Digital Watercolor Painting

This is one of my holiday cards based on dogs that I've met at the dog park when I've been there with my dogs. It's called "Running through the Snow."

I paint digitally only when I'm looking for the immediacy of having the image in the computer to use for printing (such as a greeting card). The application, Painter, has a robust toolset that enables artists to "paint" in a variety of virtual "mediums." Painter simulates media from watercolor, oil, pastel painting to charcoal, ink and pencil drawings. The user can layer color as in real-life painting and can set the background texture to be as smooth as paper or as rough as canvas. The effects obviously do not replace the real thing in terms of tactile depth and texture (and to some extent, color), but one can create some interesting and compelling works using this program along with a graphics tablet.

My digital watercolors are mostly of dogs (and a few cats) that I use for greeting card designs. If you're interested in seeing more cards and perhaps purchasing some, please visit spiderink.etsy.com.

A note about sketching

Sketching is one of my favorite activities though I don't do it as often as I'd like (or should). There is something exciting about the spontaneity of the drawing regardless of whether a close likeness is achieved. In fact, the freshness and lack of meticulousness of the drawing can exude a magical quality that sometimes is missing in more labored and refined works.

I love to see other people's sketchbooks almost as much as (and sometimes more than) seeing their finished pieces. It is revealing and very personal to see how someone draws in "real time" on-site while the event or situation is happening. I find it infinitely more interesting when museum and gallery shows include drawings and sketches of the artists that are featured as well as their finished works.

There is a book that has come out that I am really looking forward to seeing. It's called, An Illustrated Life: Drawing Inspiration From The Private Sketchbooks Of Artists, Illustrators And Designers by Danny Gregory. Danny Gregory has written several books mostly dealing with the art of sketching and I am an avid reader and fan of his blog and several of his books. You can see his blog at http://www.dannygregory.com/.

Spitbite

This etching, titled "Begonia," was created using several techniques including aquatint. However the soft, muted branches in the background were done with the spitbite technique of painting with the acid directly on the plate with a brush. It's a nice way to get muted tones and/or subjects into your composition.

The Blue Goat

Here is another painting from the farmers market show. This pregnant goat was in the cage with the pig (mentioned in a previous post). The sign above her read, "goat - $100." I worried about her fate as I did the pig in this urban setting. I named this painting "Blue Goat" for obvious reasons but also to reflect the mood of this terrible situation for this unfortunate being and her cagemates.

UPDATE - This painting is sold

Saturday's Opening

Here's a detail of one of four of my paintings in a local group show entitled, "Interpretations of a Farmers Market." This gentle pig is the same subject that I used for the aquatint etching previously posted. The pig was in a cage at the farmers market and I was struck by the fact that the pig and other animals in the cage (goat, chickens) were not given straw to lie down on and were subjected to grabbing by people surrounding the cage.  The animals were for sale and I couldn't understand why since the market is in an urban setting.  

I am awaiting photos from the opening and will post them when I get them. The opening was a success with quite a crowd buzzing through.  I find it interesting to see the different kinds of people who will come to an art opening. It seems to be a mix of artists, friends of the exhibitors, other gallery owners, local townspeople like the mayor, and, to a lesser extent, people who are looking to buy art.  

I often wonder what's going on in people's minds as they look at art and mull over what they see.  Sometime, if I'm lucky, an observer will volunteer his or her interpretation of my work. This is always thrilling to me, whether or not the interpretation is similar to my original intent or concept when creating the piece.

Milkweed Time

My sister and I headed upstate to the Rhinebeck area to see a friend's open studio as part of an open studio tour happening up there. It was great to see James and his wonderful studio and he helpfully guided us to other notable studios participating. One, in particular, was that of a glassblower who's work was reminiscent of Chihuly and his demonstration of how he works was really fascinating.

I had noticed while driving up to his studio that he had a magnificent stand of milkweed right at the edge of his property.  I took my camera and photographed as much of it as I could since milkweed is one of my favorite subjects.  I love how the seeds burst from the pod using the wind to help them escape and fly away to the wild beyond.

Above the photo is an example of a milkweed woodcut I did last spring.  I plan to experiment with some etching techniques using this subject for a series.

Interpretations of a Farmers Market

My work will be in a group show, a mixed media exhibit,  "Interpretations of a Farmers Market" in Peekskill, NY at Gallery 25 N, 25 North Division Street.  The opening is October 25th from 2-6 pm.  Gallery hours are from 1-6 October 24-26 only. It's sponsored by Artists on the Loose, a local Peekskill art organization.

This very gentle and affectionate pig was in a cage at the market. I call this etching "Uncertain Pig" because he was for sale and I worried about his fate.