FINISHING PAINTINGS

Last week before the art show at Lynne's in Michigan, I shuffled through my flat files to collect work that needed to be matted. These iris were dug out of that stack.

The painting was a fullsheet - 22 x 30" - and although I enjoyed painting it at the time, I went on to something else before completing them. To make life easier, I cut the picture in half and completed this half before putting a mat on it. The other half may never get finished. We'll see.

I didn't have any Transparent Pyrrol Orange when I'd started this about six years ago, but I quickly swished some of it over the lower dark petals to give them a glow. Loved it. The painting looks more controlled than how I paint today, but it worked out ok.

Is anyone else notorious for leaving paintings behind, loosing interest in them? It's tough sometimes to gain back my excitement to complete the work.

"LOVELY LADIES" Transparent Watercolor on 300#CP Arches, 15 x 22"

GAYLE'S GARDEN

For many years, I had the pleasure of filling my mother-in-law's small backyard with flowers. However, that eventually gave way to my painting - allowing less time (and interest) for landscaping.

I think that it's easier to paint a flower than to dig a hole in our hard packed, clay soil, plant the flower, and then have to fight off the rabbits and deer and slugs and bugs during our hot, humid summers.

This year, my mother-in-law moved from her home of 50 years, but she's still enjoying this painting that I did several years ago for her. She misses her garden, though.

These iris are painted on a full sheet of Fabriano Artistico, a paper that allows the paint to be lifted and blended more easily after it's dry. Fabriano is slightly softer than Arches, and works well for portraits, too.

Mother-in-law's are a lot like flowers - some more beautiful and special than others - which perfectly describes mine. When our older son was about 3, he wanted to help me plant some bulbs for his grandma. Each variety was packaged in its own bag, so he 'helped' by dumping them all out . . . in one big pile . . . over 300 assorted bulbs! I was mortified, thinking that now there was no way I could follow my carefully planned, color coordinated landscape design." My mother-in-law laughed and said it would be beautiful. The next spring, it was.

"MUMSY'S GARDEN" Transparent Watercolor on 140#CP Fabriano Artistico, COLLECTED

INCOMPLETE???

It's hard to know how much to say in a painting, and it's so easy for me to overdo it. But this painting seems unfinished, possibly needing a little more detail or color, but where?

This was my class demo a couple of weeks ago, incorporating the lifting method taught by Cheng Khee Chee. I've been looking at it, tempted to fool with it, but afraid that I'll paint one stroke too many. The leaves look a little wimpy, and I also don't like the small iris in the lower part of the background on the far left. Maybe it needs to be faintly repeated. Maybe I should crop the painting. Any suggestions or ideas would be appreciated.

Painted on Fabriano Artistico 140# 22 x 15" and not yet titled.