Flying Low in Santa Fe

My husband and I went to Santa Fe this past October. One of the highlights was the Georiga O'Keefe Museum. I loved seeing so much of her work together and hearing about her life. We spent our time going from one gallery to another. The main highlight for me was going hot air ballooning! Unfortunately, this is an early morning activity. It is necessary to go in the morning before the sun starts affecting the earth's surface so that you have a smooth ride vs. experiencing a lot of turbulence. Flying low is because, we did contour ballooning which is flying low to the earth right along the contours of the hills. If you ever go ballooning, ask if they are contour flying otherwise, you just go straight up, maintain one altitude, then straight down. On our ride we went up and down, felt the ever so slight wind changes, touched ground a couple of times and glided right beside these gorgeous vertical ridges.

It is absolutely amazing when you lift up off the ground and right before your eyes the ground is shrinking away and you see a very fast changing perspective. It is so peaceful and like floating. It was almost like time stopped only because it was the quietest quiet I have ever experienced. I wanted to stay up there all day. To be gliding smoothly and quietly over the earth so close to see wild rabbits.

When it was time to land, the wind and changes in air pressure had already been affected by the sun. Our speed was high, it was pretty bumpy skimming the ground for so long and the balloon wanted to keep going although the land crew had hold of our basket. With this balloon company they always end every ride with a champagne toast to remember the first balloon ride in France. When the first balloon landed on some farm land in the country, the farmers were so frightened and wanting to protect themselves. The pilots proved that they were harmless and flying the king's balloon by sharing a bottle of the king's champagne with the farmers.

The painting, Santa Fe House is probably one of the most photographed houses in Santa Fe. I thought I had found some little gem. Painting the adobe structures is very similar to painting the Mykonos structures. Very thick walls that you can catch the light on or some creative color play in shading. I used several very soft, pale washes on the adobe. I enjoyed seeing all of the light blues, lavenders, oranges and reds in the wood shutter to the side of the door. The wood door had some of these colors, but, the shutter for some reason had so many more. As you can see, I found several colors including blue and lavender in the adobe.

11x14 original watercolor, $300

Mykonos Revisited

This was a villa down below where we were staying. The sun has already passed over the house and it is about 3:00 or 4:00 in the afternoon. I love Mykonos' white and blue architecture. All over the island are structures made of thick white walls with bright blue doors and shutters. These structures are great to paint/draw because they are simple, yet, have so many different surfaces and the thickness of the wall gives an opportunity to play with light and shade. The white is really bright with the sun shining on it. I have only been twice, once in March and once in April. Both times just a tad too cold to thoroughly enjoy the beach. The water is the most amazing clear blue. Despite how cold it was, I still went swimming. It was not nearly as cold as a lake in Red River, New Mexico. That water was clear green, reflecting the trees.

11x14 original watercolor

Architectural Journey

Here is a commission I just finished. For the locals, do you know which house this is? As you know, I love the architectural detail in old homes. This house was built in the 1920's, but, has been renovated recently. The architectural detail inside and out is amazing. Because of the trees and landscaping, it was difficult to get a photo. Also, I had to be discreet when taking the photos because my client was going to give it to her husband for his birthday. The first time I went to take photos, the husband came out to walk the dog so I had to sneak away. I went back on another day when I knew he would be gone and took several photos. I finally got a photo from an unexpected viewpoint which was perfect. I love how the trees in the foreground frame the entry with the trees that are in the center of the yard. This is the 4th house on this street that I have had the privilege of painting.

11x14 original watercolor by Liana Yarckin

I found these cards from a Christmas past. Years ago, before I had children, I would paint individual Christmas cards. That was when I had all of the time in the world to meticulously tape off 50 plus cards and paint one for everyone on my list. It was a relaxing and rewarding time preparing the cards. Sometimes I would paint snow scenes, Christmas trees, holly branches, every year a different theme. The above are cards from the Christmas that I had just found out I was pregnant with my first child. I don't remember exactly how I got the image for the above cards. I always loved Michelanglo's Pieta. My mom even had a small replica in her room. I remember that was my inspiration. As always, I wanted to use lots of vibrant colors. Also, another favorite technique, wet into wet. With the above 3, you can see how the results are different as the paper was freshly wet compared to starting to dry. I would line my cards up and do several at a time. I tried different colors in different areas, as well as different techniques. It was always fun to see the results. For the first few years after children I would send a watercolor card along with a photo card. When I stopped doing that, a friend called and asked if she was off of the "A" list because she didn't get a watercolor card. I told her that I didn't do them that year. She told me that she always looked forward to getting her original little painting every year.

