Mary B Spires Watercolor & Art Stuff

Holly Hock 9" x 9" Dark backgrounds always give the flower drama!

Holly Hock 9x9 When I don't know what to paint, I always go back to my flower photographs. I guess I started painting 20 some years ago painting what attracted me most.....so when in doubt go back to what you know. I always put the painting into a mat at the end stage, this is my way of seeing what the painting is telling me. What do I need to do? This was the painting for a couple of days, this morning I decided to put in a dark background.

4" x 4" on Watercolor Paper After visiting Italy a few times and having the opportunity to view the illuminated letters in Vatican collection, I've been wanting to play around with doing one. In fact a few years ago at the Lancaster Festival we had a guest artist from Chicago that did wonderful work. He even mix his own pigments, my first time seeing maganese blue in it pure state. The background behind the letter is Gold, but it doesn't show very well, I'll try to get a better picture next time.

Watercolor 11" x 14" My grandaughter Brittney was our model a couple of years ago at Tuesday Morning Class.......now she is a mother of two great grand kids......I know I know I don't look that old!!!!! I'm teaching this as a project for the HOOT Convention in August in Columbus, Ohio.

Since all the grand kids are grown. Living on their own.......I miss coloring Eggs! I have been playing around with a new art form called Zentangles.....check out Rich & Maria's web site http://www.zentangle.com/ What FUN!

This portrait was painted by Portrait Artist Ron Marvin from Florida. Every Friday morning we have open studio, with a model, at Treasure Island Art Group. It's a great opportunity to work on painting portraits. One Friday morning our model didn't show, so I got to be it! Ron "got me" with the drawing.......several of my friends got to be the model this year. I'm hoping to get Dick to sit next year..... I can't believe it's been almost a year since I last added a post! It's been a crazy year.....where does the time go? I'm hoping to get back in the groove......

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.