Changing Light

Salvaged

June 23 - 29    Week 25, 2008

My friend Gary loves flowers and knows a lot about them. He works for a landscape company. Often, their jobs involve tearing out everything before building and replanting. Gary is sometimes able to salvage the old plants.

He gave me the corms for these irises one fall, not knowing what they looked like or if the plants would survive their trauma. That was three years ago. Now they are doing well enough to be dug this fall, divided and moved to
a permanent homes.

Nice save.

This weeks painting is a watercolor 10" x 7".  I liked the contrast between the delicate,
pale lavender flowers and the bright, warm colored vase. The painting has no title as yet,
but you can buy it for $100.00. Please contact mary@marygreggbyrne.com
for purchase and further information.

Lets keep our eyes out for good stuff people are throwing away.

Meyer Lemons

June 16 - 22,   Week 24, 2008

"How difficult it is to be simple."    Vincent Van Gogh

Another week, another bowl of fruit. I have a Meyer's Lemon tree. It is five years old and spends winters in my kitchen and summers on the deck. I have harvested as many a six lemons in a year. These beautiful lemons, I confess, were brought to me by the son of a dear friend form California, where she painlessly grows hundreds a year on a tree in her back yard.

The lemons have thin skin, an orangey color and are sweet (as lemons go). They are wonderful subjects to paint. My students and I made good use of the bag of lemons, both painting and eating.

The painting is watercolor and colored pencil. The actual size is 9.25" x 12". The real painting shows a bit more of the tablecloth than its reproduction here which, due to technical difficulties, shows 8.5" x 11.25" of the painting.The painting is untitled as yet. Suggestions always welcome. It is for sale for $250.00. Please contact mary@marygreggbyrne.com for purchase and further information.

I hope your crops are doing well.

Green Grapes

June 9 - 15  Week 22, 2008

“For in the true nature of things, if we rightly consider,  every green tree is far more glorious than if it were
made of gold and silver.”    Martin Luther

Sitting on my kitchen counter was Grandma's bowl full of green grapes, and the sunlight fell just so. The colors were so strong and beautiful, it was an obvious painting subject. I feel lucky when they are handed to me that way.

This is a watercolor  sized 8" x 9".  The tile is,  Green, Green Grapes in Grandma's Bowl.  It is for sale for $250.00. Please contact mary@marygreggbyrne.com  for purchase and further information.

The grapes were delicious.

 

Moonlight

June 2 - 9,    Week 22, 2008

"Many secrets of art and nature are thought by the unlearned to be magical."  Roger Bacon

As daylight lasts longer, the garden continues to beckon. On the rare warm evenings, we are still outside  as the sunsets and I see, again, how beautiful the white flowers are by moonlight.

This weeks painting is a water color sized 11" x 21". It was painted with a reverse method I read of, then worked with. The paper is thoroughly soaked and while still very wet, color is washed on all over. As the paper dries, the color is removed to create lights and whites. The color can be removed by blotting with cloth, tissue or dry brushes, if you use less staining pigments and get the timing just right. It's a fun and freeing technique which, when it works well, leaves lovely soft edges.

The painting is titled Moonlight Roses. It is for sale for $250.00. Please contact mary@marygreggbyrne.com for purchase or further information.

By The Sea, By the Beautiful Sea

Week 21, 2008   May 26  -  June 1

“Live in the sunshine, swim in the sea,
Drink the wild air…”    Ralph Waldo Emerson

Traditionally, watercolors are done on paper and get a bad rap because of it. Watercolor paintings are often lumped with drawings in an "art on paper" catagory which is somehow less respected than the "art on canvas" group. How to deal with this? Paint watercolor on canvas. Yes, it is possible. Canvases are prepared with a ground made to accept and complement watercolor pigments. The paintings are then treated with a waterproofing agent and can be displayed without glass, as oil paintings usually are.

The canvas surface behaves differently than watercolor paper. It will not accept as many layers of paint. For many of us this is an asset because we are less able to overwork. Also, paint can be completely washed off the canvas (before it is treated) to provide a fresh start when needed. The canvas surface accepts beautiful washes and allows wet in wet work, unlike some alternate watercolor surfaces. One of the best things is that paint colors appear very brilliant on watercolor canvas.

Of my students who don't like painting on canvas, reasons include: inability to use multiple layers, the canvas weave texture and difficulty in achieving sharp, small details.

As you may have already guessed, this week's painting is a watercolor on canvas. The size is 10" x 12" and the title is, "By the Beautiful Sea". It is for sale for $200.00. Please contact mary@marrygreggbyrne.com for purchase and further information.

I enjoy using watercolor canvas as a change of pace and am looking forward to trying a large one.

 

Why Are You So Crabby?

