Groundhog Day

We had our first–soon-to-be-annual–event today. Watched Groundhog Day streaming. Ate salad from close by. Held hands. 

Interview with Charlie O’Shields – Creator of Doodlewash and founder of World Watercolor Month and World Watercolor Group

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Eileen McKenna {my creative resolution}'s avatar

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I am so excited to turn the tables and interview Charlie O’Shields! Charlie has been featuring other watercolor artists from around the globe since he started painting and blogging. Charlie has built an amazing and supportive community of artists who love watercolor.
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAworld-watercolor-group-page-header-for-emailCharlie O’Shields is the Creator of Doodlewash and founder of World Watercolor Month (July) and World Watercolor Group. He currently lives in Kansas City, Missouri with his Parisian partner, Philippe, and a temperamental basenji named Phineas.

What made you start drawing and painting AND posting?

Well, my partner, Philippe, decided to try watercolor and it looked fun so I started doing it with him and I was immediately hooked. I began by Urban Sketching, which was super fun, but ended up just learning many fast sketching techniques, as I didn’t often want to sketch only what was in front of me. I also use a mixture of reference photos and bits of…

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Trying to get well… paint on paper.

Since December I have been haunted by a mysterious bug plus cold. Hauled my as into my studio to at least play a bit. Imaginary flower with Inktense blocks on paper. Way fun with intense color. More drying on my board today.

Good Sunday to ya

I’ve been sick for more than a month. Sitting out here in the 70-degree sunshine. Helps a lot. Paint today I hope.

WIP watercolor on Yupo

Using my beloved QoR watercolor, this is Michael in his element

Hail to the Chief

Thinker, writer

Jim McKeever's avatarJim McKeever

Donald Trump NBC News photo.

Ladies and gentlemen, here is the President-elect of the United States of America.

God help us all.

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And more

Feeling better these days and publishing some older stuff for sale. Watercolor quartersheet, $200 sale.

Once more with feeling

This painting won me a finalist position in the Artist’s Magazine annual. i still love it so I’m showing it off again.

Feeder fodder for the birds

October is breast cancer pay-attention month

I always paint a pink one for this month, but Florida’s man many colors have kept me busy. So here is my 2013-14 edition. Sunflowers ending their run. Sennelier watercolor and ink on WC paper.

For your consideration

And for sale, just ask. I have a bunch of watercolors that I would like to sell. Some are older and some are current. Would love comments, critiques too. Thanks. Martha Keim.

#Inktober

Watercolor, coffee, ink on WC postcard (Arches, QoR)

Another one from a few years ago

Cazenovia, NY: Valley from Toloa’s house

For #inktober

Here’s the fifteenth ink drawing from a live model session. It took two hours of intense practice, practice, practice to get to here. Pen and ink is great for learning form, while splashing paint (tomorrow’s post) is for learning color.

And another

North Carolina treeline from a previous life


The flowers that bloom

Matthew is here.

Posting oldies till I can shoot some newer ones. Keep your brushes wet. Red, my treeing walker coonhound rescue.

Tonight we wait for Matthew

Eye of the storm

The heat, the colors, oh boy

This is a shot at sunset on Lake Lowery, Florida and below is a watercolor-in-progress, i.e. What I did to it.

another older one

Still doing a lot of doctor stuff here. Pain is currently winning, so I am sharing a couple from a few years ago. Oldies but goodies. #watercolor #worldwatercolorgroup

Spring springing

And Tom’s studio

WC 

Here’s one I liked from a couple years ago. Not the best shot but I like the colors. #worldwatercolorgroup

Red hot tulip watercolor

I shared this one on Facebook the other day and got lots of positive responses, so I’m doing it again. We need more positives now. The world is a mess, all colors, sizes and political practices. We are so polarized in this country that I am sad.

So I stop political rants, yes, again and post or share only art, music and things which feed us.

Ergo, Peace on the day after. Thanks. More to come.

