Oh How I Love the Awards!

Oh how I love the awards!
The kindest Christiane Kingsley awarded me with this beautiful flower, Sunshine award, to add sun and flowers to never-ending winter in Moscow. Christiane, thank you so much!
I have to pass it further to 12 friends-bloggers. Glad to use the opportunity and to mention once again my admiration to the talents of these people, talented artists and photographers (as I am now very much interested in photo posting, my MoscowDailyPhoto blog is here):
1. Jo
2. Ken Barclay
3. Jean Lurssen
4. Mr. Abraham Lincoln
5. Mo
6. Manon Doyle
7. Tommy Kane
8. Noemi Gonzalez
9. Eleonora Baldwin
10. Stephen Gardner
11. Carmen Jimenez
12. Gringo Zero
13. Jala Pfaff
14. Masmoulin
15. Teresa Palomar Lois
16. Jane Minter
Well, I need to stop now, there are a lot more then 12 people I would like to mention here...
My dear awarded friends, please pass it further to 12 more people so we will get a field of flowers! No problem if your busy work schedule will not allow you to do it :-))

EDM # 6 Childhood Toy

I bought this frog in Prague. There was a shop full of wooden toys, the wooden smell in the shop was charming and I was trying to control the urge to buy every possible toy, so well designed and decorated. This lady had also a metal spring (fixed to her head), so she could fly in the air in front of the baby's crib or when she had mood to fly. I removed the spring, no more flights. Metal hook in the middle of her head left as a memory... Now she has fun changing her sitting places when I turn my back aside. You see: the condition of her lipstick is very suspicious. Does she have a boy-friend now?!

Oh, she is not only painted, but also photographed. Lady-popularity :-)).

I returned to the huge list of "What to draw" from Every Day Matters amazing website(Link). This is EDM # 6 - Draw a childhood toy.  Such a pleasure!

Still Life with Cat

A3, Oil pastel
Inspired by photo I found in the internet.

Fireplace

A3, Oil pastel

Trying to catch fireplace reflections.

24 Pages More Experienced

My first sketchbook-ever finished! 24 pages of my watercolor studies sketchbook are carefully folded in the plastic file and stored for my descendants :-))

These two small sketches are the last ones. Done in the evening, quickly, trying to keep them loose. The light was weak. The brush was thick. And  I was so happy doing painting exercise. My watercolor teacher could  be terrified by my technique and color choice :-))

The Summer, Come Back!

A5 (5"x7,5")
Inspired by the photo I found in the internet. I used four colors: Yellow ochre, Hooker's Green, Payne's gray,  Sepia. Weak  values, again :-(. My personal tribute to " The summer come back!" mood.

Coffee table

I had 2 hours to kill between 2 meetings I had 2 days ago. I went to the cafe.  If it is difficult to identify, I explain that you see vase with flower, napkins, sugar bowl and ashtray. And the toothpicks, I almost forgot.

Karin Jurick

I made this portrait in the middle of January to show my gratitude and thankfulness to the wonderful woman and talented artist, Karin Jurick. 
The story behind the portrait started in December 2009, when Karin announced her next challenge at Different Strokes from Different Folks site. She united the participants in pairs and we painted the portraits of each other. About 180 artists participated. And it was great pleasure and great time. 
We were so grateful to Karin. And Jill Polsby, one of the participants helped us to express our respect and thankfulness. Jill sent us Karin's photo and we painted 118 portraits secretly, to surprise Karin. It was kept as a secret till yesterday.
Due to Karin blog, DSFDF, I first time stepped out of my comfort zone, I participated in the challenge without fear to be compared to professionals, I painted the stuff which I was proud of, I enjoyed the logic and sense of her site work.
Thank you, Karin!

Landscape

They say every one of us can be resembled with some animal. I always knew I could be a bird. Freedom, flying, twitting and great views for landscape paintings - these abilities attract me so much :-)).
So when I have half an hour, watercolors and urge to draw, I close my eyes and this is the picture usually appearing, I just need to adjust the wings. Lets' fly.

It Is Not Mine

It is not mine. I mean, it is my hand and my watercolors, and my brushes. But I do not recognise the result. It is my teachers'. My heart is cold when I look at it. I do not see watercolor transparency. It is oil effects all over the place. And the colors are too intensive for my feeling of the color. And the edges are too sharp for my feeling of shape.
And here the questions arrive. Should I find another teacher?  Or is it normal in learning, when you do as if you are a hand of the teacher? Or maybe I am too old and stubborn to learn?  And how to keep my individual style (let's  assume I have some:-)) and opinion while the authority of my teacher will grow?
I will keep going. I will try to work in my line, taking bits of teachers' one.
But this sketch is still not mine :-))

Olympic Games

It looks like I am completely hooked by blogging. All the day I feel sorry that my blog is frozen and forgotten, as I do not have time to paint, means to post. Even more I am sorry I can not paint (too busy in the office), but it's another story. At the same time I go on posting Moscow and Georgian photos, which is OK but not enough.
I decided to celebrate the Olympics opening by this post.  Photo taken here. Shamony, France, 1924, First Olympic Games.

The Path

The main challenge here for me is to show the  going away path on a small, 10x15 cm ( 4"x6") piece of paper, to follow the perspective rules in color and shape in such a small format. I like the result, though I had to add some white gouache on path stones to brighten them a little.

Water Lily

How do we choose the theme/object for painting?  What  guides us, when we collect model photo, arrange still life of special colors, shapes and composition, find the landscape scene which touches our heart?  Especially when we paint for pleasure, without purpose to sell or impress the viewer.


No inner secrets can be hidden from the eyes of the attentive observer, who knows the bits of psychology and feels the colors and input of the painter by heart. You prefer loose or hard strokes; ignore the pencil outlines or follow them precisely; direct colors or intuitive color mixes; color spectrum; themes: sky, sea, people, self portraits, flowers; we can read our paintings as the diaries of our lives.


I am not writing about  masterpieces, the power and talent of Da Vinci, Velazquez, Turner knock down and clean us by simple looking at them, and this art is different story.


Mostly no words explanation is needed to see the nature, mood and likings of the author. 
Why I think about it now? I look at my naive lily and - here I am with my only flower on blue-green background, because of my yesterday feeling of loneliness, cold and blue, a bit kept away and forgotten, knowing the frames and borders, controlling the scene of my life.


Optimistic part - this is my yesterday. New day changed feelings, colors and painting preferences.