Week 20, 2008   May 19 - 25

"Everything has its beauty but not everyone sees it."      Confucius

One of the best things about where I live is that Dungenesss crabs live here too. One must mind the crabbing regulations and not be greedy, but they are easy to trap. I like them cold with lemon, mustard mayonnaise, sourdough bread and green salad. Put newspapers all over, don't shower or change before you eat and go to it. We have a collection of crab cracking implements including: old nutcrackers, silver lobster forks, hammers, pliers, tin shears and a tool actually made for the purpose. It's important to wash any tools you borrow before putting them back or you'll be in trouble.

This weeks painting is a watercolor titled "I'm Crabby Too," because I did a larger painting of exactly the same subject called "Why Are You So Crabby?" This painting is 8" x 11" and for sale for $150.00. Contact mary@marygreggbyrne.com for purchase and further information.

Dungeness crabs are interesting and handsome creatures (in a crustaceanish way). They do a vital job scavenging the ocean floor, so I try to remember to thank the crab spirit whenever I am lucky enough to
eat them.

Memorial Day Sale

Week 19, 2008    May 12 – 18

"Where flowers bloom, so does hope."   Ladybird Johnson

The lilacs are blooming and everywhere one walks around town the air smells sweet. It is so luxurious, like living in a fine bed and bath store. I brought these lilacs into the studio for just long enough to paint, then put them in the bathroom with the door closed. Lilac bouquets indoors make everyone in my house sneeze.

This weeks painting is a watercolor, 5” x *”, Titled Les Lilas Sont Fleuris (the lilacs are in flower, from the lyrics of an old French song “Aupres de ma Blonde”). In celebration of the upcoming holiday and the lilacs blooming, the price is $60.00. Please contact mary@marygreggbyrne.com for purchase and further information.

Garden tip from my friend Jude: if all your lilac blossoms are high in the bushes, ask a friend use a rake to pull down the branches within your cutting range.

I Have a Dog

Week 18, 2008             May 5 - 11

 "No matter how little money and how few possessions you own, having a dog makes you rich."
      Louis Sabin

It has come to my attention that I share less personal information than many bloggers. This may be a good thing, but for those who enjoy such insights, let me introduce you to my dog. She is a six year old Golden Retriever named Molly (after my mother). She is beautiful and of spotty intelligence. When she sees me cleaning the car, she will get in it, assuming that I am taking a trip and planning to leave her behind. (That's the smart part). She will then stay in the car, no matter how hot or long the wait. If we drive anywhere, the grocery store etc., she is satisfied and gets out. If I was only cleaning the car (not a common occurrence), she becomes confused and depressed (the not so smart part).

Molly follows me around the house. Herds (it seems like herds) of teen-aged boys, who also inhabit my house, tease me about this. I tell them that they should be glad I have the dog. Otherwise, I would be fussing with their hair and calling them baby names.

Molly modeled for this week's painting, a watercolor on panel titled And the Award for Best Friend Goes to...". The size is 8" x 10" week's painting is for sale for $150.00. Please contact mary@marygreggbyrne.com for purchase and further information.

Yes, I do pet portraits.

Roses! Roses! Roses!

Week 17,  2008     April 28 - May 4

“I should like to enjoy this summer flower by flower….”   Andre Gide

I love roses. I love the way they look and grow, their history, their literary presence and especially their perfume. I've grown roses in all varieties: ramblers, hybrid teas, musk, damask, wild and floribunda. I love them so much, I deal with all the rosy bugs and blights and high maintenance profiles.The deer in my neighborhood love my roses too and stop by my house for desert. Because of the cold spring around here, the irises are not yet blooming, let alone roses. So I am posting a rose painting today. This one is called "Pristine Rose," (the actual name, a hybrid tea). It is a watercolor, sized 9" x 7" for sale for $100.00. Contact mary@marygreggbyrne.com for purchase and further information.

If you happen to be in Bellingham WA in may or June, please top by the Fire House Performing Arts Center and Cafe (Firehouse Performing Arts Center) at 1314 Harrison Ave to see a show of my floral paintings.  There are many more rose paintings, and tulip paintings, and daffodil, and hydrangeas, and daisies.....

•  
  You probably know a mom who would love some roses next Sunday. What a good idea.

 

Greenways

Week 16 2008   April 21 - 27

"We have forgotten our former states, except in early spring when we slightly recall being green again."             Rumi

This is the week of Earth Day. It's interesting to hear and see all the hype this year. "Eco" and "green" have become trendy. Big corporations advertise new products as "Good for the earth and good for you." Perhaps a more accurate label would be "Not quite as bad for the earth as what we were trying to sell you before." I have noticed the gradulal lessening of plastic grocery bags cluttering the landscape. That seems like progress. Way to go reusable bag carriers!

This week's painting is a landscape from the Sand Juan Islands where big leaf maples and Douglas firs  shade back roads and trails, inviting summer rambling. I loved the way the sun hit the trees and grass, contrasting with the blue firs and shadows.The painting is watercolor and gouache, sized  14.5" x 18". It is for sale for $375.00. Please contact mary@marygreggbyrne.com for purchase and further information.

Enjoy your rambles,