Need to get out more

Wow! Sitting in front of the computer is so hard on my brain and the rest of my body. After an hour or  two (sometimes I lose track of time), I'm exhausted, not to mention creaky when I finally stand.

The thing is, I'm in between websites. I don't have any place to send people to look at my pictures. I'm also leery of this blog program. I've used it for a while but it broke once and it could again. I would be very upset if I lost the hundreds of posts I've created.

There are a number of universal tools for designing on line, but each program has it's own rules and quirks. My teeth ache from even talking about it. There are thousands of details and decisions involved. It's like redoing your kitchen.

Oh well. I will keep plugging away. Hmm...I think I'm ready for a nap.

Birch Close Up

What shall I paint? As a fairly new painter, I sometimes get stuck in deciding what subject to use. The one area I've continued to explore is nature, particularly trees. They are right outside my window. But sometimes I feel too nudgy and want to do something else.  I want to try something that seems manageable, not that will make me feel too frustrated. If a painting causes frustration, I need to try something else. After all, the whole point is to enjoy what I'm doing.

Some painters use the same imagery over and over. I'm doing that myself lately. There's so much to discover and learn. No two painting experiences are ever alike. There are so many variables at play that choosing the subject is only a part of the process.

What colors will I use? What type of paper? What size paper? Do I want to try a particular style or texture? What should the scale be? Close up and magnified, a good distance away, or both?

If there's anything I want my pictures to convey, it's a sense of peace. The trick is to have a soothing creative experience.

Birchin'

Admire the birch.
She grows with enthusiasm under the harshest conditions.
Extreme climate nor little sunlight, will dampen her brightness.
A pioneer, she's the first to put down roots after the forest is leveled by men or by fire.
So bold and beautiful, yet she has her gnarly parts, too.
 

Birchin' Watercolor 11"x14" by Andrea Feldman

I LOVE Winter

Conditions: 10:00AM

-9^°F  Feels Like -28^°

 

Life's a birch

Slipped away from my blogging habit. I've got a closet full of reasons why. But I do miss it. One huge challenge has been trying to get my notices out via blogger again. For some reason it broke and none of my subscribers have been receiving anything. I am going to try doing it on my own with Mail Chimp. I would appreciate your letting me know that you received my notice. There will be a link for you to email me.

Meanwhile, I have continued to paint. Birch trees have tickled me, as you know if you've been following along. Here's an installment from a couple of weeks ago.

Life's a Birch 11"x14" Watercolor 

Last of the birches?

Probably not the last time I'll paint birches. I've enjoyed my time spent with these unusual trees. I will continue to learn how to paint them. Meanwhile, this is the final one I will do of this image. To see the earlier attempts go to blog post 'No Scrubbing', January 27.

I continued to run into difficulties with this painting. I had put so much detail into the background but when I finally put in the trees, I discovered they fought with all the foliage. I had to simplify the background to be able to see the trees.

I also wanted to find a way to make the branches lighter and thinner so they also wouldn't take away from the trees so I used watercolor pencil.