Watercolor Reflections

Retreat: Women Contemporary Artists

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 07:09:13 -0400

This week I’m attending an artists’ retreat with 33 other professional artists in Ellenton FL. Since room and board is provided, we are able to channel all of our energies toward making art. As you can see from the photo, there is a LOT going on! I’ve started with a couple of small watercolors and look forward to 3 more days of total immersion. Other women are working in acrylic, fabric, clay, mixed media; and of course they’re all willing to talk about their art and what they are doing. Great fun. Women Contemporary Artists is a juried group that meets for networking, group exhibits, and service projects related to the arts.

More on Poppies

Sun, 14 Sep 2008 14:42:17 -0400

This painting was done on Yupo, an impermeable plastic surface that acts somewhat like hot press paper. You can see how the paint pools & puddles without soaking in. The effects can be liberating, and if you don’t like what’s happening, it all comes off with a damp sponge! I find it to be a good way to capture floral subjects when I don’t want to get bogged down in detail. On one of the days of my October workshop in Green Bay, I’ll be doing a demo on Yupo.

The title, “Victor’s Longest Day” refers to the fact that I captured the reference photo this June in Victor, Idaho, at about 8:00 pm.

Broadway Review

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 12:33:01 -0400

The following email arrived yesterday. Very exciting! Check out the links for information on Richard Baratz, who has been the caricature artist-to-the-stars at Sardi’s restaurant for the past 35 years. His comments refer to my painting “I saw the Light at 44th & Broadway,” above.

Dear Ms Parins,
I also saw the light on 44th Street. I'm the artist for Sardi's restauant on 44th between Broadway and Eighth.

I found that beautiful painting under your name of watercolorists of america. I make it a point to look at all watercolor sights, and to see what artists appeal to me. Yours hit me. I have several watercolors under Sardi's gift shop prints. My piece called "Opening Night" seems to do better than the others. Of course you can use my name on your blog, I'd be honored.

I love your watercolors.

Richard Baratz
Sardi’s Caricature Artist

Watercolor Wyoming

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 15:52:26 -0400

These are the three paintings I’ll be sending off to the Watercolor Wyoming exhibit in August. Scenes from New York, Wyoming, and Alaska, respectively.
9/15/08 PS: “Steppin’ Out” won second place. I now have signature status in the Wyoming Watercolor Society, which means I’ve been juried into two of their annual exhibits within 10 years, and am entitled to use “WyWS” after my name. Cool!

Poppy Madness

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 13:49:02 -0400

My main objective with this painting was to capture the brilliance and glow of the backlit flowers. I masked the whites and started working wet-into-wet. It was so difficult for me to stay out of an area once I laid down the pure color, that I had to force myself to walk away! Finally I began second painting of the same subject in order to keep myself from muddying up the first one while it dried. The second (still in progress) is on Yupo, a plastic surface. The switching back and forth was great from a creativity standpoint and kept me from getting too picky with either piece.

Fun with Framing

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 12:39:53 -0400

I spent most of yesterday in the studio, getting settled in after 4 weeks on the road. When I came across this demo painting, I tore out the area I wanted to crop, then backed it with a smaller piece of foam core to make it stand away from the background and cast a shadow. The mat is spaced out with a double layer of foam core to give enough depth to keep the painting from touching the glass. Usually I’m an “off-white-double-mat nothing-but-the-basics” kind of framer, but some pieces just call for a little decorative treatment.

Yellowstone Lake, WY

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 12:25:22 -0400

After a month of travel in the Rockies, this is the only plein air painting I have to show. Shame on me. I did take about a thousand photos and will be working on studio paintings with those references, so I don’t feel like a complete slacker.

This quarter-sheet is my impression of the view of Yellowstone Lake from Fishing Bridge in Yellowstone Park. It was a beautiful day, I sat next to the “Danger, Bear Habitat” sign, and enjoyed watching the white pelicans drift in the current. There is so much to do and see in the Park that I couldn’t make myself sit still for painting.

The wildflowers in the Tetons and Bighorn Mountains are spectacular due to a big snow year. The views are like intense sunsets; if an artist tries to capture it, it’s difficult to avoid looking too sweet or sentimental.

