A Devoted Art

NWS 2011 All Member Show

2011-08-04T10:29:00.000-07:00

The NWS All Member Show was held in San Pedro from May 25th to June 12th, 2011. Juror, Marciano Martinez, selected an excellent and diverse exhibition!!

One of my favorite artists, Frank Eber, was represented with his painting, Lunch Hour, NYC. Frank has been collecting honors around the watercolor world with acceptances in several shows including a win of the Anne and Samuel Seeman Memorial Award in the 2011 TWSA Exhibition.

Frank, Penny Hill, and I posed for a fan-club photo of Nick Simmons whose Fresh Sushi was displayed as part of the NWS Permanent Collection of former Annual Exhibition Best of Show Purchase Award paintings. (Photo courtesy of Penny Hill, Artist and Fun Person)

Many favorite artists were included: Geri Medway, Fealing Lin, George James, Eric Weigardt, Judy Betts, Nel Dorn Byrd, Keiko Tanabe, Harry Shields, Tom Fong, ...many others. The painting, Muir Woods, by Lei Chi was super impressive in its photo-realism.

Congrats to NWS and Joy Gonzalez for an excellent All Member Show!

A Bright Future

2011-04-03T13:29:00.000-07:00

Our youngest son is one terrific kid. We adopted him when he was just two days old and I'm humbled to be able to call him my son. He will graduate from high school in June, and we are so proud of him. He's a straight A student since starting school and is talented at many things. His witty personality lights up any room, but what we are most proud of is his character. I honestly don't know what I'll do when he leaves to go to college, but I know his future is bright. I caught this image of him while on a sunset cruise in San Francisco last year and have tried to portray it in watercolor.

Dear Son,

I didn't give you the gift of life,

But in my heart I know.

The love I feel is deep and real,

As if it had been so.

For us to have each other

Is like a dream come true!

No, I didn't give you

The gift of life,

Life gave me the gift of you.

--- Unknown

Getty Up!

2011-03-13T19:32:00.000-07:00

My husband and I spent this afternoon visiting the beautiful Getty Museum with our granddaughter. We tried to make it a fun experience while sneaking in some art education. Before the museum visit, I showed her photos of four different paintings that we would see: Wheatstacks, Snow Effect by Monet, Irises by Van Gogh, La Promenade by Renoir, Van Tromp, Going About to Please His Master by Turner. When we got the Getty, we started with an exciting tram ride suspended over the hillside. At the top, the docents handed her cards of other pieces to look for. This proved to be a good interest-sparking activity for she was eager to embark on the hunt for the paintings and sculptures. Kylie and Uma both LOVED the Turner paintings. I knew the trip was well worth it when she excitedly pointed out another painting in a different room - saying, "Uma, that's another Turner!!" It was a new acquisition of the Getty called Modern Rome. I have a book about Turner by Michael Kitson that describes his use of light perfectly: To create a pattern of light and colour independent of solid objects was the great endeavour of Turner's last years. And in order to extract the utmost from it, he sought out as many situations as possible in which light and fleeting weather effects took on a visible form: that is to say, in which they were not merely media through which objects might be seen but entities which became visible in themselves. Turner's magnificently portrayed light was a perfect pairing with Monet's experiments with haystacks. Examples of both from the Getty are in the photos. We talked about how the artist used light to guide the eyes through the painting as well as soft/hard areas. I was so pleased when Kylie could show me the areas of other paintings where the light/dark contrast showed the center of interest. After our indoor scavenger hunt, we walked around the azalea labryinth. Papa and Kylie got "into" abstract art, and we took time to stop and watch a hummingbird flitting around in the beautiful masses of Bird of Paradise on a city overlook veranda between the buildings. Our trip lasted about three hours, including a snack lunch, which was just about the perfect length for a six-year old's attention span and a tired Uma's energy span, as well. We did leave time for a couple of rolls down the grassy hillside to finish off the day. The Getty is FREE to all and truly amazing from start to finish.

Joseph Raffael

2011-02-15T19:46:00.000-08:00

One of my "Bucket List" dreams was to one day travel to France to see the astounding works of Joseph Raffael. http://www.josephraffael.com/ Soka University is presently displaying a collection of his best works right here in Aliso Viejo, California! I would love to know how they transported these giant watercolor gems. Sometimes dreams fizzle as reality, but there was no disappointment in viewing these true masterpieces.

Brilliant colors abound on giant sunlit florals that reach from the paper. Blue skies back a massive branch teeming with white blossoms. On one particularly amazing piece, Raffael gives us a glimpse of his studio with a wall of an artwork hodgepodge beside a french door leading to the garden. A massive birdcage anchors the side and gives depth to the scene. Another endearing portrait of his wife, Lannis, touches one's heart. Buy a plane ticket to California if you need to, but don't miss the opportunity to view this amazing show while it's in America. Soka will continue the exhibition through April 15th. It's open Monday through Friday for FREE. Soka University - Joseph Raffael Art Exhibition

Merwin Altfeld Retrospective

2011-02-15T18:56:00.000-08:00

The National Watercolor Society hosted the Merwin Altfeld Retrospective Show from January 15th through February 6th. The family of this former NWS President provided a collection of his work for display. Merwin passed away in 2007, but his joy for art was obvious with bold colors and whimsical uses of shapes. The variety of the show was fantastic.

