White Rose - 6x6 inch watercolor painting

In one of my previous posts (click here) I told you about stretching watercolor paper over stretcher bars. I have done another painting like this.
I also have done some photos of the stretched painting, so you are getting a good suggestion how this all looks. I varnished the complete painting (also the sides and back).
It looks really beautiful to have a watercolor hanging in this way.
I love the fact that I can work in different ways with my watercolors. I am very curious and love to try out new things, but this doesn't mean that I will not continue to work on paper.

Blog awards and Pink Rose

Rose Open Arms, watercolor on 140 Lb coldpressed paper,
size: 6"x6"

This is another small Rose painting on 140 Lb coldpressed paper. The pinks were created with Permanent Rose and Alizarin Crimson. Under the Permanent Rose I did at first an underwash of Indian Yellow to give this colour a very warm effect. I love the result. In the background I used a lot of Indian Yellow to give a very warm feeling to the painting.

Click here for purchase information

I can't believe it. I got three Blog awards and was also tagged. Let me begin here:

1. Thank you to Tracy Hall and April Jarocka for their Passion for Painting Award.
Tracy Hall does wonderful watercolors and has become an expert in doing Miniatures. And I mean really tiny Miniatures with so high detail, it is amazing how she does this.
April Jarocka does wonderful paintings in oil and acrylics and I love a lot her beach and stone paintings. Absolutely beautiful!



2. Thank you to Zelma Cinnamon for her award. Zelma does wonderful drawings and flowers in watercolor. Her work is very beautiful, you will love it, too!


For these awards I must list seven things I love:
1. My family (of course)
2. Jogging (Running, I am not sure how you english people say it)
3. Chocolate
4. Romantic Music
5. A cup of hot tea beside me when I paint
6. Black Tom cats
7. reading

And this are things which I love to do/to have each day.

3. And I was tagged by Fabio Cembranelli. Thank you Fabio.
Fabio is a wonderful watercolor artist and I am amazed with his use of this medium. I really admire how he works, because I can't do it this way and this let me enjoy his art so very much.

And here I must list seven unusual things about me:
1. Beside my realism work I love fantasy art.
2. I have a license for driving motorcycles. I owned a Yamaha SR 500, but this is long time ago!
3. I never had interest in art until I was 38!
4. I never liked swimming, but now with my kids I love to go so often as it is possible.
5. I love the music from Queen, and especially Freddy Mercury. What a voice!
6. I always wanted to have my hair like Farrah Fawcett from "Charlie's Angels", but I have so many curls, it never was possible.
7. I always wanted to learn piano as a kid, but my family never could afford it. And now I don't have the time, because painting is the BIG passion!

Please visit all the artists blog with clicking on their name. You will enjoy their work the same as I am doing this.

Now I have to nominate some other artists.

A Passion for Painting award goes to:

Catherine DE RYCK
Mary Jansen
Vernita Bridges Hoyt
Jane Freeman
Lynette
Christiane Fortin
Kelly Singleton

I need to let them know this. I hope you will visit all the other artist's sites. I am sure you will enjoy their art very much.

See you soon!

Rose Gloria Dei - Original watercolor stretched on stretcher bars

Rose Gloria Dei, size: 8"x8", stretched 140 Lb watercolor paper

Hi, this is really something new. At first the painting is new :) but also that it is painted on stretched watercolor paper which were stretched over stretcher bars like a stretched canvas for oils or acrylics.

Fellow artist Joyce Faulknor did a demo on her blog about Paper Preparations for Varnishing Watercolor Paintings. I really had to try this out.
This means my watercolor painting looks now like a stretched canvas and after it was painted I varnished it. This means too that it doesn't need to be framed, because the edges are painted. Of course a beautiful frame looks always great, but you don't need to frame it behind glass. You can handle this watercolor painting like an oil painting. The edges are not stapled, this happened all on the backside.

This is a wonderful idea and I plan to do more of them. I just needed to order some more stretcher bars. I am very thankful that Joyce Faulknor was so generous to share this technique.

I also was having a lot of problems with stretching my watercolor paper on a board, it always buckled and the tape was not working correct. I have tried so many things. When doing a lot of washes you really need to have a flat surface to get the result for what you are looking for.
Now with stretching the paper over stretcher bars another pluspoint is that your painting is flat and it is tight as a drum. You should try it - I am sure you will love it!

Rose Ghislaine de Féligonde - New oil Painting

Rose Ghislaine de Féligonde
oil on stretched canvas, size: 16"x20"

I have finally worked with my oil paints again. This Rose is one of my favorites and with looking through my Roses gallery you will see that I painted this Rose several times. Since this Rose changes her look so often during it time of growth it is simple joy to watch her.

For those who enjoy my Roses I have created a video about them. Hope you enjoy it. It is also displayed on the right sidebar.



Some other news:
1. My e-book is also available on CD now. Since some people did worried about the large download of 13 MB, the CD will be helpful. On the CD is also the supporting material, like the large Ref.pics and Drawings, so you don't need to be online to view them.
2. Some of my work was published in the Porch Magazine. The editors thought that my work would have the romantic feel for which they were looking for their Valentine's Issue.
I already have one copy of this Issue and I am very pleased with the quality of this Magazine and I am very thrilled that they are showing 6 of my paintings.


And now I am doing a watercolor painting of a Rose. The watercolor paper is stretched over stretcher bars like a stretched canvas for oils. This means that I will also varnish it and then it doesn't need to be framed behind glass. It can hang without frame or with frame without glass. I am just curious how it will look once it is varnished. But more on it soon.

Rose Ingrid Bergman - New watercolor painting

Rose Ingrid Bergman, watercolor,
size: 6"x6"

Click here for purchase Information

Ah, finally a red Rose. I do not paint a lot of red Roses, although I love the colour Red and also I love red Roses. I only have one red Rose in my garden and this is of the Rose 'Ingrid Bergman'.
And this is a painting of her. The reds are created with Scarlet Lake and Alizarin Crimson, for the darker colours I added some Sap Green and/or Phthalo Blue.
Painted on 340 Lb coldpressed paper.

E-book finally finished

My E-book "How to paint realistic flowers in watercolor?" is finally finished.
For more informations please click on the book: The book will be translated in German and available for the german artists in a few days.

Mein E-book "Wie male ich realistische Blumen in Aquarell?" ist endlich fertig.
Für mehr Informationen clicken Sie bitte auf das Buch.
Das Buch wird zur Zeit ins Deutsche übersetzt und in wenigen Tagen auch für die deutschen Künstler erhältlich sein.

Price: $24