Wednesday, April 30, 2014

MONTHLY RECAP -- What I've Been Up To in April

Wow!  April was a creative AND successful month!  Let's see . . . finished and SOLD the Prickly Pear Mosaic on the same day, finished and framed the "Fire" painting, received a commission to paint a bridal bouquet, finalized dates for three workshops in 2014, acquired two new mentoring students, and took lots of pictures, including photos from a camping trip to Valley of the Gods, in Utah.



PRICKLY PEAR MOSAIC

Prickly Pear Sunset, 30" x 22" watercolor on Aquabord -- SOLD

This set a record -- for me, anyway.  Alyson Kinkade, my friend and owner of Columbine Gallery in Loveland, Colorado, saw the painting when I posted it, sent a photo to a client, and BOOYA!  SOLD!
Can you tell I'm excited?  As all of you fellow artists know, selling your artwork is usually not that easy -- it certainly isn't for me.  So, I'm very grateful to Alyson for being proactive, on my behalf.

And, no, I don't teach, or even demonstrate, this technique -- it is such slow going that it would put everyone to sleep.



"FIRE" PAINTING


Finally finished.  I realized that it is more difficult (for me, anyway) to try to recreate one of my own paintings, than to paint it the first time.




and framed . . .







NEW COMMISSION PAINTING -- BRIDAL BOUQUET

Just received this commission, so I haven't even started -- except for preparing the paper.  But, here's the picture of the gorgeous bouquet.  I hope I do it justice, and make this couple happy.  The husband commissioned me to do this, to give to his wife on their first anniversary.  Very sweet . . . 







PHOTOS FOR THIS MONTH'S PHOTO CHALLENGES


The Neighborhood








Mellow Yellow






Old Bones









Valley of the Gods  (this is a place in southeastern Utah -- not as famous as the Grand Canyon or Monument Valley, but just as awesome)















It's a Lizard-Eat-Lizard World out There in the Desert









Pastels in My Kitchen









































Announcing 1-Day Watercolor Workshop in May -- "Painting the Colors of the Southwest"

I'm excited to be offering another 1-day workshop on May 29th -- at my home/studio in Durango.

photo of Valley of the Gods

PAINTING THE COLORS OF THE SOUTHWEST - 2 WAYS

One-Day Watercolor Workshop
at my Home/Studio in Durango

Thursday, May 29, 2014
10 am to 4 pm



We'll paint Southwest landscapes, with red rock formations, two different ways:

1) Layering/ Glazing -- from back to front -- to achieve atmospheric perspective and depth

2) Painting from the Ground Up -- with some negative painting and more development of the rocks



I just returned from a camping trip to the Valley of the Gods in Utah, where my husband and I took tons of picture, so we will have plenty of photo references for the red rock formations.




If you live in or near Durango, CO (or will be in the area), please join me for this fun workshop.

You'll have plenty of time to paint, and can do one or both projects.

Price:  $100 for the 1-day workshop
(this includes a light lunch and beverage)


To reserve a spot in this workshop, or for more info, contact Pat at
thepaintedprism@gmail.com
or via Facebook
(Pat Howard or Painted Prism or Pat Howard Watercolors)





Hope to see some of you in May!










Friday, April 4, 2014

PHOTO CHALLENGE: 30 Themes for April


Here are 30 themes for April, if you want to give it a go.  Try to take a photo a day for each theme.  Sorry, I know it's now the 4th, but I'll list all 30, anyway.

Doing a photo challenge like this allows you to capture little moments in your life, instead of just the really big ones.  Plus, you will start seeing your everyday life differently, and you may just see some things that you normally miss.  I don't always do this everyday, but I try when I can.

I post my photos on Facebook, Pinterest, and on this blog.



APRIL PHOTO CHALLENGE THEMES


1.  Reflection

2.  Melting

3.  Rainbows

4.  Break

5.  Tiny

6.  Sunshine

7.  Grains of . . . 

8.  Showers

9.  Younger You

10. Giggles

11. Mellow Yellow

12. Stairs

13. Something You Found

14. Flat

15. Sunset

16.  Flower

17. Life

18. Balance

19. Pastels

20. In Your Basket

21. Bottle

22. The Last Thing You Bought

23. Buds

24. Something You're Grateful For

25. Looking Down

26. Black & White

27. Somewhere You Went

28. 1:00 pm

29. Flip Flops

30. Circle



Happy Snapping!