The Hawaiian Gazebo: Before and After

I want to start this post with clarifying that everyone sees “art” differently and we all have certain preferences when it comes to visual appreciation. I say this as it does not offend me when someone doesn’t like what I have done and can be honest about it. No offense taken for the reasons stated above. Todays post compares the same subject mater presented two different ways. I have attached a photograph I took on the grounds of a resort in Hawaii (2005). I have also attached a digital art rendition of that photograph that was created earlier this month. I wanted to change the original by eliminating the background building and creating some watercolor texture.

Original Gazebo Capture

Step up to the Gazebo

In my opinion there is nothing particularly wrong with the original capture. However I wanted to eliminate the resort itself from the background and add some texture and drawing detail to pull the details forward on the entire capture (gazebo architecture and details of the landscaping).

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Covered Wagon – Three Artistic Presentations

Anytime I create an art print, I have typically worked the subject matter into different forms and presentations. When I hit a look I like, I spend more time working it into a “final product”. Sometimes I end up with more than one version. If I feel strongly about the final presentation in each version, I will keep them. Having said that, I do try and limit it to no more than three of anyone subject matter. Today’s blog features a covered wagon I photographed in the Sharlott Hall Museum in Prescott, Arizona.

The first example is the covered wagon created using a black and white sketching technique.

Black And White Sketched Covered Wagon

The next version takes the B&W sketching technique and inserts color creating a color sketching of the wagon.

Covered Wagon Sketched

The third version uses an impasto painting technique which creates a completely different look for this covered wagon. This painting style creates strong and bold brush strokes.

Blue Covered Wagon

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Abstract Lines And Curves

This week I wanted to share three art prints I created from the same drawing. They are art prints I created using digital drawing. I drew curves at random and kept drawing more so that the various shapes intersected. As I couldn’t decide what color hue I wanted for this drawing, I created three of them in different hues. I finished by drawing a slightly larger outline of the shapes in black.

For the first one, I used Purple and Blue for the colors.

Abstract Lines And Curves In Purple And Blue

For the second one I went to a variety of blue hues.

Abstract Lines And Curves In Blue

For the third one I switched it up and went with red hues.

Abstract Lines And Curves In Red

I played with other hues, but settled on these three for the final prints.

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Butterflies in a Variety of Colors

This week I am sharing a series of new prints I created of butterflies. The process for these prints started a couple of weeks ago when out of the blue I remembered a couple of photos I took of butterflies over a year ago. Not sure where that came from, but I dug out the photos. They really weren’t much to work with as I only took them to remind me to pursue butterflies as a possible subject. It only took that long for that particular process to work for me…duh!! Anyway, I took the subject matter and started drawing butterflies. Still not sure what I was going to do, I kept after the drawings and finally was able to complete a look I liked. To pop the color, I used a photoshop technique to make the butterflies colors take on a texture. After trying to recreate more butterflies, I simply copied the one drawing I liked the best…resized it as needed and pivoted them in different directions. I then started playing with colors as I wasn’t sure what the final color was going to be. This led to more experimentation and various colors. To finish the look I was after, I chose a soft background in similar shades to the butterflies. In Photoshop one of the brushes paints in leaf shapes, so I used that in the various colors and sizes. I then lowered the opacity to soften it as a back drop. The final result was five different colored butterflies on five different prints and then one print combining all five.

Yellow Butterflies

Red Butterflies

Purple Butterflies

Blue Butterflies

Green Butterflies

Colorful Butterflies

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More Coastal Art Prints

This week I wanted to continue the coastal theme of the last few weeks, but am switching sides of the North American Continent to the eastern coast. The attached three prints were inspired by the inter water coastal region surrounding Martha’s Vineyard. Martha’s Vineyard is just off the coast of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The area is interspersed with islands and is popular for boating and fishing. It’s not unusual to see large homes, as this is the summer playground for the wealthy. The setting is naturally beautiful and an artists dream to capture the look and feel of this unique New England paradise.