Today I have to rant. Then I’ll go paint

I’m so pissed off about Donald John Trump–AKA the yapping yam–that I am going to repost this spectacularly well-writ piece by Keith Olbermann. All of the attributions are there, the way journalists were taught to use them. As a former journalist–now artist, blogger and ranter–I just cannot stand it anymore! Even an exclamation point!
Wake up, America. Trump is a danger to us all.
Now I need bourbon.
Go watch Broadcast News for the late great Albert Finley. After you watch this video by Keith Olbermann

Florida heat WIP

#worldwatercolor


At it again. Comments welcome, critique too

Hot air, great skies

As we wait for Hermine’s travel decision, I paint inside on my iPad.  Procreate app. Skies blow me away here.

Work in progress

Celebrating the colors, heat and humidity of Florida. I’ve survived eight months now, including the h0ttest month ever. The natives tell me I will make it. 

Color here is just so HERE. From living in upstate NY and wearing black, seeing gray skies and loving it there to here has been a culture shock. I love, love the hot food, always fresh produce, the choices, and even the nightly fireworks sounds from, I think, Disney. 

We accidentally got caught in the come-hither-purple Disney web the other day. Moving toward the gates, I screamed “No, no no!” But thankfully a worker there told us how to get out. It is a machine, Disney. People like zombies in the heat waiting in line to pay too much money. Enough.

Here’s a work in progress for today.

#worldwatercolormonth

Full moon in the Keys

The full moon over our salt lake in the Florida Keys inspired this iPad painting in Procreate app.

From the Keys, from the Keys, from the beautiful Keys

We took a complicated road trip last week, involving Key West. Good. And Jeep engine gone. Not good. I got to swim in the ocean and romp with our dog in the ocean. My sweetie and I cooked yellowfin tuna, drank iced coffee and beer.

I painted some, but those are for a later post.

Here is a Key West sunset


Heard it sizzle into the ocean.

A week way south (the Everglades and the Keys, w00t)

This week has been full of adventure: a dead Jeep (being repaired); our first RV trip with Charlie (below) our beloved rescue dog. Charlie is almost as hardheaded as James Michael Pensinger, my first and now last sweetheart.


Charlie goes south. Our handsome rescue dog.


James Michael Pensinger, my beloved, driving our RV down to the Keys. Just because.


A work in progress of a beauty in the Everglades


The old bridge to the Keys, from the seven mile bridge. Whoopeee 


The view from our windshield on Sugarloaf Key. This is a seven-acre saltwater lake.

Now I go out to the day. Stay tuned and thanks for reading. Watercolors await.

Martha

Yep, I did it

Went for an airboat ride in the Everglades. Ancient creatures abide. Our tour guide turned off the noisy boat regularly so we could experience the peace of this place. I will paint here.

Everglades

One from my bucket list. We are in a park here in the titillating swamp with our little house on wheels. Today I will try to ride an airboat. May chicken out. Stay tuned. Meanwhile here’s last night’s sunset looking east toward Miami. There was a big storm which caught the sun’s last rays. 

With classical music in the background, we watched the coming storm.

This week

Hello reader,

I have gotten my life back together, am divorced and happily living in Florida (!) with my first–and now last–sweetheart, Michael Pensinger. Even entered Watercolor Artist annual competition. I was a finalist in 2014, so I’m gonna brag, just a little and post it here. 

Watercolor painting is interesting down here. I paint outside our home on wheels (RV) and sometimes need to take paintings inside to dry. Humidity is a factor. Anyway, that’s all for today with my 2014 painting:

Feeder fodder for the birds, donated to the children’s center for an auction fundraiser. 

For your critique

This is a quartersheet watercolor, taken into Paper53 to add the orange. I can’t decide if I want to add the orange in real paint. Any observations are welcome. I think this painting has something to do with the heat and humidity here in Florida where I live. The colors here and the stretching blue skies are whelming, maybe overwhelming at first. It rains every afternoon lately so we get all kinds of sky shows.


Thanks, as always. Martha Keim (-used-to-be-St.-Louis)

Now that they are hung …

I am happy to have donated five 4″ by 4″ inch watercolors to the Just Add Water exhibit at the Kirkland Art Gallery in tiny Clinton, NY. The hook for me was Golden QoR watercolors. Participating artists were given QoR sample packs and paper. Great fun to be splashing and flinging on small sheets. Thanks to Linda Bigness for inviting me.

