Tag Archives: watercolour

Passionfruit, Painted.

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Papua New Guinea seems very far away, and my life there very long ago. And then something will happen to bring it back; a photo of a Kandrian sunset on a friend’s Facebook page, or a display in the grocery store. I was surprised and delighted to find passionfruit in our grocery store last week, and immediately bought several at the exorbitant price of $3 each.

passionfruitThey don’t look especially appetizing, but they were my favourite fruit when I was living in PNG and those slippery little pulpy seeds pack a huge punch of flavour! I scoop them out with a spoon and slurp them down, enjoying every tropically citrusy tang.

Passionfruit are also fun to paint! The reddish-purple outer shell, the golden glow inside, the pinky white inner pulp. I just had to pull out my paints and see what I could do.
Passionfruit - watercolour study by Angela FehrI tried out two new pigment colours on this sketch – Daniel Smith Potter’s Pink and Sleeping Beauty Turquoise. The Potter’s Pink is a crazy dense clay-pink that granulates something terrible – I think it will be a fun addition to my palette but maybe more of a back-up colour than the star of the show. The turquoise is pretty – kind of a mid tone between the Cobalt Turquoise I love so much and Phthalo Blue.

It might be twenty years before I see passionfruit in the grocery store again, so I will treasure my reference photos and who knows, I might be painting this subject the next time I get a craving for exotic fruit!

 

(A)spir(al)ing: an abstract watercolour exploration

I wonder if any artists ever get past the feeling of “still so much to learn”? I love painting, but I have been so conscious lately of stretching myself as an artist, wanting to put more into my paintings. I think that’s why it’s so important to allow playtime in painting. All that serious effort can really hinder the joy and spontaneity I want to paint into my art.

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image created by riesling mama – click for source.

Recently I saw a beautiful stamped image on a paper crafting blog and I wanted to emulate it. At first I was thinking I’d just try a similar thing with stamping, but then I thought, “Why couldn’t I use this as inspiration for a painting?”
(A)spir(al)ing, watercolour, 11x11" | Angela Fehr

I’ve titled this piece “(A)spir(al)ing” which is a combination of the words ‘aspiring’ and ‘spiraling’. Painting this abstract (such a departure for me) was all about playtime, exploring the colour and shape and trying for a sense of symmetry without boxing myself into perfection.

My eight-year-old told me she thought it looked like a butterfly. Sweetheart.

There is something special about painting without borders, just starting with an idea and seeing where it goes. Truthfully, I felt a little self-indulgent, being able to do whatever I wanted, use the colours I love most, throw in shapes wherever they felt good – it was kind of like enjoying a guilty pleasure. Maybe that’ll be the title of my next abstract!

A Forgotten Painting Remembered

It sat in the stack of unfinished paintings for at least two years.

Starting so promisingly, I’d painted the cluster of saskatoon berries, then the gnarled elbow that anchored them, and then I bottomed out. The background was a mess, and I couldn’t figure out how to paint the twining tangle of leaves and branches without losing the focal point in the complexity.

I put the painting away, and I really though that was the end. I used the reference photo for another, larger painting, and the little saskatoon berry study was buried under a growing stack of paintings rejected. Only about a quarter of the paintings I produce ever get finished or framed to show or sell, and so it wasn’t a surprising loss.

But I couldn’t bring myself to throw it away. I loved that little cluster of berries too much. And it was a good thing I’m a little sentimental that way, because one day, while searching for a blank sheet of watercolour paper, I pulled out that lonely little berry painting. And suddenly I knew I could finish it.
Purple Dusk watercolour | Angela FehrIt didn’t need more, but less. The detailed background that I’d been certain would distract from the foreground no longer seemed so necessary, and I was able to add hazy colour, deepen contrasts between front and back, and give the berries a starring role. It took less than an hour, plus two years, and it was finished.

“Purple Dusk” sold the first time it was shown publicly, and I learned a lesson about giving paintings time to develop. Some just take a little longer than others!

