Welcome to HartNews, Volume 08, Issue 1!
So...What is HartNews? HartNews is my attempt to write about life and watercolor from where I see it. As a teacher, I enjoy passing on some of the things I think about or do in watercolor. As a fellow human, I wish to pass on some of the things that inspire me - or make me laugh!. I've included you in this issue - you who are painters, friends, former guests and/or family - some of you without your expressed permission. So…please reply and ask to be removed from this mailing list if you'd rather not get HartNews editions - or just delete me! Originally, I intended to make HartNews a monthly event. Now, more realistically, I see it as a quarterly or bi-annual publication. If you have something you'd like add or say, just email me! and please feel free to pass this on to your friends... If you'd like to see the back issues - just check the Archives above - more demos, etc. - and don't forget to Bookmark this issue!
PB 28, cobalt aluminium oxide , is very light fast, semi transparent and moderately staining. As a paint useful for glazing, it is best to find the most transparent paint available. Of the manufacturers that I have tried, I like M. Graham (made with honey), Winsor & Newton and Daniel Smith cobalt blues. I suggest that you do your own tests with these and other cobalt blues to find your personal favorite. W&N tends to have a bit more texture. M. Graham is slightly more intense & very transparent. D. Smith is nicely transparent and less intense. I find that my finishing touches always include Cobalt Blue. A glaze over the far mountains pushes them back. Even a very light glaze can subtly push an area into the distance.
Jan's New Adventure!
I am moving to Costa Rica next Spring!
Last month I took two wonderful tours - Live in Costa Rica on Social Security to prove to myself that moving to Costa Rica was NOT an option. I've loved this country since my first workshop there in 2005 - and have long known that Costa Rica's birds and flowers have enticed my artist's eye. In allowing myself to experience the magic and breathe the soft air, I became open to possibilities.
........
The lovely and simple Tico house I am purchasing overlooking San Isidro de El General
One of my favorite paintings, Toucan Fly - painted after my 2005 workshop in Costa Rica. I'm planning my next Costa Rica workshop for February, 2009! It'll be the best!
And - one day there it was!. Surely these colors were meant for me! So....this is where I will be moving in 2009. First I have much to do here in my beloved New Mexico before I leave and I am certain that I will return to teach and play. Anyone (especially an artist) interested in purchasing an Artist's house and lifestyle (with casita rentals$) - Ranchito San Pedro - please email me & we'll talk.
In the meantime, I will be completing all my scheduled workshops for 2008.
And - check out the tours with George & Jane if you want to prove to yourself that it is out of the question. But take warning. It isn't.
I have grown to love the color combination of orange and green because of my little bird, Flash who is a Senegal parrot and loves to show off his colors when someone says, "Flash - be an eagle!".
In this Issue:
Please click where you'd like to go..
News Flash - Moving to Costa Rica!
The Watercolor Artist's Guide to Exceptional Color
Published by Walter Foster books, it is all about color and pigments - color schemes, color use by artists, color values, pigments, color relationships and the watercolor processes that allow the colors and pigments to work to their max in paintings.
The book is selling well and rated with 5 stars on Amazon.com - so I am very pleased! I still sell signed copies from my studio - just send a check for $30 to the address below and I'll sign and ship to your mailing address.
P.O. Box 1849, Española, NM 87532
(You can get it a lot cheaper on Amazon.com - & there are even used ones! But they aren't signed.)
AND...it is currently being translated and published into French and Italian! I'm hoping for Spanish next.
Butterfly (l) Iris Bright (r)
The sale began March 15 and there are still many paintings left! Take a look! All proceeds go toward my Costa Rica move....
Have you ever thought of relocating to northern New Mexico? I have a lifestyle for sale...
and I have loved it for 15 years.
Time to talk...
I would like to sell Ranchito San Pedro. This is a wonderful place to live - 20 min. north of Santa Fe on 1 3/4 acres with water rights. The buildings include the 1800 sf house, a large wonderful teaching studio, the pigeon loft, car port, garage and - the two casitas that have brought in more than my mortgage/year for the past 4 years! This would be perfect for a teacher, an artist.......
I cannot leave until 2009 - but we have a year to plan....
and I have LOTS of photos.
Here is what is available @ Ranchito San Pedro, Jan's place for 2008 .... For greater detail, go to Jan's Workshop page.April 18,19,20,21. All About Rocks! (still some room!) We'll be learning how to paint the incredible rocks at Ghost Ranch, etc. See the demo below.
