Sycamore Tree

Sycamore Tree
Original Watercolor Painting
18" x 24"

I spotted this tree while on a trip to Urbana, IL. I just loved the way the bark peeled of and left these beautiful images on the trunk. I hope I did it justice.

How to Critique a Painting

I got the following article from About.com's Painting forum and thought I would share it with you:

It can be tough knowing what to say when a friend asks you what you think about their latest painting or to give a critique. But there are some things you should never say if you value your friendship.

1. What is it? (You're supposed to know and if you can't tell, keep it to yourself as it might not be intended to be a representation of an object.)

2. Do you paint like this because you don't know how to paint real things? (The belief that realism is the only valid form of painting was discredited over a century ago.)

3. Why don't you use more paint? Why did you use so much [insert color]? (It's meant to be the way it is, they didn't run out of paint or accidentally use too much of a particular color.)

4. It looks so real, did you trace it? (You're implying they cheated. It reduces what they've done to a colored-in drawing.)

5. Why didn't you just take a photo? (Because then they'd be a photographer, not a painter.)

6. My sister or brother or mother or father or second-cousin-twice-removed also paints and their things are very beautiful. (No-one wants to be compared to a stranger.)

7. the colors will match the curtains in my living room nicely. (The context of your conversation is art, not home decorating.)

8. Can you do me one like this in [insert color]? (They're not an artist in a sweat-shop churning out copies of paintings. Every painting is an original.)

9. Show it to me again when it's finished. What are you still planning to do with it? (Always assume it is finished unless you've been specifically told otherwise.)

10. Nothing at all. (No reactions is worse than a bad reaction. Practice a neutral comment such as "It's not really my kind of thing, but it looks like you had fun painting it" or It's not really my kind of thing, but I can see why you'd be pleased with it.")

Saying something nice about a painting rather than finding fault or giving 'helpful' suggestions doesn't mean you haven't looked properly nor that you're ignorant about art nor unsophisticated. Ill-considered comments can be hurtful in ways you never intended. the person showing you their paintings is showing you something that's important to them, that they've spent time creating. Be happy for them that they're enjoying what they're doing, even if you don't like the result.

Exhibition at Gallery at Ninety Seven

I'll be exhibiting 7 of my paintings at:
Gallery at Ninety Seven
97 N. Paint Street
Chillicothe, OH
6p-9p

One of my paintings that will be on display there is:
Pumpkins
Original Watercolor Painting

What I'm doing today...

Getting ready for my show in Chillicothe in August...just bought the frames. Now to assemble them...

Updated Blog

I just updated my blog so it more closely resembles my website. Let me know what you think!

Black Hollyhocks II

Black Hollyhocks II
Original Watercolor Painting

This is another from the series of hollyhocks I painted in my new home in Little Rock, AR. When I saw these beauties growing in my neighbor's yard. This was the first time I had ever seen them up close. Of course I ran back to the house, grabbed my camera, and began taking reference photos so I wouldn't lose a bloom.
This painting is the result of that experience.

Blue Iris

Blue Iris
Original Watercolor Painting