A great group gathered for the opening reception, including several members of Altfeld's family. His sister was an especially honored guest.

Other guests included artists Fealing Lin and Devorah Friedman, as well as NWS members and art collectors scouting the show.

NWS President, Mike Bailey, and NWS Past President, Chris Van Winkle, both paid tribute to Altfeld while Caroline Van Winkle graciously served a delicious reception.

The exhibit included Altfeld's characteristic boat paintings and figurative works in both color and ink. I was especially touched to see photos of the artist painting at various ages of his life.

Fealing Lin

2010-11-14T21:53:00.000-08:00

The National Watercolor Society hosted a demonstration today with Fealing Lin. The new gallery was a great spot for the full-house crowd who came to see this internationally recognized NWS signature artist. It was interesting to learn that Fealing was originally a dentist from Taiwan. Besides being an outstanding watercolorist, she has a delightful personality. www.fealingwatercolor.com

Fealing used a hot-press block for her portrait, which was taken from one of her Renaissance Fair photos. While using local color as a basis, she identifies the subtle warms and cools to lay in a variety of colors as a tinted background. Using her "Sean Connery" model of facial planes, she carves out the features by changing temperature or value as the planes change. Subsequent layers keep warms over warms and cools over cools in most cases. Fealing beautifully linked and opened passages into each other through lost edges. I found it enlightening to see how she made shadows and their larger shapes. Rather than lay in a literal "shadow-colored shape", she moved through the shape adding darker colors of the local color.

"Beyond Melody and Poetry"

This demonstration was inspiring and quickened my inner enthusiasm for painting people. I thoroughly enjoyed my first full workshop ever with Ted Nuttall and saw similarities in their approaches. Fealing Lin gave an excellent demonstration, and I cannot wait to see the completion of the painting!! With apologies for the flash glare and poor photo quality, the picture to the right shows her recent work that was juried into the 2010 National Watercolor Society Annual Exhibition. She is one of the contributing artists to the Northlight book Watercolor Secrets by Rachel Rubin Wolf. Her self-portrait is featured on the cover of the book. http://www.northlightshop.com/product/watercolor-secrets

Kyliefornia Watercolor Awards

2010-11-12T18:57:00.000-08:00

My granddaughter, Kylie, had the day off school yesterday, so my daughter and I took her to visit the spectacular Watercolor West Exhibition in Brea. It is a beautiful gallery, and I thought the show was outstanding!! I particularly enjoyed how they grouped the paintings together. All the florals were together, all the portraits/figurative works, all the glassware, urban scenes, water scenes, etc. It gave the viewer an opportunity to enjoy the various subjects side-by-side. Kylie and I would look at the panels of florals, for example, and she would pick out her favorite. Then, we would talk about why she liked that painting best. It gave this Uma's heart joy to see her eyes light up about a particular painting and give concrete reasons that it appealed to her. I was also thrilled to see how her little, five-year-old self often picked those that were picked by the exhibition's juror! So, here are the choices and juror comments of the Kyliefornia Watercolor Awards...named after it's juror, Kylie Devoto. Kylie has been studying art with an emphasis on markers and crayons at her preschool for 3 years and Kindergarten for 2 months. Her personal works can be viewed on Uma's refrigerator by appointment.

BEST OF SHOW

"Crab Cooker" by Francesca Brayton

BEST BOAT SCENE

"The Barnacle Boat" by Dan Burt

BEST ANIMAL
"Kohala Honu" by Marilyn Wear
http://home.earthlink.net/~mwear240/marilynsstudio2.html

BEST URBAN SCENE
"Chinatown Restaurant" by John Salminen

BEST FLORAL
"Double Delight" by Katherine Barrows

My daughter's selection for BEST OF SHOW
"Dancer's Glow" by Maureen Wheeler

BEST ABSTRACT
"Butterfly Delight" by Clonard Thomas

BEST LANDSCAPE

"Mosquito Wash" by Mike Padian

BEST SEASCAPE
"Wave Action" by John Hewitt

HAPPIEST SCENE
"Gompha 2" by Ratindra Das
www.ratindradas.net

BEST PORTRAIT
"At Rest" by Bev Jozwiak
www.bevjozwiak.com

UMA'S FAVORITE
"Valentine Roses" by Kathleen Ballard
http://www.kbwatercolor.com/
I asked Kylie to guess what painting I would want out of the whole show.
She raced around the panel and said, "This one, Uma!"
And she was exactly right!

Nancy Goldman ~ Tustin Art League

2010-11-11T07:03:00.000-08:00

This is the second month that I've attended the Tustin Art League meeting. http://tustinart.blogspot.com/ This relatively small art group has offered excellent demonstrators. Sharon Sakimoto, a professional photographer, was the demonstrator in October and gave an extremely helpful tutorial on how to photograph art work for entry into competitions. www.atplayphotography.com

Last night's demonstration was given by Nancy Goldman, a diversely talented and hard-working artist from the Santa Ana/Tustin area who presented the beautiful art of silk painting. The audience was fascinated about the dyes and other products used. While the application looked similar to watercolor, silk painting requires a resist to prevent the dye from invading reserved areas in the fabric and had other characteristics that determine the desired method of application. Nancy was extremely knowledeable about the product choices and techniques. She was an excellent demonstrator, fielding almost incessant questions from the audience who were eager to learn more about it. She provided numerous finished samples of her handiwork to depict the results of each technique. It was very apparent that Nancy had invested hours preparing to give real-life examples of each stage of the process. It was like a cooking show where she would paint on the fabric and then "pull one out of the oven" that was already dried and ready for the next step.

