tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35723009329051406182012-01-30T19:43:23.386-08:00One woman's response to lifeMary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.comBlogger2961100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-81211812554678327002012-01-28T08:11:00.000-08:002012-01-28T08:14:46.711-08:00

January on McReynolds Road 14" x 20" Watercolor My son Jeff has been sharing pictures of his village, North Danville, VT. I know the area intimately as I walk the dirt roads every morning during visits to his family. There are five dirt roads, all steep hills, that take off from Bruce Badger Memorial Highway that is the main road through the village. The main part of town is 12 houses and

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-31381024883943183352012-01-26T10:20:00.000-08:002012-01-26T10:20:05.217-08:00

"I am Africa" Senegal, Africa 14" x 20" Framed "Sunset in North Danville, VT and Winter in the Garden Framed "Ochre Quarry at Rest," Provence and "Fall on Tampico Road," Vermont Framed "Lover's Point Sentinel," Pacific Grove, "Olive Trees at the Winery," Morgan Hill, and "Sunny Nook," Ardenwood Farms, Fremont First I am showing you the finished piece, "I am

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-36003342549797225432012-01-22T13:59:00.000-08:002012-01-22T13:59:12.014-08:00

 "Mystical Waters" Rosicrucian Museum, San Jose, CA 13" x 19" watermedia The weather predictions were not good -- rain by noon or shortly after. About ten of us hardy souls decided to brave the elements, art as an Extreme Sport. If you look closely at Sylvia who grew up in cool and wet England, you will see that she is wearing her long wool coat and hand-knit cap.  Fortunately, the rain

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-27492660388749184012012-01-21T07:01:00.000-08:002012-01-21T12:05:23.622-08:00

 Community Painting 1 -- "Circles" 20" x 30" Watercolor Photo by Jane Ferguson Community Painting 2 -- "Rectangles" 20" x 30" Watercolor Artists at work Brad Santos oversees as Lena Bogart adds her rectangle; Cleo Couch adds his circle,  Photo by Jane Ferguson Time to report on the wonderful Holiday Party last Sunday. We had a beautiful time with lovely appetizers, wine,

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-59824135807121771432012-01-14T07:41:00.000-08:002012-01-14T07:41:37.633-08:00

Plein air paintings ready for display at the SCVWS Holiday Party I am getting ready for the Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society Holiday Party today, a great event. As leader I will make some remarks. We expect over 100 of our 400+ members. I prepared some plein air work for display and will bring my little travel sketch book. I selected three pieces to display from the Castillo Winery

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-54719006896930919682012-01-10T15:57:00.000-08:002012-01-10T19:28:12.606-08:00

Soccer Player, Senegal, Africa 14" x 18" on Tyvek This past summer, my teenage granddaughter spent a month in Senegal teaching English to young school children and coaching boys soccer. As Jamie says, "Girls do not play soccer in Senegal" (except for her, of course).  Jamie lives in a small town in Northeastern Vermont, so this was a growth experience for her. She wanted to volunteer

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-42717444278165897372012-01-08T12:33:00.000-08:002012-01-08T12:33:53.458-08:00

"High Tech Low Tech" San Jose, CA 18" x 24" Watercolor I'm continuing to fill those large frames for my show.  Back in March 2010, Bob and I took our bikes on light rail and went to downtown San Jose. This scene is on San Fernando Street at the corner of Delmas Avenue. There is an old neighborhood market backed by the modern high rises. Adobe Software, creator of  the ever popular PDF

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-12372058955500870202012-01-06T13:37:00.000-08:002012-01-10T18:14:24.382-08:00

"Sunset in North Danville, Vermont" Watercolor, 21" x 29" Finally I've emerged from the busy holidays that included our annual New Year's Day Open House where we host about 100 people from our dancing, church, bicycling, art, music, neighborhood, and friends. I immediately came down with my annual respiratory thing that always hits about this time of year. So I've been pretty under the

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-3562441342169465662011-12-28T16:31:00.000-08:002011-12-28T16:33:30.162-08:00

"The Travelers" 12" x 14" Watercolor In New York City we saw a large flight crew for Singapore Airlines. The women were so elegant in their beautiful traditional uniforms. I removed them from the lobby of my hotel to a more abstracted background. The woman in red really stood out, and that is the way I wanted to paint her. Therefore I placed the two women in blue in shadow. I also wanted