Snowy Days

A tribute to our white Christmas in Dallas. It never snows here, so the excitement of a snowy Christmas Eve and then yards and houses covered in white snow on Christmas morning made me feel like Santa came! Some even made snowmen. Because of the holidays and also my latest project the guitar players, I have no new paintings. So I found these two to post just to say hello to you. The one on top was done years ago in Naomi Brotherton's class. She is known for her night paintings, so here I have not only a night painting, but, a snowy night painting. The second painting is not complete. I am working on a couple of house paintings, plus doing a lot of research on trying to find out what to do next with my guitar players. I found an artist that is highly regarded for his fantastic portraits. I love his work, and it is close to what I am imagining for the guitar players - just capturing the essence of their expressions, but, I am shocked that his work seems to be unfinished and sketchy, yet he is regarded as highly accomplished. Don't get me wrong, I do love his work. In the meantime, I found a book in all places, at my mom's house on our Christmas visit. This book posed the challenge for an artist to go beyond painting what you see. Create tension and vibrancy by purposefully selecting the appropriate colors. Right now all of the ideas are jumping around in my head and I have to either wait for them to calm down or just experiment to move on.

I will posts the name of the book next time (it is in the car right now). Hopefully, I will have something new to post for you soon!

Happy New Year!

English Tea

Guitar Player

English Tea

The above painting is a still life I did in a class. Up until this point I have never liked doing still lifes. I didn't want a still life to look at. They are so boring or odd. A bunch of random objects, usually from the kitchen. What is the point. But, from this still life I learned that the finish product is not really the point. By doing a still life, one gets to experiment with the medium of their choice. An artist can chose to try to be realistic or take the painting down a different path with different techniques. Also, not to mention, still lifes can greatly improve one's drawing skills. Still lifes are a good way to practice and experiment with simplifying shapes, learning about color, finding patterns, understanding positive/negative space, the way the light falls on an object, relationship between objects and the list goes on. I don't know why I like this still life. It does not sing to me, but, something about it keeps pulling me back to look at it. It is clearly not my typical color palette, maybe that is why there is no song. Something about it is working though and I am happy about that.

Guitar Player
I told you about the guitar player I was working on. This is as far as I have gotten. I started it long ago, but, am chicken to continue. I don't want to mess it up. When I am working on a painting, I am always visualizing it in my mind constantly. Whether I am driving, cleaning the kitchen, watching T.V., I sort of daydream and imagine the finish piece and then when I go to paint, I know what to do. Most of the time it is so easy for me to see the finish product. On this painting I cannot see what I want for the final product to be. I can kind of imagine it, but, it is cloudy. It is so weird, like having a dream that you can barely remember. So I keep thinking of it and waiting for the image to appear in my mind. I am so happy with what I have so far, can you believe that with the way it looks? I want to keep the sketchiness and just the essence of the gestures.

All comments welcome! Thanks for stopping by and Happy Thanksgiving!

Girl on Beach

Here is the watercolor from the ink study posted down below. The photo was taken in Nice. The girl is a young Italian girl watching her brother play. I simplified the photo, taking out all of the people, beach umbrellas, the city in the hills and focused only on the girl and her dress. I loved the way her dress was blowing in the wind and how it seemed that she had absolutely nothing to do but, take small wandering steps and twiddle her thumbs.

I have good news in regards to the two art shows I posted. Both were a success. The Grape Escape raises money for Heart House, an organization that provides after school care and activities for children. Art works by several artists were displayed and for sale with 50% or the proceeds going to Heart House. The most touching detail of the event was all of the "postcards" made by the children. Each postcard was decorated by a child with a message from them and their photo. To read the messages was both sweet and heartbreaking. Of course, I immediately took out my checkbook. I am so happy that my Aspens painting sold as well and that half of the proceeds will go to Heart House.

Then Friday night was the Annual Preview Party for CityArtCal. Great party with lots of great art by local artists. A guest found Sunbathing Poppies for a Christmas present. It sung to her and she said that when she saw it she immediately thought of her daughter. There were a couple of bidding wars going on with some of the artworks. My husband luckily won the bid on a painting that sung to him. Would you believe, aspens, but in a completely different style than what I paint.

Have a fabulous week. All comments welcome!

CityArtCal Party

Friday, November 6

1544 Slocum, Dallas

6-9pm

Great Art by local artists

Cocktails, Hors d'oeuvres, Live Music, Silent Auction

Nature Walk

Aspens

I started the aspens in a class with Cecy Turner. She is an amazing artist. Check out her website to see the most beautiful landscapes in both oil and watercolor, http://www.cecyturner.com/. Painting fall foliage is another opportunity for me to use the reds and oranges that I like.
11x14 original watercolor, Sold.


