Wings Over Winecountry, Colleen's place (1 Viewer)

[timwootton]

Ah - now, y'see - all things come to pass.
From the despairing, seemingly out of reach scrambling for that elusive quality, you've weaved with guile and sneaked up on the piece when it was least expecting it; when it thought it had beaten you and had let its defences down and, as if by magic, there's the picture. The picture I wanted you to paint but I didn't know it, not until I saw it here on my screen. It's magical and wonderful and has all those ethereal qualities of the greatest pieces. Love it!!!!!

 

[nickderry]

yes!

 

[Woody]

Just the light and atmosphere we all knew was in there waiting to come out into the open. This is a lovely and delicate piece that shouts loudly by whispering. Bravo!

Mike

 

[colleenc]

thanks guys! you're the best! I post one more time when its done and I can get a better shot......Don't know what I'd do without this forum, full of people who understand me.

I have this paint left, and thought I'd start something new esp for me.....you know there are lots of writers out there, and places give them a place to do "flash" stories...ie no more than 600 words and 3 min read aloud.

I decided to try "flash" painting, and as I'm so prone to thinking and analysis I thought I'd also just paint no thinking, no fixing no more than 15 min. all drawing done with the brush...also a place to do those weird poses I'd probably never put in a big painting. working from my photos for this.

Avocet preening, 12x12 oil on panel

 

[Woody]

Wow, just 15 minutes?!

I went through a stage of doing a 'painting a day', 10"x8" quick jobs limited to an hour each and some of my most creative work came from it. Sometimes it's best to let the paint and the brush just do their thing and see where they take you rather than you leading them (sometimes to places they clearly don't want to go!)

Mike

 

[nickderry]

a beauty - you seized the moment and captured a glimpse of a very real and living bird.

 

[colleenc]

thanks Nick and Mike for the encouragement ,

I think this is going to be really good for some one like me who tends to the tightly wound side of things. I just have to use my big brushes( seldom used!) and paint what I see instead of what I know about. This should help my field sketching too....this one took 20 min cause of the bg and reflection. Think I'll keep that the outside limit and otherwise I have time to think:smoke:

Its also a great way to use up bits of canvas and old paints, good practice too for how my brushes work.

It's a godwit I think I may have to ID them or you may not recognize what it is :-O 8x10

 

[colleenc]

Woodson Birds in Art is notifying by email this year, and I did not get in this time. Darn:-C

I notice the # of entries was way down from last year, and one of the Jurors was from Art News a very trendy NY style art on the cutting edge type, the other two were from small museums.....Oh well, I can try next year, and can use them to enter a couple of local shows.

 

[timwootton]

No accounting for taste Colleen - and these pieces aren't really about competitions are they - they are roadside markers on a winding track to somewhere deep in your soul.

 

[colleenc]

so true Tim, and so was the one that got in last year, so that's why I'm disappointed but not upset, as long as my painting is my best and as true and beautiful as I can make it then I'm happy, and feel blessed each day I can paint, no matter what else happens.

the support and mentoring here makes my day! all the rest is just added to that, win or lose....Woodson has the class to give the entrants, a free catalog so I'll know what did get in....maybe Ken made it in....

 

[gropperwinch]

some fantasmical drawings, especially the quickies, in my limited experience true art comes naturally, so just go with the flow! I've been known to skip meals because I was too busy painting! of course, mine are no where as good as all this yet, but I'm starting to see you and all the others on here as inspiration, not just something a lot better than what I can do! Avocet is beautiful and free, it seems to be calling out off the paper, making me want to go drawing!

And is that Godwit a Marbled by some chance?

 

[solitaryVSong]

a beauty - you seized the moment and captured a glimpse of a very real and living bird.

This sounds right to me. I really like the quick ones, especially this one, with its unique pose.

 

[colleenc]

thanks Ken, I do like the weird poses, when I spent a year doing horses I did the same difficult pose stuff, but find usually can't pull it off in a big painting for some reason....

Liam, I've not only missed meals, but social life, dates, many hours of sleep and big chunks of life, to paint, don't regret a thing, art has been my life and it continues to make every day rich beyond measure. It's lasted longer than marriages and romance for sure:-O

That said after 50 years ( did my first painting as a teenager) I still feel like a beginner. Tho some go with the flow as you say, I found it an immense amount of hard work and practice. I have a degree in Art, and enough graduate units for two Masters, not saying that makes anyone automatically a good artist........Maybe if a person is innately gifted, like Picasso could draw like an angel at 10, you could just do it. Fortunately, hard work can make a good artist too.

Can't believe you could tell it was a Marbled Godwit, what a champ.....:t:

 

[colleenc]

another flash, snowy egret, one I'm trying out several options on for a larger work....20 min for this one.

 

[ARTHUR BISHOP]

love the energy in this one colleen

 

[solitaryVSong]

Looks great Colleen. Bird and environment all of a piece, with a real sense of the quiet world where you often see herons and egrets.

 

[nickderry]

the strong brushstrokes really give power to those flight muscles - this one has lift!

 

[gropperwinch]

odd how a few strokes can make it look either graceful and dainty or powerful and massive! Great picture, captured the character of an Egret to perfection:t:

 

[colleenc]

thanks everyone, I notice in doing the bg I've lost his tail, I'll put it back in when things are dry.....I may start trying to do some of these in gouache tho I haven't used that since my commercial art class in the 60's, the wet oil is really goppy and slick .

 

[Woody]

These quickies are really something Colleen. Sometimes just the act of 'letting go' gets to the point of things in a way that anything more tightly controlled often misses.

Mike