Artsy Shark Featured Artist....Carol Sue Witt!

 This summer I submitted my name to Artsy Shark, a well respected and well followed art magazine ...and they agreed to do an article about my art. It was a challenge ( but a good one!) for me to figure out how all my creativity that has only increased over the years, evolved. And to select some of my favorites to showcase. Many thanks to Artsy Shark and especially Carolyn and Loren.

Here are some of my all time favorites:

"Snip, Snip"

                                           

"Low Water Crossing"

"Deep Roots"

                                                                                                    "Deer Me...It's Winter"

"Jingle Your Bells"

"Texas Roadside Beauties"

                                                                          

                                                                 "Jump in, The Water's Fine"

                                                                    "Show Off" 

     PS  All of these images are available in many sizes, on canvas and metal, too. 

This is a tote bag I ordered from my own website to test the quality. I was impressed. See all the possibilities at my Fine Art America store:

                                                    carolsue-witt.pixels.com

                     I hope you’ll take a minute to see my story on the link below:

https://www.artsyshark.com/2022/11/11/featured-artist-carol-sue-witt/?fbclid=IwAR2SPA1QCeCqXG8kT44znWU3xFzWCohd-sT-vj--COn-ylgpz0wkiLMgGvQ#comment-3514667

"Secret Message"...can you find it?

Saint Michael's Mount

                                           Can you find my secret message?

This summer my family visited the United Kingdom. As guests of good friends from nearby Marazion, a tour of St Michael's Mount nearby was a favorite. I was inspired, and I hope you will be too, by this castle fortress, St Michael's Mount, off the coast of Cornwall. Not only is it isolated high on a cliff on an island but no doubt has a long history which I will be exploring. But for now, in a peaceful time period of its life, with tourists climbing its colorful landscaped rock path, it looks like it could last many more lifetimes and tell even more stories. I immediately wanted to paint it and, in keeping with the Medieval customs of secret passages, secret messengers and secret alliances, I have painted a secret message in my painting, too. Let me know if you can find it.

As for my techniques, I used a tablet sheet ( 24"x 18") of Strathmore 140# paper and designed the path in a lighter color to guide the viewer up to the top of the steep slope. The greens were also intended to be a secondary path. I love negative painting so used some of those shapes within shapes to describe shrubbery and grasses, especially in the foreground. With some creative license on the colors most of them transparents, I repeated them throughout the twisting landscape.

This painting titled "Secret Message" has been entered in the Waterloo Watercolor Fall Show which will take place in September. I also had 11"x15" prints made at Coastal Giclee. Contact me if you are interested or check my Etsy store, Watergirl Art

Some steps in the process:

           

If you are in the Austin metroplex and want to take an in person class, please consider this one day Saturday work shop on Oct 8th:

Print your own merchandise including note cards, prints and more from my Fine Art America website or visit my Etsy store, Watergirl Art. Coming soon....my 2022 Holiday card!

"Volunteers!" a summer surprise in my garden

                             "Volunteers"

 Imagine the hottest June on record and you might be in Austin, Texas. It easily reached 100 degrees well before summer arrived. And our normally wet May, was not at all wet.  Keeping our plants alive in this dry heat is a daily task. Imagine my surprise when a large front pot in full sun sprouted sturdy portulaca. aka purslane. These little darlings love the heat! And I love them...this is a perky and colorful, fun plant!

So, it was only natural that these blossoms and buds inspired a watercolor just in time for a demo I was doing for the CenterArt Club in Round Rock on June 15th. Many thanks to Cecelia Lankes for inviting me and to Darrell Hutchinson for promoting and introducing me. What a great group! This group meets at the Allen R. Baca Center, an enviable facility for residents in that area ages 50 and above. I stopped by the Downtowner Gallery to see their latest artwork while there. Make a point to stop by this well done art space in downtown Round Rock. Way to go Round Rock!!

I decided to paint this as a round image because the shape mimics the roundness of the leaves and blooms. I painted half of it beforehand and demonstrated, separately, the background, leaves and blooms. in the small time period.  Here is a little of that process:

First, my reference photos:

Always start with a color and B/W copy of my reference photo. The B/W is an easy value study which I emphasize as an important tool. At a minimum, you should strive for 5 values from lights to your darks in every painting. It gives. it depth, 3 dimensionality and interest for the viewer.

Have a view of these nearby to use as you paint ...

