I had a great time teaching in Waynesville, North Carolina, a couple of weeks ago and staying with David and Nancy looking at Waynesville Mountain from every window. This mountain, combined with watching two girls playing freely on a lawn, brought together my recent experiences.

This painting is untitled as of now. (I have 1135 painting titles in my computer--so there is no excuse for this.)It is acrylic 30 x 40.

This Way

Having returned to my "Irrational Perspective Houses" of my past, I rummaged around in my memory for a watercolor that I had done of my childhood self with my bike. What fun we had careening down hills and riding far out into the country-side. I think that I'm on my way to a series called "Free-range Children."

I have to give credit to a book by that name for putting into words (and into my mind) the lifestyle we enjoyed. According to the author, today's crime statistics are about what they were in the 1950's. The difference seems to be the 24 hour news cycle of today versus the half-hour with Walter Cronkite back then. Only now we worry about free-range chickens.

That Way

Here is my latest. "That Way," 36 x 36 Acrylic on canvas.
I've had a ball with my big paintings. They move along fast and create mini surprises as I layer color over color. Enlarge this image and see what I mean.

Photographing them, though, has been a challenge. I have a Cannon Power Shot G9 and tons of experience shooting slides. But how to light big paintings,and not get way too yellow a cast to these works?

If I set the camera on Program, go to the Auto White Balance option, and then follow the directions to color correct using my old gray card from my slide days, I ended up with correct color!! And the camera is supposed to remember this setting. It also automatically bracketed my shots, but this probably isn't necessary.

I was also pleased to be accepted into the 2009 San Diego Watercolor Society's national show with my houses on stilts, and am currently in the Transparent Watercolor Society of America's national.

Going for it Big Time

Finally I've been able to go big! 30 x 40 canvases are now easy to manage with some basics from Jane Filer's approach toward underpainting. My new ventilation system makes an hour or two in front of a canvas safe for me. So I am off and running--and running up my paint bill.

Here is a stab at painting my old waterfall sketches in acrylic while taking advantage of the fun things that I do with my house paintings.

Workshopping

'Tis the season for workshops, whether I'm teaching one, or for the first time in a decade, taking one. I just got back from a long, fabulous weekend with Jane Filer on North Carolina's coast. You will see changes in my art for sure from that experience. Bigger, texture and acrylics.

Here I am giving demo at the Kanuga Watermedia Workshops a few weeks ago (I'll be teaching there next March). The photo was taken my an Internet friend of mine, Donna Zagotta, whom I met for the first time there. Audacious is my middle name. May it be yours too.

See you all at my Blue Ridge Watermedia Workshop, In Waynesville, North Carolina, June 15-18. Call Nancy Belvins at 828 246-0237 for details.

Painting "Out"

I just checked my friend Myrna's blog and she had a couple of photos of her painting in Spain, so here is how I managed on the streets of Shanghai. I learned to hold all of my stuff and still get a sketch/painting done in 20 minutes. The Chinese people were fascinated, reassuring and friendly.

China Town in Shanghai

Hello artist friends, my travel companions and my new Chinese friend, Tinker Bell,

I have just survived getting all of my sketches up on my web site www.tregay.com. Look for CHINA in the fourth box down on my home page. Enjoy--and let me know if something doesn't work. I'm an artist, not a computer nerd.

Sue