Cone Flower

“We cannot swing up on a rope that is attached only to our own belt.”
– William Ernest Hocking

 

Cone Flower
5″ x 7″ Golden Fluid Acrylic on Ampersand Aqua Board panel

My favorite artist, Don Tiller, uses blue trees a lot, but I haven’t quite pulled it off.  This may get re-worked. 

I am hosting the WDE in the All Media Art Events forum on WetCanvas this weekend.    If you have never participated in the WDE (Weekend Drawing Event) you may want to try it.  We paint with a 2 hour time period in mind.  We don’t have to finish our piece in 2 hrs, but we post our progress at 2 hours if we aren’t done.  It’s fun.

The AMAE forum is actually where I learned to paint again after a 30 year absence.  I have only been painting now for 3 years and I have grown in leaps and bounds, thanks to my generous friends at WetCanvas.  They have given me so much encouragement!    Give it a try. 

About William Ernest Hocking

William Ernest Hocking, the idealist American philosopher, wrote 17 books, mostly on the philosophy of religion in modern life, and taught philosophy at Harvard for 29 years. He was born in 1873 in Cleveland to devout parents of modest means, and it took him ten years to finish college while working. In his books, he explored mysticism and the nature of God as well as the conflict in the Middle East. He died in 1966.

Lone Tree

“Discontent is the first step in progress. No one knows what is in him till he tries, and many would never try if they were not forced to.”
– Basil Maturin

 
Lone Tree
4″ x 6″ Acrylic on Canvas

I started with a black gessoed canvas, then painted this with layers and layers of glazes with Golden Fluid Acrylics.  This is more of the style I learned at my Don Tiller workshop in Port Townsend, WA, last November.  I have so much fun painting with acrylics, since learning  Don’s wonderful techniques.  I’ll always be grateful that I was able to attend his workshop.

About Basil Maturin

British cleric Basil Maturin, renowned for his oratory skill, was ordained as an Anglican but later converted to Catholicism. He was born in 1847 in Ireland. He ministered in Philadelphia before returning to England in 1888 to resolve his conflict about his religious identity. He died on board the Lusitania when it was sunk by a German U-boat in 1915. He was observed giving last rites as the ship sank, looking pale but calm.

Farm Cabin - December 4, 2009

"Never give out while there is hope; but hope not beyond reason, for that shows more desire than judgment."

– William Penn

Farm Cabin

9" x 12" Golden Fluid Acrylic on Ampersand Gessobord

This is the painting I worked on, the second day of my workshop with Don Tiller, in Port Townsend, WA last month. I had the best time in his workshop! I'm going to try to go larger with my next one. **grin**

About William Penn

William Penn is remembered as the founder of Pennsylvania; the democratic government he set up became the model for the United States Constitution. He was born in 1644 in England. After he was arrested several times for preaching Quaker ideals, he decided to found a settlement in America. He drew up the "Great Treaty" with the Delaware Indians to ensure they were paid fairly for their land and toured Europe marketing the new colony. He died in 1718

For the FTC: I have not received anything for endorsinging the people or products in today's blog post.

Morning Meadows - November 19, 2009

Developing the patience and discipline to quiet my mind is a great accomplishment.
My inner wisdom bubbles up in periods of quiet contemplation.

from The Don't Sweat Affirmations
by Richard Carlson, Ph.D.


Morning Meadows
5" x 5" Golden Fluid Acrylic
on Black Gessoed Ampersand Aquabord

I did this little painting in my motel room on the morning of the second day of the Don Tiller workshop. It just flowed! I really enjoyed the workshop a lot!!! I guess maybe you could tell. *grin*


Richard Carlson, Ph.D. (5-16-61 to 12-13-06) was considered to be one of the foremost experts on happiness and stress reduction in the United States and around the world. As the author of thirty popular books including the runaway bestseller, Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff…and it’s all Small Stuff, he showed millions of people how not to let the small things in life get the best of them.

Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff made publishing history as the USA Today’s #1 bestselling book for two consecutive years. The title spent over one hundred consecutive weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, and is considered one of the fastest selling books of all time. In 2004,

Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff was voted one of the top ten most read books in the past decade! Richard is one of the few authors in history to have two different titles at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list at the same time: Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff, in soft cover and Don’t Worry, Make Money, in hardcover.

For the FCC: I am receiving no money or product for saying nice things about the people or products in this blog post.

Pumpkin Hill - November 18, 2009

"No one can really pull you up very high — you lose your grip on the rope. But on your own two feet you can climb mountains."

– Louis Brandeis

I just got back from Washington last night. It was the BEST trip!! I really loved my Don Tiller workshop! These photos are from the first day. We laid our blank canvases on the floor and Don drew a chalk line through them. Our plan was to make a connection series. We weren't sitting next to the people next to us in the series, so not all of it worked as a connection, but every bit of it worked as a learning experience. Mine is 4th from the left. It's a 9" x 12" panel, but it is teeny, between the larger ones.


Pumpkin Hill
9" x 12" Golden Fluid Acrylic
on Ampersand Gessobord

The humble beginnings. This was just so much fun. I was so impressed with Don Tiller. He was a great teacher and I am so grateful for the opportunity to have studied with him. (Oh yeah.... I am his number one fan! **big grin**)

About Louis Brandeis

American judge Louis Brandeis was the first Jewish Supreme Court Justice, and one of the most influential Justices in the history of the Court. He was born in Kentucky in 1856 to Czech-born parents. He graduated from high school at age 14 and later became head of his class at Harvard Law School. As a Justice, many of his decisions created greater protections for individual rights of privacy and free speech. He died in 1941. Brandeis University was named in his honor.

For the FCC: I am not being paid by any of the people or products mentioned in this blog post. I just like them.

Merry Old Basset Hound - November 3, 2009

"Can anything be sadder than work unfinished? Yes, work never begun."

– Christina Rossetti

Merry Old Basset Hound

4" x 4" Watercolor

I'm kinda proud of this little fellow. I am still learning, so when I have this kind of success I get a little giddy. I found this dog in WetCanvas' Reference Image Library (RIL).

The RIL is created entirely by member submissions. Images that are uploaded are available to paint from. I logged out, to see what you would get if you are not a member. You don't get to the actual photo. If you are logged in as a member, you will get a small resolution photo and most of the time (depending on the photographer's upload) a large res version. Today, there are 8,119,407 images to choose from. WOW!

I have never had a single art class. I have learned everything I can do at present, from hanging out with other artists. There are some very willing teachers at WetCanvas. Of course, next weekend, Nov 13-14, I am going to have my first class. I am so excited to be taking an acrylic workshop from Don Tiller, in Port Townsend, WA. I have been a fan of his since I saw his work in Artist's Magazine.

I think it's going to be fun to see what happens to my creativity, when it is fueled by such an inspiring teacher. I am thrilled to have this opportunity.

About Christina Rossetti

Christina Rossetti, the Victorian era English poet, is known for the melancholy themes in such poems as "Goblin Market" and "When I Am Dead." She was born in 1830 in London to Italian-born parents. Her father was poet Gabriele Rossetti and her brother was the painter/poet Dante Gabriel Rossetti. She rejected two marriage proposals because, although she loved both men, neither shared her religious devotion. According to her brother, she wrote effortlessly and rapidly. She died in 1894.