Sunbathing Poppies
I had a request to paint more poppies, which I couldn't wait to do. I love the transparency of the reds as well as mixing oranges, reds and dropping in blues and greens to get darker reds. These poppies are back lit. I love the way the way the petals glow when the sun is shining from behind a poppy. The petals look like crinkled tissue paper. They are so transparent when lit by the sun that you can see the cast shadow of petals from flowers that are behind. I love this layering effect.
11x14 original watercolor, Sold.

Sun Setting on a Country Road
I started this painting plein air when in Stowe, VT. I loved how the sun was shining brightly through the trees casting long shadows. I added some texture and detail in the studio this past week. Even though it lacks the detail of the Aspen studio painting, I like the feel that plein air paintings have. They are quick and capture the feel or mood. Plein air gives you a hint of the story and allows for your imagination to complete the picture.
11x14 original watercolor, $250

Pen and Ink

Custom Sketch, 8x10 sold

Friends, it has been so long. I had imagined that I was going to have so much time to paint and draw this school year. I am hoping to get back into my routine of painting and blogging again.

The above is a commission I had talked about previously. A client wanted a watercolor of her friend's new home to give as a house warming gift. The front of the house is very wide with a lot of beautiful architectural detail. I felt that if I did the entire house, the architectural detail would get lost. I suggested a close up view of the front entry in pen and ink.

I am currently working on more poppies and am visualizing this painting of 3 guys and a guitar.

Something to Brighten your rainy week

Red River Poppies
I have been dying to paint these poppies. It has been raining all week which I have actually enjoyed in contrast to our hot weather. I enjoyed painting these poppies so much. I didn't want the fun to be over, but at the same time, I couldn't wait to post it for you, either! This is on a full sheet so I was able to enjoy using many different shades of yellows to reds on the petals. I wanted to keep it light and vivid so I left more white in the background than usual. This painting will be on display at the CityArtCal party. See below post for link.
22x30 original watercolor, $1500

Here are two commissions that I have been working on. One is being given as an anniversary gift and the other as a birthday gift. They are in Highland Park and in Preston Hollow. I enjoyed painting each of them as I love architecture. The top one had such lush tropical landscaping which contrasts with most of the homes I have painted. Also, the top one required that I paint it in perspective instead of a straight on view. For that house, if I stood right in front of the house, the two trees were in front of the door. By stepping to the side I was able to get a better view of the house and in this case, it adds such depth to the painting. For the second home, it was really important to the client to see as much as the house as possible, especially the french doors. For this reason I did not add cast shadows because that could be distracting as the shadows would fall against the french doors.

I am happy to accept any and all commissions, no matter the size or style of the home. As Christmas comes closer, though, please keep in mind that these home portraits normally take about 6 weeks.

Summer Officially Over

Sunset at the Marina
The above painting is from a scene on the French Riviera. We found this little town when driving to dinner one night. I will have to look in my notes for the actual name. I love when driving on a trip you never know what surprise might be around the corner. My husband has learned not to react when I say, "Oh!" all of a sudden. He knows that I am going to ask him to turn the car around to take several photos of what I think would be the perfect painting.

This painting along with some of my other paintings will be on display at The Kitchen Source, 1544 Solcum in the Dallas Design District. This year The Kitchen Source is hosting the Annual CityArtCal Preview Party and have invited the participating artists to display their work there. The Preview Party is on November 6 from 6-9 with copies of the 2010 CityArtCal and a silent auction of art spanning a wide variety in medium and style. Last year's attendees were very pleased and I had someone ask me about it just today, hence the post! For more information, visit www.cityartcal.com.
37x29, original watercolor, beautifully framed, $650



This is a value study from a photo of a crowded beach in Nice. I wanted to do the photo as it is, crowded with umbrellas, people, Nice behind it and disappearing around the corner. I had just taken a workshop on oil painting and simplifying shapes. So for this painting I will have the one girl and her dress blowing in the ocean breeze. I will post that painting when it is complete.

Contrast and Compare

I just completed the painting on top for a client. It is the home they just moved out of, but since it was their first home together and where their children lived since they were born, they wanted a memento. It holds so many fond memories for them. Their new home is historically architecturally important and one of my favorite houses in Highland Park. Notice the difference between the two paintings above.

The second painting is for a fellow artist. I took a different approach for this painting. I painted this house without drawing it on the paper. Because of both the house style and the artist's style of painting, I wanted this painting to have more of an artistic style perhaps even painterly style. I did do a black and white study with gray scale markers first, then I went straight to the paper with my brush. Normally, I do an accurate pencil drawing on the paper.

