I decided to go down to the Forest Service to paint some of the mining display equipment. My eyes really needed a rest but I couldn’t resist and silly me, why pick out difficult subjects to paint? I think that I need help….anyone hear of Painters Anonymous? Maybe I should do a group start up!
My two paintings were of these two items, the left “thing” is called a blower which blows compressed air into a mine. The ore car on the right was my second painting.
Oh my, I should had given myself a day off because these equipment pieces were very intricate and I decided to paint at mid day so the lack of good contrast was at its minimum. I did want to post this anyway because it was a good way to end my Watercolor Challenge for the month. I will be making a slide show of all my paintings during this challenge and my final thoughts, be looking for that hopefully on Tuesday. I will also talk about my upcoming challenge for the month of June in which I will be continuing in watercolor.
I wanted to include a photo of the dedication plaque of my husband’s boss. I always liked Dick Zembiec and his knowledge of mining and his understanding of the gold miners he dealt with.
My learning points:
- Goodness sakes it is alright to take a rest, especially when my body is telling me to.
- Learn to use that rough paper, perfect for dry brush, this was a golden moment that I allowed to slip away (darn my eyes!).
- Learn to bring a definite three value play into subjects such as these.
These turned out great! 😍Really nice! I love that you pick such difficult subjects. It inspires me to try to look for more difficult things to paint!
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Yep….I have a tendency to “turn the thumb screw” on my own little torture. :)All kidding aside, it sure helps you to grow and expand your horizons.
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What a challenging subject! You handled them quite well, so you should be proud of yourself. And Painters Anonymous? LOL…I found a site yesterday called “Acrylics Anonymous” but their 12-steps could apply to watercolor painters, too. I share the link in a post I have coming up on my blog, but why wait? You might enjoy checking it out now.
http://www.explore-acrylic-painting.com/acrylics-anonymous.html
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lol! I do need help! I planned on not touching art until Tuesday…no brushes, no paint but I just couldn’t help myself. I’ll check into that…..I need 12 steps now! 🙂 thanks Judith!
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I think you’ll like it. 🙂
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lol I just responded before seeing this…..it is a great list of steps. I like their little blurb about not wishing to offend, so funny!
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Yeah, it was nice that they added that because, you know, there are probably some people who would be offended 😦
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there will always be those that do, sad to say 😦
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Oh now that was fun reading their 12 steps…..and I have been wanting to break out my acrylics, so I can also relate to that reference. lol yep, it is way too late for me. 🙂
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LOL
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I rather LOVE the painting of the “blower thing!” You rest those eyes Margaret! We’ll be here. Hugs from Mars!
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Rough paper is awesome ~ your sketches are very daring and delightful. Nice wrap up for the month. Looking forward to June with you and your watercolors.
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Great subjects to draw and nicely rendered – keep up the challenging work!
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Maning equipment is fascinating. I love visiting Bodie, and look at the old equipment there. Great job with those paintings!
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thank you Maria! You are always so kind. 🙂
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I meant mining equipment of course..sorry. I hope your enjoying the weekend 🙂
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I figured that it was a slip of the finger…..I have done that many times. 🙂 I did enjoy my weekend.
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🙂
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Those are neat.
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I almost didn’t post them because they are lacking in all kinds of ways but I figured they are part of this challenge and need to fit in somewhere! They look better in person, which is good. lol 🙂
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That would have been too bad. Glad you posted.
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a month goes by so quickly & you’ve gotten a lot accomplished — it’ll be nice for you to put all the pictures together to celebrate
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I am going to post on Tuesday the entire collection. I was going to go with a slide show but decided to show them differently.
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Wow you aren’t afraid of a challenge, are you? Good for you, Margaret, and I do see the light in your work too, always great to see that, even with dark subjects such as this. I hope you get some rest for your eyes and enjoy your family this weekend. I’m dying to see what you’ve decided to do for June! I’d love to tag along with you if I can! 💜💛🎨. Sending prayers of love and healing for you, friend.
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Oh thank you Laura! I wasn’t even suppose to be in here on a Sunday but I had to get a recipe and then I thought I would hop on over…lol yep…..I am still coming up with my plan and I have been reading Mary Whyte’s book on watercolor portraits, so I’m thinking. Thank you for the well wishes for rest and healing. I hope that you are resting! 🙂
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Yes, and painting and feeling better! Looking forward to seeing what you’re planning! Sounds interesting. 😀😎
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What an interesting place and great painting results, Margaret! 🙂
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I think that you are being too kind…..thank you though! I should paint only when my eyes are up to the task. 🙂
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Great idea to have a complete change of subject. Textures like rusty metal are really fun to paint and work well in watercolour. Time you had a check-up with an optician, do you think?
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My appointment is about 10 days away…. 🙂 thank you
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