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-38298108585215734602011-12-26T14:45:00.000-08:002011-12-26T14:45:49.664-08:00

"Christmas at Big Sur, 2011"6" x 4" watercolor sketch  The Nepenthe Restaurant has a fabulous view of "Big Sur with it's awesome scenery  Enjoying beautiful weather on the deck of the Nepenthe Restaurant Christmas morning 2011 With family scattered, we often celebrate Christmas in Big Sur, staying at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park in the Big Sur Lodge. This year we had lunch in Monterey

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-11778853353760026932011-12-19T19:37:00.000-08:002011-12-19T19:37:33.181-08:00

"Christmas Lemons" 14" x 12" Pastel Our instructor was not well today, so Rea brought a still life and we did our best to carry on. The still life used holiday colors and her lemons. Here the lemon trees seem to be very happy in December, even with a mild frost. About two thirds of the way through the session, we all put our pieces up and critiqued our work. That's when I discovered that

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-5697529261245718512011-12-14T17:51:00.001-08:002011-12-14T18:19:12.772-08:00

"It's the Beer" 14" x 12" Pastel Finally I made it back to drawing class after missing several Mondays for travel and meetings. We did a still life setup with a German beer stein and a fresh persimmon. The stein was challenging, full of ellipses and decorated with a lively scene. I felt pretty good that Bob didn't say, "Let me sit down a minute....," a sure signal that I need help. I

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-61504401870446740912011-12-06T09:54:00.000-08:002011-12-06T10:41:16.834-08:00

"A Room with a View: Morning on 47th Street"6" x 9 " Watercolor SketchNew York City, NYNew York City glows with Christmas lights on my birthdayBob and I at Radio City Music Hall for the Rockettes Christmas ShowBob planned a whirlwind long weekend trip to New York City for my birthday. I must say he is a most competent travel planner and outdid himself with his generosity. While there we stayed at

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-24904468294923216912011-11-22T08:26:00.000-08:002011-11-22T08:49:34.390-08:00

"Artist Linda"14" x 16" Vine Charcoal"Linda ala Twenties"12" x 16" Vine CharcoalOne of my fellow artists asked her friend Linda, an encaustic artist, to sit for our class. It's been a while since we've had a live model and we were a bit weary of our still life sessions. Linda was delighted to accept and used her fee to buy art materials. Each session was one half hour and we focused on a portrait

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-24405031733511668982011-11-20T12:27:00.001-08:002011-11-20T13:47:50.972-08:00

"A Room with a View: Port of Ensenada, Mexico"7" x 5" Watercolor and Ink"A Room with a View: Shoreline of Ensenada, Mexico"Ink sketchBob and I could not resist taking a very reasonable cruise on Carnival Paradise from Long Beach to Ensenada on the Baja in Mexico, by way of Catalina Island. I believe the distances are so small that you could easily sail there yourself, but Carnival makes it a

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-24888792654832319182011-11-11T13:19:00.000-08:002011-11-11T13:39:05.956-08:00

"Fall Colors in San Jose"9" x 7" WatercolorYesterday was an informal plein air session for the Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society. There are either two or three sessions each month. Often the leaders call for Hike and Sketch at a local park on one of the off Thursdays. This week the park was close by, Guadalupe Oak Grove Park in the middle of residential Almaden Valley. Soon more photos of

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-31831506323402403692011-11-07T20:09:00.000-08:002011-11-07T20:46:06.114-08:00

"Fall Vegetables"12" x 16" PastelI originally was scheduled to help coordinate a workshop, but someone nicely stepped in to substitute. Lots going on these days so I needed a break. I went to my drawing class this morning. We had a bit of fun with a misunderstanding of who was supplying the setup. Folks scrounged among their farmers market goodies and instructor Bob produced the faithful old

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-46248495490055681192011-11-03T11:09:00.000-07:002011-11-03T11:18:11.667-07:00

"Fall Persimmons and Crystal"12" x 15" PastelMonday I had to leave the drawing class early to help with takedown on the Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society Annual Show, which was a huge success. Instructor Bob Semans lamented that I had to leave as he considered what I had done so far very successful. I was pleased that he made no corrections. Today I spent a little time bringing this to a

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-3508184371982688512011-10-29T14:43:00.000-07:002011-10-30T11:00:21.658-07:00

