Sparrow

Watercolor, 2012
12" x 16"

I have been working too many hours and haven't picked up the brushes in a very long time.  I had time this weekend, Jana and I went to the cabin, she sewed and I painted. Another sparrow.  The idea here was leaving the darks dark and trying to gain color and contrast on the stripes of the bird and getting the feet right.  I also used a larger block of paper, 140lb cold press, Arches.  I made the drawing on a smaller sketch pad and then used my large watercolor paper block, 12" x 16", making this my largest song bird painting.

Again, I used only three colors, yellow ochre, burnt umber, ultra-marine blue... and that is it. Oh, except I added a  cadmium yellow highlight on the eye brow and on the beak.  I used my wash technique on the feathers and then later added a dry brush (burnt umber) highlight.  I still feel like the strokes are not assertive enough. I do like the feather pattern on the far wing, I think that is the whole point of the painting. As always, my goal with those wing feathers is a glowing or gem like quality.  I like the hard border paint built up from dropping clear water into my washes.

The next step is doing what I have been putting off, frames.  I really want to build a nice frame for this painting and to use a subtle double mat.

 

Female House Sparrow

Female House Sparrow

Watercolor, 2012
8" x 8"

Another weekend at the cabin, another bird, this one a female house sparrow. I used another paper called Fluid, 140 pound, cold press. Its softer than Arches and the grain is a little finer.  I have used this block only once before on another bird, I like it!

I used my Windsor & Newton watercolor pan, ultramarine blue, burnt umber, burnt sienna, raw sienna, and a little ivory black for the eye. I messed up the reflection on the eye so I used a little blotch of white gouache to recover.

This bird will be matted and framed and hung at The Belle, Jenny MacLeod's shop near our house.

Burro #1

Burro #1

Watercolor, 2012

9" x 12"

This is not a bird. I painted this from a photograph by Rafa Montero. He was kind enough to let me use a great picture from Egypt. His photo had two burros on the top of a rise, I only used one burro and added some southwest cacti to make it look more like Mexico.

I took a lot of time on the drawing and transferred it using Jana's newly returned light box.

I painted this piece over two weekends, starting with the background, a wash of Yellow Ochre and Ultramarine Blue (Windsor Newton).  The cacti color is Olive Green from a da Vinchi tube, and the rocks were a combination of Burnt Sienna, Raw Sienna and Ultramarine Blue (Windsor Newton from a pan) with a lot of scrubbing in the shadows.

I liked the idea that burro is in a strange place, looking back from where it came or perhaps starting on a descent into a canyon.  I stopped short on adding any more color to the head only because I didn't want to lose the quality of the expression, if donkeys have expressions, and decided not to push my luck.  I think of this painting as an illustration, which is the way I think of the birds in flight I've been doing of late. The drawing was one of  my favorites and the painting also makes me happy. I hope the owner enjoys it too.

Honeybee

Honeybee

Watercolor, 2012
10" x 18"
Gift (TB)

I wanted to try another bird that wasn't simply staring off into space so I decided to paint this Eastern Bluebird in mid-flight, turning its head to notice a honeybee.

The fun part about painting this was the bee.  I took some pictures in the garden, compared them to some online sites and came up with the idea of a bee that looked like it was barely lifting into the air. I tried several drawings and came up with this design. I had the bee flying the same direction as the bird at first but decided it would be more interesting if they were crossing paths.

I added a hint of the feet on the blue bird. I enjoy these bird paintings when they have full legs showing but it was impossible with the shape of the wings.

This bird is Cobalt and Ultramarine Blue and the reddish highlights are Magenta.  The honeybee is Raw Sienna and Burnt Umber, all from my Windsor Newton pan.

Chickadee

Chickadee

Watercolor, 2012

9" x 12"

Work has been hectic. I spent 2 weeks in Paris, no painting, landed back in Colorado with two weeks playing "catch up." No painting.  Luckily my wife carved a weekend off so that we could go to the cabin and chill out a little bit.  Rather than taking it easy and enjoying life, I decided to paint. (joking, painting is fun, frustrating, rewarding etc.)

Also, I was inspired at the Art Students League of Denver's Art Market that was on last week.  Many great Colorado artists were there.  I got to talk to Steve Griggs for awhile about watercolors!  He is a lovely man and a special artist.

I've painted chickadees a few times but not using my newly-learned "bird" techniques of the last few months.  Chickadees, they're such fat little fellows, seemingly not very aerodynamic. This painting seems a little "stiff" to me, there something not quite right about it, but considering what some of my other paintings turn out like, I'll take it.

For all my birds I start with a couple of drawings. My goal is to get the lines and proportions right.  I'm reading a book called "The Golden Ratio," by Mario Livio, and so I am trying to pay special attention to how things are naturally put together.  A good painter instinctively knows where to place objects on the page and many times The Golden Ratio comes into play where things look prettiest.  The idea that beauty, mathematics, and nature all intersect is a very compelling idea and the best art work usually has a few Golden Ratios in them.  In this case, I tried to make sure the head of the bird, the beginning of the tail and the end of the tail add up to the Golden Ratio.... not sure how close I came and who knows, maybe that actually hurt the painting.  Oh well, I have a scientific mind and like paintings, its fun to think about.

I used my Windsor Newton pan of watercolor paints and used Ultramarine Blue, Burnt Umbre, Raw Sienna and ivory black (for the eye).  I switched to the Arches 140lb Cold Press on this one.  (I left my Hot Press back at home.)  I also used a new brush.  Steve Quiller Rickesen Professional 7000 (number 7) - I like it!  Very inexpensive but has a nice tip and loads well.

