Sims Lake Park Plein Air

Yesterday was gorgeous! The sky was so blue and I can tell that Spring will be here soon. Everything is beginning to bloom and this is just the start. Can't wait for Atlanta during spring! Here's my oil painting from yesterday. Kay Hibbard another artist friend of mine and I came here to set up an paint. Her website with her beautiful work can be found here: http://kayhibbard.com. We were only there a little over 2 hours and the light was changing on the pine tree that I was painting and shadows on the ground. This picture doesn't show the beautiful bright contrast that I started with. Now I have so many paintings to finish. At least this one captured that moment when the light was just right.

Payne-Corley House Studies

In Progress - Saucer Magnolia Watercolor botanical

My artist friends and I went plein air painting here at the Payne-Corley House in Duluth, GA late Friday afternoon. There is a beautiful (and famous) saucer magnolia tree in the front yard. I read on their website that this tree is the largest one of its kind in the state of Georgia. Even though my plein air piece is worthy of the trash can I did get plenty of reference photos while we were there. I'm using one of the reference photos to paint this watercolor botanical. ...still have a ways to go before its finished.

Payne-Corley House Duluth, GA - Gouache

Here is one of my gouache value sketches of this beautiful home. I feel like a fish out of water with this new medium and figured I better start with a value study before adding a full palette. This piece was also painted in my studio using a reference photo.

Two Magnolia Trees - Moleskin Sketchbook

Here is a watercolor sketch on a cloudy day. I have been extra busy with my graphic design work and   have not spent much time at all painting. Whenever I take the time to paint, usually at the end of the day, I'm refreshed because it helps me to unwind. The kind of graphics work I've been doing is super focused environmental graphic design involving bank way finding signage. Pretty much the exact opposite of this. It's a nice balance.
I hope to keep experimenting with watercolor and gouache more and more. This medium takes no time to set up and travel with. My family and I are taking a trip soon up the east coast and I plan to do a little plein air painting if they let me. I want to improve in these water media skills for just that reason.

From My Sketchbook

9"x 12" 

Ink Wash/Watercolor

Here is a sketch from my sketchbook. This was drawn from a photo of a recent trip my kids and I took to IKEA.
I'm glad to say that I was able to paint or draw for 23 of the 30 days.  This was a fun challenge and I hope to continue to paint daily and upload work to this blog once every week. Here is a link to the finished work of the artists that participated. It's fun to see all of the collages https://www.saetastudio.com/30-in-30-blog. Hope to do it again later this year!