My final entry for Paint the Parks. "Lady's Day," Oil on Canvas, 24" x 30." Entries must be postmarked June 2nd. I have two whole days to spare!
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Lady's Day
My final entry for Paint the Parks. "Lady's Day," Oil on Canvas, 24" x 30." Entries must be postmarked June 2nd. I have two whole days to spare!
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Joshua Tree Bee
One down; one to go. I'm trying to finish another by next Monday. I've been up til 2AM for the last 3 nights finishing this one. Started the second and hope to complete in time for a May 31st competition deadline. "Joshua Tree Bee," oil on canvas, 24" x 30"
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Love in the Afternoon
This is one of several pieces I'm working on for all the competitions that have May and June deadlines. Deadlines sure are great motivators. This was an amazing shot I was lucky enough to capture on one of my sunset walks. Watercolor, 14" x 18" on Arches 300# cold press
Saturday, May 15, 2010
This one's for Dana
Dana Cooper posted some Palm Trees the other day which reminded me that I had some that were almost identical....great minds think alike. You may see Dana's on her blogMine may be purchased through my website DianeMorganPaints.com
Monday, May 10, 2010
Need your vote in National Geographic competition
If you like my bug photos please vote for one of my images in the National Geographic photo competition, insect category. Email address is required and you can only vote once. Thank you. http://www.greatoutdoorscontest.com/bin/Rate?searc
Friday, May 7, 2010
PaintAmerica Top 100 winners now on view
My two watercolors "Autumn Delights" and "Heaven is a '57" were chosen for exhibition in this year's PaintAmerica Top 100. It's a great honor to be in this select group. My paintings may be seen on page 8 of the website http://www.paintamerica.org/2009PATOP100html/09top100Page8.html
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
My answers to a 5th graders interview questions
Kyra is a 5th grader interested in becoming an artist. These are the questions she asked me. It's a little long, but several people asked to see my responses.
I tried to keep the answers short and not too complicated.
When did you first realize you wanted to become an artist?
I've wanted to be an artist for as long as I can remember.
As soon as I could hold a pencil I started drawing.
I started drawing members of my family and teachers.
Art was always my favorite subject in school.
I started college as a French major, but found I enjoyed drawing my books more than
reading them, so switched to art my Junior year. I'm so glad I did because if you do what you love for a living, it never feels like work.
What brushes and paints do you like painting the best?
I paint with both oil and watercolor. I like each for different reasons.
Watercolor gives such a fresh, vibrant look. When I paint with watercolor I do very
detailed drawings first. That takes a lot of time and concentration. When I paint with oil I just start painting. The oils are a little more relaxing because you can paint over mistakes. With watercolor you have to plan ahead because any white in the painting is the paper showing through. You have to paint so that you don't cover up the white. As far as brands I use several different brands of brushes, some synthetic and some sable. For paints I prefer Windsor & Newton for both watercolor and oil. For oil I use water soluble paints, which means you can mix the paint with water and wash the brushes with soap and water, rather than turpentine.
What type of picture do you like painting the most?
I like to paint everything, but probably prefer still life over landscape.
I paint very detailed so it's easier for me to focus on a close up of simple objects, rather than an entire landscape.
Are there things you dislike in some of your paintings?
Most of the time I am satisfied with my finished paintings. I think all artists could find something they would like to change or improve. I suspect that the average viewer would probably not notice what the artist would call a mistake. Sometimes I go back much later and decide to do more work on a piece. Sometimes, it's just better to start a new one.
Do professional artists use different techniques than beginners?
Everyone uses different techniques. I would say professionals have narrowed down the choices to what works best for them. There isn't a right or wrong way to do anything. Just use what feels the most comfortable and creates the effect you are trying to achieve. It is important to read and take classes to learn about technique. There are many shortcuts that can make the job easier.
What artist do you admire? What have you learned from them?
I greatly admire two artists in particular, among many. Georgia O'Keeffe and Leonardo da Vinci.
Leonardo was so much more than an artist. He was an explorer and an inventor.
He was always trying to learn more about the world and had a limitless curiosity about life. His quest for knowledge inspires me to keep learning and improving.
Georgia O'Keeffe was always true to herself. She did not let trends or popular convention limit her view of the world. She took simple flowers and painted them larger than life when no one else was doing that. She invented her own style and was a pioneer for women artists. I love painting flowers because of her work.
What watercolor techniques do you use most often?