It is interesting how different subjects and clients require different approaches. This is what makes each painting experience and painting different as well as special. I am about to start another commission of a house that is very wide. It is a beautiful home with a lot of architectural detail. Since it is so long, the detail will get lost. I am going to propose a pen and ink vingette of the front door area not only to highlight the architectural detail, but also to bring some intimacy and charm into the painting. Luckily, I already have a sample of something similar that I sketched years ago when living in Boston. I will show this to the client to help convey my idea. We will see what she thinks.

Thanks for visiting! Have a great day!

She Sells Seashells and other things

Pink Obsession
I was thoroughly enjoying painting my Cape Cod paintings, but, I noticed I hadn't used any reds lately. I went through my flower photos looking for some bright pink roses. I had OD'd on all of the shades of blue. I was dying to paint vivid pinks, very intense to light. Next on the list are some poppies!
11x14 original watercolor, $350

Seashells
18x22original watercolor, framed, $650

Old Church in P-town
17x22 original watercolor, $300

Last Days of Summer

The above are all Cape Cod inspired paintings. The top is done en plein air style. The other two from photos.

Quiet Beach House

For the top painting, I had the luxury of sitting in my beach chair out in the low tide. Instead of facing the beach/water, I turned to the shoreline. This is my dream beach house that I wish I could live in. The view from the deck is so amazing. I think it is 56 steps down to the beach.

Lobster Tank

Lobsters on the Cape is like peanut butter and jelly, they go together! Did you know that a lobster's claws are not identical. One is larger and longer than the other. They are different shapes to catch and tear their food. I have an idea for a series of lobster paintings. I have started the second one. This one is framed in the most perfect frame for the subject!

P-town on the 4th of July

I love doing street scenes. The bottom painting is of Provincetown. The red and white awning plus the hustle and bustle of this street caught my eye. I have another photo of banjo players in red and white striped jackets. I can't wait to paint the jackets, but, I think I am going to give people's faces a rest for now. My niece and brother were not please with the painting of my niece. I didn't think it was great, but, I didn't think it was that bad. Oh, well. Back to this painting, I am not happy with the sky. It will go in the bathtub for a scrub. I lightened it on the computer as shown here, it is much darker in reality. I will just stick it in the tub to lighten the sky.

The culprit.

Here are some photos of the Cape. It turns out I selected all low tide photos! Today is our last day vacation day here. Tomorrow we return to Dallas.

A Studio Painting & a Plein Air

High Tide in the Evening

Alone at Low Tide

The top two paintings are of Cape Cod on the bay side in Eastham. I absolutely love the bay side of the Cape. In fact, right now I am watching, yet, another gorgeous sunset. The sky has changed with blues, pinks, yellows, and oranges. The sun is an amazing glow of orange with yellow and red. It is a perfectly clear night and we will get to see the sun set all the way into the water's edge! The photos do not do it justice.

High Tide in the Evening

This painting shows the tide in with the boats afloat. I saw this scene when walking back to the house from the beach. Even when I took the photo I didn't realize how much beach grass was in my sight. I wanted to get all of the beach houses in, but, with the beach included. I did like the yellow glow on the grass from the sun setting, though. The land in the distance is Brewster. I am happy with this painting because the colors are clean and fresh. I tried a different color palette than what I usually use, too. I think the painting looks better in real life than on the computer. Sold.

Alone at Low Tide

I just painted Alone at Low Tide in plein air style today. Normally when I travel I only paint plein air style and take photos. On this trip I ended up painting inside from photos. This scene is from the balcony of our house. I just realized, since my toddler is toddling around everywhere, maybe that is why I am staying locked in while I paint! Anyhow, I am looking down on the boat and can see the many rows of long sandbars as the tide goes out. Low tide is my favorite. The tide goes out for at least a mile. It is so quiet and peaceful. Another note about today is that it has been overcast. Like many days on the Cape, you can't tell where the sky and water meet. They are both the same color of grey blue with a hint of lavender. In this painting I did not get the sky as grey as I would have liked. However, after my toddler was done playing with all of my brushes and paint the deck with water, I was ready to call it a day on the painting! I will probably add more detail later. I am happy with the sand and the water. This is actually a good start and study for a future painting in the studio. From this painting, I finally learned the best way to achieve the wet sand and it's relationship to the remaining water from the low tide.

All comments and constructive criticism welcome.

The above are all 11x14 original watercolors by Liana Yarckin.

Cape Painting Finished

Sunset in the Sail

The sailboat painting is complete now. However, I have been neglecting my family all morning, which, it is now after lunch, so I need to put my brushes down.