She showed how different types of salt resulted in various textures and how droplets of alcohol could yield beautiful variations. From the first application of the drawing on paper to recommendations on framing the finished piece, Nancy gave us a wonderfully full picture of the medium's beautiful qualites. She also generously donated two GORGEOUS paintings to be raffled off for the group. People were grabbing up tickets like a day-after-Thanksgiving frenzie!! Unfortunately, my daughter and I didn't possess the lucky tickets, but two grateful individuals went home with treasures.

Check out Nancy's short video of the process on her website post from November 1, 2010 "Silk Angels": http://nancygoldmanart.blogspot.com/2010/11/silk-angels.html

She will be teaching Silk Painting classes soon. Contact Nancy at: nancygoldman@cox.net

Gerald Brommer

2010-11-04T08:58:00.000-07:00

The Demonstration Artist for the Huntington Beach Art League last night was Gerald Brommer. It was glowingly evident that this past President of NWS loves to paint. The main message I got out of his demo was that an artist is free to edit a scene to make it better or to communicate a message. He said that copiers just copy stuff. Painters are trying to visually convey a descriptive feeling about a place. Brommer said, "A picture is something you're in. A painting is something you create." We all laughed along as he shared several stories that resulted from his skillful editing of scenes. One person "recognized" the exact location of a painting that was really a conglomeration of the best parts of several towns. Another couple took a picture of their painting with them on vacation to track down the exact spot. They concluded he must have painted it in a private location.

Mr. Brommer laughed with enjoyment using a handy little tool that Joe (Cheap Joe) gave him at a workshop - The Cheap Joe's Paint Pusher. (http://www.cheapjoes.com/art-supply/CJPP_18497_cheap-joes-paint-pusher.asp)%20. After applying a healthy thickness of paint, he scraped out trees, striations on the mountain half-dome, and grasses. Better than using an old credit card, the inexpensive paint pusher has several angles and edges to give different marks. Broomer smiled at his handiwork, delighted with the ease of the gadget, saying that we can now throw out most of our brushes.

Brommer told a humorous story about palettes. He and his wife were watching another artist's demonstration. After a few strokes of color, the artist took out a tissue and carefully wiped his palette clean. Brommer's wife leaned over and whispered to him, "What is he doing?" His own palette is, shall we say, "well-seasoned" with layers of paint and sufficient palette mud.

A beautiful print was donated by Gerald for the door prize winner. The ticket sales go to fund an HBAL scholarship. One of his beautiful w/c + collage pieces was auctioned. For those interested in collage, my friend Nancy Standlee posted her Gerald Brommer Collage Workshop photos at http://nancystandlee.blogspot.com/2009/05/gerald-brommer-workshop-floral-collage.html. Seems like he's got lots of fun techniques up his sleeve. I'll never tire watching master artists do their handiwork. Each has such a unique approach. It is encouraging and exciting to use a medium where there are always new ideas emerging.

John Salminen

2010-11-01T19:41:00.000-07:00

Sunday, I had the pleasure of attending a demo day featuring John Salminen. Sweet friend and mega-talented artist, Nancy Goldman, also attended, and we soaked up many new ideas from this AWS Dolphin Fellow! Initial technical malfunctions enabled us to have a lengthier time hearing about his background and mentors including six quarters of instruction from the amazing watercolorist, Cheng Khee Chee. Due to their style differences, I would have never guessed this influence in Salminen's paintings, but Cheng Khee Chee's words of wisdom were repeatedly acknowledged throughout the painting process along with a few techniques from another surprising influence, Bob Ross! A beautiful painting was accomplished in the day, despite the technology challenges. Oh, how I wish I could have bid on the piece which went to the lucky bidder for a song!

Unique tools were used including a Magic Eraser Original and a mouth atomizer. Hardware store masking tape was a key player in the result. It constantly amuses me to hear how masters, such as Salminen, use such tools as generally "whatever brushes he gets" to produce such enviable results. I am always eager to discover what secret brush or paint brand artists hold in their arsenal. It actually runs through my mind that if I purchase that product (not necessarily USING it), my paintings will soar to new heights. With an 84 color palette (ok...a slight exaggeration) and packages of unopened stuff in my closet, it hasn't happened yet! I'm beginning to get the picture that there are a few important items: quality paper and a handful of artist grade paints! It has become clear that the more important ingredients are a knowledge of values, basic design principles, and color characteristics. Top that with actually cracking open some of those goodie bag tricks and practice, practice, practice to learn when and how to use them.

Even after viewing in person one of Salminen's mind-boggling masterpieces, I believe it was "Rainy Day, Times Square," I was still surprised to find he does 90% of his painting with a #4 brush!!

They announced that Fealing Lin will be doing a demo on November 14th. I can't wait to see yet another approach to this fantastically diverse medium of watercolor!

