Snow Bird

Original Watercolor on Paper
9"x11"

This wind and rainy weather is perfect for painting....indoors, that is!

I always feel in the mood to paint when the weather is like this, because that was my childhood "rainy day" activity.

This painting is from my new mini lesson on DVD. Learn to use red, yellow and blue to paint a "Snow Bird". There is live footage, as well as lots of photo references on the video for you to practice what you learn in the lesson.

Click here for more 20 minute lessons on DVD.

Winter Textures

Original Watercolor on Paper
5"x7"

Here's a fun exercise in using counterchange, positive and negative space, values, and texture. Have I left anything out?

Okay, what are you waiting for? Get out your painting stuff and have some fun!

Dream Clouds--Sold

15"x22"
Original Watercolor on Paper

This is from a photo I took in May on our way through the North Cascades Pass. The pass is closed through the winter. Usually, we are within one or two weeks of the spring opening of the pass. It's still very quiet, then, and seems to be dreaming of the winter solitude. Like the dreamlike scenes in a silent movie, the weather changes moment by moment.

First Snow 1

$99.00
Original Watercolor on Paper
71/2"x11"

These two paintings come from memories of cross country skiing. Not too many people are out yet when the first meager snow falls. In the lower elevations, the last of the fall color vibrates in contrast to the cool, bright whiteness. This one is about the melted down quality of the snow a few hours after it first fell.

I enjoyed playing with various wet on wet, lifting and scraping techniques to show the contrast of dry, brittle leaves and soft new snow.

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First Snow 2

$99.00
Original Watercolor on Paper
71/2"x11"

I think it pays to work in a series. Not only is this a good compositional exercise, but when you have more than one possibility, you tend to loosen up and become more creative. I wanted to indicate the beginning of the day with this one.

Can you tell which one was painted first?

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Aceto on Ebay

#99.00
Original Watercolor on Paper
6"x10"

Balsamic vinegar or lemon? Add one of them to your olive oil and you have salad dressing. It was fun to play with "light versus dark" and saturated color versus paler color in the lemon.

Click here to bid

I have been spending quite a lot of my time working on getting my Ebay store up and running. So, I am re-posting this one to keep it on this page. I have 4 items on auction in my new Ebay store and hope this link works. Happy shopping!

Snowy Fireworks

$49.00
Original Watercolor on Paper
5"x7"

Back lit by the crisp winter light, a powdery explosion of pure energy bursts from the shadows!

It's like snowy fireworks!

Blue Snow, Yellow Suit

$49.00
Original Watercolor on Paper
5"x7"

Yaaaayaahhhhh! Only thing more fun than painting it is doing it!

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Red Caps

$99.00
Original Watercolor on Paper
10"x8"


It was a very blustery day today. The seagulls soared effortlessly in the air, there were whitecaps on the water and other elements wore red caps.

Snow Melt

$99.00
Original Watercolor on Paper
8"x10"

A few trees still wear the last shreds of their autumn leaves, the brief snowfall is melting off and the birds are very quiet today.

Snow at Stevens Pass

$208.00
Original Watercolor on Paper
11"x14"

We don't have that much snow here in the NW. So, when it happens, we hardly know what to do with it.

I paralyzed myself yesterday with choices:
First, we woke up to a beautiful "powdered sugar" landscape. I thought I might paint that from the studio windows after running a few errands. Temporarily paralyzed.

On the way home, though, the light on the mountains with their fresh coat of snow was too much to resist. I didn't have my camera with me, so I rushed home to get it, then back down the street for that view........and the light was gone! Paralyzed.

I came out of my grumbling prowl later in the day when big, fat fluffy flakes started to fall and stick! Okay, now, I just have to wait until it thickens up. Paralyzed. No good, it got dark. Paralyzed, again.

Alright, that's it! I shook myself out of snow-induced paralysis, got out my old videos of family trips over Stevens Pass, pushed the "pause" button at a paintable scene and here it is! Daylight, lots of snow and the passion to paint. No problem.

Just one thing: I thought I would solve a blogging problem with images before I published this one. Paralyzed.

So that's why you're seeing yesterday's painting today.

Glistening

$99.00
Original Watercolor on Paper
10"x8"

The wet road glistens after the rain and leads us right on down to winter. I promised myself I wouldn't paint snow until December.....and I just barely made it!

This was pure fun! No preliminary drawing, just wet paper, wet brushes and wet paint!

Autumn Currents

$99.00
Original Watercolor on Paper
8"x10"

One of my favorite painting spots for plein air painting. It was so cold today, though, I stayed in the studio and used one of my recent "sketch hunting" photos.