TWSA Exhibit

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 20:00:21 -0400

You’re going to think all I do is run around looking at art exhibits. It’s been an unusual year! On Monday we were passing through Bloomington MN and stopped to see the Transparent Watercolor Society Exhibit. This is an exciting show; the level of skill is quite awe-inspiring. Represented are many of the painters that I’ve had as instructors, or whose books have had a strong influence on me: Gloria Miller Allen, Ratindra Das, Eric Weingardt, Mel Stabin, John Salminen, Jean Grastof, Sue Archer, off the top of my head.

TWSA was formerly MWS, Midwest Watercolor Society, and many of their annual exhibits and workshops were held in my home town of Green Bay, WI. I wasn’t painting back then, but my Dad was. He would participate in the workshops and tell me about the fantastic painters teaching them. I guess that’s why the names seem legendary and having a painting accepted in the exhibit is so meaningful to me.

One sad note: its frame was badly damaged before hanging. It looks like great force was applied to one side (a fork lift?) and the metal is actually crunched. I’m waiting to find out if the shipper is responsible. Mortifying to have that hanging there for all to see, as if I sent it in that condition!

If you’re in the Minneapolis area, stop in to see the exhibit. It’s and easy exit off 35W at 98th street to the west, in the Bloomington Art Center. Here’s a link to the exhibit: http://watercolors.org/exhibitions/2008/ I’d like to hear your comments.

Discover Wisconsin: Jack Richeson

Sun, 8 Jun 2008 14:43:53 -0400

On Friday I delivered my painting to the Richeson 75 Figure and Portrait Exhibit at the Jack Richeson School of Art and Gallery in Kimberly, WI.

What an incredible facility! The Richeson permanent collection is wonderful. I was excited to be able to view, up close and personal, multiple paintings by contemporary masters of watercolor. Stephen Quiller, Zoltan Szabo, Dan Burt, Frank Francese, and John Salminen are all represented. In addition, the gallery includes many Wisconsin painters such as Bridget Austin, Mary Rypel Anderson, and Terry Stanley, to name just a few.

The space contains a state-of-the-art classroom and an art supply store, stocking all of the Jack Richeson products. I had an especially good time in the Bargain Room at the back.

No, I’m not affiliated with them in any way, other than being included in their upcoming exhibit, so I apologize for sounding like a marketing piece. I just thought art lovers would appreciate a heads up on this hidden jewel. If you live near Appleton or will be passing through Wisconsin this summer, it’s well worth a road trip.

Although I’ve been back in Wisconsin for a month, I can’t even show you a photo of my Up North studio. Things have been kind of chaotic getting settled back in, but I’m making progress.

I’ll be posting photos from an upcoming trip out west, where I intend to do some plein air work. With any luck I’ll be able to find wireless internet so I can stay in touch using my laptop. A new Canon Elf Powershot will be my trusty sidekick for recording reference images for my studio paintings. There, I’ve stated my plan in public, so now I can’t slack off!

Captive Audience

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 14:58:46 -0400

I wish I could say that this painting was the result of a trip to Kenya, but my photoshoot was actually last month at the more mundane Busch Gardens in Tampa. These lovely wrinkled ladies put on quite a captivating show. Their shapes and shadows in the bright sunlight were an inspiration and I could hardly wait to get home and start playing with my digital photos on the computer.
The painting is on 300 lb Arches so that I didn’t have to take the time to stretch it in advance. As you can see, I started with wet-into-wet, poured and brushed on. It sat in the studio for awhile before I realized that it needed a shadow coming in from the left, as if another beast was in the line-up out of view. Extending the trunk shadow off the bottom edge and suggesting background foliage were the final touches.

© Kris Parins 2008

New Mexico Sketches

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 10:28:00 -0400

Here are a few more of the plein air and quick sketches I did around the Santa Fe area. My flight was delayed 4 days due to weather, so I had time to work in my host’s beautiful new studio. Some of the paintings were done using a photo on my laptop screen as a reference, without ever printing it out.