PLAY THE PIANO!!

2010-11-01T17:52:00.000-07:00

When we walked out of the NWS luncheon Saturday, my husband noticed a beautiful grand piano in the hotel lobby. It was draped with a crisp white linen cloth and had a little, but clearly worded note on the top: "PLEASE DO NOT PLAY THE PIANO. The Management"

It really struck a chord with him. How many of us have some level of abilities and even some training or expensive tools to use them, but we don't" play the beautiful piano"?! We're afraid we won't be good enough or that we'll mess it up, so we let it sit idle in the corner.

NWS President, Mike Bailey has a great post on his blog with similar sentiments. He says:

Mastery is not a trait someone is born with or is given as a gift. Every good artist I know puts in way more time than many folks do at a job. They dream about it at night. They read and study about it. They drill themselves in exercises and studies. They are often compulsive about it. They are willing to risk failure daily in order to have the opportunity to make a single success at painting. So, if you want to really compliment an artist (musician, dancer, actor, painter, sculptor etc.) let them know you appreciate their insatiable efforts to get better and better. It really is quite a cool way to live . . . . .it is most fulfilling!!

Read the entire post at http://mebaileyart.blogspot.com/2010/10/so-you-think.html.

I'm determined to pull off the cloth, sit down, practice and get better at whatever measure of talent I've been given. It might not be pretty to begin with, but I'm going to put some brushes and paint on the paper daily and make some kind of music!

NWS 90th Anniversary Luncheon and Exhibition

2010-10-30T18:28:00.000-07:00

This has been such a wonderful day!! My husband and I attended the NWS Awards Luncheon and Opening Exhibition. I didn't even enter, let alone get accepted, but I was taking the advice of Judi Betts. At our workshop, Mrs. Betts said that she attended the national shows for years before getting accepted. It's a means of viewing excellent art and seeing the juror's eye. It's a great opportunity to get advice from seasoned professionals. Rick Warren (Purpose Driven Life) has introduced a new series called "Decade of Destiny" where he encourages outlining a goal process for the next 10 years of our lives. Without a hopeful plan of action, it's easy for goals to go by the wayside as the years disappear. So I've made some long-term aspirations for myself, both personally and with art. Attending the exhibition was a little bit of vision-casting and an amazing event.

When we first walked in to the luncheon, I could not believe my eyes! My Wetcanvas/Facebook friend, Marvin Chew, had flown in from Singapore as one of the artists juried into the 90th NWS Exhibition. I have such an admiration for this accountant-by-day watercolorist who is brilliant at perspective and more! He does some of his work plein air on a little low stool that makes my back hurt just describing it. It was such a joy to get to meet him in person. Check out Marvin's watercolors at : http://www.marvinchew.com/index.htm

He has a new book out, as well, that is shown on the website.

We sat with Marvin at lunch, and he introduced me to another artist at the table, Keiko Tanabe. My mouth dropped, because I realized that I had just read the most lovely article in the December 2010 Watercolor Artist about Keiko. It highlighted a beautiful blog post she'd written about the importance of Cherry Blossoms emerging in Japan. (http://ktanabefineart.com/blog) Keiko has been juried into the 12th Biennial Salon de l'Aquarelle de Belgique, was a finalist in the Southwest Art's 21 over 31 Emerging Artist's competition, and was awarded the Merwin Altfeld Memorial Award and Signature Status at today's NWS Exhibition. She is so NICE! Her son served as Mr. Van Winkle's helper in distributing Richeson door prizes to lucky winners. Keiko has studied with Alvaro Castagnet, who is an obvious influence in her work. One of his magnificent watercolors was also part of the paintings juried into the show.

Other outstanding artists at our table were both from California, too. Nancy Near's "Sunlit Andrew"(right and below) took my breath away when I saw it at the gallery. Khris and I were both surprised it didn't nab one of the awards. http://www.nnearart.com/

Sally Tippman's "Body Language" was a super figurative work! I misapplied the term gestural to it -thinking that term meant full of movement in the figures, but I intended it as a compliment. Her figures came to life on the paper. View her work at http://www.sallytippman.com/home.

At one point, I nearly accosted Jack Richeson for a photo. He was also a super nice guy. Among the other honored guests, including several past NWS presidents, I was rather star-struck with John Salminen and Mike Bailey.

At the exhibition, we got to see paintings from Castagnet, Paul Jackson, Frank Francese, Judy Morris, Todd Levetzow, Fealing Lin, Kathleen Maling, Kim Seng Ong, Sandi D'Alessandro, Donna Zagotta...the list goes on and on. One of my favorites in the show was the amazing work of Myrna Wacknov. Talk about a creative individual - WOW! http://myrnawacknov.blogspot.com/

If you have the opportunity don't miss out on the exhibition in San Pedro, CA!

Palm Springs Rocks

2010-10-30T02:51:00.000-07:00

Clever title - ehhh? I don't know if this one is actually finished, but I am the point where every little change made is regretted - so it's time to stop. I am not fond of those background droopy things. I came close to tearing the paper when trying to remove some of them, so they'll have to hang around. (Pardon the pun!) This was done in a class on how to paint rocks - which I truly enjoyed. Now, to sign up for a rippling water class and a wall of palm fronds class...sigh. Even though it was a "learning painting", I think my Mom will enjoy it for Christmas. (Mums the word!) This was started in class from a reference photo provided for us by Geri Medway.