A Few Grapes Left

$99.00
Original Watercolor on Paper
6"x9.5"


After having my family over for a week, there are a few leftovers. I think these grapes are the most paintable ones so far.

This one was a balancing act between the grapes and the stems. Sort of like "sticks and stones". Grapes are so much like gemstones to me.

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What is art?

I've been completely immersed in entertaining out of town family members for the past few days. The last one left yesterday, so I'm back in the studio. While I'm working, here is something for your entertainment.

What is art to you?

Autumn Sun Breaks

Work in Progress
Original Watercolor on Paper
15"x22"

This is the demo I did for my class tonight at Skagit Valley College. I tweaked it a little about 15 minutes ago, and it will remain "on the easel" until I feel it's a little more finessed. Then I will post the finished one and a link to this image as well as the reference photo from which I painted.

Mushrooms

$60.00
Original Watercolor on Paper

This was a small demonstration for my class on still life.

Aceto

#99.00
Original Watercolor on Paper
6"x10"

Balsamic vinegar or lemon? Add one of them to your olive oil and you have salad dressing. It was fun to play with "light versus dark" and saturated color versus paler color in the lemon.

Click here to bid

Rural Delivery

"Rural Delivery"
Original Watercolor by Michele Cooper
8"x10" -- 11x14" framed

This location reminds of where my parents used to live. Everyone knows when the mail comes and they all keep an eye out for the postman.

Birchbark Textures

$99.00
Original Watercolor on Paper
10"x8"

I grabbed my painting gear and drove around my favorite painting spots all day, looking for an autumn subject. I found dozens, but all inaccessible for any period of time.
I returned home and the light was perfect on the Himalayan White Birches by our mailbox. I was ready for some texture, mixed with the silvery autumn sun breaks.

Wishing for Spring

$204.00
Original Watercolor on Paper
15"x11"

Pie birds and silk flowers on the window sill of my studio catch the filtered light from foggy windows. The rain outside is not from April showers. It's only November, but I'll remember spring today.

Cut Pear and Starbucks Mug

$99.00
Original Watercolor on Paper
8"x10"

What to do when you wake up hungry AND wanting to paint?
Paint first. I started having breakfast and realized the shapes that I was cutting into the pear had a beautifully sculptural quality. So a few hours later, I am posting this painting, having already eaten the pear, and on my way to fill my coffee mug at Starbucks!

Fragile Wings

$99.00
Original Watercolor on Paper
8"x10"

My hydrangeas froze one night last week, and walking past them today, I thought of the flower fairies that were painted in the 1920's. The fragile flower petals reminded me of their wings.

They look a bit darker and greener on my monitor than in the actual painting. Some of the subtle blue-greens aren't registering as well as they could.

Lavender Earl Grey with Lemon

$99.00
Original Watercolor
71/2"x101/2"

It's always a challenge to paint "white on white", especially in watercolor.
I don't use any masking agent or white paint. Just pure transparent watercolor. The tea bag is made of silk.

Red Onion, Green Grapes

$99.00
Original Watercolor on paper
6"x10"



Here is a slightly different take on the complementary color scheme of red and green.

Pear with Grapes

$99.00
Original Watercolor on paper
6"x10"


I finally have time to paint just what I want. This is a new pear. I ended up throwing away two other boxes of them that I carried around with me to classes for weeks.

The grapes are so full of colorful facets, just like jewels. It's hard to know whether to eat them or paint them!

Daily Painting in Earnest

Even if you paint in the laundry room, this little easel is portable enough and easy enough to tuck away when you're finished. I recommend it for my students who carry everything to class in a sport bag. This fits!

Now that my 13th annual studio open house is over (thanks to everyone who came!) I can get down to my resolution to make a painting a day, with one or two days off a week for class prep.

Let me know if there is any particular subject you wish to see here.

Gourd

$60
Original Watercolor on paper
Image size 4"x6"

I've been carrying around a bag of gourds for my students to paint, but haven't worked it into a class yet. So here is one before they get moldy.

Crockett Lake Salt Marsh -- section

$325.00
Original Watercolor on paper
Framed size (16x20) Image size 11"x14"

This is a section of my painting Crockett Lake Salt Marsh. I will be taking it to Daniel Smith, Inc. in Bellevue tomorrow for an invitational exhibit of Northwest Watercolor Society Signature Members. The exhibit will be up for the month of November.

Daniel Smith will be hosting a reception for this show on Friday, Nov. 2 from 5pm to 8pm.

Meet the artists and hear the "story behind the painting"!

NW Studio Open House

Our 13th Annual Studio Open House takes place a week from today, Nov 3, 2007.

We are excited to show new works and welcome artists, students and friends. Enjoy some nibbles, conversation and perhaps take home a painting, DVD or just the experience of visiting a real working art studio.