Danger....Beach Closed

Here's is my latest Karin Jurick Different Strokes painting. The photo provided was a fun beach scene. As you can see on Karin's blog everyone interpreted it differently. The gal with the boogie board look sad to me, so I gave her a reason to be sad.

I need your help. My ’57 Chevy painting (see previous post) has been entered in a watercolor competition sponsored by American Artist magazine. The winners are selected by the public. If you like the painting please go to the link below and vote for me. Voting ends April 15th. Thanks :-}

http://watercolor.americanartistcompetitions.com/bin/Rate?image_id=1005400035

Watercolor competition

I've just entered this painting in a watercolor competition sponsored by American Artist magazine. The winners are selected by the public. If you like the painting please go to the link below and vote for me. Voting ends April 15th. Thanks :-}

http://watercolor.americanartistcompetitions.com/bin/Rate?image_id=1005400035

Oreos

I miss doing my little oils. Started this one last October. Finally finished it last night. I kept putting it off because it had so much difficult little detail work.
SOLD

Varnishing Watercolors

A new trend is to varnish a watercolor painting so it can be framed without glass. It protects the painting from dust and makes it water-resistant. It's nice to be able to view the art directly without glass or plexi covering it. I have had success with this method and like the look. This current piece "Three Big Macs" is varnished and really pops in the frame without the glare of glass. I had a disaster when I originally coated the apples because I was in a hurry and sprayed too much varnish at one time. It actually diluted the color and washed it out. I thought it was ruined. BUT......I discovered that you can paint over the varnish and I was able to correct it back to its original color. Hurray! This piece is available with a striking black frame and linen mat for $1200 on my website http://www.dianemorganpaints.com/

Buy a Mercedes for $99

This Mercedes hood ornament oil painting is for a fund-raiser at the Palm Springs Art Museum called 99 Bucks. Artists were given 5" x 7" canvases to work on and donate, which will be for sale for $99. You will not know who created the piece until you buy it. Many celebrities are participating such as Barry Manilow, Trini Lopez, SHAG, Kaye Ballard, Ruta Lee, Don Sutton, Andy Moses, Palm Springs Mayor, Steve Pougnet, Trina Turk and..........I can't reveal the artist of this piece.....*wink wink, nudge nudge* The paintings will go on sale on Saturday, April 11th at Hotel Zoso in Palm Springs. Should be a blast!

Fun opening of New Show at IncredibleArtist.com

My new show entitled "Heaven is a '57" opened with the Artist Reception last night at IncredibleArtist.com in Palm Springs. The gallery is unusual in that it stays open late. It's not uncommon for the majority of sales for the day to take place after 10PM. It was a fun crowd with many friends and watercolor enthusiasts stopping by to say hello. We sold three originals. That's always fun, too! The show runs through March 29th. Go to IncredibleArtist.com for more info.

Watercolor Workshop

I taught my first watercolor workshop today. I selected 2 pears on a mirror with clouds reflected to use as my demo from which they copied. I didn't know the skill level of the 15 participants and wanted to select a fairly easy shape to paint with a background that is forgiving. They all did great! You never know when you do something new how it will turn out. It was fun. I actually liked doing it. They say if life doesn't give you butterflies once in awhile your life is too boring. What can be better than getting paid to do something you love and meeting nice people at the same time. Not much :-}

Chopsticks

Another challenge from Karin Jurick's Different Strokes blog. The photo provided was sushi. I had been wanting to paint this little gal for quite awhile. This was the perfect opportunity. This 8” x 10" watercolor on 300# Arches watercolor paper is available matted and ready for framing for $475 on my website http://www.dianemorganpaints.com/

Hear No, See No, Speak No

This is the latest challenge from Karin Jurick's Different Strokes from Different Folks blog. The photo Karin provided was of mannequin heads with wigs in a store window. There are over 80 artists who contribute their interpretation to her blog. It’s always fun to see what everyone comes up with. I decided to focus on the three that caught my eye. The dark glasses reminded me of "see no evil" so the rest just had to be. This 8” x 10" watercolor on 300# Arches watercolor paper is available matted and ready for framing for $275 on my website http://www.dianemorganpaints.com/