Impressionists by the Sea

This will be just a quick post because I’m deep into writing the novel. I’m almost back on track to finish in time!

If you live in the Washington D.C. area there is a great exhibit going on right now at the Phillips Collection called Impressionists by the Sea. This is a collection of paintings down mostly in France in the late 1800s. Some of the paintings you’ll see were done by impressionists that you’ve read about on this blog such as Monet.
In the painting shown above, La Plage de Trouville by Monet, you can actually see the sand that was blown into the paint by the wind while Monet worked (en plen air) on the beach. That alone is worth the trip if you ask me.

If you happen to live near Hartford, Conn., this exhibit next travels to the Wadsworth Atheneum and will show from February 9-May 11, 2008.

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My Current NaNoWriMo Word Count:

21012 / 50000 words. 42% done!

Paint Your Own Watercolor Sunset

Watercolor is great. It’s fun to work with and not nearly as hard as oil paints to end up with good results. One thing to keep in mind about watercolors is that when you paint over one color with another, you won’t be able to cover the bottom color. This can create some nice effects that will be useful when you’re making your sunset, but can be frustrating if you forget to paint something in and then can’t add it.

Supplies Needed:

Watercolor paints
Paintbrush
Cup of water for rinsing your brush
Paper

Cover your workspace with newspaper. Choose a sheet of paper. I recommend using think sketch paper because the texture will leave white patches in the water and the sky that will look like breaking waves and cloud wisps.

Since you’re making a sunset, the first thing you should do is paint in the sun. Choose a bright orange or yellow or mix the colors together on the paper. If you want to add any of interesting element, such as a dock or a large rock, do that next.

Now paint streaks of color horizontally across the sky. You could use red, yellow, and orange, or red, pink, and purple, or any colors you want.

Fill in the water the same way. If you’re painting on sketch paper, paint lightly so the texture leaves bits of white poking out. Add more water for lighter blue. I think it looks best if you vary how much water you use. Paint some light blue streaks and some dark blue streaks and let them blend together in places.

Let your masterpiece dry. Hang and enjoy.

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My Current NaNoWriMo Word Count:

18775 / 50000 words. 38% done!

I’m almost caught up!!!!

Art Supplies: Watercolors

Watercolors paints are made by mixing pigment with water. Because they aren’t made with oil, watercolors are easier to clean up but the colors aren’t as bright. Also, they aren’t shiny the way oil paints are.

Watercolors sometimes come in tubes and sometimes in tubs. You’ve probably used watercolors before. To paint with watercolors, just dip your brush in water and then rub it in the paint to pick up some of the color. But using more or less water you can create lighter or darker colors.

Watercolors are transparent paints. This means that when you paint with them you can still see some of the paper through the color. If you paint on top of another, dry color the colors will blend because you will be able to see through the top color to the bottom color.

Tomorrow I’ll post a watercolor project. For now, check out this illuminated manuscript project which also allows you to use watercolors. Or read about Winslow Homer who painted some amazing seascapes using watercolors.

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My Current NaNoWriMo Word Count.

16339 / 50000 words. 33% done!
(No, I didn’t double my word count...
I didn’t even catch up.
But I would like to point out that I am
one third finished with my novel!!)

Book: Of Flowers and Shadows

Of Flowers and Shadows by Anna Kirwan is the fictional story of one of Winslow Homer’s paintings, Girl and Laurel. It is meant for readers in grades 4-6 but I loved and I'm much older than a 6th grader!

Aurelia Sandborn was orphaned in a shipwreck and left with very few clues about her past. She wonders about her family often. Aurelia goes to work for a family in Boston, Massachusetts in order to support herself and it is here that she meets the artist, Winslow Homer, and becomes his model.

This is a finely drawn story of a girl, her first love, and her discovery of her past, set in a well-researched 1878 Boston. Kirwan does an excellent job creating a personality for Winslow Homer, and the story she crafted for a model we have no historical account of is extremely creative and engaging. I highly recommend this book.

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My Current NaNoWriMo Word Count:

12000 / 50000 words. 24% done!

I know... I wrote only 550 words today and that hardly warrants a new meter. I've been fizzling a little but I'm still not too far behind. I hope to double my word count in the next four days so wish me luck!

Winslow Homer

Born in 1836 in Boston, Mass., Winslow Homer became an important American painter. He began his career painting illustrations for magazines such as Harper’s Weekly. During the Civil War, Harper’s Weekly sent Homer to sketch battle scenes and capture artistically the daily lives of soldiers. When we returned to his studio he continued creating war-related scenes.

During the early part of his career as a painter, Homer mainly painted images of rural life. He began working in oil paint and focused on painting things exactly as they appeared: he was a realist. He lived in Paris France for a year among the Impressionists but was not directly influenced.
In 1873 Homer began to use watercolors. He fell in love with watercolor and after this time rarely left home without watercolor paints and paper. His loose style influenced many painters after him including N.C. Wyeth and Edward Hopper. (I’ll post on these artists at a later date.)

When Homer began traveling in 1875, he found that he loved the sea. He spent much of the rest of his life painting seascapes. It is his seascapes that are the most popular and famous of Homer’s works.
Tomorrow I’ll post a book review on a book featuring Winslow Homer.

(The paintings shown from top to bottom are The Adirondack Guide; Long Branch, New Jersey; Waiting for an Answer; The Gulf Stream)

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My NaNoWriMo Word Count:

11450 / 50000 words. 23% done!