I don't use any tricks or gimmicks. I strictly apply paint with a brush. I apply many layers of paint to achieve the color I want, rather than one thick, dark layer. I lightly wet my paper and then paint with a fairly thin mixture of paint. This would be called painting wet-in-wet. That means wet paper, wet brush. For very detailed areas I paint with thinned paint on a dry surface. That would be called wet on dry. The wetter the surface, the more the paint runs creating a blurry image. I prefer a more controlled, in-focus image.
I want to be a professional artist someday. Do you have any advice for me?
The most important thing for an artist to do is draw and paint everyday. The more you practice, the faster you will achieve success. Take classes. Read and study about other artists to learn how they work. In the beginning it even helps to try to paint like them until you can develop your own style. Go to museums and art galleries. Talk to artists. Ask questions. I would say you're off to a great start with this interview project. Good luck to you, Kyra.
I tried to keep the answers short and not too complicated.
When did you first realize you wanted to become an artist?
I've wanted to be an artist for as long as I can remember.
As soon as I could hold a pencil I started drawing.
I started drawing members of my family and teachers.
Art was always my favorite subject in school.
I started college as a French major, but found I enjoyed drawing my books more than
reading them, so switched to art my Junior year. I'm so glad I did because if you do what you love for a living, it never feels like work.
What brushes and paints do you like painting the best?
I paint with both oil and watercolor. I like each for different reasons.
Watercolor gives such a fresh, vibrant look. When I paint with watercolor I do very
detailed drawings first. That takes a lot of time and concentration. When I paint with oil I just start painting. The oils are a little more relaxing because you can paint over mistakes. With watercolor you have to plan ahead because any white in the painting is the paper showing through. You have to paint so that you don't cover up the white. As far as brands I use several different brands of brushes, some synthetic and some sable. For paints I prefer Windsor & Newton for both watercolor and oil. For oil I use water soluble paints, which means you can mix the paint with water and wash the brushes with soap and water, rather than turpentine.
What type of picture do you like painting the most?
I like to paint everything, but probably prefer still life over landscape.
I paint very detailed so it's easier for me to focus on a close up of simple objects, rather than an entire landscape.
Are there things you dislike in some of your paintings?
Most of the time I am satisfied with my finished paintings. I think all artists could find something they would like to change or improve. I suspect that the average viewer would probably not notice what the artist would call a mistake. Sometimes I go back much later and decide to do more work on a piece. Sometimes, it's just better to start a new one.
Do professional artists use different techniques than beginners?
Everyone uses different techniques. I would say professionals have narrowed down the choices to what works best for them. There isn't a right or wrong way to do anything. Just use what feels the most comfortable and creates the effect you are trying to achieve. It is important to read and take classes to learn about technique. There are many shortcuts that can make the job easier.
What artist do you admire? What have you learned from them?
I greatly admire two artists in particular, among many. Georgia O'Keeffe and Leonardo da Vinci.
Leonardo was so much more than an artist. He was an explorer and an inventor.
He was always trying to learn more about the world and had a limitless curiosity about life. His quest for knowledge inspires me to keep learning and improving.
Georgia O'Keeffe was always true to herself. She did not let trends or popular convention limit her view of the world. She took simple flowers and painted them larger than life when no one else was doing that. She invented her own style and was a pioneer for women artists. I love painting flowers because of her work.
What watercolor techniques do you use most often?
I don't use any tricks or gimmicks. I strictly apply paint with a brush. I apply many layers of paint to achieve the color I want, rather than one thick, dark layer. I lightly wet my paper and then paint with a fairly thin mixture of paint. This would be called painting wet-in-wet. That means wet paper, wet brush. For very detailed areas I paint with thinned paint on a dry surface. That would be called wet on dry. The wetter the surface, the more the paint runs creating a blurry image. I prefer a more controlled, in-focus image.
I want to be a professional artist someday. Do you have any advice for me?
The most important thing for an artist to do is draw and paint everyday. The more you practice, the faster you will achieve success. Take classes. Read and study about other artists to learn how they work. In the beginning it even helps to try to paint like them until you can develop your own style. Go to museums and art galleries. Talk to artists. Ask questions. I would say you're off to a great start with this interview project. Good luck to you, Kyra.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Are you Smarter than a 5th Grader?
I received a request from a 5th Grader in Salt Lake City through my website. She wants to interview me for a school project. Here are her questions. It's a good exercise for me to think about why and how I do what I do.
Answers tomorrow :-}
When did you first realize you wanted to become an artist?
What brushes and paints do you like painting the best?
