Category: Arches watercolor paper

It’s been months…maybe even more than a year. It took me about two weeks to finish up the reorganization of the home studio. I still need to paint walls, but they’ll do for now. And I’ve been painting like my life depended on it. My feet hurt, my back hurts…but my soul is happy.

I had to do this because I don’t really have much room to paint at the new gallery. I do have a table, but can’t work on anything larger than about 16 x 20 because the palette and water have to be on the same table with the canvas. Here, I have room for a 48″ wide canvas, and I’m lovin’ it.

I showed you pics of the previous disaster, so here is what it looks like now, and the work I have finished in the past couple of days.

First, the new studio:
This is looking in from the door. Gone is the cumbersome (but nice) big desk left over from days when this room served as office and studio (before the gallery). This one (below) is looking to the right of the desk as you face it. Here I have an easel, and pastel station 1.
And this is looking back the other way and pastel station 2. So, there you have it….and now for the new work. Some of this is commissioned and pres-sold, some if it is not. Ready? Set? Here we go:
this is a two piece vertical diptich…One composition, two canvases. Each one is 24 high and 18 wide, Watercolor on Canvas. I thought I’d never finish this, and truth be told a few edges still need some work. Next we have two commissioned pieces:

this is 12 x 18 pastel “watered garden”. This one is 24 x 18, watercolor on canvas.

I’ve had a stack of unfinished pieces sitting around, and am now finishing them. Here’s one. It started out as a demonstration for a class…of painting watercolor on hot press paper, which is a whole different experience than painting on cold press paper..or canvas..or yupo. Typically, if I’m not working on canvas or yupo, it’s 140 lb cold press paper (Arches) Arches papers are hand pressed and made in France. I think it’s the best watercolor paper you can buy, and I’m working “traditionally” it’s Arches paper. The hot press paper tears much more easily so you have to work “fresh” without too many layers (just the opposite of the many layered approach I tend to use on canvas.) Anyway.. here it is:
I haven’t measured it, but I think it’s probably 12 x 16. And there is one more ( I told you I’d been painting like mad!) This one is watercolor on canvas, without too many layers. It is 16 x 12. It’s a traditional depth canvas so it’ll go it in a canvas frame…the edges too narrow to paint.
And there you have it, ladies and gents!