This was my half done painting prior to the demonstration. I painted on the other half while there with the aid of an overhead camera for attendees.  I used transparent watercolors such as Prussian Blue and Opera Pink for the wet on wet application of the background. The leaves are also done wet on wet with Hansa Yellow and Prussian Blue, leaving some of the white of the paper. Each petal was done separately either Hansa Yellow or a combination of Hansa with Opera Pink for my orange blooms. Mask was used on the petals for tiny water droplets.

I completed the painting later but sent it out to these painters. The center background needed to be a little different so I added Cobalt Turquoise, an opaque watercolor, as the last glaze in that area.

And, guess what, I decided to order a few tiles with this bright image on them...these are available at The Art Escape ot the Shops at the Oasis in Austin.

Thank you to the Center Art Club for having me. I knew a few of these artists ( Leslie, Cecelia, Janet and more)  and for my friends who showed up to support me, Becky and Dan. It was such a welcoming group!

Take a Workshop…you will be amazed!

 I know what you are thinking…how much more can anyone say to advance my understanding in watercolor? The answer is PLENTY! 

I just finished teaching 5 March Classes with some beginner to intermediate painters and watched them grow exponentially each week. We painted a still life, a landscape, a floral, an animal and a person. It was a great deal to cover. I always learn something when I teach ! The next week April 4-7, I attended an intense and rewarding Carol Carter ( internationally known, St.Louis based ) workshop along with 18 others held in Austin. Both teaching and attending made me grow as an artist but the deeper experience was to awaken from just doing what Carol does to making it a part of my own skill set. I hope my students got a little of that from me.

Here are some of my student’s paintings:

                                                                            Background for drama and dog fur lessons

And then I attended a very informative workshop taught by Carol Carter

Here we are at work with Carol Carter who simplified her technique into 10 simple “rules” that will make any painting better. We painted horses with a limited palette and zebras with a rainbow on all stripes followed by a wash. 

This is Carol looking at our horses and being quite complimentary!

Here is Carol during her instruction process which included a class display after each of the four paintings.

Jane was new to this medium!

Shevawn was deep in her thought process

  

Becky doing her wash

   

Rashmi working on zebra designs

 

                                                                         Me striping

Carol with her limited palette ponies

Class discussions were helpful and built a strong connection with Carol's philosophy

My next workshop is one I am teaching on May 14th based on my painting, "Nopaloosa". It's a full class and I'll be busy with this one. Stay tuned....cactus might be prickly but their blooms are delicate and beautiful!

Please visit my Etsy store, Watergirl Art or my store at Fine Art America for prints, note cards and more!

Teaching is a passion!

What a pleasure it is to introduce new artists to watercolors!

After almost two years of NOT meeting in person, and despite icy road conditions and...yes, our ongoing struggle with Covid, I taught a full class at Lost Pines Art Center in Bastrop on February 5th. It was a wonderful group of various ages and experience. We painted a winter scene of mine titled "Deer Me...it's Winter". We were all vaccinated and ready to test our immunity!

I selected this scene for several reasons...it's winter and the colors are all cool in temperature except for the deer, who is the focal point. it also allows the painter to create sky, water, trees, rocks and an animal. My classes are always geared toward a beginner but many who have painted a long time are stuck in a routine that does not allow new exploration of shapes, colors and techniques. I often get a longtime painter who no longer enjoys their tried and true methods and can't think of anything inspiring to paint. That will not happen if you try a few new tricks. One is REALLY looking at things with an artistic eye. Try to capture with your phone camera ( they are really good photos) like a moment of sunlight or shattered glass, a cast shadow, a sunset on water. The other is to try underpainting and spraying, splattering and using your fingers to create textures before you even begin a scene. It is never the same.  In other words, you create your own inspiration. 

We work quickly to cover all the various sections but not everyone paints at the same speed so instructions are provided to finish at your own leisure after class. It is also better to take a break and come back to a painting when you are fresh rather than make some "tired" mistakes.

I have taught this workshop at two art centers so do not want to leave out all my winter painters...I'm proud of them all. And I am also happy to say some have repeated several one day work shops with me. 

This are a few of the images from this one day effort ....in Marble Falls, TX

And here are my Bastrop painters ... Mike has a bold approach to color

Jean was like a sponge absorbing the information 

A delicate touch with a warm yellow sunrise

True use of our color selection. I love this sky!

Many thanks to the incredible Lost Pines Art Center that is supported in Bastrop by many patrons, artists and the City government. Don’t miss their First Saturday celebrations each month!

Contact me for Art classes. My next workshop is Saturday, May 14 th at St Matthews Episcopal Church in Austin. Sponsored by Waterloo Watercolor Group: www.waterloowatercolor.org