Turtle Prayer

"Turtle Prayer"
Watercolor

"And the turtles, of course...
All the turtles are free-
As turtles and, maybe, all
creatures should be."
- Dr. Seuss -

I've been thinking about all that environmental destruction down in the Gulf area. Though I cannot be down to physically help, perhaps I can create a painting with intention and prayers. Yes, we as creative beings, can make a difference. This turtle is sending healing energy down to his Gulf brothers, sisters, and all creatures who reside in the Ocean and outside of it.

Perhaps I'll work more on the turtle's background in time. I notice that the paper has dark shadows above the creature. This came about unintentionally as I scanned it into my computer. For now, I rather like that effect. And, so I leave this creation now, hoping that turtle prayer will be heard across the miles......Hm, maybe being an environmental artist would be fulfilling.....

Sailing

"Sailing"
Watercolor

I love painting birds and butterflies, but sometimes I need a change of pace. I guess I wanted to try a more realistic piece here. The reflections always challenging, the horizon line a bit uneven. Even looks like shark fins to the left though they are the rudders from the motors in reality. The boys don't look too concerned, do they?

All in all, though, I had fun. It's on a small piece of watercolor paper, maybe 3" x 6" or so. I asked the photographer who took the image whether the blue in the sail was the ocean coming through or was it the sail color. He said it was the ocean as he saw waves. I thought "oh well" after I had already painted it as the sail canvas. Tried to keep the sail color a bit different from the water background to distinguish it. The little folk have an impressionistic feel about them as I've read we don't always have to put in every little detail. My husband, after seeing this creation, thought it was a little too realistic. He's used to my fantasy pieces where I put in every color of the rainbow, no matter what. Oh well, as I said earlier here, a change of pace needed!

I'm reading "Gifts from the Sea" with an on-line artist way group. So yes, there are many gifts from the sea.Not just the shells and stones that come washed up on shore. This sailboat, to me, is a gift. To float on water, how heavenly is that?

Why am I suddenly longing for a road trip to Chicago and Lake Michigan to see the boats? May have to fulfill that desire!

Window at Montego Bay

"Window at Montego Bay"
Watercolor and Gouache

Sometimes I need the inspiration of others as a jumping off point to my own creativity. A good creative writing friend of mine just got back from Montego Bay. Originally, he was supposed to go to Amsterdam, but a certain volcano got in the way of his plans. But he settled for Jamaica (not a bad second choice) and took some wonderful photos. He was kind enough to share a few with me and the window photo just blew me away.
Initially, I got out my watercolors and started painting onto a long strip of paper. The vertical dimension seemed to suit the window just fine. I noticed in the photo some interesting touches of white and decided to add some white gouache to mimic that effect on the image above. I also experimented with some other gouache colors, liking their opaque effect. It's a little darker and more colorful than the original photo, but that's okay. I could only follow where my brush was leading me.

I had fun experimenting with the two mediums. And I've always been attracted to doors and windows anyway. I've been tapping into my inner self lately, opening up some entrances that have been hiding, dusty with disuse. So there's much personal symbolism going on too!

Have a wonderful happy, creative day!