Piece of the Week

This week's piece of the week is from the Hex series. I've recently been remembering just how much I love geometric/Islamic designs and how beautiful they are. I'm planning on working out some of my own to add to the Hex series.

Untitled
Watercolor and Sumi Ink
9x9in
2011
Series: Hex

PS Over the weekend I saw a really cool sunset with something a little unusual. I'm planning on painting it so be on the look out for that in the future.

Google Art Project

I don't know if I've posted on this before but the google art project is really an awesome thing. Last summer I was able to go to the Uffizi in Florence, where I gaped and thrilled and generally geeked out with art nerd excitement to see beloved works of art that I'd studied. Today from the comfort of home I can go to the google art project and be back at the Uffizi again. It was incredible to actually be at the Uffizi but in one trip, crowded in with hordes of other tourists, it's hard to take in everything that you might wish to see, online it can be savored and appreciated.
There are far more collections available than just the Uffizi. If you're dying to see some masterworks of art but can't get to where they are, try the google art project in the meantime.

Tools of the Trade

For this Tools of the Trade I have another... tool, for lack of a better term, that I use when I watercolor. Ox Gall. Yes it really is ox gall. I've been told that it tastes terrible (sometimes people stick their brushes in their mouth for various reasons, it's a bad habit it sounds like using ox gall and accidentally sticking your brush in your mouth could forever cure you of that.) I don't know about the taste but I do know that when I dropped the bottle and a bunch spilled out, it didn't smell really good (while it's been contained in the bottle I've never really noticed a smell.).
Anyway ox gall was recommended to me to solve a problem I was having. The problem was the pigment... not being well absorbed into the paper(?) if that makes any sense, anyway the remedy was to add ox gall to the water I use. Usually before I start painting I'll add a drop or two ox gall to the well before I mix up the paint. It's been working well for me and the bottle's lasted a long time (except for dropping and spilling).

Piece of the Week

For this week's piece of the week, I must apologize for the less than amazing picture, I'll work on getting a better one soon. I'm very excited about this piece, it turned out a lot more... loosey-goosey than my pieces usually are but I think it worked out very well. This piece is the sun, the greater light to rule the day.

The Greater Light
Watercolor
9x9in
2012
Series: Genesis

Tools of the Trade

This week on tool of the trade the second half of my watercolors. Not long after graduating I bought myself some paints of a higher quality than I'd been previously using (Maimari Blu, good but not amazing) and so I turned to Kremer. Kremer mostly does pigments with which one can make their own paint but they do sell a smaller assortment of ready made watercolors. I did consider making my own watercolors but I read or heard that it was a tricky process and decided to postpone that adventure.
Kremer is a German company as well, which is not to say that German is the only way to go, Windsor Newton is an English/British company and their watercolors are rather famous (you just have to make sure that you get the high quality grades).
I've really enjoyed these paints.

Piece of the Week

This week's piece is one of the earlier pieces in the Genesis series.

Evening
Watercolor
9x9in
2012
Series: Genesis
Photo by Hawkinson Photography

Tools of the Trade

For this week a look at some of the paints I use. I was fortunate enough to have teachers that taught me the importance of using high quality materials, it makes a fair amount of sense that if you use higher quality materials your end product will also be higher quality. It was a bit hard though as a poor art student to get behind, higher quality materials also usually have a higher price tag. I have seen the difference in materials pay off though.
When I chose materials there's more than just the quality and price to be looked at, one thing I look for is a high quality and trusted brand of paints, usually this means one that's been around for a long time, it also usually means they're in Europe. The last time I was looking to get more color options for watercolor I researched and debated and decided upon Schminke.
Schminke is a German brand that was recommended to me by a trusted teacher.
After deciding on a brand there's still much more to do. I was taught to use single pigment paints/colors and to research how these pigments will interact with one another. I hadn't ever given it any thought but it's important to remember that your paints could have chemical reactions to one another, not explosions but reactions which could effect your colors and thus your paintings. I want my work to be archival and to be long lasting, in a hundred years or more I want my work to look the same or with very little variation. Anyway I when I find a single pigment paint in the color I'm looking for, I find out any information I can about how light fast it is, if it has a toxicity warning etc. After I've looked at what information's available I then consult The Materials and Techniques of Painting by Kurt Wehlte. The book has a section on pigments and for each pigment it gives various names it goes by, the chemical make up, how lightfast etc. it might be, what types of paint (oil, watercolor) the pigment works well in and what pigments you shouldn't use it with.


As a general rule I try to avoid pigments that are or could potentially be toxic but sometimes there's just not a good alternative, in those cases I read the MSDS (medical safety data sheet if I'm not mistaken) and find out how toxic and if it's safer in some mediums. Cadmiums are very toxic pigments due to their heavy metal make up. I do have a tube of cadmium red but I use it sparingly and consider the instructions in the MSDS.
Long winded but that's how I chose paints.

Piece of the Week

Spring is here, flowers are blooming and bees are out and about. As I worked on The Importance of Bees last year I was fascinated and amazed by what I learned about honey bees, honey bees have played a significant role in symbolism over the centuries and justifiably so, they are remarkable creatures. I was inspired by the way that honey bees interact with one another and keep their hive running, a seemingly ideal society of sisters.

Brotherhood and Sisterhood
micron pen and ink
11x11in
2011
Series: The Importance of Bees

Tools of the Trade

Pencils are more effective to use when they're sharp, thus a pencil sharpener is an important tool and not all of them are created equally.


I use two pencil sharpeners, this Kum sharpener was recommended to me and I have found it to be a good sharpener, plus it has an extra blade for when the first wears out.


I also use this two holed sharpener which I believe came with a kit of art supplies that I got at some point. It's an alright sharpener and one of the holes is larger which is good for charcoal pencils etc.


I use drawing pencils and colored pencils and in theory I like to sharpen them with separate sharpeners so that I don't end up with colored pencil remains on a colored pencil piece or vice versa.

Piece of the Week

Today's piece of the week is one without a title and without a series. I really love sacred geometry and the endless variety that can be found in Islamic and geometric designs. Between pattern, line and color the possibilities seem truly endless.

Untitled
watercolor
9x9in
2011