New York City – 5″ x 7″ Watercolor & Black Staedtler Pigment Liner

“Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.”
– Mark Twain

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

New York City – 5″ x 7″ Watercolor & Black Staedtler Pigment Liner

That was fun!  I wish you could see it in real life.  All the windows in my building paintings are done with iridescent paint, so they kinda sparkle like real windows.  The reference photo was provided by MissMouse at WetCanvas.

The large building in the center took me a full hour to paint.  You really can’t see it here, but the pink tiered building on the right even says New Yorker on top.  It’s teenie-tiny!

About Mark Twain

Samuel Clemens, the iconic American humorist and writer, is better known by his pen name Mark Twain. He was born on November 30, 1835 in Missouri. He worked at several jobs, including steamboat pilot and miner. He wrote The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Prince and the Pauper, and other successful novels. His writing captured a very American vernacular and flavor, and helped create a distinctive American literature. He died on April 21, 1910.

New York City – 5″ x 7″ Work in Progress

“How can disappointments be opportunities to grow? When we feel thwarted, frustrated or empty it is difficult – but not impossible – to see the positive side of our pain.Most disappointments come from a sense of failure when our expectations of ourselves or others are not met. 

 

If we can work through our initial response or source of frustration that lies within ourselves, we are taking the right steps toward turning our hurts and fears into growth-filled experiences.Do we have unrealistic expectations of ourselves or approval of us? 

 

Have we sold ourselves short by placing our entire self-worth on our jobs, paychecks, or possessions? Have we accepted negative feelings about ourselves, or do we see ourselves as capable human beings?

  TODAY I will probe the sources of my self-esteem. I will seek my happiness within myself, not in other people, places, or things.”

– Liane Cordes (from the book – The Reflecting Pond)

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2013

New York City – 5″ x 7″ Work in Progress

This is the painting I am working on now.  I thought it would be fun to show you some progress shots.  Fist I do a pencil drawing, then come back in with ink.  I use Staedtler pigment liners.   They are archival quality, fade-resistant  and acid-free.

On this one, I came in with the sky and water first.  I often save the sky for last and I think this way is better.  I wet the area then bring the color in.   Everything after the liner is watercolor.  I have some teensie tiny itty bitty brushes.  It feels like it would be cheating if I used colored markers.

See the building to the right of the tall purple building?  That puppy took me an hour all by itself, just to paint the color in.  I’m getting close to finishing, so I should be able to show you the finished painting before the week is out. 

The reference photo is by MissMouse at WetCanvas.  She provided it to the Reference Image Library for artists’ use.  If you haven’t checked it out, you should.   It’s an amazing source of inspiration.

“The Reflecting Pond” is a collection of meditations that takes one subject at a time and covers it in depth. Whether we have a concern about self-acceptance, fear, friendship, or love, there is a chapter full of understanding thoughts. Used as an extra dose of support on specific issues, this book will help us think through day-to-day living problems. An excellent resource for those in aftercare programs.”

New York City Street Scene – 8″ x 8″ Watercolor

Every new moment that arises in your life can now be a point of choice. . .in which you can choose to treat yourself and others with Compassion rather than Judgment.
–David Harp



New York City Street Scene – 8″ x 8″ Watercolor

Look Ma… No Sharpie!  **giggle**  (says the Sharpie addict)

Okay, I have questions and my friend Carol King, who lives in New York City, said she’d help.  In order for my questions to make sense, I need to show you the whole scene, before I cut out the stuff I was afraid to paint.



I already asked Carol what the tourist percentage was.  She told me… “Depends what part of the City you’re in. If you’re at the Empire State Building say, then it’s more like 80%! Times Square at Broadway show curtain time? 99%! You can’t walk at all! “

I asked about how hard it was to walk around all those people gawking up and taking photos.  Carol has things she tells her visiting friends NOT to do and I believe that is on the list.  he he  I’m sure this list is just for their safety.  Carol says she likes tourists and tries to be helpful and friendly, since she is also a tourist when she travels.

I have more questions.

Do they really put tables and chairs out in the middle of the street?   Or maybe this is like a food court in a mall…. give the people a convenient place to eat and gawk without getting hurt.

Do they really surf there?  Is this not reserved for the west coast?
I see it is really clean.  I like that.  Is all of New York City this clean?

There are many ladies alone in this photo.  Is it really that safe?  Most of us have a scarier vision of New York City, I think.

KFC… really?  I thought New York City was too cosmopolitan for KFC.

Everybody seems so relaxed and laid back.  Are there any locals in this photo, besides the guy in the tie?

Is Tim Horton’s coffee really, really good?  I can smell the aroma from here. 

Carol said she’d come by and try to answer my questions.  I'll  post them here tomorrow.  Carol is really funny and a life long New Yorker, so it'll be good.

David Harp’s area of interest and expertise lies in teaching individuals and groups how to consciously control the neurological process known as “The Fight or Flight Response,” which produces the emotions of Fear and Anger.

His 20+ books now include a recent book aimed at therapists: Neural Path Therapy: How to Change Your Brain’s Response to Anger, Fear, Pain, and Desire! and the new, completely revised Fifth Edition of The Three Minute Meditator. Source:  www.davidharp.com