Buffalo on the Prarie

Last weekend, when I went to the American Museum of Natural History, I had a sit-down (much to the excitement of the masses of schoolkids wandering through the building) to do this painting of these taxidermied Bison. It was a challenge to do a small watercolor painting of such a large visual, especially with the distractions of the museum around. I find this one quite a success.

Fuji in the Mirror

After having not taken up the watercolors for a few weeks, I braved them again with this fruity still-life. I mostly focussed on the drawing, which is my excuse for explaining why the colors are so washed out. If I were to do this again, I would try to get the brightness of the apple to shine more. Perhaps it would work nicely in oils, from which I appear to be taking a break, currently.

Curves from Behind, again

Here’s another piece based on an old reference photo of a model from one of my art classes. Unlike the first piece, this one is watercolor (not pen and ink).

To see the whole image, click here.
 

Buddy

From an old photograph of a little pug I used to know. This painting doesn’t quite capture his extra-buggy eyes, but his look is focused and his ears are cocked.

See full picture here.
 

In a Funhouse Mirror

I’ve been wanting to do more drawing practice recently, as I am feeling a bit rusty with regards to drawing; it’s not needed for papercutting or metal sculpture. So I went back to one of my oldest tools – drawing something that’s upside down. This is supposed to work especially well for human faces. In this case, it came out a bit warped. Very interesting. I kind of like it, though I may tweak the colors a bit before I call it done.

Fritz on a Chair

Seen from above, this is Fritz, one of Else’s cats, relaxing on a green chair and leaning on a white pillow, with natural light coming in through windows to the right. It’s an unusual angle from which to see a cat.

See the full image here.

Berlin Pics

These two small paintings are of the Berlin cityscape as I saw it last month from the top of the Reichstag, the parliament building. In one, you can see the Fernsehturm (TV tower) which has been painted as a football. In the other is one of the Reichstag’s four towers, with the German flag flying. And clouds.
Fernsehturm (TV tower)
Tower with Flag

South Germany Lanscapes

These two small paintings are from references photos I took while in south Germany visiting my “grandmother” Else. The first is of these huge, solid-looking clouds of which I saw so many while there; they were quite captivating. The other is of a field covered with little yellow flowers with a white horse hiding in it.
Here are today’s two paintings:
Clouds in Traifelberg
Field with Flowers and Horse

Sad (Blue) Bananas

These bananas are sad because they are on blue and because they are pale.

More info here …
 
 

Near Else’s House

While I was staying with Else, in Traifelberg, I did two small plein air paintings. It was quite chilly, so I only had a little while before my fingers got too cold to paint any longer. One is of the wall of her house, with a red flower, and the other is of a tree-lined road near her house, looking towards the mountains.