What type of picture do you like painting the most?
Are there things you dislike in some of your paintings?
Do professional artists use different techniques than beginners?
What artist do you admire? What have you learned from them?
What watercolor techniques do you use most often?
I want to be a professional artist someday. Do you have any advice for me?
Answers tomorrow :-}
When did you first realize you wanted to become an artist?
What brushes and paints do you like painting the best?
What type of picture do you like painting the most?
Are there things you dislike in some of your paintings?
Do professional artists use different techniques than beginners?
What artist do you admire? What have you learned from them?
What watercolor techniques do you use most often?
I want to be a professional artist someday. Do you have any advice for me?
Friday, April 23, 2010
"Organized Chaos" hits the road with NWS traveling show
Bob Nash, executive director of the Cultural Center of Cape Cod, hangs “Organized Chaos” for the first stop of the 2010 traveling exhibit of the National Watercolor Society. The society received over 1,100 submissions for the national show. Prominent jurors narrowed the number to 100, and 27 are part of the traveling show. When the exhibit closes on May 23, the cultural center will send it on to the next venue, the Zanesville Art Center in Ohio. From there it will travel to Kerrville, Texas and then Pleasanton, California.
"Organized Chaos," 12" x 18" watercolor on 300# Arches cold press
Monday, April 5, 2010
Indian Wells Arts Festival was fantastic
I won first place in watercolor for "Hot as a Heartbeat." I also won a ribbon for Best Local Artist presented by a local chain of high-end gourmet grocery stores called Jensen's. In addition to the ribbon, Jensen's wants to sell my cards in their stores. Yay! I sold lots of my mini oils. I sold prints and note cards and a watercolor. I got a commission to paint a BMW and was asked to design a logo for a car company. Saw lots of friends, made new ones and had a wonderful weekend. From another source I got a request today from the Chairman of a Date Growers Group to do a painting for him....date related I'm sure...waiting to hear back. This is going to be a great year!
Sunday, March 28, 2010
"I Love Bees" sold at Museum auction
“I Love Bees” sold at auction today at the Palm Springs Art Museum. It was on display in the Artists Council’s annual juried exhibition February 14 - March 28. All art was for sale via online silent auction. I guess the buyer of my 24” x 30” oil waited till the last minute to avoid encouraging other bidders :-}
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Finalist in Watercolor Magazine cover competition
I think I'm going to faint. I'd forgotten that I'd entered, but just got an email that "Bird in Paradise" is a finalist in American Artist Watercolor Magazine's 2010 Cover Competition. The painting and a story about my work will appear in the Summer issue. This was the poster art for last year's Indian Wells Arts Festival and is currently on display in the State Capitol through 2010. Watercolor magazine hasn't chosen the winner yet. They will let us know. Oh my.... wouldn't that be something to be on the cover!
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
And, Miles to Go
Just for fun.....a little side trip from the bee series. Watercolor 12.5 x 18.5 on Arches 300# cold press.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
VroomVroom Camaro Racer
Finally finished this in time for the classic car show on Sunday. "Hot as a Hearbeat" is a watercolor on a full-sheet 21" x 28" Arches cold press. The car belongs to a friend (and neighbor) from high school. He races Camaros for a hobby and this is his street legal car.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Wine and Cupcakes
A fantastic cupcake store "Sisters Cupcakes" is next to the IncredibleArtist.com gallery where I exhibit my art. The owner saw my cupcake paintings and wants me to paint her cupcakes. She will display and sell them in her store. She has wine tastings that she pairs with cupcakes. The gallery will also work together with her on wine tastings. She is a great marketer. She just got a great write up in AAA's March/April Westways magazine pg 23. 
Friday, February 19, 2010
Another sale in 4 days and the gallery isn't really open yet
"Sunny Flowers" watercolor, 27" x 20" The man who bought the hydrangeas loved the sunflowers so much he sent a photo of it to his friend in Florida. Mr. Florida bought it immediately. Looks like the new location for IncredibleArtist.com gallery is going to be great!
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Karin Jurick portrait
Karin had a portrait exchange on her blog for December. 180 people swapped photos and did each others portraits, then exchanged the finished portraits with each other.