May 16 - 23. On the Trail of O'Keeffe in northern New Mexico (3 spaces left)
May 30,31,June 1,2. Color in the Landscape (Waiting list only)
August 1,2,3,4. Color in the Landscape
September 26,27,28,29. Painting the Colors of Fall (5 spaces left)
October 10 -17. On the Trail of O'Keeffe in northern New Mexico
2008 Out of Town Workshops
White Rock, B.C. August 25,26,27,28,29
Flagstaff, Arizona Sept. 12,13,14
2009
January - in planning stages - 5 day workshop/show in Redding, CA
February - We've almost got it all planned! - 9 day painting workshop/adventure on the Osa Peninsula, @ Sombra de la Lapa, Costa Rica. Information will be up soon! Please check back or email me. I'm making a list of interested people NOW.
March - moving to Costa Rica......
My morning view of the Jemez Mtns
Casita #2 exterior
One of my favorite painting subjects is rock - with its texture, color, light play and strata. In January I had a wonderful time in Colorado Springs with a great group of folks - and much of the time we dealt with ROCKs - which is also the subject of my workshop next month!
This photo is of the rock formations at Ghost Ranch - and I'd been wanting to tackle the trail of light I see upon its face! First I named it.
Light Journey
I did a demo at the workshop, which got me to the place you see directly below.
To get to this place, I had to do some thinking, first. The rocks are so complex - and look at all those crevices and cracks. There are horizontal strata along with the vertical thrust and crevices. I decided on a strategy. I would emphasize the vertical and paint around the light, allowing the bright oranges and yellows to flow & mix on the paper.
First I underpainted with Azo Aureolin (PY 151).
Recognizing that the areas not receiving direct light are basically shaded, I decided to go into them very boldly with bright colors that could be later glazed to subdue some. The picture shows the glazed version. The paints used were Q. Sienna, Q Gold, some Manganese Violet and Azo Aureolin. I deliberately left some places unpainted so that the glaze applied could add its touches. You can see how bright the under colors are by looking at the two vertical orange stripes I left un-glazed - lower right center.
My glaze was applied carefully after it was completely dry. I mixed up a glaze of Cobalt blue and Rose madder genuine to create a violet that would darken and dazzle over the underlying bright colors. I had to be careful with the color because I knew that if the glaze was too blue it would create a dead area when brushed over its complementary orange. I pushed the glaze toward the pink. In a few places you can see that I pushed the glaze towards blue, too. And - just for fun, I placed a hot hot red orange into a crevice that I knew could contain some reflected light!
The next work I did was finishing - the little, picky things that refine and enrich. I call it Dessert.
- Create some transition areas between the extreme light and shade to better show the rounding of some of the rocks. Usually this was done with Q. Gold.
- Glaze over some of the light on the left so that the more central lighted area would take center stage.
- Emphasize a few crevices with a warm dark such as Napthamide Maroon.
Here is the finished painting. The last things I did were very deliberate - adding some core shadows, a flick of red orange into the bushes, etc.
How do you know when a painting is finished?
This is a common question that needs to be answered individually. For me, I know I'm finished when I stand back and cannot see any glaring areas that are standing out too much from the rest. I thought about the two vertical orange spots and am still unsure. Several people have said that those spots stand out too much and need to be covered. I don't know. So - I'm leaving them there and noting how my eyes move over the painting when I walk into the studio. So far I still like it.
What about the sky?
One of the reasons I like to leave the sky to the end is that the sky can always be added or adjusted in value and intensity to play against the land. In this case I decided that a blue sky was unnecessary. I liked that the lighted rock edge just disappeared into the sky.
As I begin to think about the move next year, I think about what I will bring with me. My family of animals are first in my mind. Xena & Beak are best friends and will remain inseparable when they move to their new home. Sage, my conversant African Gray is also a good friend to little Flash, the formerly abused Senegal. Both are African parrots. I think that they will make the journey well. My two dogs, Livvie and Seurat are also great pals - and I can count on them to make it a fun adventure! Polly, my sweet old kitty has overcome tumors and is a survivor - and watched over by Livvie, her protector. She will likely make the journey, too - but I'm going to have to have things ready on the other end! My first priorities in Costa Rica will be a fenced yard for the dogs and an aviary where all the birds can live - adjoining my room.
