetCanvas.

I had recently finished a watercolour/ink piece of a speckled trout and wanted another piece to accompany it. A shrimp was suggested, but as I have an allergy to shellfish, shrimp aren’t something I usually buy. I hunted around for an alternative and came up with a beautiful image of a shrimp shell. I’m not sure what kind of shrimp this is/was, but I’ve not seen one quite like it before.

So here is my version of the shrimp in its current form. I’ve put down loose watercolour washes and am now adding detail in ink with a .25 tip Rapidograph pen. I’ll continue to build detail and add layers of colour where needed to bring realism to the piece.

There is something satisfying about the slow build of a drawing or painting that so appeals to me. I love the stages it goes through and the anticipation of seeing it develop from a blank page to a piece that can almost be lifted off the page.