Skip to main content

"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!


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Why are collectors not choosing watercolors? Let's explore that and change some misconceptions

  Starting in January with a visit to The Oklahoma City Cowboy Museum, I’ve been trying to add visits to see other artist’s work. Just this past week we stopped by Inspiration Gallery and other galleries in Fredericksburg, Texas. Both had no watercolors on display. I should say all 3 of these carried bronze and clay statues and 99% oils, all Western themed as well. I did chat with the knowledgeable staff and they assured me that watercolor is well liked….but doesn’t sell. They brought up the difficulty with glass covering the artwork which is actually no longer an issue. We now use acrylic or plastic glazing almost exclusively or protect our images with wax or a fixative. It is a dilemma for watercolorists despite some fabulous artwork coming from amazing artists even in my home state of Texas. Let’s talk this out and see if we can uncover some of this negativity. Size limitation: Large pieces are in demand Watercolor "paper" (actually cotton fiber) has been made for hundreds...
2 comments
Read more

Merchandising Your Art

"Dairy Queen" If you have lived in Texas, you might love Blue Bell. Even our cows do.  I hope you have considered merchandising your images. Not only is it fun to see products with your artwork on them but it is lucrative and makes a longer lasting impression of your intention and talent. It's a great gift from you, as well. Where can you get this work created? One artist website is Fine Art America. I let the people at Fine Art America print my images on notecards, prints of all sizes and on surfaces of all kinds. For example, tote bags are a popular item. Many folks aren't collectors of hanging art but they like color and uniqueness in other areas of their homes. Mugs are  another popular item because they are practical and inexpensive as a gift. You can include beach towels, tapestries, masks and notebook covers and more. Pros: It doesn't cost much, (I set my own prices) and it is working behind the scenes making income for me. You can order personally from he...
Post a Comment
Read more

I'm dreaming ...that we send our artwork as a gift to friends and family!

"I'm Dreaming..."is my choice for 2024 My inspiration was seeing some of our old family ornaments on my daughter's tree.  I hope this makes you smile!That is my message. Enjoy the happiest of Holidays!! PS  In case you run out of time, I merchandised this image on notecards, ornaments,  tote bags and pillows ...all are available on Fine Art America: carolsue-witt.pixels.com
1 comment
Read more