Wash House Women - finished artwork

Well, I finished it. Not sure how many hours.

It's 14.5x21" watercolor.

"Wash House Women"

Click on image for a bigger view is recommended.
This image is copyright.
Thank you.
~Jillian
http://www.JillianCrider.com

Asian Lily

6.5 x 7 inches, watercolour, 2009.

We grew these asian lilies a couple of years ago, lovely elegant plants with beautiful pale orange blooms.

Cactus Dahlia

6.5 x 7 inches, watercolor, 2009.

I have a couple of these cactus dahlia plants - I love the spiky blooms, and the plants usually flower abundently. I chose to concentrate on a single flower for this painting to emphasise the petal shapes and colours.

Foxgloves

8 x 10 inches, watercolor, 2009.

Foxgloves from the garden this summer. Foxgloves (digitalis pupurea) are very poisonous, from the roots and leaves to the flowers and seeds but the toxin is also used for medicinal purposes, especially treating heart conditions.

My 'big' watercolor progresses ...

I may crop about 1" or so off the top, and an inch off the bottom. Several more hours work done, and many more to go!



A close up. Many unfinished parts.

~Jillian

Many giclee prints of my watercolors now on Bonanzle!

I haven't done prints of my ACEOs before, and have now printed in limited editions as giclees. RARE as I probably won't do this again. Check them out!
I'll be adding more tomorrow.





http://www.bonanzle.com/booth/artistjillian

Thank you for looking.
~Jillian

Wash House Women

First time I've done a larger watercolor in several years. My inspiration is two wonderful women who constantly are part of dress-up re-enactments of the old west in a nearby historic town. This was at a special event, where they guarded the 'wash house'.

So is from photo studies I took.
It's about 14" x 22". I'm thinking of possibly entering some competitions with it. I just got downsized from my job (the 5th downsize in 20 months :( ).

This is not easy to photograph - so bear with me.



~Jillian

Stefan (ii)

5 X 7 inches, watercolor, 2009

A second portrait of a young Swiss guy, Stefan.

Stefan

5 x 7 inches, watercolor, 2009.

Portrait of a young Swiss guy.

PINK PEONY

I love greyed pinks. There are so many ways to grey a pink, but I love the combination of Quin Pink and Sepia. Partnered with soft greens....perfect.

Please visit my watercolor blog if you get a chance: http://paintinginwatercolor.blogspot.com

Begonia Boots

7 x 10 inches, watercolor and gouache, 2009.

I'm not quite sure what I do to wellington boots to ruin them so quickly but I am now onto my third pair in two years. The question was what to do with the old pairs that were sitting in the porch looking very sorry for themselves. I decided to use them as plant pots and chose some trailing begonias to brighten them up.

SUNFLOWER

We are having a great crop of wild Sunflowers in Texas this summer. Great big stands of them! I'm always amazed at how they can still stand up when they get so tall and heavy!

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

BOTTLEBRUSH

I'd never seen a painting of a BottleBrush flower, but I'd intended to try one for quite a while. They are such unusual flowers. Along the stem, there are many tiny yellow flowers, from which the red bristles fan out. They provide an opportunity to use such delicious reds.

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

Glazing Study

Glazing Study, Watercolor, 8.5 x 11

This was a workshop demonstration of glazing - creating layers of transparent watercolor. The blues and purples that were the first layers come subtly through the other layers, and pop out in the foreground as the lighter stalks of weeds and grasses.

Harry

Harry, Watercolor, about 12 x 12

This demo piece was painted during one of the watercolor workshop that I have given from my studio. Martha - friend, neighbor and student - asked for a demo on painting fur in watercolor using her hairy friend Harry as the subject. Sadly, Harry left us last month. He is fondly remembered!

THREE WATERING CANS

Occasionally I get distracted from painting flowers, but my attention doesn't stray very far. I love old rusty metal watering cans. They turn into works of art.

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

MAGNOLIA BLOSSOM

Magnolia blooms are so graceful. Their evolution is so interesting - they turn into the oddest seed pods. I used Rose Madder Genuine for this blossom. It's a tricky color to use, cause it tends to granulate unless you are careful. Some artists like granulation, though. I used a wonderful Schmincke color on the stems called Transparent Brown.

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

Tango

Since it's been so long since I shared, I thought I would post the painting I did for Illustration Friday. It's 8 x 8 on cold press. I experimented with some alcohol spatters in the background and it left dark bubbles so I spattered some water droplets to get some white ones, too. It came out a little more subtle than I wanted but in the end it worked.

YELLOW AND WHITE IRIS

I've been on a sort of Iris kick lately. They eluded me for so long, but finally I feel like I'm getting a better grip on them. For this painting, I used WN Transparent Yellow and Gamboge. They're really the only yellows I ever use. Most of the other yellows are somehow jarring to me. Anyway this one was alot of fun.

Rosella Imp Fuchsia

7.5 x 10.5 inches, watercolor, 2009.

These beautiful fuchsias are from my garden and have gorgeous white and pink blooms.

Sarracenia

7.5 x 10.5 inches, watercolor, 2009.

Another form of sarracenia from my collection and probably a hybrid.

Sarracenia Purpurea

10.5 x 7.5 inches, watercolor, 2009.

One of the carnivorous plants from my collection, this is Sarracenia Purpurea, or the purple pitcher plant. The leaves grow in a rosette and form pitchers with flared collars that catch rain water. The nside of the leaves have small downward-pointing wet hairs which insects slide down to drown in the water below. The plants then take nutrition from the insects.

Landscape

11 by 14 inches on Arches Paper.

Pansy Orchids

8 x 10 inches, watercolour, 2009.

A painting of beautiful miltonia orchids, also known as pansy orchids. These were on display in the Glass House at RHS Garden Wisley in Surrey, UK.