If you get a chance to take classes from Geri Medway, TAKE CLASSES FROM GERI MEDWAY!

2010-10-16T16:50:00.000-07:00

For the last five weeks, I've had the pleasure of weekly watercolor classes from Geri Medway, and they have been wonderfully challenging. The class has loaded me with techniques to practice on for a long time! As I've mentioned in an earlier blog post, Geri is an NWS signature member and long-time Festival of the Arts exhibitor. Her paintings are some of my favorites ever - filled with saturated color and artistic realism. Her range of subject matter is amazing. Most impressive to me are her incredibly complex scenes of congregated koi or tumbled grasses along pebble-filled creekbeds. Her approach consists of glowing underpaintings, built-up glazes, painting shapes, and value contrast, but beyond her years of experience perfecting those strategies, she shared with us a treasure chest of color knowledge that will hopefully, as implemented, keep many of my paintings out of the trash heap. http://www.gerimedway.com/

My favorite class was - ROCKS. How can someone make a painting of boulders so fascinating and luminous as Geri? This class followed a study on sedimentary colors where she gave us her favorite granulating combinations. As I watched her apply one particular mixture onto the paper, my mind wondered, "That looks like Sepia. Why not just use Sepia and save the trouble?" As it dried, the question was answered as well as the glaringly obvious reasons she's NWS and I'm not - she knows what she's doing!! Her "mud" mixture separated into a glowingly warm mixture of siennas and blues with touches of green and brown. In fact, we spent a whole afternoon mixing "mud" with her combinations that seperated into lovely arrays of colors that could never have been manually painted. I must also admit that my mother has encouraged me to do these color studies for years. Geri took the photo above of my start to the rock painting.

It might take awhile to get this finished since I'm in GA right now visiting my new grandbaby, Sophie!!

Huntington Beach Art League

2010-09-03T17:12:00.000-07:00

The Huntington Art League holds monthly meetings just a stone's throw from the beautiful ocean. I attended the meeting on Wednesday and was really impressed! All levels of artists from beginners to master class painters attend. This month's demonstration artist was Bernard Fallon. He is from England and is an excellent photographer and artist in several mediums. His demo at the meeting was a scene of a mountainside field - done in pastels. The group has many submissions to their monthly art contest. Mr. Fallon chose the winners in each category. I felt lucky that my painting, Inkoiry, was selected as Honorable Mention, especially given the number and quality of work exhibited in the watercolor category. Michael Allen (Punke)'s gorgeous painting received the blue ribbon. He is one of the many art teachers that are members of HBAL. I know it will be a great experience to be part of this organization.

FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS - PAGEANT OF THE MASTERS

2010-08-29T02:45:00.000-07:00

The Pageant of the Masters in Laguna Beach is one of the most spectacular things I've ever seen! We attended the special Gala tonight and thoroughly enjoyed it. The Pageant is part of the Festival of the Arts. Live people in costume are placed in scenes within illusionally engineered backdrops from master paintings. Then, the lighting is altered and, before your eyes, the people look "flattened" and part of a gigantic painting.

To quote the pageant website, "What is it? Ninety minutes of "living pictures" - incredibly faithful art re-creations of classical and contemporary works with real people posing to look exactly like their counterparts in the original pieces. An outdoor amphitheater, professional orchestra, original score, live narration, intricate sets, sophisticated lighting, expert staff, and hundreds of dedicated volunteers have won recognition for the Pageant as the best presentation of its kind."

Cameras were not allowed in the pageant, but we were allowed to take photos of the gala in the festival area. The Festival of the Arts exhibitors were truly a cut above. Their work was displayed in beautiful indoor/outdoor galleries that encircled the festival grounds. Included in this select group was Geri Medway, the watercolor artist that I watched demo last week in San Clemente. Her pieces were even more remarkable in person. I'm excited to begin a five-week series of lessons with her in September.

A note to the wise who may attend this in the future...take a coat. This is an OUTDOOR amphitheather. That would have been good to know. I had to stop and buy a fah-bu-luz hoodie to wear over my dress so I could survive the chilly ocean-side Laguna evening!! It kind of spoiled my attempts to play dress-up!
Bring a coat, but DO plan to attend this sometime in the future. It's unique and amazing!

EDIT: I just found another blogger who posted professional photos of behind the scenes and pageant. Check it out to see more fully what the pageant looks like. INCREDIBLE! http://katenoelleblog.com/?s=cross+training&x=40&y=13

Nancy Goldman and Geri Medway

2010-08-20T22:14:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure today of meeting two fine California artists. One is a fellow blogger, Nancy Goldman. She was volunteering at the Guggenheim Galley for the Orange Art Association's 14th Orange Open Juried Exhibition. The show is great - including three of Nancy's excellent watercolors! Check out her blog http://nancygoldmanart.blogspot.com/.

Nancy told me about a demo in San Clemente which I attended this evening featuring NWS signature artist, Geri Medway. I was so impressed with her work and her ambitious paintings of such varied subjects. http://www.gerimedway.com/geri.medway/Welcome.html

Meeting new artists around the country - and world - is part of the fun of being an artist!