Ghost Ranch, New Mexico

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0400

For the past 10 days, I’ve been in Phoenix AZ, and Santa Fe NM, checking out galleries and taking photos to use as reference for future paintings.
Today was undoubtedly the best plein air experience I’ve ever had. Along with three other artists, I painted on the site where Georgia O’Keeffe lived and created most of her body of work. The air was crisp and clear, the fellow painters were dedicated, and the red striated cliffs were, of course, inspirational.
Yesterday I spent the morning at the O’Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe, which added a special dimension to today’s visit to Ghost Ranch. We did some quick warm-up paintings in the 45 minutes before lunch, and then moved to a new location for the afternoon. The local wild burros like to congregate in the area, although they weren’t interested in our gear this time. Each of us spun out 4 - 6 small watercolor sketches, getting bolder and looser as the day progressed. The wind picked up in the late afternoon, so we packed up and headed back to our host’s home in Santa Fe for a show & tell before dinner.

Watercolor Exhibit; a trip to Quincy FL

Tue, 4 Mar 2008 16:25:31 -0500

This past weekend we made the trip up to Quincy, Florida to attend the opening reception of the Southern Watercolor Society Exhibit. It was quite a trek (750 miles round trip) but we’re so glad we decided to go. The 86 paintings selected by juror Linda Moyer are so vibrant and impactful when viewed “in person.” I must have made the circuit of the Gadsden Center 4 or 5 times that evening, trying to take it all in. It’s interesting to see the award choices made by the juror; it must be a difficult and personal task to make those selections. I’m sure that many of the paintings will go on to win awards in other exhibits.

It was informative to see how other watercolor artists present their work for exhibit; most were as required, simply framed and matted in white or off-white. There were a few that shocked me with their mismatched corners, dirty mats, and scratched glazing. (These did not win awards, although the paintings were excellent despite their careless presentation.)

As we were leaving, we picked up a copy of the printed catalogue. If I had not seen the actual paintings I would not have as high an impression of the exhibit. The photos of the paintings were dark, flat, and lifeless in comparison. Whether this was the fault of the artists’ digital files, the graphic designer who prepared it for print, or the printer, I don’t know. The catalogue serves as a nice reminder of a great show, but is for reference purposes only.

If any of you are near the Florida Panhandle, I’d suggest a day trip to Quincy, just west of Tallahassee; it’s a charming town and the exhibit is impressive.

New Print Gallery

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 11:04:24 -0500

Prints have always been a bit of a struggle for artists; it can be a logistical nightmare getting them made, storing them, and then marketing them. It’s a guessing game of which image will sell best, and be worth the up-front investment. Then there’s the quality issue. So you can imagine my excitement when I aligned myself with a professional giclée printer who does excellent work at a reasonable price, handles the orders and shipping, and also provides a multitude of framing options. See Print Gallery

My sample order arrived in less than 10 days. But it’s the quality of the print that has put my enthusiasm over the top; If I had not painted the originals myself, I would have had a hard time telling that these were prints. The colors are rich, vibrant, and match the originals. The framing I selected was expertly crafted, complete with dust cover and all wired for immediate hanging.

I’m now offering a few of my more popular images in print, and will be adding to the gallery as time permits. I’ve also put together a few framing options for each image, or you are free to select your own frame, or purchase a loose print unframed.

Be sure to add your comments to the blog;
let me know if there’s an image that you’d like made available in print form, and if there is a way to improve on the service. Thanks!

More Participants’ Paintings

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 22:12:05 -0500

The members of my workshops have been great about sending in their finished paintings to share on the website. It’s been wonderful to hear from so many of you; we may be scattered for now (and some of you are buried in the worst Wisconsin weather in memory!) but at least we can meet online and share our excitement about painting. I hear from Ron that most of you have registered for the October ’08 workshop in Green Bay . . . keep on sending paintings, I’ll post them here. Check out the Participants page to see the work.

Today I received the Instructor’s Packet from Peninsula Art School (Door County WI); I’ll be teaching a 3-day workshop titled “Capturing the Essence of Lakes and Woods in Watercolor May 15-17, 2008. Reading their catalog with the history of the school and description of the beautiful setting has me very enthusiastic about the possibilities. I hope to see some of you there!

Workshop Feedback

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 19:13:01 -0500

I’ve added a new page to the website in order to showcase some of the work by artists who have painted in my workshops. Anne Tedeschi (pictured here) gave me the idea when she emailed two of her wonderful paintings that evolved from her work in the Values Workshop I taught in Green Bay last fall. Anne really got excited about the pouring process, and had begun the chickens composition on the 3rd and final day . . . what a treat to see it completed! You can see her “Evening Chores” painting on the Participants page. More paintings will be added in the near future.