The first print is titled Lighthouse Point In watercolor:

Lighthouse Point in Watercolor

The second print is titled Boat Moorings:

Boat Moorings

The third print is titled Sailboat in New England.

Sailboat in New England

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Bold Orchids

I have attached two newer prints I created using orchids as a subject matter. In the case of these two, I used an impasto technique to create two strong visual experiences. This technique uses large and bold brush strokes creating a very distinctive visual texture. Add bold colors and the prints definitely stand out.

Purple Impasto Orchids

A good friend of ours has a green thumb with orchids and I used two of her plants as inspiration for these prints. I loved the deep purple of the one plant which inspired the first print.

Back Lit Orchids

I also like the look of back lighting these types of flowers (the blooms are thin enough to create a glow when back lit) and tried to replicate that look with these red orchids.

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And More Lighthouses…..

With last weeks picture of an abstract lighthouse, I thought it would be appropriate to go back to the lighthouse theme I did in August. I drew those lighthouses using an ink and watercolor technique. I have completed three more lighthouse drawings since those posts of Oregon Lighthouses, with these being in the state of Washington.

Mukilteo

The first one is my rendition of the Mukilteo Lighthouse on the east side of Possession Sound in Mukilteo, Washington. The lighthouse is an operational navigational aid built in the 1950’s north of Seattle and just south of Everett. The Mukilteo location also sits next to one of the ferry terminals serving auto and pedestrian commuters between the mainland and the numerous islands in the Pacific Northwest.

West Point

The second one is West Point Lighthouse which is located in Discovery Park (Seattle, Washington) It sits on the north part of the park on a piece of land that juts out into Puget Sound on the north end of Elliot Bay (Elliot Bay is the body of water that downtown Seattle fronts opening into the Puget Sound).

Admiralty Head

The third and final one in the series is Admiralty Head Lighthouse constructed to replace the original structure in 1903. The location of this lighthouse marks the north end of Admiralty Inlet which connects The Strait of San Juan de Fuca with the Puget Sound (for ocean voyage between the port of Seattle and the Pacific Ocean, you would sail out of Elliot Bay into the Puget Sound heading north towards Canada sailing through theAdmiralty inlet to connect to the Strait of San Juan de Fuca which separates the two countries and then westward out to the Pacific Ocean).

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Mayan Ruins Sketched

In sticking with black and white art prints, this week I’m sharing black and white sketches. The subject matter is Mayan Ruins and this series of sketches is of the ruins at Chichen Itza, Mexico (Wikipedia). I should have been an archeologist as I love exploring the architecture of ruins from a variety of prior civilizations. In the case of Chichen Itza, I have visited this site a couple of times and find the structures fascinating. Black and white works well with this subject matter as it highlights the details of the architecture.

The central focal point of the city is the pyramid (Temple of Kukulcan). I have had the pleasure of hiking up to the top during my first visit and the second time we went down there, it had been closed off to people walking up the stairs.

“Mayan Pyramid”

The next two sketches are of the Observatory…..

“Mayan Observatory”

“Mayan Remnants”

These last two sketches are of the Temple of a Thousand Warriors.

“Mayan Columns”

“1000 Columns”

Cape Blanco Lighthouse

In reference to last weeks post on remote dwellings along the Oregon Coastline, this week I’m continuing that theme by featuring an ink drawing and watercolor print I created of the Cape Blanco Lighthouse.

This lighthouse is located on the southwestern coastline of Oregon. It sits on the western most point of land in the state and was first lit in 1870. For more information: Wikipedia.

Cape Blanco

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Hot Air Balloons In Fauvism

Over the last few years, I have shared numerous art prints of hot air balloons, but none of them in a fauvism style. I like the surreal colors and abstract look of fauvism, so this week I am sharing three prints I created using that technique.

This first one is titled “Singular Flight” .

Singular Flight

The second one is simply titled “The Yellow Balloon”.

The Yellow Balloon

And last but not least, “Rising Behind”.

Rising Behind

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