Tarnished?....let's polish up our colors

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 I never understand painters who can't find something to paint.  That simply does not happen to me. I have more paintings planned than I have time.  Sometimes it only takes an everyday chore to inspire a watercolor.  For example, I decided to polish my Mother's silverware, while Spring cleaning. It really needed it. It was tarnished. This silver is a treasured gift that I rarely use. It's a pattern called "First Love"by Rogers and it makes me smile to think of my parents saving to buy these pieces back in 1942. I wanted to have others enjoy this heirloom so I polished the items, arranged them in a specifiic way and shot many photos at all angles.

At a March 23 rd one day workshop in Bastrop, Texas I was able to share the processes I used to create the lower 2/3 of this painting. We masked certain areas so that we could begin with an underpainting of Hansa yellow, French Ultramarine Blue and Opera Pink. With 6 enthusiastic painters, we set out to explore the reflection on the various shapes of a fork and spoon with an etched pattern called “ First Love”. It was a 1942 wedding during WWII and setting up housekeeping would not happen for a few years….The dream of many including my parents was to be able to eat many meals with family and friends through busy Holidays,  lazy weekends and Sunday dinners using these treasured gems…and the meals were so very good, many Italian favorites. I’m so proud to own them and carry on the tradition. I’m pleased the idea appealed to these artists who met with me at LostPines Art Center.

Here are a few photos of the efforts of my students who were amazing! Not all scenes were completed in class but several sent me their finished paintings a few days later. 






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