Selective Focus

Sunday Painters' Challenge:
Paint a landscape or a close up in black and white or monotone. Try another composition  with color only in the area of interest or focal point. (See photo references in yesterday's post)
i.e. You may choose an area of selective color like the snow covered rose or the porch light through the trees, or the beginning glow of morning light.  Let the color fade gradually outwards.

2.5x3.5" ACEO

Even though some of you Sunday Painters may live on the summer side of the globe, you can still find a time of day (dusk or dawn) where the landscape has muted color. Try it!

Goal!

Feeling a bit dainty today. ATCs-Each one is just 2.5x3.5"

Yay! I did it! The goal was 50 drawings or paintings in 30 days for National November Drawing Month. So with these three little Artists' Trading Cards I am now ahead of myself!

As I meet up at various locations with the sketchers, I sometimes find myself in a place where I wouldn't usually go. We've been to some antique shops in the last months and I've begun to revive my small collection of bone china tea cups.  I put them all away when we remodeled the main floor of our house a few years ago. Then Liz Steel's work reminded me of how very paintable they can be. It's such a fun subject for watercolor and a great drawing exercise. I decided to go traditional with these; a light pencil drawing, transparent watercolor, no masking fluid, no white except the reserved paper. Fun!

There will be a lot of goodies around here for awhile, and what better way to enjoy them than with some nice hot tea in a lovely cup!

ACEO Canyon 1

Van Gogh #4 Travel Brush and ACEO

Canyon 1
Original Watercolor ACEO by Michele Cooper
Size: 3.5"x 2.5"   Price: $30

This time of year brings back fond memories of taking our young family to visit my parents in Eastern Washington. It's always colder there than it is on this side of the mountains, and the foliage changes colors sooner. We used to drive through Tumwater Canyon to see them until they moved to the Yakima area. Canyon Road can be very icy during the early fall and winter, but the views are worth it.

Tulip petal

Fallen Tulip Petal     Sold
ACEO 3.5x2.5"
Original watercolor by Michele Cooper
Price: $30  (free S&H)

When is a tulip petal not like a tulip petal?
When the painting looks nearly like a leaf of radicchio?
Or when the goldfish think it may be one of their own who jumped out of the bowl?
Last night the bouquet of tulips in my studio lost a petal and started me on this unexpected detour from what I thought my day would be like.

Who Ate the Canary?

Who Ate the Canary?
Diptych

"He Said" Original Watercolor ACEO, 3.5x2.5"
"She Said" Original Watercolor ACEO,  3.5x2.5"
Price: $30 each, sold as a diptych

Here's today's pair of watercolor cats in my series of complementary diptychs. Each one complements the other: i.e. in this pair one is dominantly warm, the other cool, one high contrast, the other soft contrast, one masculine, the other feminine, one innocent? the other guilty?

"Out on the Town"

"Out on the Town"

"Alley Cats 1 & 2"
ACEO Watercolor, Pen & Ink
Each 3.5"x 2.5"
Price: $30 each, sold as a diptych

Here is the first pair of watercolor cats. They're out on the town, meeting and greeting as they do.

Note: If you're shy and you're a cat, you can always hide behind a drainpipe.

Packaging and Shipping Framed ACEO

First, I usually don't ship framed artwork. Although I believe my choices are professional and may I say, elegant, I think the collector already has an idea of where they will hang it and what type of frame they want. I could never guess.

Having said that, if the artwork is small enough, I can make an exception, i.e. ACEO and anything up to 8x10" outside measurements, or thereabouts. You can see how I package them in the example here. Another layer of packing fits over the bubble wrap before the box is sealed.
I usually don't ship any artwork larger than this with glass. However, these small sizes, securely wrapped and padded have arrived safely. Take them out of the box and hang on the wall. Instant gratification!

Custom Mats and Frames for ACEO

 "Autumn Leaves" triptych

Original Watercolor by Michele Cooper

3.5"x2.5" each watercolor leaf
Price: $90 (for all three) does not include mat/frame

Also shown: "Red Orange Leaf"
Original Watercolor by Michele Cooper
4.5"x5.5" in acid free 5x7" photo mount card
Price: $48

After the intensity of creating a triptych of autumn leaves comes the energy-sapping task of properly matting and framing. I prefer that my collectors would take the original work to a reputable framer and have them do it. "I'm an artist, Jim, not a framer!"

If you do want to be sure that the framing is properly done, here are some do's and don'ts:

Do:

• Choose archival, acid, lignin, solvent free materials to preserve the quality of original art
• Select a mat and frame that gives enough room around the artwork to separate it from its surroundings.
• Keep mat and frame colors minimal and not competing with the artwork.
• Use a dust cover on the back and wire, not sawtooth hangers.

Don't:

• Never frame so that the artwork presses against the glass. Over time,  moisture will transfer pigments and ruin the artwork.
• Never glue, laminate or otherwise permanently attach the whole artwork to backing. It devalues the painting. Framers have acid, lignin, solvent free tape for attaching it to the mat.
• Never use cardboard or wood against the back of the painting. Acid erosion and foxing will damage the artwork.
• Never spray glass cleaner directly on the glass. Spray onto a soft cloth and then clean the glass. Cleaner could creep under the frame and soil the mat and/or artwork.

Daniel Montoya has a very nice tutorial on DYI methods for framing these small paintings.

Third Plum for Triptych

Plum Half with Pit
Original watercolor ACEO
2.5"x3.5"
Price: $30 sold

There! It's the last in three paintings I made from a single red plum.
First, I painted it whole, then cut it in half and painted the two sides, the side with and the one without pit. And that's how you get three paintings from one plum. :-)

Red Plum Triptych

And here's what they look like together.
I've lined them up vertically and I like them that way, too.

They were painted as a three-part painting and to be sold that way. "One Ripe Plum"', triptych (3x $30)  sold