Mary B Spires Watercolor & Art Stuff

I've been so busy with "ah ha" moments, I haven't even thought of taking pictures of my own paintings. I can truly say this has been one of those "Things" that happens on your "Art Journey" that is a major step in the way you think about painting and the way you execute it! It's like Carol & Karin have flipped on another circuit breaker in my brain!

Can you see and feel the joy?

Carol's demo was really good......what wonderful brush strokes!!!! It truly is about value and shape....if you get these two right....the painting will work. Carol looks at the still life thru a view finder, studies the shape/value, then does the stroke....I don't remember who said it but "if you get the color right, the value will be right". Her demo was right on.......another day in painter's heaven, with a bunch of new girlfriends and Mark.

A few pic's from Day 2!!! WOW!! So much information, what a learning experience! It's been such a great workshop! It's like they both have opened up the right side of their brain and we got to visit.....In the am we did value studies one 40 minutes, one 15 minutes and the last 5....quess which one most of us did the best? Wrong! the 5 minute one!!!!!! So much fun. The top photo was Karin's "Spring Man"..... it truly was a "AH Ha" moment. What a neat way to describe form........the second pic is Carol modeling for Karin......next was Karin's Demo of the a Bus Stop figure......then the final Figure..........

Workshop Austin Texas The workshop has been everything I hoped for!!!! Yea!!!! We started the morning off with a lecture from Carol & Karin, they discussed their views on blogging, plus general information on painting small daily works. Both artist were very giving with information on why they paint, what got them started. Both are very different in the way they approach their subject, but their differences complement their approach to teaching a workshop. How lucky we are to have both artist teaching in the same workshop. Carol painted the apples from a still life set up with her "still life table" (check out her blog for the picture of the stand her husband made). While Karin was painting the little girl painting from a photograph.

8x10 Oil on Canvas Board I know I said I wasn't going to paint those orange slices again!!!! This painting is really about white or the colors of white. I'm not real happy with the overall painting, but I must remember this about practice.....

Photograph of still life, White cup with Orange Slice.