Author Archives: Maureen

A Diversion to Gouache ~~ Yellow Convertible, Cuban Style!

I came across a photo I took some years ago in Cuba and it made me smile. Pulled out my gouache set and took a stab. It turned out too precise, but I’ll try to be looser next time. It was fun anyway.

Yellow convertible, Havana Cuba. Gouache on Paper. 7.5″ x 5″

Rhodos ~~ wild and wooly against yellow grasses

This is another floral, painted a few weeks back. The little petals aren’t as well-suggested as were the petals on the peonies I posted yesterday. And it was extremely difficult to suggest that vibrant magenta. But ‘it is what it is’. . . . I may go back in and soften the strength of that one green leaf between the flowers. Draws the attention too much . . .

Rhododendrons against yellow grasses. Watercolor on paper. 9″ x 12″.
Photo reference from our garden.

Another watercolor ~~ Peonies

Our peonies were blooming last week so I clipped a few. They were very droopy from the rain so I propped them up with some branchlets from our Japanese maple. Painting flowers with lots of little petals is always daunting! I always like the containers better than the flowers!

Peonies (with Maple Leaf Props). Watercolor on Paper. 9″ x 12″.
The setup which I painted painted from life. The sun was in a different position during the painting session.

Another new watercolor ~~ Los Angeles Palm with golden necklace!

I love palm trees and have had to practice quite a bit in order to capture a semblance of one. I’ve been procrastinating on this beauty for a number of years — based on a photo I took in LA.

LA Palm, with Golden Necklace. Watercolor on paper. 7” x 5”.

My DC Place ~~ new watercolor

Here’s a new watercolor based on a photo I took while driving along Massachusetts Avenue in DC a couple of years ago. It captures part of our capital’s essence. Painting it was an imperative.

I used a limited palette of 2 reds, 2 blues, and 2 yellows, plus black.

My DC Place. Watercolor on paper. 7” x 5”.

A Bevy of Spring Tulips in Two Media ~~ Digital (iPad) and Watercolor.

We’ve got a fabulous clump of red native tulips nestled under a crepe myrtle tree in our front yard. It’s one of the first shows every Spring and it’s hard to beat. I did a digital portrait of them several years ago on the iPad using the Art Rage app and painted them again in watercolor a few days ago. Thought you’d enjoy comparing them!

Red Tulips. Original Digital Painting using Art Rage on an iPad. 4×3 aspect ratio.
Red Tulips. Watercolor on Paper. 14 x 10.

A Quick Gouache for an Exhibit Cancelled by Covid!

With my painting buddies, the Seven Palettes, I was to mount an exhibition a year ago at Oasis Gallery, Westfield Montgomery Mall, Bethesda, MD. Covid killed that so we got to work and ‘hung’ a digital exhibit online. Here’s one of the gouache paintings I had done for that show. It’s a bit too literal, but I figured some mother or grandmother might like it!

At the playground. Gouache on Paper. 2019. 8″ x 11″.