11x14 original watercolor by Liana Yarckin

Sold.

What a way to start the day!

Quick note because as you can see from the photo above, it is an absolutely gorgeous day!

As for the painting, I applied a second glaze of yellows. I still can't believe how damp the paper is. If I were doing this in Dallas, it would be dry and ready for the next glaze. But, it doesn't matter. I will leave it to dry for the day because we are off to enjoy this gorgeous day!!!

I will continue to post the process for this painting.

High Humidity

Today is my first day to paint at the Cape on this trip. I always forget how humid it is here until I start to paint. We always have a nice breeze/wind and the temperature is so much cooler than in Dallas, it doesn't feel like that horrible oppressive humidity. But, now working on the painting above, I notice how wet my paper is staying. Even when trying to dry it with a blow dryer, there is still an overall dampness in the paper. My colors are bleeding into one another and it is hard to keep sharp edges where I want them. Since my paper is too wet, I moved onto the computer for now.

Above is a photo of where I am painting today. It is too windy to paint outside today. The painting is from a photo I took last evening. We were all sitting on a very calm, completely perfect beach at the end of the day waiting for the sunset. It was high tide, no wind, the flag hung down from the flagpole and there was not a ripple in the water. The boat that is in many of my paintings was coming in from a day out. The glow of an evening sun lit up the sail so beautifully. I took several photos as everyone watched the boat maneuver in to tie to it's mooring. Sailing is a lot of work, but, for the observer, relaxing.

We will see how this painting turns out. Believe it or not, it is still damp! I will start a couple of underpaintings and drawings while I wait for this painting.

I hope you enjoy!

Inspiration photos

Apologies for not writing in so long. I have been painting, painting, painting. However, I have been travelling a lot without my computer. I did want to post these photos to share with you. The sunset is from the bay side of Cape Cod. We have enjoyed many breathtaking sunsets. The second photo is of hydrangeas which cover the Cape right now. Although I take many photos of driveways, houses, walkways lined with hydrangea bushes at least 5 feet tall, sometimes taller, the photos do not do justice. The photo above, I put my hand in to try to show the scale of these blooms.

The bottom photo is from Red River, NM. Aren't the clouds amazing! In NM, I took zillions of photos of flowers. In fact, I went on a hike with my dear hostess, she made me laugh because after I interrupted our hike several times to take photos, even close up photos of twigs and bark, she asked if I was going to paint all of these photos. Like many artists, I have many photos that I keep on my computer. They are filed by nature, city, animals, people, flowers, beach, etc. Then when I am in my studio, looking for info on clouds, sunsets or just inspiration, I go back to my photos.

Sometimes a photo is good to use as the composition for a painting, sometimes just a part of the photo makes a painting and sometimes, it is just for reference on how the branch attaches to the tree or how the sun falls on the curve of a petal. Over the years, I have noticed how I have the perfect photo, but, it would be better as an oil vs. a watercolor.

In any event, when summer ends, I will have my photos to turn to for inspiration. Even now, I am so excited with the list of images I can't wait to start.

In the mean time, I will post some plein air paintings. These are fun because they are quick pictorial notes. They are loose and simple and done outside on site which is the best part. It is so relaxing and satisfying to be outside, hear the waves or the stream, feel the sun, just experience the whole scene. Sometimes these wonderful little paintings can capture the essence wonderfully that even in a studio painting, it is just not the same.

Thanks for stopping by. Please check back. As the fall resumes, I will post much more regularly.

An Attempt or Beginner's Luck

Nana

Well, after my good luck with Mr. Parker's Challenge, I thought I would paint my great grandmother, Nana. I went from using a good photo of a man's face without glasses or teeth to trying to paint from a poor quality old photo with glasses and teeth! Plus, it is of someone I know and I have heard it is much harder to paint someone you know. I was so disappointed with this scary painting. I decided to do a second attempt on my great grandmother's painting. I took my time drawing it perfectly, but, as some of my fellow painter friends (i paint with a group on Fridays) mentioned and as I have experienced, the second painting never comes out any better. My second painting is unfinished. Despite the fact that I was so meticulous in gridding off the photo and my paper, once I put the paint on, it doesn't look like my great grandmother!!! What I have learned is that the second painting has made me think that the first painting (this one) captured my great grandmother's personality. The second one is so stiff like I have experienced when painting even a second floral. I just get tighter on the second attempt. So believe it or not, I am going to rest on this one for a while and try it again for a third attempt.