Geri Medway's demo at San Clemente Art Supply was GREAT! She showed a slide show of fifty or more paintings. She was super generous with information about techniques she used to accomplish each scene. It was like a quick-fire class of painting after painting. It was a wealth of information for anyone with even minimal painting experience. She’d answer endless questions about each painting and tell the brush, the colors, etc. She had several unique combinations of colors that result in different qualities for each application. On each painting, she would point to a particularly challenging or unique area and say, “I did this and this by doing…” I took notes until my fingers cramped, so I’ll have to go sort it all out. What I particularly loved were her candid comments about mistakes. On two different slides she said something along the lines of, “Now this is, unfortunately, not what this painting looks like now. I 'ruined' it later by glazing this or that over it…” How refreshing and encouraging for an expert painter to be so transparent (pardon the w/c pun)! The biggest “take-away” I got from her demo is that she is willing to tackle anything. Her subject matters were extremely varied (eucalyptus trees, koi, creek beds, desert rock formations, geese, comic strips, marbles, Christmas ornaments, complicated palm fronds, sunlit barns, rusty gas pumps). Each were ambitiously difficult and excellently rendered with the attitude, “Can I do it?!” I loved her tenacity.

Skip Lawrence SWS Demo

2010-05-20T09:21:00.000-07:00

The SWS workshop was sold out, but I had the privilege of watching Skip Lawrence paint a demo for our SWS May meeting. His gestural style resulted in a fantastic painting within the hour. In addition, Stephen Quiller was in town for another workshop and decided to join us in the audience! What a treat to meet these two talented individuals!

National Watercolor Society 2010 All Member Show

2010-05-07T04:49:00.000-07:00

We just returned from the NWS 2010 All Member Show at their beautiful gallery in San Pedro, CA. It was particularly special because my son, his wife, and my granddaughter were able to attend with us. Mr. Bailey spoke to her and said, "Are you the little girl who went whale watching?" Kylie loved being recognized from the painting. It was such a treat to see many admired artists' work. To me, it was an awe-inspiring learning experience to walk through the gallery full of NWS and AWS signatures, as well as artists from all over the nation.

The view from San Pedro is gorgeous! We took Loa Sprung's advice to go see the Korean Friendship Bell and enjoyed the incredible overlook area.

61st Texas Watercolor Society Exhibition - Rockport Center for the Arts

2010-04-17T00:01:00.000-07:00

My husband and I took a weekend trip to the TWS Opening Reception. The Rockport Center for the Arts is a beautiful gallery that sits alongside the Aquarium, the Maritime Museum and Visitor Center on a small peninsula jutting into the ocean. The building is surrounded by wonderful sculptures and a boatfilled harbor.

In this photo, my husband is standing near the works of two of my favorite watercolor painters. Soon Warren's painting won the bronze award. It was fantastic and could be "read" from across the room! That is John Salminen's painting behind my husband. Salminen's won an award from Cheap Joe's.

We were awestruck by the Silver Award winner by Duncan Simmons. Besides his obvious talent, he was an exceptionally nice guy, too.

Of course the star of the show was Nicholas Simmons' Best of Show winner! I am standing by it in the photo to the right. It was large and rich with textures and talent - very deserving of the top honor!

Fellow SWS member, Barbara McNutt's painting was wonderful. Todd Chalk traveled all the way from New York with her gorgeous watercolor!

Of course we were thrilled that my painting, "The Ugly Duckling" was even included in the exhibition among such great company.

Art After 5 - Artscape - Honorable Mention

2010-04-04T06:14:00.000-07:00

http://artafter5.com/
2009 - 2010 Artscape winners selected by Art After 5

Best in Show: “Red” by Angelia Ford (Photograph)

Honorable Mention: “Inkoiry” by Cheryl DeVoto (Watercolor)

Honorable Mention:“Pansy Panorama” by Nancy Medina (Oil)

National Watercolor Society All-Member Exhibit Acceptance of "Whale Watchin'"

2010-03-19T13:27:00.000-07:00

I received the following letter this afternoon: Congratulations! Juror, Mary Addison Hackett, has selected your painting for the 2010 NWS All Member Exhibit. I am beyond grateful to be included in this exhibition.

JUDI BETTS WORKSHOP

2010-03-12T16:46:00.000-08:00

SWS held a five-day workshop with the incredible watercolor artist, Judi Betts. Judi's dynamic paintings compel the viewer to ponder how she did it! They are full of color and shapes and movement...just unbelievable.

Judi's workshops are NOT "Workshop-Light"! Each day was brimming with deep insight into watercolor handling and design of the paper. The week really stretched me with new ways of doing things. Her wealth of knowledge was generously shared with us, and I'm sure it will impact all of our paintings immensely.

Beyond her masterful painting, I thoroughly enjoyed her ability to tell stories, her respect for her own teachers and ability to relate their contribution to her work, her enjoyment and presentation of meaningful quotes and writings, and her overall zeal as a person. You can tell she has a long list of friends! She's a talented designer of her own books and unparalleled card designs, and a savvy marketer. Her products are amazing - each seem birthed out of years of experience knowing what artists actually need!

