Fall is Falling and a Winner for the Month

Fall is Falling 

01x7 inch watercolor 

This one was full of turning the paper over and over and over. Painting sideways and upside down most of the time. You have to go where the painting tells you to go. 

Kerry Wells and her sheltie are the winners of this months free painting giveaway. The next giveaway day will be November 30th.

Person Of Interest

I call this one "A person of Interest". It is three stepper. Step one is below. 

Sunlight Face

Sunlight Face 

watercolor 

7.9x7.9 

matted 12x12 inches 

This one went in the bin before I decided to paint her as if she was a rose. That changed everything. I could feel the skin under my brush . I could feel the temperature and plane changes. Below is step one. I need to remember this beginning place . Sometimes it is better to build a painting from the middle out. 

Yellow Petals

Yellow Petals 

Watercolor 

7.9x7.9 inches 

matted 12x12 inches 

This painting can be found here 

 

I have been asked to teach a class. That makes me think about how to talk about what I do on a regular basis. I am not sure I have to vocabulary. The challenge is to break it down into smaller steps that I can describe accurately. 

Ruby

Ruby 

watercolor 

7.9x7.9 matted 12x12 inches 

Ruby is a neighbor and I thank her mother for letting me use this recent birthday picture of her. It can be found here

Fifty Yard Stare 2

Fifty Yard stare 2 

Today I went for a likeness and I think I got it. 

I simplified forms and paid attention to value shapes . Nothing else mattered. 

You can compare yesterdays and todays. I have not doubt today is better. 

NImbus

Nimbus 

watercolor 

10x7 inches 

Today the pet friend of the day is smiley Nimbus. 

The pet friends are coming along nicely. I have several lined up. In the meantime there is lots to be done to get ready for the snow that is sure to fall this week or next.

Wall Calendars

The 2016 Jo Mackenzie Watercolors Wall Calendars are in! 

A great place to write down those pesky appointments that are starting to pour in for the new year. 

The calendar is 8 1/2 inches by 11 inches and is printed on premium glossy card stock. 

Click HERE to order 

Shipping and handling are FREE! 

Three Color Challenge

The Daily Paintworks challenge this week is to paint a picture using only three colors. I chose Alizarin Crimson, Aureolin and Ultra Marine blue . That is my "go to " triad. I could use just those three colors for everything . I forget sometimes to go back to basics and start from what I know to be true. 

Maybe it is like cooking. Simple ingredients sometimes produce better results.

A Pet Friend and a Rose

Nathan 

Watercolor 

7.9x7.9 

matted 12x12 inches 

Nathan is the Jo Mackenzie watercolor pet friend of the day. Thanks for playing the pet friend game. If you want to enter the free giveaway here is how to do it. click here 

 

 

A High Key Rose 

watercolor 

7x10 inches 

 

Peony of Fluff

Peony of Fluff 

Watercolor 

7.9x7.9 inches 

matted 12x12 inches 

Today is a peony day because I need to go into the land of value shape and color. It is so intense to be in that world making decisions that are subjective but also logical. There is no emotion there just judgments to be made about how dark or light something is relative to everything surrounding it. That part I have down. The part that challenges me more is how to create colors that perform as neutrals without making the over all form dull. There has to be a motion to the color arrangements that fool the eye into believing there is life there. Something that lives and breathes,flutters and rises up to the light.

A Flower To Start The Day

A flower To Start The Day 

7x10 inches 

watercolor 

Matted 11x14 inches 

This painting shows how you can use neutrals (like gray) to make your primary colors more vivid. The actual painting is brighter in intensity than I could capture in a photograph. I do not know why "reds" photograph so poorly.

A peony and a pet friend

Peony
watercolor 7.9x7.9 inches

Pet Friend of the Day

Today was a peony and pet friend day. Those are probably my favorite days.
I am waiting for the Daily Paintworks challenge of the week announcement. It hasn't been published yet. I wonder if it will be a peony and a pet friend? Oh ...probably not.

Sadie

Sadie 

Watercolor 

7.9x7.9 inches 

matted 12x12 inches 

Today the Jo Mackenzie Watercolor pet friend of the day is named Sadie. This one is for Kelly Donovan. 

If you want to see your pet become the pet friend of the day send a photograph to 

jowatercolor@gmail.com and I will paint and post it. 

This painting can be found on the pet friend page of my website HERE

Painting Inside Out

Longing 

watercolor 

7.9x7.9 inches 

Matted 12 x12 inches

Today I painted from the inside out. Let me explain. Below you will see steps one and two. I usually paint from my darkest value shapes to my lightest but this dog was full of mid-tone planes. I wanted to find colors for all those changes . So that is what I did below in step 1.

 

 

Once this was done. I mixed up some dark values to place in the shadow shapes. Trying to not cover all my careful mid-tone painting in the process. That is below in Step 2 

 

 

Patience is Furry

Patience is Furry 

9x12 watercolor 

The pet friend of the day was established in step one which you can inspect below. This painting can be found here

K K

K K 

7.9x7.9 

watercolor 

Matted 12x12 inches. This is the pet friend of the day. This one is for Diane M. It can be found HERE

 

Yesterday I entered the pretty dress challenge at the Daily Paintworks  with this response 

 

I call it  Pretty girl in her summer dress. 

 

Not a Youngster

The pet friend of the day is not a youngster.  He is in his "golden years". 

On Facebook we are having a Pop UP Giveaway. If you are reading this you are already on my mailing list and  are automatically entered into the giveaway. I will send an "e" blast to announce the winner when my Fan page gets to 6300 likes. Why 6300 likes? 

It sounded like a good number to me.

The Hound 2

The Hound 2 

watercolor 

9x12 inches 

This is my second portrait of this noble hound dog . 

I am working toward larger sizes bit by bit with the emphasis on color temperature. This painting can be found HERE

The Winner For Sept.

The winner of the free monthly painting giveaway for the month of September is Britt Lewis and her dog Blaze. 

Congratulations!