Watercolor Wednesday - My Town

In the marina I caught this man returning home after a days work.
He'd just pulled in and was cleaning up and getting ready to leave his boat and head home.









On a clear day you can see Mount Hood from My Town. Just outside City Hall is an overlook of the river, a park, and marina. Only the top of some masts are visible. Across the river is Sauvie Island and in the distance Mt Hood.

Pan ACEO

ACEO, 2.5 x 3.5 inches, watercolor and gouache, 2008

Pan was the Greek God of shepherds, fields, mountains and wooded glens and music. He is half man , half goat. He is supposed to have gained his pan-flute after a nymph called Syrinx turned herself into reeds to escape him. He blew down the reeds and heard her song and so fashioned the instrument from them.

www.marksatchwill.com

Morning Glow

Aha! FINALLY my daffodils are starting to open. This is the first daffodil painting of 2008! I went out early this morning and took lots of pictures. This is ACEO sized 3 1/2 x 2 1/2 and I used watercolor and watercolor pencil on Arches 140 lb hot press. Visit my personal blog to see a WIP. To bid on Ebay, click here.

Rose in my Shelf watercolors by Erika Nelson

"Rose in my Shelf" ACEO
This rose was from my garden. I can't begin to recall the name but I just love the salmon-pink shades it gives out. It reminds me of the sort of colors and roses I'd see in vintage paintings. It's listed in my Etsy

Waterhouse Rendition - Gather Ye Rosebuds..

4 x 6 inches, watercolour with gouache, 2008

A rendition of J.W. Waterhouse's painting "Gather Ye Rosebuds While Ye May".

www.marksatchwill.com

Swallowtail & Lilacs

Happy Spring!

Watercolor 7 x 11

A sheik and his Gran Visir

This is not really new, I made it in February as a joke-challenge with my teacher. She said that I couldn't made the faces without tracing it. Won't say who won! He He :-D

When I saw in EBSQart that there was a show about "1001 Nights" tales, I decided to have a try with it. I'm doubtful but also I know I don't do anything bad!

Wednesday (Saturday) Watercolors April Shower

"Daisy Drops" ACEO
I was waiting for a neighbor to arrive and thought I'd finally unwrap a package of papers my fellow watercolorist Barbara Jump cut and sent me. Before I knew it I had a piece good enough for April Showers theme :) I've also decided I love Fabriano Uno! I think I loved it before when I fell out of love with Arches but I never knew what specific Fabriano paper I was using.

Daffodil for Erika

I can't help but think of my friend, Erika, when I post daffodils so this one's for her. Painted on partially gessoed paper. 5 x 7

Click here to bid on Ebay.

Another seascape miniature

I have been working on more miniatures for a forthcoming exhibition this is one of a number of seascapes I shall be showing. I have also sold a couple of prints on the auction site eBid.net

Daydreaming ACEO

2.5 x 3.5 inches, watercolour wth gouache, 2008

A painting of a woman daydreaming in a garden.

April Showers (or Watercolor Wednesday HELD OVER!)

April Showers = Vinca Flowers

The periwinkle is blooming! Blame it on the April 1st showers, or not!
Creeping myrtle blooms each Spring and serves as a great ground cover in shady spots.

Wednesday Watercolors - April Showers

ACEO, 2.5 x 3.5 inches, watercolor and gouache, 2008


This weeks Wednesday Watercolors theme is "April Showers"so I painted....a guy standing in the rain!! You'll just have to take my word for it that it's an april shower. I know, it's not the most inventive and imaginative idea.

Firelight ACEO

2.5 x 3.5 inches, watercolor, 2008

Another pretty guy painting.

Walk Among Flowers Watercolors ACEO

"Nude Among the Poppies" ACEO

Finally a spring painting from me LOL! I think we should all do this, just walk nude through beautiful tall blooms on a sunny spring day and feel the cool soft petals against our bodies that have been imprisoned by winter clothes!

Spring Gathering

It's Spring at last! And these robins are gathered around the bird bath. Perhaps they're chatting about what they did on their winter vacation. Or perhaps they're just sharing the local gossip.
This piece measures 5x7 inches. Watercolor with pen & ink
J. Elaine Hays (Lanie)

Black Venus ACEO

2.5 x 3.5 inches, watercolor with gouache, 2008

A watercolour of a beautiful black woman inspired by an Angela Carter story. Click the title to see the listing on eBay!

www.marksatchwill.com

Chickadee

One of my favorite little birds, this Chickadee visits the garden. ACEO size 2.5x3.5. I tried a new brand of watercolor paper suggested by one of our members on this one and I decided I LOVE it! Nice smooth CP surface and the paint floats. Thanks, RoseAnn!
J. Elaine Hays (Lanie)

Another Miniature

This is another miniature in the countryside series that I will be exhibiting at the end of April. Just another seascape miniature to complete and then do some mounting and framing.

Hello Yellow IRIS

The very first year my Iris all bloomed, I had one beautiful yellow one. The stalk yielded 4 perfect blooms and they really stole the show.
Since then only the blues have bloomed each year with an odd pink or purple here and there. This year I have so many more starts I'm hoping I'll be saying Hello to a yellow once again.

Lee

Suburban Dominatrix

5 x 9.5 inches, watercolour with gouache, 2008

This is my piece for the EBSQ "Vice" show. It was inspired by the film "Personal Services", which was loosely based on the life story of Cynthia Payne, a women who had ran a brothel from her suburban house and who had exchanged sex for food vouchers. The "vice" represented in the painting is of course prostitution but I guess bondage and S and M is a vice too. The image presents a different side to prostitution, an older woman, not walking the streets but working from a suburban house, her clients probably older men.

www.marksatchwill.com

Pink Tulips in Vase

A friend recently gave me some tulip bulbs, and they inspired me to paint this vase of tulips. I love them, but they are difficult to grow in Texas, so we mostly have to enjoy them in pictures and paintings. I have a "Secret Garden" of tulips (in my head). RoseAnn

The Cross

My church asked me to paint an abstract cross with this color scheme. I didn't paint this in one day - but I painted daily on it for a week and half!

It measures 5 feet by 3.5 feet. It's watercolor painted on stretched Fredrix Watercolor canvas and finished with a spray matte varnish - which doesn't show at all, but seals the color onto the canvas.

Here it is hanging up.



If you'd like to see a slide show showing the progress of the painting... you can click here.

ACEO Secret Garden NFAC

"Gardening is Where the Heart Is!" ACEO watercolor and ink on paper

This lady is smiling because it's spring time again! Gardening is where her heart is, so although she is in too much pain to be doing actual gardening; in her heart a beautiful secret garden springs up at will and she is always cultivating the most colorful and unique thriving garden of all times!

This is my entry for Nibblefest Art Contest starting on the 20th of each month. The theme for this month is "Secret Garden". Please be sure to search the auction for NFAC to see more great entries, each starting at 99 cents. Thank you!