Mary B Spires Watercolor & Art Stuff

6" x 6" Oil on Canvas Board One of the biggest technique I learned in Dreama's Workshop was the use of transparent colors.  She "blocks" in the design covering the entire space with transparent colors.  As a watercolorists I understand the  use of these clean colors.  When you apply the opaque layer you pick up a little of the first layer.  Not only were the colors clean using this technique but you get a glimpse of the design.

8" x 10" Oil on Canvas Board As most of you know I'm not a landscape painter!  I took a workshop from Dreama  Tolle Perry this past summer hoping it would get me in a another zone so I can paint landscape.  Well, I'm still not excited about landscape, but I am excited about those little vignettes that we see on our daily walks.  While in the South of France a  few years ago I took a zillion pictures of those wonderful little landscape "still lives" we see everyday around us. This challenge was about stepping out of what is comfortable and into another world of painting.......so my final challenge is too paint 11 days of those wonderful little landscape still lives. It's all about practice!!!!!

10" x 8" Oil on Canvas I think this will be the last of the pomegranate....they're looking pretty bad!   The pomegranate's are tough to paint, all those colors of RED.  I can't believe we are on day 18....I didn't think I would be able to keep up but when you are so motivated by the group of over 200 artist...it's kinda hard not to paint.  I want to THANK all the artist that have left a comment. 

10" x 8" Oil on Canvas Board I started this in the Wednesday afternoon class.  Of course my brain is mush by this time after teaching......so I finished it this morning....I'm still not happy with the photography.....need to work on this.  The painting does not show all that soft color.

7 1/2" x 11 !/2" Watercolor on Paper One of my all time favorite places in the world is Santa Fe, New Mexico.  There are so many wonderful old buildings to see.  Plus all the galleries up Canyon Road. Georgia O'Keeffe said that the light was different.  Once you spent time there you know it is different! As in this little painting you can feel the heat and brightness of the that intense sun.

11" x 14" on Watercolor Paper This is a watercolor that I did at the beginning of the "30 paintings in 30 days". I teach at the Beach Art Center on Wednesday morning plus I take Judy & Larry Pumfrey's oil class in the afternoon.  I did a demo today on the "Mechanics of Painting" that I studied with Jerry Fresia in Italy. I knew when we started the challenge that I would need a couple of paintings ahead.  I'm soooo happy that I did do a couple ahead........can't believe we are half way through! WOW

10" x 12" Watercolor on Paper I've had this photograph for about 5 years....we attend a Civil War reenactment at Heritage Village in Largo, Fl.  I have several photographs of this little guy.  I didn't realize that the Rebel Uniform was more blue-green than gray.