Getting the Most out of Your Subject

In a recent workshop, the instructor encouraged the class to feel free to paint the same subject as many times as we wanted. This was kind of a new thought to me, since I have always felt that if I paint something once, there’s nothing left to say in the matter. I want my work to be original, not the same painting over and over again.  But the more I’ve thought about it, I’ve realized that I can be free to paint the same subject repeatedly if I want to. Not only that, but I do it already! sasks cropped2 I’ve used this reference photo of saskatoon berries many times over the years, and it’s come out different every time. Most recently I was loosely inspired to create my painting “Blue Beckoning.” A Blue Beckoning watercolor | Angela FehrI’ve drawn it in pen and ink: saskatoon sketch card I’ve used it in a video tutorial: five stroke saskatoonsI’ve painted it small, like this 6×9 inch beauty that took me two years to finish (more on that later): Purple Dusk watercolour | Angela Fehr And I’ve painted it large. This one is 14″ x 20″, a half sheet of watercolour paper.On a Limb watercolour | Angela Fehr

Every time it’s been a little different, a little better, a little deeper delving into the subject. I’m loving how that translates into better paintings, and no two are the same.

Old Art: Keep or Throw Out?

I’m starting a big sort/clean up in my studio this week. This is partly in preparation for my March 1st charity crop which is how I like to celebrate my birthday, and partly just to get a little more organized and clear some room on my shelves. My studio space is lined with shelves and they fill up so quickly as I create art and paper crafts. It is very possible that during this week I’ll find some goodies to sell on this site, or even give away, so keep checking back!

What do you do with paintings that you don’t plan to frame? I have a hard time throwing away a painting if there is anything in it to love.

I love this painting of lilacs that looks so windswept. Lilacs are definitely my favourite flower when it comes to fragrance, and I’ve struggled to grow lilacs on our shady acreage for thirteen years now. I’m thankful I can at least paint them, if not grow them!

I titled this painting “Bird of Paradise” and I had so much fun painting this abstract, exploring shape and line while keeping a sense of movement. I am trying to decide whether I should frame this little gem – what do you think?

Sometimes I’m just happy to paint a little study. This orchid includes the roots that spider out of the pot that I never know what to do with. I like painting a flower’s “portrait.”

I painted this outhouse during my last session of watercolour classes. Outhouses have their own charm, don’t they? Which reminds me of this photo I took while rummaging through an abandoned property a few years ago:

Makes me laugh!

This one’s really quite old. Sometimes I just need to keep a painting and remain undecided on its future until I’ve improved enough as a painter that it no longer represents me. Then I can be encouraged by seeing how far I’ve come! It’s a good idea to hang onto a few older paintings just for the sake of measuring growth.

So as I clean up, I try not to be too ruthless. Sometimes those old paintings just need a few finishing touches to complete them. I held onto one painting for three or four years before I realized a solution to the problem that had caused me to abandon it, and once I’d fixed the problem and finished the painting, I framed it and it sold immediately.

And sometimes an old painting is an old friend. I don’t have to paint for a market all the time. If I love a painting enough to keep it for the days when I need a smile, a reminiscence, why not hang onto it a little longer?

8 Rules for Fearless Painting in 2013

Painting got really exciting for me last year. I went from feeling rusty and needing to recapture my skills to a confident enthusiasm that’s made me willing to tackle any subject that inspires.

What sparked this change? Good counsel. I needed to own a few “rules” for painting. Here’s what I’m keeping foremost in my mind when I paint these days.

“Party Line” watercolour, $280 framed.

  1. Paint for the love of it. Painting to satisfy someone else’s expectations is just stifling.
  2. There is no “backwards” in creativity.I never need to feel like I’ve lost ground after a creative dry spell. Life’s experiences, other creative pursuits, imagination are all continually offering contributions to the artist’s life that bear fruit in painting.

    “Violets” watercolour (private collection)

  3. Be confident. I look at my children for an example. They draw furiously without doubting their ability. I’ve also felt this in other areas of my life. While competing in a triathlon last year, I could be proud of what I was doing, not because I was in the top two-thirds of competitors (ha!) but because I knew I was competing at the very peak of what I was capable. There is no shame in creating your best work.
  4. Be experimental.I learned that when I started painting “for fun” this year, I was more willing to take a risk and try a wild new colour or leave a few things “unsaid” in my paintings. I have a whole bag of new tricks that I’ve played with this year.

    “Fragrant” watercolour, $450 framed.