And here they are:


They are only $20 apiece. All proceeds go to KAC.

Thanks for looking.

Martha Keim (-used-to-be St. Louis)

Alive

I am tears I am rage I can be both inside the sadness and happiness I am the colors I am dead yet i am living

Source: Alive

New RV life; new/old love


My life has changed for the better!

That said, thanks for hanging in with me. Full time RV life seems to suit me well. The view always changes. Presenting my first and last sweetheart, James Michael Pensinger whom I’ve known since we were young.

Tulips

On Monday (is it Thursday already?) I posted a photo I would paint. Then my back got me.

So today here is a tulip. Watercolor on gessoed canvas (11 by 15″). For sale, $300 including shipping.

Monday monday


To paint tomorrow. Will post. How many hues might I use? Three, I think. Can you guess which? Golden Qor water colors.

Zestful

Zestful from my friend in North Cyprus.

The Crazy Crone's avatarDANCES WITH CANCER

Zestful

I was talking about my life yesterday, since it’s coming up to twenty years since I got fibromyalgia and a damaged spine, and I commented that – despite the challenges – I’d managed to lead a zestful life.

Then I was reminded of a section in Elizabeth Gilbert’s “Eat, Pray, Love” which I re-read recently, and how she was trying to work out what word described herself.

I know I’m a fully paid-up member of the Awkward Squad, I’m eccentric, I’m unconventional and I can drive people quite around the twist because I’m stubborn and opinionated. And yes, I’ve had some ups and downs in life, but I’ve always enjoyed life and gone at it full tilt.

So the light went off in my head – yes, my word is “zestful”.

The next question is, of course …… what’s your word?

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Along the Erie Canal

All the years I lived in NY I had not ridden in a canal boat. Visited recently. Proof below.

Sold!

I just sold a painting from View Arts in Old Forge, NY! Show ends Memorial weekend with a Saturday reception. Forgive me if this has posted twice.


There are only five left. Thanks for reading.

Oh, Well….

Read this guy–funny, profane, godly sometimes–always thinking while driving truck

treyzguy's avatarBroke LDS

My stats suck.

I guess I’m not doing it for the fame, though.

I started my blog as a therapy tool and it’s fun when people take the time to visit or comment.

But, it seems like here recently, most of my visitors are web-bots and scammers….

I know I’ve been writing about religion a lot lately but, I can’t help it. I’ll be 52 this year and I’m feeling my mortality and my morality.

I’m sure it’s a stage everyone goes thru; I’m just glad it doesn’t involve hot flashes.

I’m just glad I get visitors when I do and I appreciate y’all spending whatever time you can with my little blog.

Thx, Trey

p.s #ReblogsRock

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Ten by ten

I just entered a 10 x 10 art sale at View Arts, Old Forge, NY. This is where part of my heart will always live. When I was a kid I helped Mirnie Kashiwa and friends hang the first of many annual art shows at what would become the Central Adirondack Art Gallery, hosting shows after shows until it gained national prestige.

This month, a fundraiser called 10 by 10 is being held there. We artists send paintings measuring ten by ten inches and View Arts (new name) sells them for a hundred smackers. We artists accept $50 and donate the other $50 to View Arts. I am delighted to have sent six little guys. Please make a trek to Old Forge in May and scoop up a few. Many thanks.

I sign Keim now, having almost divorced the St. Louis part. Look for me, please?

Work in progress… Or finished?

Part one: Washing and scraping


Part two: Is it finished?


Happy for any comments, good or bad. Thanks.

Joy of the figure


A week ago I had the immense pleasure of attending a weekly live model drawing session near me in Orlando. Above is the last of 15 drawings in two hours. Practice, practice practice. I was rusty but like this last one. Five-minute ink drawing.


This is the same pose but 20 minutes, next to last drawing before I wore out. I love the extreme foreshortening the pose required.

These next three were finding my way. Just below is just a quick gesture sketch. Below it are one with some color and one with the torso made too long, but I like the expression on the lively young model’s face.