Watercolor Sketching and Oil Painting

Arny Relaxing With A Good E-Book, watercolor on paper by Tracy Feldman

 As part of my effort to keep growing as an artist, a while ago I joined a daily sketching group.  I am not as faithful as some people are about doing and posting work each day.  But, seeing other's work inspires me to do more and stretch in ways that I might not otherwise.  For instance, lots of people often work al la prima, while I am more used to working from photo references.

The sketch to the left was inspired by those brave souls. I call it, "Arny Relaxing With a Good E-Book.  I did it yesterday from life. Arny is my husband, and he was such a good sport posing for me. Like any good model, he had to stop in the middle when his feet fell asleep. I painted it because he looked so relaxed (and cute) while nestled in all those pillows. 

His response was, "I look so much like my dad", and, basically, he is right. True ... he is taller, has somewhat more hair, and has a mellower personality, but otherwise, he's the spitting image of his dad.
Unless someone specifically asks me, I won't put this piece up for sale.

 The other piece I'm featuring today is a piece I am making available on auction in my dailypaintworks.com gallery.  The painting is called, Snowy Day at F&M 1.

    It is of a clock on the campus of Franklin and Marshall College during the huge snow storm we had a A couple of weeks ago. Arny was on the campus for part of it because he is a mathematics professor there, and he used his iPhone to take a number of beautiful photos of the campus in the falling snow. 

I particularly loved this one, so I painted small (10 x 8") version of in oils.  I am putting the painting up for auction in my Daily Paintworks Gallery. I call it "Snowy Day at F&M 1" because I might paint some other of the images he captured that day. Check it out there if you want. 

Guest Room on a Snow Day

Guest Room on a Snowy Day, 8 x 10",  Oil on Canvas, by Tracy Feldman

Watercolor sketch for this oil painting.

Here is the oil painting I said that I'd create the earlier watercolor sketch I did of my guest room. 

I like both, but I prefer the texture and value range I was able to capture using oils. I also love the way the snowy day view outside the window came. Notice that I added some of the brick colors in the bedspread. Doing that helped visually tie the piece together and using a warmer hue in the foreground also helped draw the side of the bed closer to you. It was that image that initially captured me and inspired me to create a painting. 

I wanted to paint this piece because of how that beautiful snowy view contrasted against the still, formality of the bedroom.  The composition brought to mind Van Gogh's "Bedroom in Arles", and I thought it would be fun to capture the feel of that piece. He used oils, so maybe that is another reason I prefer my oil of the same scene.

What is funny to me is when I went on-line to see Van Gough's work, I realized that while both have a bed, paintings, and a window, they are very different.  But, even so, they still give me a similar feeling. 

Today I am posting this little oil on auction in my daiypaintworks.com gallery.  So, if it appeals to you, check it out.  For the first three weeks, it will be listed on auction -- starting at $25.  After that, I'll list it for sale at its normal, higher, on-going price. 

The Best Laid Plans

Guest Room on a Snowy Day, watercolor on drawing paper, 8 x 10."
by Tracy Feldman

It's funny how things work out sometimes.  Today I opened the door to our guest room and saw such a beautiful snowy scene out the window that I had to paint it right then. 

 Unfortunately, I started with the bed area first and part way through realized that almost none of the view out the window would fit on the page. 

The view that inspired today's work.

 I still like the piece, but I took a photo of what inspired me, so you don't totally miss out on what inspire me.  

I am thinking about painting a small oil of my guest room and putting it up for sale in my dailypaintworks.com gallery.  I think the texture would add another dimension to the work, and  I don't like how the whites of the sheets turned out.  

Mea-Culpa Me

Mea-Culpa Me,  Watercolor on Paper by Tracy Feldman

Didn't get enough sleep last, but I still wanted to complete a sketch/painting. So, I checked out my photos and up came this image of me that I took to illustrate my next newsletter. I wanted to communicate the feeling I was saying "Mea-culpa" for the month's delaying to my newsletter for a long time. I thought doing a sketch might be fun. The techniques and materials I used included starting with a pencil sketch done on my Strathmore Drawing Pad, then adding watercolor, and finishing with Sharpies and white gel pens.

I don't know if I'll use the piece to illustrate my next newsletter, but I had a great time doing it. Hope you enjoy it too.

Cranberry Cordial 1

Cranberry Cordial 1, Oil on Canvas, 10 x 8",
by Tracy Feldman

This little painting is largely about memories. The tablecloth used is one we got on our first trip to Europe 30 years ago. 

We were visiting Burano, Italy and loved the lace/cut work table cloths they made. The glasses are antique "thistle"-style cordial glasses that an old family friend got to help commemorate our having spent a year in England.

 I added the cranberries because the color and the shape of the berries seemed like they would complete the composition.  I'll probably paint another version of this tomorrow because I think zooming out would add something to the work.

I am putting this on up for auction in my Daily Paintworks gallery.  Check it out if you are interested in it.

Nested Pear

Nested Pear, 10 x 8", Oil on Canvas by Tracy Feldman

This painting is the second in my series of pear paintings.  I realized that I wanted to do a piece where I featured just one piece of fruit.

Because I worried that it would look odd just sitting there on its own, I wrapped it in a nest of white tissue paper to create the impression it was a gift that had just removed from a carefully-packed fruit box.  It was fun playing been with the rounded shape of the pear and sharper angles created by the crinkled up tissue paper.

As usual, I'm selling this small piece at auction in my on-line gallery on dailypaintworks.com.  Check it out!

Cranberry Cordial

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Go to my Facebook Page to see the watercolor sketch I also completed today.  It is called Cranberry Cordial.

Winter Pears on Silvered Platter

Winter Pears on Silvered Platter,  10 x 8", Oil on Canvas
 by Tracy Feldman

I have been experiencing a block when it comes to doing what I need for my art.  So to inspire me, I am reading Carol Marine's book "Daily Painting".   She advocates that people paint small and often to grow as artists.  She also encourages her readers to blog and sell their work on-line.

Watercolor sketch
of the same topic

I have not finished the book yet, but I can tell it is starting to help get me moving again with my art because I created two small paintings today.  I am calling each "Winter Pears on Silvered Platter" because they are of the same topic.  The pieces aren't identical, however.  One is a watercolor and ink sketch on paper.  The other one is an 10 x 8" oil on canvas.  If you look closely, you'll notice I changed the composition in the oil painting and added directional lighting to add dimension and interest to the piece.

         It felt good to feel more productive again. That doesn't mean it is not scary to do the second type of activity Marine recommends: blogging about, and posting the work for sale on-line.  Wish me luck as I post the oil on dailypaintworks.com and offer it for sale at auction.  Eek!

       If this piece interests you, check out my auction in my dailypaintworks.com gallery!