  5. Expression trumps technique. Some of the dullest paintings I have seen are technically flawless. When I am painting, I keep asking myself, “What am I trying to say?” My paintings are more genuine as a result.
  6. Never waste paper.This is a backwards way of stating that paper is never wasted when you are painting. Every painting is a learning experience, whether it ends up under glass or in the garbage.

    “Blue Beckoning” watercolour, $450 framed

  7. Be willing to start over. I put a lot of me and often a lot of time into a painting, and it can be heartbreaking when it’s not working. Often I find myself with a painting with a bunch of great elements, but there’s one area that is not up to par, and not fixable. I have never regretted starting over, and most of the time that second painting turns out far better than the first ever could.
  8. You have the answer. This goes back to that confidence thing. Look at your painting. Who painted it? You did. Who knows what it’s about? You do. Whose voice is speaking through that image? Yours is. Stand with your work and be proud of it! It’s yours, and nobody can take that away. (And I can say that even though I received a rejection from a gallery show yesterday.)

“Flower Girls” watercolour, $450 framed

What has helped you to paint more confidently? What are your goals for seeing a bolder you this year?

Experimenting with Colour in Landscape Painting

I’m in landscape mode right now. I have exhibition opportunities this year that I want to be ready for, but I am not letting that affect my painting.

It is so easy to feel pressured to create something “frame-worthy” which for me isn’t helpful. I have had too much fun detaching from expectations and playing with paint over the last year to overthink myself now.

I want to create a large landscape, I have a scene that inspires me and I’m having fun working it out in smaller sketches. How fun it is to throw unexpected colour into my washes and pull out a scene!

The top painting is the second version, following this first, smaller sketch. And now that I’ve played with the trees and shrubbery, I am imagining what this scene would look like with a dramatic sky…

Autumns in the Peace River country are very yellow, with our aspen forests taking centre stage, but who’s to say that violet, crimson and turquoise don’t have a role to play in punching up that vibrant yellow? I’m having fun finding out!

Portrait Painting: “Sweetest Blossom”

“Sweetest Blossom” watercolour, Angela Fehr

I love taking a fearless approach to watercolour painting. It is very intimidating to attempt a portrait. Usually I get tangled up in creating a likeness, and the pressure causes me to paint stiffly and timidly.

My oldest daughter will be turning ten this month. Children really do grow up so quickly. Perhaps you know a girl like her, so tenderhearted. She is the one who gives her heart away, who never steps out of a hug first, who has gotten up early all week so she can tidy the house and make me coffee. She truly is blossoming into a lovely young woman and I wanted my painting to glow with colour representing her sweet spirit.

I used Jean Haines’ approach to portraits by painting the eyes first. They are the life of a portrait, after all. I also spent less time studying the colours in the painting and used whatever I felt was right. I love the splashes of green gold that light up this watercolor painting, and the intriguing purples.

I’m inspired by this portrait, though I’m not certain it’s finished or ever will be. What it has done for me is to excite me about the possibilities in portrait painting, and spark a host of new ideas for conveying mood by painting people in watercolour.

The Role of Water in Watercolour

I’ll be teaching a series of watercolour classes on January 17th, and one thing about teaching watercolour is that it forces me to learn to articulate how I paint. It’s hard to do sometimes, when my hands have been guided by my eyes & heart, to verbalize those techniques, and I stutter and stumble and use goofy words to describe it. I teach best by demonstration.

This afternoon I was warming up with this splash of poppies and this sentence came to me; one I’ll be using in my next class: Water creates movement.

The more water, the more movement. I love adding a stroke of wet, wet water to my paper surface and see the pigment chase the flow, mingling and coming alive. A dry brush may give control, but a wet brush is just so much more exciting!

Beginning Watercolour Classes, January 2013

After sourcing out materials and checking my calendar, I have set a date for my first watercolour class session of 2013, starting January 17th. I’ll be teaching out of my home studio ten minutes east of Dawson Creek, BC, walking step-by-step through several paintings. This year I am including painting supplies since low quality supplies can be the biggest hindrance to a beginning painter. Email me if you would like to register for these classes, as I like to keep class sizes small and they fill up fast! There are more details on my Facebook page as well.

“Violets” by Angela Fehr. Private collection.