Mary B Spires Watercolor & Art Stuff

New Snow 8x10 This is  my second project in my on line workshop class with Daniel Edmondson http://www.oilpaintingworkshop.com/      .....this was a lesson in mixing "whites".  One of the most interesting things is how blue the snow is in shadow, I had about 6 puddles white....this reminded me of the color mixes "mouse colors" of Jean Dobbie's in Making Color Sing.  We are in the process of getting ready to go to Florida for a couple of weeks.  My game plan is to start working on the Still Life Workshop....I just love the first project.  The November Newsletter is almost complete.....I've done quite a bit of research on the "Sight Size Drawing Method", I even purchased a DVD with Judith Kudlow.  I sat up a still life and maped out the design.  It a challenge, but once you get going it's a lot of fun......it really makes you look at your subject in relationship to the placement on the canvas.

10 x 8 Oil on Canvas Board Last year I was lucky enough to see a demo by David Leffel. I am total hooked on Chiaroscuro Style painting. "Chiaroscuro" literally means light/dark. In Chiaroscuro painting, your eye follows the light. The light gives the picture its flow-it takes the eye from one place to another, and the shadows structure the painting. Quoted from Oil Painting Secrets from a Master, by Linda Cateura.