Minnoş

Minnoş 1
Watercolor, 7"x5" NFS



Minnoş 2
Watercolor, 5"x7" $100

Frustrated by the "complex subjects" challenge I set for myself, I wandered down a side street and encountered this sweet kitten. Not literally, as it was again my friend Ahmet who spotted this kitten, and kindly supplied me with photos of Minnoş, but in a figurative sense. Not that rendering a cat's fur isn't a challenge of complexity in itself, but at least compositionally it's fairly straightforward.

In case you're wondering why most of my cat paintings are "NFS": it's because my cat-loving daughter can't bear to part with them. In this case, because there are two paintings of the same kitten, she graciously consented to have one of them be available for sale.

Keep it simple...

"Basma pazarı - Textile market"
Watercolor sketch, 7"x5" $75

I decided to ease into my next challenge - let's call it complex scenes - by doing a couple of quick sketches. In the first one, above, I used wet-in-wet watercolor, with some dry-in-wet added for darks here and there. To avoid getting bogged down in the wealth of detail of clothes, scarves and fabrics in this market scene, I set a time limit of 30 minutes. The result, I think, is more of a fleeting impression, something seen at a glance, rather than carefully observed.


"Gecekondular - Shanties"
Watercolor sketch, 7"x5" $75

I deliberately chose a different kind of complexity (of textures rather than of figures and objects) and a different technique for this sketch. This was painted largely wet-on-dry in one go, with a few glazes added here and there once the first washes were dry, followed by some dry-brush marks.

By utilizing different techniques in these practice sketches, I hope to figure out what works best for what kind of subject, to develop the kind of shorthand needed to indicate details and textures, and to convey an atmosphere that suits the subject. As always, your feedback will be much appreciated.

Kırlangıç - Swallow

Painting of the Day.
Watercolor, 5"x7" $100
(Photo reference courtesy of Ahmet Sürücü. Thanks Ahmet).

I felt that I would be setting myself up for failure and discouragement if I tried to jump into a "challenge" painting right away after a painting hiatus of about two weeks, so I did this today for fun and as a warm-up exercise.

Two portraits

Portrait of Luna.
Pencil on Arches HP watercolor paper, appr. 5"x5" NFS


Portrait of Harry.
Pencil on Arches HP watercolor paper, appr. 5"x5" NFS

These two drawings, in the style of Japanese manga, are by my 10 year old daughter, featuring our cats Luna and Harry. The drawings are currently being shown at Main Gallery 404 as part of the "Children of the 404" show in the front window of the gallery. If you live in the Bloomington/Normal area, stop by this evening between 5 and 8 PM to meet the young artists and admire their works.

I am clearing the decks for another series of 8 to 10 small paintings focusing on a problem area: complex and/or busy subjects. These are scenes that appeal to me, but I often shy away from them, daunted by too much information, too much detail. The challenge is to learn how to simplify such scenes and develop a little confidence.

Pınarbaşı - Fountainhead

Painting of the Day
Watercolor, 7"x5" $100
(Photo reference courtesy of Ahmet Sürücü. Thanks Ahmet).

The last in a series of exercises focusing on the color green, this one utilizing a more subdued palette. I don't know if I've turned from a greenaphobic into a greenaholic yet, but this has been a great learning experience. For one thing, I'm not intimidated by green anymore. For another, I can apply this approach to other problem areas, which I hope to do over the summer months.

Bir gölgelik - A shady spot

Painting of the Day
Watercolor, 5"x7" $100

More urban greenery. After the next painting, I think this green phase has run its course and it's time to move on to different problem areas. My other colors are starting to feel neglected...

Hayat tatlı bir rüya - Life is a sweet dream

Painting of the Day
Watercolor, 7"x5" $100
(Photo reference courtesy of Ahmet Sürücü. Thanks Ahmet).

Bir ömür böyle geçti, olamadık farkında. A life passed such, we did not notice it.

Painting of the Day
Watercolor, 5"x7" $100

Still focusing on green, but this time in an urban setting. It's surprising how much green can be found even in the city. I think these exercises are beginning to pay off. I was much less daunted by the amount and variety of greens in this scene than I would have been a few weeks ago.
(The title comes from a piece of Turkish art music: At kadehi elinden. Lyrics and music: Teoman Alpay).

Yeşil alanlar - Fields of green

Painting of the day
Watercolor, 7"x5" $100
(Photo reference courtesy of Ahmet Sürücü. Thanks Ahmet).

I could have called this "Struggle of the day." After those assertive green swatches I posted the other day, I wanted to incorporate those greens into a painting. I also remembered Robert Wade's advice to add a touch of red to a predominantly green painting, but my efforts to do so were unsuccessful to my eye, and I decided in the end to let this one be unapologetically green, with just a little blue and white as supporting actors. I doubt if I'll do this again soon, but it was a good exercise.

Is it green enough?

After adding a touch of turquoise to the painting below, it occurred to me that I had never tried mixing this color with my yellows to make greens. Why not? This blue, so sympathetic to green, is on my palette as an incidental. I use it as an accent color sometimes, occasionally mix it with other blues, but I don't think of it as a mixing color in general. Well, it's never too late. Curious about the result, I mixed my turquoise (Capri turquoise by Terry Madden, it is semi-opaque, another reason why I'm cautious about mixing it) with aureolin yellow and quinacridone gold. As you can see, these greens are not shy, and should probably be used in moderation, but I was excited to see the possibilities of using them for an accent of fresh spring green.

It was too late to incorporate this discovery into today's painting, but I will be looking for a suitable subject to try it out in the next few days.

Painting of the Day: "Serin sokak - Cool alley"
Watercolor, 5"x7" $100

Gelincik tarlalı bir manzara - Landscape with poppy field

Painting of the Day (4 June)
Watercolor, 7"x5" $100
(Photo reference courtesy of Ahmet Sürücü. Thanks Ahmet).

Further struggles with green... A different subject, but I used pretty much the same approach as with the previous painting: a range of values from light to dark, a variety of greens (a bit more variety in this one), and a dose of red for relief.

Asmalı bahçe - Courtyard with grape vines

Painting of the Day (4 June)
Watercolor, 7"x5" $100

A continuation of my attempts to get on friendlier terms with the color green. Though the green is not too dominant in this painting, it was a good exercise. With a subject like this, I find that I often loose the freshness of the green leaves by going too dark, and not including enough mid-values, which is what I tried to address here.

Australian watercolor painter Robert Wade says in his book Robert Wade's Watercolor Workshop Handbook about green: "Most of us would love to leave as much of it out as possible, because it's the artist's horror color." Wade, who paints a lot of golf courses, goes on to say: "Somewhere in the painting I always try to introduce a spot of red, the complement of green." I have taken his advice to heart, with the poppies in my previous exercise, and with the patch of bright red inside the doorway in this one.