DRAMATIC ROCKS AND TREES

I'm taking a class with Tom Pollock at the Art School at the Old Church in Demarest, NJ.  One of the class members gave me a compliment and said this painting was "dramatic".  ...or "dynamic"....I can't remember.
Tom is a teacher who lets everyone paint what they want and goes around helping each person reach their potential.  He has been continually on my back to go "darker"...so "darker" I went.  Watercolor can be a little scary...and I've always been afraid of going darker.  He says he's trying to get everyone in the class to "go on the dark side."
So..this is a painting of my favorite park along the Hackensack River...next to the Riverside Square Mall in Hackensack, N.J.  Not many people find this park, but it is a favorite place now for my group of art friends, sponsored by the Cresskill Congregational Church, UCC ....www.cresskillucc.org.

A QUICK LOVELY SWAN PAINTING

Last summer, my partner and I travelled to Rockport, Mass.  We spent a week and then visited my son and his family who were in the process of moving to the Boston area.
One afternoon, we walked along the ocean shore in Rockport.  There was a small inlet with just one swan swimming in circles.  He (or she) was very gentle and complacent.
As I watched her swimming, I felt very peaceful.  Sometimes it's good to be alone, just "being", thinking and enjoying the sunshine.

I did this painting in Paulette Cochet's class at the Alpine Community Center.  The first thing we did was wet the whole watercolor sheet and then (leaving areas white), come back with blue, yellow and light red primary colors.  When I looked at the area of white, the swan just seemed to fit in there.  I had a photograph I used as reference....and there he (or she) is.

TRYING TO DO PORTRAITS

Well, I took a class last summer at the Montclair Museum art school.  It was just a one day session ...doing a portrait....with pencil and white conte crayons.
I actually succeeded.  Here's the portrait I did at home after the class. This is one of my granddaughters and it actually looks like her!
But now...I keep trying....and I'm still struggling with getting a likeness of my other two grandchildren.  FRUSTRATION!   But that's what art is.

Hi everyone,
I haven't added a painting to my blog in a couple of years....because I've been so absorbed with making quilts at the Teaneck Senior Center.
Here's a photo of my latest creation, destined to be delivered to my son's new apartment in the Boston area...very soon.
Love those wolves and polar bears!  I'm hoping it will bring the energy of the animals to their new life there.
I am getting back to painting again, taking classes with Paulette Cochet at the Alpine Community Center.

She's a great teacher with lots of interesting techniques to share.  Send me an email to kathylindner123@yahoo.com and I can let her know you'd be interested in being on her email list.

Peace and Calm at a Bed and Breakfast

This painting is of a room at a Bed and Breakfast on Chincoteague Island, Virginia. I believe it was called the Watkins House, but I am not sure they are still in business.
There is nothing more wonderful than a night or two at a B and B to calm your nerves, give you time to think and contemplate what you will do next on this wonderful life journey. I stayed here for two nights after a long trip back from North Carolina when I visited my daughter and her family...a couple of years ago. When I look at the painting, I have the same feeling of calm and relaxation I felt when I was there. I am grateful to all the B and B owners who make this possible for us.
This and the paintings below are now for sale, complete with dark walnut frames. If interested, call me at 201-928-1787. Plan a rest for yourself soon!

PAINTINGS FOR SALE

Here are two other 12 x 16 water-soluble oil paintings for sale, including the one in the post below. The first is a cozy house next to my favorite park in Teaneck, NJ. Title: Cozy house. The second is a scene in Votee Park in Teaneck, NJ.
Title: My favorite rocks. Each comes with a deep walnut frame.
If interested, call me at 201-928-1787

Inspiration from Edward Hopper

I recently took a class at the Art School in Demarest, NJ. I experimented with water-soluble oil paints. I used to work in oils, but couldn't stand the smell.

Now I have found a new medium that looks like oil...but it is odorless and cleans up with water.

One of our assignments was to copy a master painter in our medium. Hopper worked in regular oils, but I copied his Coast Guard house. See how he is a master of having the light hit the building. Now if I can just do that on the paintings that are my ideas.

This 12 x 16 painting and several others I did in the class are for sale. Call me at 201-928-1787. The other paintings are in the posts above.