I am teaching Watercolor Accordion Books Saturday, Nov. 2, at Oregon Fall Creek Festival

Picture is of accordion watercolor book class participants

One morning and one afternoon the workshops include my watercolor painting accordion books for the eighth year. Each year brings new exciting ideas about a family oriented crafts that include nature study. Other classes include fish printing, wire wrap Jewelry making, recycled grocery bag printing, and bird house making. Classes begin at 10:30 AM and 2 PM. At the Oregon Hatchery Research Center at Fall Creek Road 13 miles West of Alsea on Highway 34 the third annual Fall Creek Festival. This family event welcomes families with members of all generations. The event takes place in the classrooms of the Research Center overlooking spawning salmon in Fall Creek. A morning and afternoon workshop is free with all supplies and a free lunch included. Also given is a vegetarian option. Don't miss the tour of the hatchery after lunch. The public is invited but reservations are necessary as space is limited. This year will include found supplies, and demonstration of commercial papers, paper folding and ideas on seeing nature and keeping memories. To make reservations call 541-487-5512 or e-mail oregonhatchery.researchcenter@state.or.us

The result of two handed viewfinder for plein air painting.

Workshop at Fall Creek Fish Hatchery and Research Center

This will be the fourth year that I have taught watercolor at Fall Creek Fish Hatchery and Research Center. It is free but pre regestration is necessary. It is the first Saturday, November 6. To secure a place call Joseph O'neil at 1-541-487-5512. Below is a student's work from last year.

In the afternoon it was dark and rainy outdoors. I tried to find an activity that did not involve going outside to paint.


Here is one result " Fort Hood" rendered by a gentleman who took up my idea of expressing your emotions and the perception of all your senses. Looking through my collection of photographs he selected one as a starting point. It was a sunset over water with grass in the foreground. For his "Fort Hood Flag at Half Mast" he preferred to paint on pure white paper slightly sullied by the folded grid for a book. The paper had been folded into 16 square pages but not cut. I don't know if the gentleman was aware of the symbolic significance of his heart felt memorial painting. I see this as an expressive work.
As a teacher I don't feel I had much success in convincing my students that they really have so much art inside them.
For the most part I had some very appreciative students learning some basic possibilities for carrying watercolors outdoors. I heard some wonderful questions on techniques. In hind sight I have additional things I want to share at the Fall Creek Fish and Art Festival, 2010.






I received this question. What specifically can I do to improve my style in watercolor?

This was a great question and the class was almost over. I had spent so much time talking about how to be prepared for sun, and rain and hunger and thirst. I showed how to manage drying your work without a hairdryer. I fear especially for the beginning students, there is a need to know much more about getting the paint from the palette to the paper. What different possibilities does a round pointed brush have in contrast to a flat one? Where do you begin first with the forms or the spaces around?
The beginning point doesn't matter. Then proceed on the path of least resistance making what you do as simple as possible. To improve your sense of color and how you form and place your images there is nothing better than trial. Select what you like best. Keep painting and drawing into your paintings. I really like to tint the paper before I paint and then just a few lines on location makes for painting that tends to be tied together.
I wish all my students more exciting, memorable painting experiences.

Accordion folded watercolor painted on two boat trips one day apart

To see an enlargement please click on the image.

An example of an accordion folded watercolor

This was painted on a hike up on the Nature Conservancy Trail. It reminds me of all the wonderful inspirations on a day that was partly sunny between rain showers. To see an enlargement click on the image.

Detail showing lines made with Chinook Salmon fish bone

Above are my paint scraper combs. From our freshly caught Chinook, I kept the head bones for oil and watercolor painting tools. These tools could be seen as a gimmick but I like how they feel and look. Plus I am avoiding cleaning brushes and dumping noxious solvents in the wilderness. Can you find the mark of my natural fish bone tool in my paintings?

I found it very difficult to use only fish bones with watercolor. The interesting line quality worked on very small details added as a last touch. I used fish bones through out the building of an image in acrylic and oil paint more successfully.

Details of changes on "Bovine Catching Lily's Song"

I just can't do daily paintings. I start out fresh with a feeling but sometimes that feeling goes to desperation. Like yesterday when I made this great departure leaning towards fantasy. The other factor was I have more than doubled the size of my surface and it took some doing to completely cover the canvas without using solvents that cause headaches.

This afternoon I was pleased to work into the still wet paint in order to reclaim the happy song of the lilies.

There maybe more steers. Tomorrow I will paint with the Albany Painting Enthusiasts. and will be able to build on the series at Nicole's Nursery.

White Water Splash

A painting from a watercolor accordion book painted on a wilderness rafting trip on the Lower Salmon River in the Idaho, Washington Oregon corner, 4 3/4"x 7", "White Water Splash" is not for sale.