One of the artists, Jill Pollsby decided to thank Karin for all her efforts by organizing a portrait painting of Karin. 118 of us painted her from the same photo and Jill put all the portraits together in a book and sent it to Karin. It was a total surprise for Karin so we all had to keep it a secret for almost 2 months. You can see Karin's reaction on her blog
and you can see all 118 portraits here
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Gallery opening sells my watercolor
Mygallery....IncredibleArtist.com had a soft opening tonight to get ready for the grand opening next Saturday. It was more of a get-together for the artists and to fine tune everything. Quite a few people stopped in noticing all the activity and 5 pieces of art sold in just a couple hours. My "Moonlight Shadows" watercolor of hydrangeas sold! We're off to a great start :-)
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Mel Stabin's 5-day workshop in Palm Desert, CA
This is an old church, now Bed and Breakfast in Scotland. Very charming little place. In Monday's workshop we had just over 2 hours to paint from a photo we brought, or use one of Mel Stabin's. I chose to use my own. Forty five minutes drawing time and 1-1/2 hours of painting. Fun to work that fast. We were supposed to paint outside today in the Indian Canyons, but I had to work on getting my PaintAmerica art framed, so took the day off. Glad I did. It's pouring. I'll get back at it tomorrow at a nature park with lots of desert flora and fauna. We even have some camels and zebras. Should be a fun day tomorrow. SOLD
Monday, February 8, 2010
OMG I just got two watercolors accepted in Paint America Top 100
"Heaven is a '57" and "Autumn Delights" have BOTH been accepted into Paint America top 100 Exhibition. I'm on the floor. Somebody come pick me up! The letter arrived this afternoon and in it they warn that I should expect media focus and interviews and I should be prepared. Oh my goodness. I'm in shock. You can read about the Exhibition at their website
Friday, February 5, 2010
Cadillac Eldorado watercolor
"Eldorado" watercolor by Diane Morgan 17 x 21" on 300# Arches cold press. This is one of several classic car paintings I will be featuring at the Concours d'Elegance Classic Car show on Feburary 28th at PGA West Mountain Course in La Quinta,CA. You can read about the car show on their website. Seems like its been so difficult lately to squeeze in painting time. I have so many pieces in my head that are dying to be painted. After next week's 5-day Mel Stabin workshop I should be able to get back to my list of wanna-be's.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Golden Pears workshop today
These are my ladies with their almost complete paintings from today's workshop at Rancho Casa Blanca. They all did such a great job. It was a fun day.
Magazine article about my NWS watercolor national tour
The Desert Valley Star Weekly ran a nice article about my watercolor "Organized Chaos" on national tour throughout 2010 with the National Watercolor Society. See page 16
http://www.mygazines.com/issue/6398/16
Sunday, January 17, 2010
eBay Experiment
Just listed 12 mini oils on eBay for $1 each. If you see anything you
like, they're practically free. Ebay selling tutorials say to start the
bidding at $1 to get people interested. This is an experiment. Let's see how it goes.
Items can be found here
All 12 sold. Experiment was a success!
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Allusions of Grandeur
"Allusions of Grandeur" oil 6"x 8"My niece and nephew commissioned this acorn painting for my sister for Christmas. It is a companion piece to the "Pine with Cone" I did for her earlier.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Karin Jurick Challenge...Portrait Exchange
At the end of each year Karin Jurick has a portrait exchange for her blog followers. 180 people are participating this year. Very fun to see what everyone paints. This is the portrait I created from the photo reference at the right. You can see the others on Karin's blog
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Watercolor Show at Palm Desert Visitor Center
The Coachella Valley Watercolor Society show at the Palm Desert Visitor Center had a great opening reception December 7th despite torrential rains. The show features 10 top award-winning CVWS members. The City of Palm Desert, CA heavily promotes their juried Community Gallery and provided lovely refreshments. The Visitor Center is such a beautiful location for a show and is very well-staffed. Show runs until Jan 24, 2010.
Visit the Community Gallery site to see all the artists' work
http://www.palm-desert.org/arts-culture/public-art/community-gallery
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Karin Jurick Challenge...Sounds of Silence
Here is this month's Karin Jurick challenge. Her photo was of travelers at an airport. The pattern of the floor reminded me so much of my piano that I had to move them to the keyboard. Since they seemed to be so separate and uncommunicative I named this "Sounds of Silence" 9" x 12" watercolor on 300# arches
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Raindrops on Roses
Another great find on one of my evening sunset walks. I see a painting in the near future.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Starbucks PSP officially open
The new Starbucks at the Palm Springs International Airport opened today with a ribbon cutting by the Chamber of Commerce, Palm Springs Mayor and City Council and the Airport Commission. My three watercolor giclees help "perk" up the walls. By the way....that black wall is made of coffee beans, and smells fantastic.
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