I knew the workshop would be fantastic, but truly was not expecting the depth of information we received in such a short time frame. It's like a semester in a week! Whew! AWESOME!

Throughout the week, she frequently referred back to important teachers that had impacted her painting. I can tell that I'll be referring to Judi Betts and her workshop as one of those important steps in my painting progress.

Dallas Morning News and Art After 5

2010-03-11T20:39:00.000-08:00

I walked into a class this morning and another artist said, "Do you know your painting is in the Dallas Morning News?" I about fainted! It was shown in an article about the Dallas Arboretum Garden Gallery Exhibition currently displayed in the DeGolyer House. Art After 5 hosted a reception this evening and "Inkoiry" was featured on the event program. This has been a surreal day! In the ups and downs of everday life, this was so uplifting. God is so gracious. I talked to my husband on the way home about the way opportunities happen through friends and teachers and experiences the Lord gives us. An SWS member, Carol Vystrcil-Scott worked with the show. We especially enjoyed her paintings and the breathtaking photos of Larry Waisanen who was also featured in the DMN.

2010 Garden Gallery Exhibition - Dallas Arboretum

2010-02-23T12:29:00.000-08:00

I am so grateful and excited to receive the following email from the Dallas Arboretum & Botanical Garden this morning:

"We are pleased to inform you that the jury has selected your work to be included in the 2010 Garden Gallery Exhibition at the Arboretum. Listed are the paintings that were selected for the show: InKoiry and Arboretum Waterfall. Your artwork will be on display in the DeGolyer house now through April 12."

InKoiry

2010-02-18T13:49:00.000-08:00

Another one of the beautiful scenes at the Dallas Arboretum is their Koi pond. The markings on this fellow are the actual spots - a big question mark!! Another park visitor pointed him out to me. It gave me a chuckle, and I hope you enjoy it, too! I call this "InKoiry" - get it?

Kylie's Masterpiece

2010-02-14T01:14:00.000-08:00

My granddaughter calls me "Uma." Kylie and I spent the afternoon painting pansies. She did a beautiful job, painting with water and then charging in purple to feather through the wet paper.

They were lovely, but the best was yet to come. When bathtime came, my little artist used soap-paint to create the most beautiful masterpiece I've ever seen.

Aboretum Waterfall

2010-02-10T13:40:00.000-08:00

I recently visited the Dallas Arboretum on a rainy, cold afternoon and was surprised to see how beautiful it still was on such a dismal day. This waterfall caught my eye with its textural stone and the splashy water.

61st Texas Watercolor Society Exhibition Acceptance

2009-12-21T09:12:00.001-08:00

HAPPY DAY!! I got this email: "Cheryl Devoto, Congratulations, your painting, THE UGLY DUCKLING, was selected to be included in the 61st TWS Exhibition, April 1 – May 8, 2010 at Rockport Center for the Arts." I'm crying!! It's my first acceptance into a juried show. I'm so thankful!!

The Infant Messiah

2009-12-06T09:19:00.000-08:00

Meanwhile the long expectation of the Jews, especially during the reign of Herod, of a promised Deliverer was fulfilled, and one claiming to be the Messiah appeared - not a temporal prince and mighty hero of war, a greater Judas Maccabeeus, as the Jews had supposed, but a helpless infant, born in a manger, and brought up as a peasant carpenter. Yet he it was who should found a spiritual kingdom never to be destroyed, going on from conquering to conquer, until the whole world shall be subdued.

This painting was part of the SWS Christmas Party. Santa Claus, a.k.a. Richard Wilson and his wife received it in the gift draw.

INRI

2009-12-02T01:58:00.000-08:00

This is my first attempt at an abstract-ish painting. I wanted to try out the new Fredrix Watercolor Canvas and discovered it requires a little instruction when used with strictly watercolor. My painting of a poinsettia looked like I'd painted glass with diluted Kool-Aid. At SWS last month, Sandi D'Alessando gave a demo on Yupo using an acrylic medium. I dug through my cabinets for the DaVinci fluid acrylic samples from the Nick Simmons workshop and decided to try something similar to Sandi's techniques to salvage the canvas. I had a blast finding shapes that emerged from layering and scraping paint! Those hearts were almost entirely formed without intention.

The text came from an antique book called Beacon Lights of History and reads, "...the life and teachings of Jesus entered with vital power into the heart and brain of those devoted followers who recognized him as the Christ - the revelator of the universal fatherhood of the One true God; and thence-forward Christianity becomes the great spiritual power of the world."

Whale Watchin' in Kyliefornia

2009-11-04T13:23:00.001-08:00

Those who know me will recognize Kyliefornia as the great state of California where my granddaughter, Kylie lives. This summer, we got to take her on a quick trip of some of the state's beautiful sites. We took a whale watching boat off of Newport Pier. Right before taking off, we grabbed up a pint-sized Crocodile Dundee hat and some oversized shades to protect her from the ocean sun. It wasn't whale watching season, so we didn't get to view any, but several groups of dolphins made it well worth the fare. The staff had asked everyone to search the horizon for whale spouts, and Kylie was the most attentive of the search party. She stood there for 30 or 45 minutes quietly scanning the horizon.