This painting became so overworked. (Note to self, put the brush down and walk away). It was amazing how I added a tad of green to the lips to shape them and it would literally become a smile or become just an open mouth. Or it would end up looking like an ad for teeth whitening. I learned so much how I could change the mouth by just the tiniest bit of paint. This is what I love about watercolor. It really is like magic. You can really make those cheeks pop off the page if you want. In the photo, Nana is smiling happily at my brother. Sometimes when I look at this painting, I see her soft smile, and other times it is just an open mouth. But, I do want to capture her smile so others can see what I remember.

Last side note, my great grandmother didn't need any botox!!! Her deep wrinkles are at her eyes and her mouth. She must have never frowned because her forehead is as smooth as a good bald head!

I hope this encourages you when you are not happy with your painting. All comments/advice to fix this painting welcome!

Thanks for stopping by!

11x14 original watercolor by Liana Yarckin

4th of July

Cape Cod Charm

Bed and breakfast in Cape Cod. I love the cape. Old architecture, blue hydrangeas everywhere and a very laid back attitude.

Have a Happy 4th!

11x14 original watercolor by Liana Yarckin

$200

On the Same Street

I couldn't wait until after Father's Day to post my latest commission. I was commissioned to paint a home that the family was going to give to the dad for Father's Day framed with a brass plate saying, "The home you provide us." I love doing these surprise paintings. I have to be 'sneaky' when I take the photos of the home to make sure I don't get caught by the gift receiver.

When I went to upload the photo, it turns out I have done 3 houses all on the same street here in historic Highland Park. They are all posted above. All of the homes were built in the 1920's. Each one has a unique story. One of the homes I actually looked at to buy, but, since I was 8 months pregnant and we had just renovated our current 1911 home, my husband didn't take me seriously. Amost a year later, the builder commissioned me to do a painting for the new owners, their client. In another home, the son who now has a family of his own with his children attending the same grade school he did, grew up in that house and his parents still live there. They gave that painting to his parents for their 75th wedding anniversary. They are all homes that have been carefully taken care of and renovated to preserve the architecture and history of not only the home, but of our wonderful neighborhood. A place where the kids walk, scooter, bike to school, play in the creek and have their soccer games in the school yard.

On all of the homes I paint, there is always a story. Their first home, the home they grew up in, the home they didn't want to leave, their dream home, the home they spent their summers, the home that has been torn down. I always love to hear the stories. I don't charge much for these paintings, but it is priceless to hear of the joy and sometimes tears that these home portraits bring to people.

Please let me know if you can recognize these homes and what you think!

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you are staying cool where you are!

Mr. Parker's Challenge

Mr. Parker's Challenge

Interestingly enough, I have learned many new things by bloggging. One is the painting above. Somehow, Jack Parker (http://windowstothewords.blogspot.com/) and I found each other in the blog world. Mr. Parker puts photos on his blog to challenge one to paint, photograph or write in response to the photos he has posted. For June, his challenge was painting old people because Mr. Parker noticed his wrinkles on his face. When I saw the photos, I immediately thought, "not gonna do it, I don't do people, that is for artists that do people." I have never felt the urge or desire to paint a portrait. Of course I have had to try whole figures in various classes. I always would avoid hands, feet and faces! It would pain me when I would get to these parts of the body. I would try but not get very far. I could never make them look realistic. So I have lots of sketches of figures without hands, feet or faces. In any paintings, it is only a figure to represent a person as part of the painting, it is never a person as the subject. Anyhow, I don't know what made me accept the challenge. It's not like I don't have a zillion photos in my waiting to paint pile. Maybe just the fact of having a challenge and maybe needing one?

I started the painting above with one baby step after another. I made the grid and did a value sketch as in my previous post. And then it was time to paint. How scary is that! I held my breath and put down the first washes. I was so scared that I would stop and go about my day (this was Sunday and the whole family was home). After doing a mundane task like making lunch or cleaning the kitchen, I would go back to the painting, hold my breath, add another layer of color and then leave to tend to the family. By the end of the day, it was 90% complete!

When I submitted it to James Parker's blog, I added a comment in response to him noticing his wrinkles. I told him to think of his wrinkles as flower petals. That is how I painted these wrinkles, the same as I know how to paint the petals of a rose.

(Personally, as a woman, I don't think I would ever accept wrinkles happily, I am fighting them every step of the way).

11x14 original watercolor by Liana Yarckin

From photo to watercolor

Provence Field

As promised, I am posting some preliminary work to a watercolor. It all starts with a photo. This was a lavender field that we had access to when we stayed in some hotel in Lourmarin on our first trip to France. I will have to look up the hotel name, but they had to die for dinners and an amazing cheese cart. The pool was not on site, so we had to go to this little country house for pool and spa treatments. Just on the other side of those green bushes was the resort style pool. This was the lavender field and off to the left was their vegetable garden in which they grew for their meals. The lavender from this field was used to make lavender honey, lavender cookies and other yummy lavender desserts like creme brulee! We tested it all, and it all was delicous!

