mARTa's Art

lavender farm b, originally uploaded by mmvgonzales.

This 8x8in painting was begun at the festival but my paper was drying out too quickly with the sun pushing me to move to another location.

I did a very quick pencil sketch, filled in the basic colors and then finished it in the studio this morning. I am not too excited about the composition and so just left out the old piece of farm machinery that was in the road. The red bushes were oleander bushes lining a graveled path along side the pine trees.

I am having fun with the lavender colors choosing to just get my color from the tube paints rather than mixing my purples. I uses winsor violet, cobalt violet and a new w&n color I received free with my last art supply order; smalt blue.

I have another quick ink sketch I did while there but am not sure I want to add color to it as on the other page is the oak painting and I really love that one. I thought I might even "cut it out" of my sketchbook to frame.

Shirley from Paper and Threads asked what inspired two totally different techniques between the lavender farm sketch and the oak tree painting. I don't know! Maybe just that people started to show up and look over my shoulder so I quickly got some sketches in and then moved to a isolated location where I painted the oak tree without distractions. Maybe it was the heat. Who knows???

Off to San Diego today to view the Bodies exhibit. I think they are real human bodies encased in some sort of resin. hum...should I take a sketchbook?