Sunday, November 18, 2007

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.

Thursday, November 15, 2007

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.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

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.

Monday, November 12, 2007

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.

Sunday, November 11, 2007

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!

Friday, November 9, 2007

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.

Thursday, November 8, 2007

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.

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

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.
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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!

Monday, November 5, 2007

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.