Back to painting. When I select a photo to paint from, I make a quick sketch with a grid on it. I use this sketch to find out what I like best about the photo and what I want to leave out of the photo. The grid helps me to accurately locate these items on my watercolor paper which is a larger size.

The next step is the most important step to having a successful painting. A value sketch!!!! I look for my darkest darks and lightest lights and shade those appropriately with a pencil, grey markers or in this case, 3 shades of ink. I then use this value sketch to paint my painting. I may refer to the photo for details, but, I try to keep to the value sketch to highlight the dark and light values in my painting. If your value sketch comes out prettier than your painting, it means that you did not follow your value sketch when painting!

Practice doing value sketches with a piece of fruit. I promise you will find all kinds of interesting shapes and properties about your fruit. Squint your eyes and look for the "darkest darks and the lightest lights", simply those shapes and draw them on your page! Before you know it you will have a beautiful piece of fruit.

(I took years of classes from Naomi Brotherton and she would always refer to the darkest darks, lightest lights).

I encourage everyone to try. It is just a piece of paper. Good luck and all questions welcome.

11x14 original watercolor by Liana Yarckin

$350

Creek Walk

Creek Walk

This is the creek across the street from the school. For the last month, everyday after school you will find moms sitting at the edge watching their children play in the creek. The kids have so much fun and never want to leave. Yesterday my kids went on a creek walk with the coach from their school. They find tadpoles and go through tunnels and much more, but, those are the highlights in my kids' eyes.

This painting was done in the plein air style which means to paint in the open air. Most paintings are done inside in a studio. I find that plein air paintings have a more free flow. Plus, it is 100% enjoyable to sit outside and paint with your subject right before your eyes.

11x14, original watercolor by Liana Yarckin
$225

Thanks for stopping by!

Peace

Mykonos, Greece

With all of the end of school activities and craziness, I was looking for a painting that was calming. This is from a photo I took when on Spring Break in college. I painted it years later when I started painting more seriously thanks to the encouragement from my husband. Who would have known that I would return to this location again. When living in London, we went to Mykonos and I stood in this very spot 14 years later. Who knows what the future holds.

Looking for Serenity

Midnight Magnolia

The last week of school is here! The kids are so excited. I am, too. However, I do long for the summers I grew up having. I had read in a newspaper article a long while ago that the definition of summer is to spend time doing nothing. How decadent is that in today's world? The article was about how the author spent his summer hanging out with his friends and looking for things to do (exploring, making up games, etc.) vs. today's very busy summers filled with day camps and organized sports. I can't find that definition on the internet!!!! Right now with how fast our world is and our schedules are, I want that definition to be true. I want for my kids to have that time to be creative and figure out what to do. As an adult, I would love to have time to do nothing - I see that as a total luxury. As our summer approaches, I am going to try to allow for my children to be "bored". I want to give them that luxury of just having time. I did find a definition of summer that I do like! It is: "A period of fruition, fulfillment, happiness, or beauty." from answers.com. So I wish everyone a happy summer. May you be fulfilled with how you spend your time this summer!

15x22 original watercolor by Liana Yarckin
$350

Memorial Day Weekend

American Beauty

In honor of Memorial Day weekend, I was going to post one of my paintings with an American flag in it. However, when I was scrolling through my paintings, I saw this one and it made me remember the vision I had of America when I was a little girl. I don't know why, maybe from a history book or one of those films you have to watch in history class, this is what America looked like to me. So in honor of all of the soldiers that have protected our freedom, I post this painting.

17x22 original watercolor
$300

Have a great weekend and thanks for stopping by!

Children Can Make You Smile

Sailing in Luxembourg Gardens, Paris, France

Follow up to the previous post about talking to my kids classes for career week. The kids were so sweet! First, my son said that I needed to bring goodies to pass out and could I write my name and website on cards to pass out. I have business cards, but, what kind of marketing goodies does an artist have lying around the studio?

I was so impressed with their questions - "Do you like being an artist? - Is it fun? - Is it hard? What is it like?" I had taken some unframed paintings to show and someone noticed there was something on the back of a painting. They wanted to see it, I told them when I don't like how a painting comes out, I just paint on the other side. All of them wanted to see the painting that I didn't like. They were so sweet, all commented, "I like it, it is pretty, you did a good job." Obviously, they are all nurtured and loved.