"Olive Trees at Castillo Winery"14" x 18" Watercolor"At Home in the Vineyard"10" x 13" WatercolorAnother beautiful day to paint outdoors on Thursday. The morning started out crisp, but the sun soon leveled the temperature to the low 70s. We traveled to a relatively new winery 10 miles south of my home in Morgan Hill. The Castillo's Hillside Shire Winery was built by people who owned a

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-52838364197159840322011-10-25T10:14:00.000-07:002011-10-25T11:19:40.306-07:00

"Competitive Lilies"14" x 20" Watercolor"Peaches and Pears"12" x 16" PastelI had several very busy days in the art world. You may have seen my previous post of my rewarding plein air outing on Thursday. Friday I went with friends to two art galleries on the North Coast and Duncan Mills on the Russian River. Drawing instructor Bob Semans has a wonderful show at the Christopher Queen Gallery in

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-60225805241938480332011-10-22T11:23:00.000-07:002011-10-23T14:44:06.755-07:00

"Fall in the Redwoods"10" x 14" WatercolorThursday was a special plein air session for the Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society. The paint site was the Redwood Nature Preserve in Los Altos. Kay Duffy, a member of SCVWS and professional art instructor, gave a demo. Because the morning was misty, she would occasionally stop and have us paint, so we got to complete a painting as well. One of the

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-91161029535548826492011-10-18T13:56:00.000-07:002011-10-18T14:15:36.752-07:00

"A Model Woman"" x 20" WatercolorI love painting figures and I keep working at improving my drawing skills by attending sessions with live models. In August I led a drawing workshop where Jane Ferguson was the model. I've painted Jane several times before. Jane is a wonderful artist and a super model. Jane just won an award at our Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society Annual Show.I decided to be

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-47964690227932423472011-10-17T15:14:00.000-07:002011-10-17T17:59:31.698-07:00

"Fall Gourds"12" x 15" pastelToday's exercise at Monday drawing class was a collection of fall gourds. I see that I caused a bit of a line on the right gourd when transporting the piece home by bicycle and light rail. The challenge was to get the mottled texture and the gradations in value and color on the three gourds. I believe the left gourd was my most successful, and I modified it when

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-83422217256664117022011-10-14T15:12:00.000-07:002011-10-14T15:40:26.869-07:00

"Sunny Nook"Patterson Home at Ardenwood FarmsFremont, CA"Fountain at Ardenwood Farms""Fall on Lake Eden"Yesterday, I did plein air painting with the Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society. We went to Ardenwood Farms, a wonderful gem of a park amidst the electronic-fueled growth in the East Bay. This is a working farm with live animals, old and newer machinery, and crops. At this time of year, the

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-76864078625873607412011-10-11T10:06:00.000-07:002011-10-11T10:44:27.178-07:00

"A Room with a View: Down the Hill"7" x 10" WatercolorPacific Grove, CAOn Friday, we drove a little over an hour to the Monterey-Carmel area to spend the weekend celebrating Bob's birthday. I chose Pacific Grove Inn, a B&B made up of two lovely old homes about five blocks up from the bay. On Bob's Birthday on Saturday, I had time to paint another of my "Room with a View" series out our window

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-91656453693077426572011-10-03T18:37:00.001-07:002011-10-03T19:30:50.558-07:00

"The Apple of My Eye"12" x 16" pastelAt my weekly drawing class for the last two Mondays, I have worked on a still life containing an 8-inch cherub and an apple on lace. Bob always reminds us that though we are working in pastels these days, our class is all about drawing. I was able to achieve a good likeness here of something known as a putto, though we were calling it a putti. According to

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-28976510306216344682011-09-26T20:15:00.000-07:002011-09-26T20:26:40.469-07:00

"Fog over Monterey Peninsula"20" x 16" WatercolorHere is the first piece I painted on the Carmel Paintout. I left sunny San Jose and travelled to cool and foggy Pacific Grove. I was one of the first artists to arrive. I looked across the water towards Monterey from Lovers Point in Pacific Grove. The trees were just muted shapes in the fog. I painted them wet-into-wet using Ultramarine Blue, Burnt

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-10190741565873930962011-09-25T07:34:00.000-07:002011-09-25T10:21:39.062-07:00

