This is me at the sculpture garden at the Strathmore Mansion.  Last Sunday, I dropped off my watercolor painting and four other artists paintings for the Baltimore Watercolor Society’s 2010 Mid Atlantic Regional Watercolor Exhibition.  (It’s a two hour drive, so we car pool.)

 My painting, The Garden Gate, was chosen by judge for an award!

 I joined the Strathmore Mansion as an artist member.  I was impressed by the number of paintings they had sold at their juried membership show.  I’m always looking for good places to sell work.

My husband, John, took my paintings to the Yellow Springs 37th Annual Art Show on Tuesday – (I was teaching class).  The sale is open to the public April 24 – May 9th and well worth a drive just to take in all the great art.

At Yellow Springs, I’ll have four paintings for sale, including Buchanon Ave, here on the left.  I painted this from another Lancaster scene during the fall of the election.  I wonder if anyone will spot the tiny Obama sign I put in.

And today I’m hanging a small, one woman exhibit of watercolor paintings at the York Art Association, which will continue through June 14.  YAA has a brand new look in it’s gallery – fresh paint, new flooring, ceiling and lighting!  I’m planning to be at the opening (for at least part of the time) on Sunday, April 18.

And about the new beginnings part, I’m looking into how to do some oil painting on the side.  I haven’t done it for years, but think it might be a nice addition to my portfolio.  Many of the shows and galleries exclude watercolors, so I’m thinking a few oils wouldn’t be so bad.

It’s spring!  Currently, I have watercolor paintings going in all directions.  If you want more information on any of these shows, just send me an email to debiwatson@comcast.net

•  ’Just Passing By’ will be at the Philips Museum of Art at the Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, PA, opening April 30th
• ‘The Race’ is at the Newman Gallery at 1625 Walnut Street in Philadelphia, PA until April 24th.
• ‘Car Show’ is going to Illinois fine arts center The Next Picture Show  May 7 – June 1
• ‘Early Flight’ and ‘Parking in the Back’ are in Middletown NY until March 26
• ‘Art At Rest’ is going to Louisianna, ‘Fry Guy’ went to Missouri, & ‘Bubbles’ is in an online exhibit

While my artwork is traveling, I’ve been home doing yard work and remodeling an upstairs bathroom.  I replaced a tub & surround and laid new flooring in the bath and the hall.   I haven’t gotten much painting done, but will get back to it in April, as soon as I get the tub to stop leaking…

The watercolor painting of the bunny and hydrangeas was sold last year, but I have another bunny painting on the drawing board, this one with old fashioned roses.  I have lots of neighborhood bunnies willing to model for carrots.

Required Reading ~ Original Watercolor Painting ~ Image Size 18 x 18″            Price:  $450 framed

The Berks Art Alliance has an upcoming show titled ‘Fabulous Fakes.’  This watercolor painting is ‘ faking’ childrens illustrations.  Sometimes it’s fun to venture outside your normal artwork.

Now On Ebay

Sitting In The Shade – The newest watercolor painting in my ‘Fast and Furious’ series of class demonstrations.  The image is 7 1/2 by 10 1/2″.  This shows how to successfully create natural green colors in a painting.  The best time of year for green is, of course, summer, when flowers rule the yard.  This painting is available for sale on eBay – click here to view.

I’ve scheduled many of my Fast and Furious demos on sale with eBay, so you’ll find a selection of sizes and prices and different subjects each week.  With Mother’s Day fast approaching, I’m putting lots of the floral and flower paintings on.

Art At Rest 

This original watercolor painting (of a messy artists studio at the Goggleworks, Reading PA) was accepted into the Louisianna Watercolor Society’s 40th Annual International exhibition and will be going to New Orleans shortly. 

Fry Guy was accepted into the 10th Annual Missouri Watercolor National Juried Exhibition to be held at the Winston Churchill Gallery at the Westminster College, to be held April 1 – May 16, 2010.  I was also awarded signature membership with this acceptance.  

Sold - ‘February and Still Snowing’ is sold, as well as ‘Cherub and Flowers’. 

"February and Still Snowing" Original Watercolor 7 1/2" x 10 1/2" $350

This original watercolor painting was my view one morning last week while on my way to Turkey Hill to get milk for breakfast.  It’s a street scene without a bit of pavement.

When I have a painting in progress, I try to keep it in my line of sight.  I paint in the studio, then bring it with me while I work around the house.  I bond with the painting.  Yet I still ‘miss’ things that could be better.

‘Passing By’  is from a photo taken the same morning as the Garden Gate, pictured below.   Same snow, different location, and totally different feelings.

So, does this painting look finished?  I am still thinking of making the sign on the upper right of the building lighter or darker, but any comments are welcome. 

(Passing By is for sale, framed for $800, but I’m going to enter it in the Art of the State competition, so it won’t be available until a later date.)

This is a new original painting, image size 20 x 24″.  The scene was from the first snow of the season in Lancaster, PA.  The snow was so pretty that I took hundreds of photos, afraid it might be our only snow of the year. 

 Boy was I wrong.

This painting is entered in the Baltimore Watercolor Society’s annual juried exhibition, so it won’t be available until a later date, but it is for sale at $1,200.  Prints will be available later.

In my watercolor painting class last Tuesday, students learned how to paint sandy beaches and seashells the fun and easy way. Letting gravity do the work, by putting color and water down and tilting, was new and exciting. There’s a lot of layering in this watercolor exercise and we use hair dryers to speed the drying.

Removing the masking to show the texture made everyone “ooh” and “ahh.” And lifting the color for the shells was another new experience for many students. It was a day of discovery and amazing results.

I started this happy snowman as a demonstration in my watercolor painting class, then I brought him home to finish in the studio this morning.   It’s all blue skies and smiles when you have friends, in this new, original watercolor painting. 

Now, available on eBay!  click here to see my listing. 

 Snowman and Chickadee is 10″ x 7″ and my first posting on the new blog I joined:  Daily Painters of Pennsylvania.  In 2010, I’m going to be offering more fun and beautiful paintings for collectors of every taste and budget.