[Irma]

Don kindly asked me to show my watercolor works, and here they are.
I see them as exercises as I am too bad to place things randomly. I see it as a great medium to learn about colors, balance, shapes. The most important thing has been that in this kind of painting you work without the undo button. What you did is there and there is no control+Z or delete.

#1
This was my first one, and as you can see I was not thinking much about forms but to get colors right. I tried a bit of gradient color, but it is very basic.



#2
Here I see a bit more of improvement, I see more freedom and a color background.



#3
This is my last one I finished today. I filled up my paper, and made more work in backgrounds and foregrounds, I used less colors...




#1 and #2 are on sketch paper and #3 on watercolor paper. I use a set of 24 watercolor crayons, few brushes. Sometimes I use the crayons directly to the paper and sometimes I make my own mix of colors in a tray.

All in all, it has been a lot of fun and a lot of learning...

[Don Schaeffer]

try somehing a little less abstract. Try reproducing one of your photos.

[Irma]

I like this kind of painting because it doesn't need too many techniques. As you see it is more or less like painting by numbers...

Also because it is showing your ideas, and you are not fix by an image you already did. Most probably one day I will paint a landscape but it will come out of my head, not from a picture... In photography I reproduce reality. I want to go out of this with my paintings and paint how I feel about a season, or theme. It gives you a lot of freedom.

Thanks for looking at my pictures Don... and for your advice as well... maybe along the way and seeing that I am not happy with what I get, I will take it. Now, I am very happy to see that at least I dared to take a brush and some colors and filled up with colors a white paper... That means a lot to me...

[Don Schaeffer]

You are a very systemmatic person who learns techniques deliberately, unlike me and my garbage can mind. I'm sure we will see your growth and you will eventually challenge us all.

[Irma]

Your paintings have been very motivating Don. Even though our paintings are made with different techniques they are both great because they express our emotions and feelings in colors...

[shuttertalk]

That's great work Irma - great to see the progression.

What is your inspiration? Are you getting your inspiration from books?

[Toad]

Irma:

You caught me by surprise with this one, even when this is really a very natural progression of your photography. I like that you are showing us these in the early days, while you are developing your style, Its exciting to watch,

My personal favorite is #1. I like how defiant it is - unafraid of its garish colors and primitive technique. Its got a lovely retro look as well - but under all that, there is great business - the blue dots and the swirls are constantly in motion. This one really works for me.

#2 has lovely balance and composition, but I don't feel that it is as dynamic as #1.

I also like what you are starting to do in #3. The primary objects are a lot more concrete here, and their is a structure starting to emerge. If you wanted to make it even more structural, you might want to try something like this:




Thanks for showing us these.

[Irma]

Thanks Jules...

For these kind of paintings, specially #1 and #2 I followed a step-by-step tutorial of Thaneeya McArdle in her website art-is-fun.com. She is a beautiful person sharing many things about painting. Her site is a learning place where she has lots of information about how to use acrylics, watercolor, pastel and so on. Her abstract work is very bright and colorful and very detailed. She has also colorful skulls taken from the "Day of the Death" celebration.

Allposters.com and art.com have been also great sites where I have found abstract paintings I like very much. Norm Olson abstract art has been a real inspiration. If you saw my autumn leaves series, you can see a lot of influence of his art in my works. I know I am miles away from getting something so beautiful as his paintings but I am in the way...

Toad, Thanks a lot!

Yes!! you got it!... #1 I painted the blue dots as showing a flow of water moving all around. I am so happy that you found movement in this one... Motivates me a lot to do more...

#2 I worked this on Christmas, I wanted to show all colors and festive mood. Here, I began to work more fine strokes, it is indeed more static.

#3 Thanks for turning this one. I understand your idea and I like it... This is what McArdle says about abstract painting. Sometimes you painting in one direction and when you turn it you like it more.

I want to believe Toad, that the more I learn from other arts, like painting and sculpture my mind will become richer and my eyes will open to more possibilities therefore my photography will bloom...

Thanks so much to all for your comments...