Painted Thoughts Blog: March 2014

The Beach Visit That Almost Didn't Happen

Maderia Beach Visit with Terry and Jim
Watercolor, Ink and Gouache
5.5 x 8.5 inches in Stillman & Birn Zeta Sketchbook

Despite a cold front, rainy, gray skies, horrible (and I do mean horrible) traffic, a truck hitting a power pole and knocking over a live wire across the road, I finally managed to meet up with Terry and Jim for a visit at Maderia Beach.

I almost didn't. After getting stuck by the downed power line just blocks from where I needed to be, I nearly gave up. Instead, I parked illegally at a church and hiked down the beach to meet up with my friends. It took over two hours for us to connect!

By the way, I have to tell you it is NEVER a good idea to park illegally in a beach town…they will ticket and tow you! They're very aggressive about that kind of thing and it's because they have to be. Thank goodness, it didn't happen to my jeep!

Back to the visit...Terry and Jim come down to enjoy the warm weather and sea breezes will the great white North shivers under piles of snow and freezing temperatures. We started meeting up three years ago after Terry and I met in one of the ImaginaryTrip.com classes.

Last year, we sketched on location and had plans to do so again this year. Last year's post is here. Since it was spitting rain, we sketched from our table inside the restaurant that just happened to be out on a deck by the boardwalk and covered by clear plastic shades. Great planning on Terry and Jim's part!

My view from the restaurant.
You can see the reflections caused by the plastic
as well as the edge and grommets of the shade

The waves were rolling in a little stronger than usual as the front moved in and the glowering sky turned the water more gray than green. The weather folks had predicted a much rainier day, but luckily, it held off. The next day, however, was a totally different story—it monsoon-ed!

Maderia Beach, Florida

The sketch at the top of the post is collaged page of several different views. The birds were actually to my left and behind me. Just as I started sketching the neck of the egret, he turned and presented my with a gorgeous view of his mating plumage leaving me to guess at his body shape.

He looks like a bird so I'm calling it good enough!

The seagull was not a peg leg even though I only drew one leg. They often stand and sleep on just one leg.

Sculley's was the restaurant where we ate so I added there sign afterwards as I could not see it from where we sat and no, the lighthouse was not that crooked. I was vertically challenged that day!

All in all, despite the rain, lousy traffic and the downed power line, it was a great visit!

Thanks, Terry and Jim—I look forward to next year! Safe travels home.

____________________________________

Out of curiosity, would you come to Florida for a workshop on the beach? I'm thinking of putting something together for next year…if you're interested, let me know if the comments below!

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Adding (Unusual) Texture To The Page (Tutorial)

If we keep our eyes and our minds open, we can often find texture in unexpected places…

Texture From An Unlikely Source

I often use small dishes when I'm working on a big painting where I need a large amount of paint. By using a separate dish, I'm assured I'll have a) plenty of paint; b) won't accidentally mix it up with another color; and c) I'll have it until the painting is finished…for a really long time. (I've been known to go back into a painting 6 months after it was finished.)

Messy palette dishes

However, years later it is unlikely I'll make changes and since the dishes seemed to be multiplying in the cabinet, it was time to clean up the mess.

As I began the big clean up (dang, there were a lot of those little dishes!), I became intrigued with what was left in the some of the palettes:

Texture left at the bottom of small dish. The textured area is about 2.5 x 1 inches in size.

I took photos and cropped out the dish so I was left with this:

Accidental texture from the bottom of the dish

After printing the page, I prepped the art by tearing down the edges:

Tearing down the edges of the printed art with a deckle-edged ruler

Next, I began to consider what I wanted to do with the background of the page. Since I was on a "texture adventure," I decided to create even more texture:

salt, alcohol and lifting created the texture

Starting with granulating paint, I added salt, alcohol splatters and did some lifting with a tissue to create a build-up of texture on the page.

Next, I decided to rid the art texture of that harsh white border by painting it with a wash of the same paints used on the background:

Painting the edges of the art so that it blended with the background

Gluing it down, I began to build up the page with rubber stamps and additional pieces of torn paper:

Using rubber stamps, a variety of inks, and torn paper, I created more interest in the background
and around the art itself.

It was fun to choose stamps at random, going on instinct and intuition, as I had no idea how the page would finish out.

An added "shadow" on two edges of the texture art gives it more dimension

When all was said and done, this was my completed page:

Finished Page in a
Stillman and Birn Zeta Journal
5.5 x 8.5 inches
Watercolor, stamps, torn paper, dip pen, Pitt pens and foil

Even Willis wanted to check it out a little closer!

Willis checking out the page. I think she favors the other page,
but then she's fickle.

What was fun to me is that the art texture, now a print, has been made into a finished page. A one of a kind page. Because I still have the "art," I can see dozens of ways to use the texture and it will probably show up in another project.

This has been somewhat of a break-out project for me as I continue to explore and look for different ways of doing what I enjoy—creating a page in my journal. A rather unusual way of marking cleaning up my studio, don't you think!?! I also think this kind of play will have an impact on the way I create location sketches as well.

The next time you see unusual texture, take a photo and think about how you might add it to your page. You might just be surprised at where it will take you!