White Mountain Morning

We are back in the White Mountains of Arizona this weekend. This is my new favorite camping spot as the views from our camper are spectacular each morning. Today, I knew what I'd paint as soon as I woke up. The bright morning colors and long shadows were too much to resist. 

This afternoon we spent picking gooseberries for a jam experiment which I'll post more about later. Its veen a pretty good day!

Thanks for stopping by- Alice

White Mountain Morning, 10" × 7"

Watercolor Sketch, Arizona White Mountains

We are hiding from the heat in the White Mountains of Arizona this weekend. Miraculously, we have a good phone signal. July is monsoon season in the southwest and the storms can be fantastic in the afternoons, so I got up early to find a spot to get a bit of painting in today. I may have to put this in a studio piece sometime. So many shades of green this time of year!

Thanks for stopping by- Alice

The Poppies Run Amok

Yesterday I spent an entire day ruining a painting.  Nobody can do this with more determination and singleness of mind than me.  Thankfully I do it less often now, but I'm beginning to see a pattern here.  When I take on something that I'm intimidated by, like, let's just say flower petals, for example, I push and push till I've made a mess. Most of the time I can remember to step back and let the problem work itself out in the back of my mind, but not yesterday.  Yesterday I had a memory lapse and forgot to step back.  Again.

Off to a great start!

The worst part of doing this to myself is the way I feel afterward.  By late afternoon I hated painting and was convinced I'm an idiot with no skill whatsoever.  I was charming and fun to be around, let me tell you.  Or maybe I wasn't.  What a rollercoaster ride.  Why is this art thing so wrought with emotion? I'm usually one of the least temperamental people around, but I get freaked out by the ups and downs of creating artistically now and then, too.  Why do I even do this painting thing?  I guess if I'm truthful, it's because it makes me happy.

Liking this process so far, but thinking I want the flower shapes to be eye popping, not subtle.

Wait, I just pointed out how it makes me crazy and then said it makes me happy.  Sounds a bit like love, doesn't it?  Oh.  Wait.  It is love, and I'm in it for better or worse.  I love painting and so I will continue to include it in my life.  I realized I needed some balance and closed the studio door behind me for the day.  

And the over-painted result that caused all the despair and drama in my studio. I'll finish it, but only for what I can learn from it.

This morning I sat down with my journal to see what I could work out, and here's what I came up with-  Recently my husband and I decided to make our lives simpler.  I quit my job, he's remodeling our tiny Arizona house so that we can reduce our lifestyle and we are hoping to live off of what we create.  In other words, I'm gearing up to make and sell art.  I think I let that freak me out a bit with my poppy attempts.  I've realized that I can't paint to sell.  I have to paint from love and if it sells then I'm blessed.  If it doesn't, I still have something I made from my heart. That takes so much pressure off and I know the way to handle poppies will come to me, complete and right for my hands to make.  And I love that.

Thanks for stopping by! Alice

Pinterest and Other Nightmares

What a title, eh?  Actually, I love Pinterest.  There are so many wonderful and inspiring things to see and learn there.  Here's the problem; I am very computer literate and have stayed on top of technology and its use for working efficiently, but I have not stayed fluent in "internet." And believe me, there is a difference.  I'm in a pretty wide gap between making spreadsheets and connecting one's blog, Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and whatever other cool thing to each other.  And getting through the tutorials that abound out there is where the nightmares begin.  They are written for Mommy Bloggers who never got left behind by the cyber world while they worked 50 hours a week and turned into grandmothers like I have!  I didn't have time to stay on top of all of that, I barely managed to keep my teeth clean. When do these cyber-savvy girls sleep?  Oh, yeah, they have kids- they aren't sleeping anyway.  

However, all of that is changing.  This left-behind-and-out-of-date-grandmother is learning some new things, albeit slowly and painfully, but learning none the less.  I did manage to Tweet from my blog, but it showed up on my Facebook page.  I also created a pin on Pinterest which also somehow showed up on my Facebook page.  ((Sigh...)) Did I mention the painful part?  I need a teenager to come take my frail, little old hand and lead me shuffling into the light.  Too bad I'm fresh out of teenagers.  Okay, actually, it's not too bad- I couldn't have raised one. more. teen.  Six was plenty.

This image is from ResearchGate

So far, I'm on day 3 of learning all of this internet stuff and not painting.  Maybe I should back off and let it sift slowly into my conscience awareness like fairy dust and pick up my brushes.  In the meantime, if you are a Pinterest user look me up.  It's a real catchy title, Alice Jo Webb.  Same one you'll find me under on Instagram.  I have no idea what my Twitter name is, I deleted it months ago when it started pinging all the time and drove me crazy.  When I figure it out, I'll be sure to let you know!  While you're at it, look for the little red P at the bottom of this page and pin me to your Pinterest page.  Like an insect you're collecting.  I'd be grateful!

Thanks for stopping by- Alice    

Violet

It has taken nearly 2 weeks to finish this one up, but finally this morning I managed to get it done. We are in the middle of a remodel and move, so painting time is still hard to come by. However, it will not always be so. Painting over a grisaille is fun for me and this piece is no exception.

20" × 14" on Arches 140 lb. cold pressed paper.