Asian Lillies

Asian Lillies, 14 x 18.8 inches, watercolor.

A painting from a couple of years ago.

Kathy

7.8 x 10 inches, watercolor, 2010.

I was invited by the lovely and talented Kathy Jurek to team up for my second entry in this year's EBSQ Portrait Swap.
You can see Kathy's work (including her portrait of me) here and on her blog.

EBSQArt Annual Portrait Swap

This is my painting of Mark Satchwill for the EBSQArt.com annual portrait swap.

Sunflowers

I've been on this sunflower kick for a year or so now. Just can't get enough of them. I have so much fun mixing the yellows and especially using the beautiful new Quin Gold. What a perfect opportunity to use two of the most complimentary colors - greyed green and terra cotta. Yummy combination. If you're a watercolorist, be good to yourself - get a tube of Winsor & Newton Quin Gold. It's like a present to yourself.

Please visit my blog when you have a minute: http://paintinginwatercolor.blogspot.com

Harry

This is a painting of my nephew, Harry, playing in the leaves last year. He was 4 at the time and this is in Massachusetts where he lives. He's a character!

Amanda

8 x 10 inches, watercolor, 2010.

A portrait of artist and fellow EBSQ'er Amanda Makepeace. Amanda and I have paired up for this year's EBSQ Portrait Swap, and this is my portrait of her.

Watercolor Images made into Pendants

These watercolor paintings are just under one inch square. They are secured under a glass tile, then wire wrapped with some cool beads to create a beautiful pendant necklace.

A new ACEO - in time for Halloween!

My first ACEO (collectible art, just 2.5x3.5") I've done in ages.
A watercolor.

I've listed it for 5 days on eBay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290485817498

"Don't Worry, Be Happy"

I've also listed a lot of older artworks at greatly reduced prices.

Thanks for looking.
~Jillian

Happy October!

Bring on the pumpkin paintings!

A Plate of Peppers

12 x 9 inches, watercolour, 2010.

A painting of a variety of the peppers I've grown this year. There are Poblana chili, , Red Cherry chili peppers, Cayenne chili peppers and sweet Ingrid bell peppers at the back.

A Baby Fairy

I drew this baby and then used my drawing to play and practice my illustration.

Daisies in Teacup

I've gotten so addicted to painting small close-up items - I love closely-cropped pieces, too. I hardly ever paint large pieces anymore. I just don't have enough time, because I work full-time. But someday.

Please visit my blog at http://paintinginwatercolor.blogspot.com when you have time. Thank you!

The Armada Portrait

20×25cm , watercolor, 2010.

A painting of Elizabeth I about the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588. She cradles an English Galleon, and in the background rages a stormy sea.

Cassie and Mannie

8 x 10 inches, watercolor, 2010.

Every year the EBSQ have a Pet Portrait Swap - you pair up with another artist from the site and swap portraits of each other's pets. I haven't taken part for a couple of years but this year I agreed to swap with Tracey Allyn Greene as she is a big cat lover and I have the new kittens (and she does lovely work!). This painting is of two of her cats, Mannie and Cassie. They had been abandoned and were lucky enough to be found and later adopted by Tracey. I tried to convey how contented and happy they are to be with each other and with Tracey!

Lemons On Blue

8 x 10 inches, watercolor, 2010.

Lovely lemons on a blue background. I will include a step by step guide to how this was painted, as well as a look at stretching paper and mixing colour in my second CraftEDU class, coming soon!

Hedgehog

I've had this notion about painting Hedgehogs for awhile. It's not my normal subject, but I decided to give it a try. This one was my first, and I guess it's more of an illustration. I hope to develop the subject matter to make it more my usual style - more loose and watercolory. This painting is an aceo size, and is available in my Etsy shop.

Please visit my watercolor blog if you can, at: http://paintinginwatercolor.blogspot.com

Showdown

Playing around on Wetcanvas this weekend. The reference was a vertical picture of a cat looking out of the photo so I had to put something in for the cat to look at. I also decided to open the unused bottle of masking fluid that's been sitting on my desk for a while to save the lattice so I could go at the background with some loose washes.   6 x 11 in.

Sunflower in a Glass

Still loving those sunflowers. They're so perfect for watercolor, and they let us use the fabulous new yellows that are on the market.

