Very excited to get the word out about this fun way to paint!

Brusho is very new to our area and I think it will open up a lot of possibilities to anyone who wants to try painting for the first time, or experienced artists who want to try something new.

                   Try a colorful fun loose painting medium!

                    Instructor: Christy Lemp

                                 

Friday, January 16

10 AM-3 PM

Marcellus Library $50 ($40 for MSAG members)

Call Jill Newton 685-3388 or email jillsy46@yahoo.com for details.

All levels-no experience necessary (Maximum 20 spaces)

Looking Ahead....

Looking ahead to January 2015-I'm very excited to participate in the Wash a Week Challenge with a group of 7 artists from 7 countries.  Many of us did the 100 Washes a couple years ago that Maggie Latham had started and we became online artist friends since then. ( Maybe I need to clarify that this is watercolor washes, not laundry that my husband thought it was!) We will all experiment and publish our washes with a few explanations of how we created them, so everyone can learn along with us.

How cool that art can be shared so globally! It's really my favorite thing about the internet.

Go to the Wash a Week link on the right if you'd like to follow along. Once a month there will be a public challenge if you'd like to try that!

                                         

It's A Wonderful Shop 2014

Our 4th annual Holiday Shop will be December 6.  Lots to get ready! This image "Dreamy Cardinals" will be available as prints, notecards and the framed original. We have 8 local artists this year and we will fill a friend's house with tons of great gifts for Christmas. It's like a shopping party-can't wait!
Click the link on the right to see what will be offered.

Fishing Around

The last of four commissions done-and everyone liked their paintings thank goodness! This one seemed to paint itself onto Fabriano 300# hot press paper, and using watercolor with a Brusho background for the bright corals.  The customer provided a photo that he took while diving in Mexico; it's a juvenile spotted drumfish, which I had never heard of before.  Though commissions are challenging, it makes me push myself and I learn something new every time!

More ADK

I've been wanting to paint this scene for years! Kayaking on Big Moose River in the fall is the best treat with its powerful, natural beauty.
I've become a big fan of this Khadi paper handmade in India; it holds the color so well and is soft to the touch. It would be great to make a little journal out of.  Best of all, it's not expensive so you can experiment all you want without being worried about the cost!

Adirondack Moment

From an annual kayak trip to Covewood Lodge on Big Moose Lake.  We were soooo fortunate to catch several 80 degree sunny days in a row during peak autumn color.  I managed to squeeze a bit of time between paddling, hiking, golfing and chatting to paint from the dock.  Hope to do more from the many photos we took. I wish I didn't need sleep this time of year-there is so much rich scenery to paint from!

September Sunflowers

Sometimes I hesitate to paint sunflowers because so many other artists do, but I couldn't resist this bunch a friend gave me last weekend. It was a rainy day and these were perfect to  play with to cheer things up!

A little plein air study from our vacation in California.  Carmel beach is a haven for dog lovers! And for the dogs of course-they run and play for hours. It is so charming (and clean!)

Conservation Area

It's been the busiest month ever and a great start to summer after our never ending winter.  There's so much to catch up on this blog; I will have to start with this picture and go backwards. We have a beautiful conservation area that features this pond-it is always stocked with fish so families come visit to fish and enjoy nature. I'd like to do a series from this area portraying the life that it has; people and their dogs are always playing and walking the trails and having picnics.

Oh, and this is a new paper that I LOVE! It is Khadi handmade Indian paper. It has a wonderful soft feel, and watercolor is a dream to paint on it. The color stays fresh and it holds water well, and the paint lifts nicely. Not too expensive either, maybe $1 per "12x16" sheet.

Indigo Bunting

A beautiful indigo bunting came to the feeder on Mother's Day! What a nice little gift; it's a first time visit from this bird. I struggled for a while to find the right color blue to paint him and finally settled on Brusho turquoise, which was the perfect shade. They really are this color!

Susi

Susi the turtle is 60 years old-her owner has had her since she was 6! We visited with her family in Germany when my son was on a scholarship there.  She was fascinating to watch; slowly meandering through the house and garden, stopping every so often to smell someone's feet! We've stayed in touch with this family ever since, and I really wanted to do this little portrait for them since she has been part of their lives for so long. Who would think you could get so attached to a turtle?

Imagine Gallery Exhibit

Well this was a lot of fun! The Imagine Gallery in Skaneateles hosted a really nice First Friday event and art reception for me as a guest artist for the month of May.

It was a family affair for the Panzarellas, who own the shop;  Joe and Jane (Sarah's mom and dad),  Sarah and husband Jeremy, and their two small children Aurora and Jasper.

They were organized, did press releases, hung the paintings and made great little labels for them, poured wine, and chatted up the customers. Many of their own friends came to support the opening and bought some things as well.  All I had to do was have some wine and talk to people!  I'm very grateful for all they did.

               Very excited to be represented in a local gallery!

Imagine, a craft gallery and jewelry store located in the heart of Skaneateles, will be hosting local Skaneateles artist Christy Lemp for May First Friday, the kick off to the First Friday season. A reception will be held Friday May 2nd 5-8pm with refreshments and musical entertainment by Imagine’s house band The Occasional Suspects. The exhibition will be hung for the month of May. Christy’s work can also be found on the front cover of the Skaneateles phone book, look for it in July!

New Daffodils

Impatiently waiting for our spring flowers to bloom, I went to a photo from the Philadelphia flower show for reference.  After days of experimenting with yellows and nothing working...aaugh!...switched gears and picked these nice orangey and white ones.
Been hopping around with various projects and exhibit prep but enjoyed taking my time on this painting.  It was on the easel all week with a dabble here and a dabble there.  White flowers demand you take time and let layers dry fully to see what subtle nuances are taking place.  Waiting is not usually my strong point!

Scope of Nature

Getting excited preparing for our art exhibit at our local nature center with my watercolors and friend's photos.  They do such a great job promoting, hanging, and even have a reception for us.  It'll be nice to celebrate spring coming!

Wedding

This is a collage of paintings from photos of my niece's wedding in October.  Watercolor paint on a 9"x12" aquaboard. Not used to painting so small, but I think it came out okay.  It looks like it tells some of the story of their beautiful wedding.

Really?

Working on this little finch who was taking some shelter on a cold winter day. I can relate to the look on his face with all the temperature changes we've had lately.  Really? Seriously? It was 50 degrees yesterday and 10 today? How about some more wind and snow too?
Our birds are such brave little friends.  Must keep the feeder full!  They provide us with such color and entertainment, and always a fun painting subject.