This little painting is one page of the book and nice to look at in this 95 degree weather even though I painted in around 1997.

More Seal Rock, Oregon Watercolor Paintings

Friday, today, and this weekend is devoted to family but I have some pictures to share
from our visit last week to Seal Rock.
Fishermen at Seal Rock, Watercolor and Gouache, 12" x 16", $90.

Rocks with Sponges,Seal Rock, Oregon, watercolor, 12" x 16", $90.For a flattering description of me see http://rainydaythought.blogspot.com/2009/06/art-as-calling.html

Diane Hoff's pastel and dualchrome mica painting workshop

This was a day of eye candy and play with important lessons on what I could be doing to improve how I paint. I do criticise my work and that keeps the intuitive under a lid. We were given many tools to give our creative selves permission. Diane has just two more work shops left before going to Scotland where she will build another teaching studio.

The first painting we did was with two colors - a warm and a cool. We looked at the stimulus object in nature but not the paper. I chose a doorway with a chair and planter jars. The purpose of using the non-dominate hand is that you really look and experience nature more fully in a tactile non-verbal awareness. To make this experience different from what I ordinarily do in abstracted painting was to use some architectural angles in the doors and chair. I used the angularity as a opposed to organic form without trying to reproduce the scene.

We picked two colors that we didn't like - Thalo green and lamp black. Also a watercolor pencil . I hated the result until I dripped some dualchrome green and gold to extend the thalo green to another sensation.

On a prepared paper with iridescent gold and mauve tinted paper I used a weathered tree stump for the linear detail and form. The color perole orange was a favorite choice unrelated to the subject. The stump was not important as an object for the painting.

These two paintings on Canson watercolor paper were done playing one off the other. Some dried Fennel pods were the springboard for a beginning to stimulate an inward intuitive journey where playing was the rule of the day. Well the word rule is poor because we were encouraged not to try to make something that fits in preconceived formula. We were trying to shut out the critics in our head and learn from new adventures. These two were done using iridescent pastel and water. I loved the paper and wished to play the paper against the pastel brushed like paint.

Iridescent and duochrome acrylic on dark gray Spectrum toothy sandy paper. The fern texture came from blotting it on another paper pictured below.

Iridescent acrylics on Spectrum pastel mixed media paper from Australia.

Albany Painting Enthusiasts at Iris Test Garden on Independence Hwy.

I took these pictures because we have iris and the grass has bloomed since I painted it last. And I want to paint them in the breezy morning. Maybe tomorrow!



Today I drove to Jim Beecroft's Test Iris Garden on Independence Hwy. and met with fellow artists from Albany.

"Energy of Blushing White Iris" watercolor media and watercolor crayon in process, 15" x 22", $150

Cherry Blossom Iris

This morning was a little breezy and cool. I loved taking pictures of the grass in my own back yard and was having some separation anxiety but I put the effort out to pack a lunch and head for this wonderful garden that Michael and Billie Moore was able to get permission for us to paint. I am so fortunate to be a part of this group. It was fun to have a bite of lunch and visit.

Three illustrations - Corvallis, North Albany, Oregon Coast

"Play Garden Wall and Queen Ann's Lace Train Yard" Western and 7th Street , Corvallis, 1996, w.c., 12 1/2" x 22", $90

"1986 View from our Kitchen", w. c., completed today, 15" x 20", $90.

"Photographer Stretching His Limits," Oregon Coast, 1986, air brush and watercolor, determined to be complete without need of change today, 20" x 14", $90

Three paintings of trees on the Oregon Coast

2002, Trees in the Breeze, Cleawox Lake, Oregon, w.c., 30" x 22". $150




2002Four Trees at Cleawox Lake at Honeyman State Park, Oregon, w.c., 22" x 15", $90

2003, Looking inland at Devil's Kitchen Wayside near Bandon, Oregon, watercolor on handmade tinted paper, 19" x 15", $120

Power of water in paint and photographs

In these pictures I believe the paintings do tell something I can not photograph.

The moon and approaching and leaving Ushuaia

One of my favorite parts of the cruise was when my husband pointed out the sea life to me as we left the Falklin Islands and approached Ushuiai, Argentina. I was delighted to wake early about 4:30 AM to see the moon through our portal. We quickly dressed and went to the 10th and 11th decks to watch the approach of Ushuaia.

Both the photographs and the scans of my paintings turned out too blue and I am working on getting the color adjusted or in the case of the paintings I may try to just photograph them and see if I can get the color closer.

Beagle Channel from the aft deck on the Infinity Cruise Ship

Watercolors from my Aquabee Supper Deluxe sketch book. January 11, 2009.