Please visit my watercolor blog when you can: http://paintinginwatercolor.blogspot.com

GREEN VW BEETLE BUG

This painting is a tribute to an old friend, an earnest and eager companion when I was younger. I wish I had kept it, and I wonder where it is right now! I've painted many of these for fellow Bug lovers.

Please visit my watercolor blog when you can, at: http://paintinginwatercolor.blogspot.com

Snapshot - Watercolor portrait

This watercolor portrait is of my daughter and I painted it on 11 x 14 Aqua board. (I wrote a little more about this surface on my personal blog.)

Sidewalk Artist

A wonderful photo reference from one of the hosts of the All Media Events forum on Wetcanvas.com last weekend. I didn't finish it in time to post it there so I'm sharing it here. ;)  8 x 10

Mary

8 x 10 inches, watercolor, 2010.

This portrait was painted for a competition being held by a photographer over on the deviantART website, where he has asked people to paint images from photographs in his gallery. I chose a photo of his wife, Mary.

You can see his gallery and the original photo here.

Yellow Pansies

Here's my version of yellow pansies that I planted in pots. Mark, your's are beautiful and I'll be yours will also live longer than mine. I don't think these little guys are going to make it much longer with all of the hot weather we've been having, but I'll do my best.

Pansies

8 x 10 inches, watercolor, 2010.

Pansies from my garden. They are such lovely, hardy little plants, and add colour to the garden all year round.

This is the Desert, there's only SOME water

Our challenge for May....yep, I'm two days late, but it's done! Water's hard to find here in Arizona!

Bronze cup full of Sun

Icelandic Poppy


All the sunshine in one place, caught in the cup of this poppy.

Rain again this afternoon...

Yellow Dutch Iris

After a 2-month absence from painting, due to a move to a new house, I've finally got my painting things unpacked enough to start painting again. Thank goodness. I don't know what I would do if I couldn't paint. I think I would become very strange. Anyway, I started with some small florals for a client. Love painting anything yellow cause it lets me use W&N Quin Gold!

Please visit me at my watercolor blog at http://paintinginwatercolor.blogspot.com

Terrific Tulips

11 x 8 inches, watercolor, 2010.

Pink triumph and pink, white and yellow lily-flowered tulips from the garden.

Living in the 'burbs

Suburban Life
Lots of houses all arranged in rows, life in a development in the suburbs.
Yet another venture into how I feel not what I see. I've lived in a development of cookie cutter homes and wondered if my key would work in any/all of the other houses.

Bearded Iris

7.5 x 10.5 inches, watercolor, 2010.

A lovely purple and yellow bearded iris.

Blueberries Watercolor ACEO

Every once in a while my brush gets a craving for berries!

Black Parrot Tulip

8.5 x 8.5 inches, watercolour, 2010.

Another variety of tulip from my garden, these dark and beautiful Black Parrot's are very striking.

wonderful things await...

City Living
It's a challenge.

No REALLY!

Take this little space and show what city living is all about :D

I'm back on Etsy

Here's one I listed last night. I've renewed some listings that were not active so those are available again. I'm mostly excited about adding some new paintings which once I get them photographed I will add them to my store.

This new listing is a birds nest. Inspiration for this painting came from an old bird's nest that my children found in the front yard several years ago and I keep in my home as decoration. Once in a while we find eggs that have dropped out of the trees and broke and we'll add them nest.

Bird's Nest with Eggs

Image Size: 4x6 inches

Mat Size: 8x10 inches (Ready for a standard size frame.)

Watercolor on Paper

Enter my Etsy Store here!
Tracee Murphy Watercolors on Facebook ~ Become a Fan!

busy little village

Busy in Town
It's the start of the "season"! Whether you're a tourist or townie your plate is full.

Two New Listings

Two new listings at my new Zazzle store. Image comes from one of my original watercolor aceo paintings from my poppy series I did over a year ago. Background is transparent and says "poppy's li'l girl". The text is fully customizable so you can change it if you 'd like. Take a look at it here:

Poppy's Li'l Girl Infant Onesies & Toddler/Kids Shirts

Fun Cool New Stuff

It took me a while, but I'm on Zazzle now. My user name is Tracee_Murphy. I don't have much yet since I'm just getting started, but my plan is to add a few items daily.