The best part was when my son was passing out the "goodies" - watercolor sets and a little girl asked, "When did you start becoming an artist?" I said, "When I was your age and with these very same watercolors I am giving you." They all had wide eyes and couldn't believe it. The next day when I dropped my son off at his class, the quietest little girl held up a painting she did with the watercolors I passed out. Her giant smile and pride is still making me feel all warm and fuzzy!!!!

16x22, original watercolor by Liana Yarckin

$300

Thanks for stopping by!

Beauty in Simplicity

I know that I promised I would post some of my photos and preliminary sketches for you to see, but, first let me tell you about these. This week is career week at my son's school. He asked me to come talk about being a painter vs. an architect. I was looking through my paintings to see what the children might be interested in and I found these. I did these in my first watercolor class about 12 years ago. What I like about these is that they are so high in contrast and vibrant color. I am going to tack these up in my studio to remind me to keep my watercolors clean, bright and simple. I am going to tell the kids in my son's class to go home, get one piece of fruit and draw it in many different positions. Notice how the light is shining on it and draw that shape of light. Then paint or color it noticing all of the colors in the fruit. Notice what colors the fruit is taking on from it's surroundings and put all of those colors in your drawing, but leave the shape of light alone. I encourage you to try the same. You never know what you might find!!!!

Thanks for visiting. Please feel free to email me any questions!

Provence Doorway

This doorway is from one of my Provence photos. I will have to look it up in my notes to see exactly what village it was in. There were so many interesting doorways and nooks and crannies. I have a stack of photos that I want to paint. I loved how there are always pots of flowers and vines at most every door.

11x14 watercolor by Liana Yarckin
Sold.

Be sure to check back in the next few days. I am going to post some of my rough value sketches & photos so you can see what I start with. Thanks for visiting!

Happy Mother's Day!

For all of the moms out there, I hope you have had a very happy mother's day. We can't do it without your love and guidance.

Lavender at the Pool House

This was a lavender field that we had access to when we stayed in a hotel in the town of Loumarin in Provence on our first trip to France. I will have to look up the hotel name, but they had to die for dinners and an amazing cheese cart. The pool was not on site since the hotel was in the town center, so we had to go to this little country house for pool and spa treatments. Just on the other side of those green bushes was the resort style pool. This was the lavender field and off to the left was their vegetable garden in which they grew for their meals. The lavender from this field was used to make lavender honey, lavender cookies and other yummy lavender desserts like creme brulee! We tested it all, and it all was delicous!

11x14 watercolor by Liana Yarckin

$350

Dedication to Architecture

I thought it appropriate to share with everyone my first commission that I mention in the "about me" section. The above watercolor was my friends' house. It has since been torn down. This was truly fun for me to paint. The home owner's have an eclectic art collection, so even though I was scared to death because it was my first commission, I knew they would also appreciate my artistic interpretation.

The home done in pen and ink deserves to have many more sketches. There is so much architectural detail in this home. I loved this view showing the gardens and the house nestled in the mature trees.

Although my academic and professional background is architecture, I much prefer to do artistic representations of architecture vs. an architectural rendering at this point in my life. If you would like a painting of your home, parent's home or favorite building by me, feel free to email me with your request.

Thanks for visiting and have a great day!

Lowtide

This boat is in front of the beach house we rent. I love low tide. The water goes out for miles and there is nothing but smooth sand and tide pools. The kids can run and run with no worries. All of the moored boats end up sitting on the sand until the tide comes back in.

Sold.

Overcast Cape Cod

This was a grey overcast day. You could barely see were the water met the sky. In real life, it was much more grey with barely a hint of the sun peeking through and a tiny sliver of color on the water. It was grey and quiet. A sweatshirt and video day.

Sold.

Holland Park in the Morning

This is Holland Park in London. The morning sun was shining through the trees. The ground was covered by all of these wonderful little violet bell shaped flowers. I did this in watercolor, but, was not happy with the way it turned out. Today I tried it in pastel and am so pleased to share it with you!

6x9 pastel by Liana Yarckin, $85

To purchase this painting, please email me at lyarckins-art@yahoo.com

Thanks for visiting!

April showers bring May Flowers

I am loving this wonderful rain and thunderstorms we have been having!!! It forces me to stay inside and do desk work! I have a lot of new ideas for paintings dancing around in my head inspired by how bright green everything looks due to the rain. In honor of the rain, I am going to post some watercolors of flowers for your viewing pleasure.

All of the above paintings are 11x14 original watercolors by Liana Yarckin.

Prices range from $50 - $350.

To purchase a painting, please email me at: lyarckins-art@yahoo.com

Thanks for visiting!