The Ugly Duckling

2009-10-27T20:59:00.001-07:00

The Ugly Duckling

October 28, 2009

We were driving down a starkly drab industrial street in Dallas when a breathtaking sunset unfolded straight in front of us. Our daughter, Katey, a little girl at the time, said, "God sure does color good!"

Any array of flowers is evidence that He surely does!

A Progression

2009-10-27T09:35:00.000-07:00

Once I was bitten by the watercolor bug, I stumbled upon an AWESOME website for artists called http://www.wetcanvas.com/. It is full of demos and articles from talented artists offering their help and encouragement for FREE. Anyone can post their painting (or sculpture or drawings...) and have it critiqued by some of the best artists all over the world. Even my first feeble effort received encouragement from a fantastic watermedia artist, Nicholas Simmons, who has skyrocketed to international attention. He WON the National Watercolor Society show last year with his fantastic piece "Fresh Sushi." http://www.nicholassimmons.com/.

Years ago, Nick had generously posted an article about painting Koi fish using "Fluid Acrylics." While I didn't have those, I learned much from his article as well as other advice he posted with techniques about painting large and textures. So I gave it a try with regular watercolor. We're so blessed in this day that the internet opens doors to get to know people all across the world. I called this painting "Koi-nonia" which means Christian fellowship. Last June, Artists' Showplace hosted Nick to do a workshop in Dallas. It was a privilege to meet him and learn more from such a talented artist.

Another favorite artist of mine is Ted Nuttall. I love his colorful, "sloppy dots" portraits full of vibrant colors. http://www.tednuttall.com/ Artisan's Studio offered a workshop with Ted and I painted this of my beautiful Grandma Birdie who is now 102 years old.

Trying my hand at a more contemporary painting, I painted Dusty and Kylie. I call it "The Pacifier." Pacifier means: someone who brings peace.

Another highlight was the rare opportunity to attend a workshop by, arguably, one of the greatest watercolorist of our time, Soon Y. Warren. This modest little woman uses Corelle dinner plates as a palette and "whatever paint that is on sale" to produce the most amazing florals and crystal I've ever seen. Check out http://www.soonwarren.com/. I could stare at her paintings for hours and am in awe of the caretaking details God provided in nature for our enjoyment. Here are two that I did after her workshop. The red peony was a wedding present to Maggi and Tony.

So, after a long hiatus, I've decided it's time to pick up the brushes again. I am amazed by God's unique design and beauty of flowers. I call this painting "Folded." The grass withers and the flower fades, but the Word of God endures forever." Isaiah 40:7

Thanks for reading the blog. Next time you see a flower, consider taking a deeper look of the care God takes for something that is here today and gone tomorrow. How much more does He care for us?

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well! Psalm 139:14

A Devoted Art

2009-10-27T02:21:00.000-07:00

To introduce myself, I am Cheryl Devoto, AKA devotedmomof7 or Uma. (The last one is by my precious granddaughter, who is sure to be mentioned a few zillion times in the course of this blog!)

I hope to use this forum to offer praise to the Lord through works of art depicting His creation.

My personal journey in art, specifically watercolors, was birthed through the inspiration of my mother, Anne Bedford. (The first three paintings in this post are her magnificent works.) Self-proclaimed as a "Jack of All Trades and Master of None," she has dabbled in every medium of art imaginable. Anyone who has seen her painting and drawings, tasted her cooking, read her writings, received her gifts of crochet, listened to her play the piano, or heard her singing will quickly realize that self-description doesn't aptly portray her masterful multi-talents. When I was a little girl, my sister and I enjoyed our handmade sets of paper dolls that mother had cut from cardboard. She designed innumerable inter-changeable outfits that were elaborately designed with colored pencils. From toddlerhood, Teresa and I were taught to color in continuous circles to avoid directional lines, and we both picked up her propensity to doodle on every surface available. I remember how Mom spent TV hours cutting up tiny, tiny specks of color from magazines which were later glued together into magnificent collages that looked like masterful paintings. Her hands bear the scars from her brief adventure into carving. The carving kit was lugged along during our summer vacations to the east coast. I'm pretty sure there are very few of those creations around after the need for stitches in her hand put a damper on that pursuit. From Scherenschnitta to cross-stitch, Mom has done it all. Between my Dad's history-buff obsession and my mother's diverse artistic pursuits, we were, thankfully, exposed to vacations touring endless historical museums and art galleries. After my father died, and we moved to Texas, Mom started watercolor lessons with Sarah King in Garland and has enjoyed studying with other respected teachers such as Naomi Brotherton, Jane Jones, and Jan Kunz. Three years ago, she was awarded the highly treasured signature status in the Southwestern Watercolor Society - a two-decade goal.

While I've always been a not-so-closet doodler, I had never followed mother's footsteps into painting. One afternoon a few years ago, I picked up an unwanted watercolor set that had gone unused by my daughter and tried painting a rose, an onion and a couple of trees. That's all it took for my mother to rush to my assistance with tubes of paint, jarfuls of brushes, and every other tool needed to assist my progress in the medium. She's showered me with shelves full of watercolor books and introduced me to local experts to rub elbows with in order to glean their advice.

Today, my mother's illness prevents her from painting as often as she would like, but she incessantly draws and studies. I aspire to Mom's excellence.