I also updated my website today Check it out--Artwork by Tracee Murphy

Join me at Tracee Murphy Watercolors on Facebook! It's a great way to stay current with new listings of orignal paintings and prints.

Hope to see you there!

Flaming Parrot Tulip

8.5 x 8.5 inches, watercolor, 2010.

A painting of another variety of tulip from my garden, these bright and beautiful Flaming Parrot tulips are just gorgeous.

Big Moon Rising...

Moon Rising
Looking for a "little" fun and a change led me to this painting. The moon isn't really that close, it's just an illusion.

Little Flower Pots

Just felt like painting some little pots today. Must be Spring. :-)
Both are ACEO

Carnaval de Nice Tulip

8.5 x 8.5 inches, watercolor, 2010.

Another variety of tulip from my garden.

Our Garden

8 x 11 inches, watercolor, 2010.

This month's WNW challenge was to paint "plein aire" - out in the open. I went and sat out in my garden, as it was a lovely warm spring morning. This really was a challenge for me, and really took me out of my comfort zone. It took me a while to get going and I ended up with a painting in a much looser style than I usually work in.

Big Red Tulip

8.5 x 8.5 inches, watercolor, 2010.

The tulips in the garden have been gorgeous this year. This is an example of one, soaking up the sun.

Mad Tea Party

"Mad Tea Party" Watercolor on medium weight hot press watercolor paper. Size 8.5 x 11 inches.

This is a sample piece from my illustration portfolio. Taken from "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" by Lewis Carroll, it portrays the Mad Tea Party, hosted by the Mad Hatter. The March Hare and the sleeping Dormouse are also at the table. In the distance is the White Rabbit. This is a companion piece to my watercolor "Alice does the Math for Humpty." You can see that it is the same Alice character in both paintings.

Available on EBAY

Alice Does the Math for Humpty

"Alice Does the Math for Humpty" Original Watercolor on 8x10 inch medium weight hot press watercolor paper. Click on image to see enlarged

I did this painting as a sample for an illustration portfolio. It is a scene from "Through the Looking-Glass" by Lewis Carroll, in which Alice encounters Humpty Dumpty. Here is a quote from the book:

`You don't know what you're talking about!' cried Humpty Dumpty. `How many days are there in a year?'

`Three hundred and sixty-five,' said Alice.

`And how many birthdays have you?'

`One.'

`And if you take one from three hundred and sixty-five what remains?'

`Three hundred and sixty-four, of course.'

Humpty Dumpty looked doubtful. `I'd rather see that done on paper,' he said.

There are a lot of fun little things in the painting: a dragonfly, a rabbit, also Tweedle-dum and Tweedle-dee in the background. The column on Humpty's wall has a relief sculpture of the Cheshire Cat.

Available on eBay!

"Ridin' the Rails" Miniature watercolor.

Just did this one today:
1.35 x 3.25"
"Ridin' the Rails"
So it's about 1/2 the size of an ACEO.
Transparent watercolor. As usual, the scan does not do it justice.

~Jillian

Backlit Wild Rose

I haven't participated in this blog in forever, but after I had listed it on my own blog and saw my other here, I wanted to say hello. I've never much time for "me time" being a full time working mother who is raising a two boys on my own during the week, a tball coach for my boys, taxi driver to and fro karate and art lessons for the boys, and with an ailing mother who lives too far away for me to take good enough care, it's hard to get here enough. Anyway, it seems that all I do is complain about "not having enough time" But as it is a special weekend, a weekend of Our Savior, I wanted to say to all of you here on this blog, that I have missed you and that I am wishing you all a blessed Easter holiday, and may you have the joy and love of all in your hearts and minds, today and allways, even when I'm not around I wish this for you. Pls. know that I frequent as often as I can and don't get to comment as much as I'd like, but do know that I highly admire all your works of wonderful art and am delighted to be a part of you here!

God Bless and Happy Easter and Spring!
Lori

Sheila Dressup

Sheila Dressup, Watercolor, 16 x 16

Here is a recently finished watercolor that is currently hanging at the Spezzano Gallery (see my blog for exhibit details)