Winter Pine Branch, my first WC in 20 years

Winter Pine Branch
Watercolor, 2010
10" x 18"
Gift to Jill and Eric

This is the first watercolor that escaped my possession way back in 2010.  Back then, I was taking a drawing class at the Art Students League of Denver  where we were using charcoal to draw still life and models.  Jordan Wolfson was my teacher, he started us off with the basics, "draw this stool in negative space." Three hours later, a stool in negative space that actually wasn't horrible. I can honestly say if it weren't for Jordan and his beginning drawing class, I would not have picked up the pencils and paints after so many years away!  Since that time I have taken a portrait drawing class from Andrea Kemp, and a life drawing class from Mitch Caster. All three of these artist/teachers have impacted me greatly and I truly appreciate their help and encouragement.

One weekend, at the cabin, I drew this scene using my vine charcoals and it turned out pretty good. (Jana had it framed and it hangs in our living room).  So I picked up the Windsor Newton watercolor pan set that Jana gave me as a gift while living in England (maybe the best gift I've ever received!) and I painted the same scene twice.  The first version was not very good so I started over and this was the result.  The First lesson I learned in watercolors: you often have to paint the same subject multiple times to get it right. I posted this painting on Facebook and my old friends Eric and Jill asked if they could buy it.  Shocked, I gave it to them as a gift. Eric Stevens is a REAL artist and has encouraged me all along the way. Jill and Eric, like all my friends, keep me going with this whole watercolor journey, thanks guys!

It's hard to remember, but I believe this painting was done with three colors, all from the Windsor Newton pan set: Ultramarine Blue, Burnt Umber and Olive Green, (perhaps a touch of Hooker's Green, I've forgotten). I used many layers of paint to build up the bark and the snow is a very light wash of UMB, the pine needles were the Olive Green pigment painted with single strokes with my round 6 brush, ProARTE... I no longer use those brushes.  Overall a mostly dry brush painting, which Jana likes, she is a huge fan of Andrew Wyeth and is always saying I should use more dry brush.

It seems with watercolors you can go many hours and days without a result, and then at the most unlikely time, when you're about ready to break all of your brushes and tear up all of your failed paintings, something good happens on the paper and you're filled with enough encouragement and joy to not give up, and then you start another painting. If this particular tree branch painting had been as terrible as some of the paintings I've done since, I may have quit before I even got started. Someday, I hope that a majority of the work I do is salvageable, but until then, I'll just keep plugging away, with many terrible paintings and the occasional painting I really like.  When that happens, I'll post it here.

Landing

Landing
Watercolor, 2012
10" x 18"
Gift to Cameron MacLeod

My first bird in watercolor that isn't a Chickadee. This is a female house finch from a photo online. My goal was to capture the translucent wing feathers and the motion of the bird. I was drawn to the photo because of the wing tips caught in stop-motion.

The wing feathers are a light wash of Ultramarine Blue (Daniel Smith) and Burnt Umber (Windsor Newton). I let the pigment sit in the outline of the feather then drop water without paint into the middle and let it push the pigment to the outside line. This defines the feather and makes it translucent. I then embellished the feather with either a pure blue or dark brown pigment to create interesting highlights. The body is heavy pigment of Burnt Umber and just a little Ultramarine Blue.

**note - it is frowned upon to use another persons photo as reference without their permission. I sent the photographer a note asking for permission and never heard back. I went ahead with the painting promising myself that I would not "profit" off the work if it "turned out."  (that last sentence is hilarious). I chalk this egregious faux pas up to my education in watercolor.

Stream and Green Rocks

Stream and Green Rocks
Watercolor, 2012
10" x 18"
Sold at Auction - benefit for Urbiculture Community Farms

This was my second attempt at a small waterfall scene. The left side and the background of the painting are fictional, the right side was inspired by a photo.

The rocks were mixtures of Ultramarine Blue (Daniel Smith) and Burnt Umber (Windsor Newton) then a wash of Olive Green (Da Vinci) for the mossy effect. The still water was painted with a clear, very moist large brush and then barely touching and moving pigment, swirly to give a "flowing" feel. The little waterfalls are an attempt at the Tony Foster style (he is brilliant!).

I actually miss this painting... I know the woman who bought it and I hope to see it again someday soon. (I hate most my paintings so please forgive my self satisfaction.)

I thought I would write down some thoughts I have on my favorite watercolor artists: My first exposure to watercolors were at a very young age, my father, David Ruble, is an amazing artist specializing in watercolor landscapes. He was naturally gifted at a young age and worked his way into watercolors in his twenties. Through the years he produced many Colorado scenes, native american portraits, irises, and little wildflower and aspen designs. With his permission I'll post some of his paintings later.

As I matured I was naturally drawn to the British School of watercolor artists as well as the Americans Winslow Homer and John Singer Sargent.  Their works are implanted in me and I tend to compare all watercolors to their classics.

Today I pay special attention to these artists:
Trevor Chamberlain - Mr. Chaberlain is an English plein air watercolor and oil painter who has mastered mood and technique to make the most beautiful paintings I've seen. He uses the unpredictable properties of watercolor and as few strokes as possible to create paintings that draw the eye and portray not just the subject, but the mood, weather, chill or warmth of the day.

Tony Foster - Mr. Foster is another plein air watercolor painter but also a true adventurer. He climbs Himalayan mountains, rafts raging rivers, and treks any number of miles to create his very special paintings. His style is not traditional but very original. I especially enjoy the way he treats his river scenes, such as the Colorado River watercolors as seen at the Denver Art Museum.

David Drummond - Mr. Drummond is an American watercolor artist from Albuquerque, New Mexico.  He specializes in water scenes especially Lake Powell landscapes.  His paintings feel expansive but draw the observer close to the water at the same time. I took David's workshop in Denver in 2011 and felt there was hope for producing my own landscapes some day. My painting from his class: