I’m posting week two, and some extras. The server for my site was under repair for a few days. There may still be some hiccups. Fingers crossed.
I have transitioned from acrylics to watercolor. The acrylic pieces require so much time. And I had been posting really late each day. I still have ideas floating around, so I may be working with collage and acrylics again before the month ends. These are all 8 x 8 inches, except for the landscape. It is 4 x 4 inches.
My usual M.O. is to make a plan, and have a few themes in mind at the beginning of the gathering. The journey usually presents a different path, and I follow where it leads.
Not the abstracts I had in mind. But still a good month. Filled with learning, some mild frustration (part of learning), and meditative moments.
I made use of scrap paper. A couple of extra wide bookmarks. Some smaller, simple florals. I worked in several sizes. 4 x 4, 8 x 8, a couple 10×10’s. I worked with watercolor, acrylics, mixed media & digital collage.
Below I share each piece, including larger views of a few of my favorites. You will see my 30 day collage, and my favorites collage.
Do you remember the overhead projectors in school? And how the teacher would sometimes layer the acetate sheets to show a change of angles or size. Well that is a simple way to think about digital collage. It’s all about layers.
For the landscape above, I started with a painting. Plain colors & shapes.
In the foreground I added a bit of digital painting for texture and an extra layer of color for the darker areas.
On the front range, I added a layer of an old letter. I tilted it, and changed the color.
On Mingus, I added a layer of pattern. A mixture of dots, lines and triangles.
The moon is piece of copyright free clip art. I softened the color, and added a glow effect. I exaggerated that so that it would reflect on the mountain.
To the sky I digitally painted some texture, but most of that is from the original painting. I added digital splatter, and deepened the color to more of a twilight feel.
Of course for each layer, there is experimentation. Different patterns, different colors. Different effects. Some pieces can have up to 30 layers of bits and bobs.
Thanks so much for taking a look. I always love hearing which ones you like best, and why. I am actually happy with all of them. There are only two I would make changes on. That is amazing to me, considering it took me two weeks to feel in the groove. I did make changes to a few pieces, following suggestions by friends in the group. Thanks so much for your help!
July is World Watercolor Month, founded by Doodlewash. I participated a few years ago, and thought it would be fun to join in again. Prompts are provided. This round, instead of objects, the prompts are moods, and descriptive suggestions.
The painting above was inspired by a gorgeous, gloomy twilight. The photo below does not do it justice. The colors and light were incredible.
Stormy Sky, 7-2-21. SMDelgado
My belated beginning is due to a day in Phoenix. An appointment, and then some window shopping. And shopping shopping. A trip to the city is never complete without visiting favorite shops or restaurants that we do not have here in town. As usual, a day filled with activity (and driving to boot) meant a day, or more of “recovery”. Rest, and low energy.
On my way down, I saw smoke over the Bradshaw Mountains. Just southwest of the Sunset Point Rest Stop on I-17.
Fire on Bradshaw, mid morning.7-1-21, SMDelgado.
Leaving Phoenix at days end, there was smoke over the city, from several fires.
Smoke Over Phoenix, 7-1-21. SMDelgado
Thirty minutes later I reached the Bradshaw area.The fire was still going, and I could easily see flames against the dark of the hills. It did not seem to have grown much. Thank goodness. Fire travels more quickly uphill.
Fire over Bradshaw, dusk. 7-1-21, SMDelgado.
Fire over Bradshaw, dusk. Close up. 7-1-21, SMDelgado.
This video shows how much has burned since Thursday. WOW!
Later today I will paint days 5 and 6. I will not post on the blog each day, but you can follow me on Instagram for daily updates. Here are days 1, 2, & 4.
