from start to finish

 i love watching how things are created - the process, which for me is the most interesting part.

first washes with liquid masked areas

i love seeing how others faced and surmounted problems, what decisions were made at key point, and what unexpected elements happened.
i think a lot of people like to see how things develop as well
i know when i posted start to finish paintings on facebook folks seem to like to watch them go from this (see the photo on the left)

 through to the finished painting (bottom painting)
now i started with washes of yellows and peach and rose colors -these are my very favorite colors, and i was determined to use them

in the second photo you can see where the liquid mask is stopping the colors from sinking into the paper
i work in thin washes at first, building up layer after layer of pure pigments
i use pretty bright colors too, mixing them at first optically on the paper
the colors don't look bright because they ARE such thin washes
it takes a while to build areas up, and it takes a while for washes to dry, but mostly this insures that the colors remain clean and clear.
it also gives me a bit of time to see what is developing....stuff maybe i had not counted on or thought of.....
i do think the universe helps every artist (and every one) so sometimes it is a good thing to get out of the way and let it help

at some point i really start getting into the painting and start to develop areas. when that happens it's like i am in a trance or a place of meditation.
if you happen to be following what i am painting you can see pretty much where that happens just by what starts to happen in the painting. and THAT is where for me, the sheer joy of painting comes in
that is mostly why i keep doing it
and after a session, when i 'come back down to earth,' i take a picture and post it to my friends to let them see, plus really, for me to see it with a fresh eye

sometimes i need to put it into grayscale or flip it to also see where i i am with each painting.

and to see areas that i possibly missed.

sometimes it all works out so perfectly that i am sure that being an artist has got to be the BEST job on earth or in heaven.......to create, to design, to present beauty to the eyes and hearts of your world.

of course then there are other times when i mess it up and it goes into recycling.... sorta like a dinosaur.......

but not this time

btw, the blue corners you see ...... those are pieces of blue tape (painters tape) which is what i use to hold the paintings to the board
i use blue tape for almost everything in the studio now
it's cheap
easy to see (just don't leave it too long on the vinyl cover of the drafting table)
it doesn't hurt paper
and it's low tack

ok til next time

PS: i am starting to patch together a video, i have to use my little digital canon camera, so this is going to be interesting
any suggestions on free editing software?

thank you so much