"Lover's Point Sentinel"Pacific Grove, CA16" x 20" WatercolorFor quite a number of years, the Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society has hosted a three-day event, the Carmel Paintout, each September. My home is about a 1.5 hour drive to the area at most. Two years ago I actually stayed at Asilomar for two nights and had just a wonderful time painting plein air at different locations. This year,

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-25865553275496550842011-09-21T17:23:00.000-07:002011-09-21T18:22:37.781-07:00

"Jane with Attitude"Graphite and watercolor15 minute poseThree friends who are very successful artists now share a large studio in Sunnyvale. Today they hosted a two hour session with a live model. Jane Ferguson, one of the three artists, is one of my favorite models. I've posted other pieces with Jane on this blog. Jane changes several times and we have a new challenge with each outfit. Don't

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-3743871148851771892011-09-12T18:29:00.000-07:002011-09-12T18:54:37.242-07:00

Shiny Bottle10" x 12" PastelI finally got to attend my regular Monday morning drawing class. Jury duty, art society meetings, and Labor Day have precluded attending class. We had a small group today and Bob took us back to basics of modeling forms and highlights on various surfaces. We had several choices and I took this bottle to challenge my ability to achieve transparency and specular

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-61386259325724039312011-09-10T11:58:00.000-07:002011-09-10T12:13:50.452-07:00

"Fall on Tampico Road"North Danville, VT12" x 18" WatercolorI am on a roll with Vermont landscapes. Of course, this traditional look is not avante garde at all, but I enjoy recalling my visits to the small town of North Danville when the colors were emerging at the end of summer. I saw this scene last year when attending my high school reunion. Walking is rewarding in my son Jeff''s small town.

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-71290698121831592822011-09-04T11:39:00.000-07:002011-09-04T11:40:09.470-07:00

"Nightfall on Lake Champlain"21" x 14" watercolor A simple landscape as my thoughts turn to family in Vermont, where people continue to be affected by damage from widespread flooding from Hurricane Irene and promises of more flash flooding from Tropical Lulu. Today, my older son is picking corn for the farm stand at the Paquet Farm (take the link, below on the right, to see various paintings

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-1752207666296551182011-09-01T11:30:00.000-07:002011-09-01T11:47:28.974-07:00

"Dancing on the Plaza"Mixed Media18" x 13.5" Our neighbors went on a Mexican cruise a while back and shared this snapshot of a beautiful woman dancing at one of their ports of call. Jim gave me permission to use his photograph in my art. I tried a full sheet of this dancer once using acrylic paint and I wasn't happy with it. I began this and decided to rework the background. I am using Arches

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-89229188869784415352011-08-28T14:24:00.000-07:002011-08-28T15:04:55.819-07:00

"A Room with a View: The Boat in Our Backyard at the Otway House, NC" From my bicycle touring sketchbook On May 11th I created this small watercolor sketch while staying at the Otway House in North Carolina. The following day we rode our tandem bicycle to the Ocracoke Island Ferry in the Outer Banks. There are no bridges to Ocracoke. A few days ago I read that the island had been evacuated.

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-30401165399679918482011-08-21T16:39:00.000-07:002011-08-21T20:02:49.604-07:00

"Family Duet" 16" x 15" Arches 300 lb. hot press Kelly and Grandpa Bob play the flute Finally, time to paint! I began this piece before I left in March for my long bicycle tour and trip to Europe. You can see the start here. As I described in that post, Bob played flute with granddaughter Kelly when my son's family visited us from Vermont in July 2010. When I took the photo, I grabbed it

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-74777909891574712662011-08-14T20:30:00.001-07:002011-08-15T21:08:32.690-07:00

Sketching exercise in sanguine Conte on white paper Last night I completed coordination for a three-day workshop for Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society. My Monday drawing instructor, Robert K. Semans, was the guest artist. Bob is an impressive and successful artist. Drawing seems like it should be simple to learn, but we participants can tell you otherwise. I overheard someone say at the end

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-17200166913601397212011-08-10T20:13:00.000-07:002011-08-10T20:54:24.193-07:00

"An Apple a Day" 12" x 16" pastel You might ask what happened to Ireland. Joan and I loved our visit from July 9 to 14. We were so busy having fun that I did not paint or sketch at all. Joan actually did a small watercolor of the lighthouse at Howth to give to the woman who took care of us while staying at the guesthouse. I'm afraid I didn't get a photo. In our short time there we attended

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-46538352527152704312011-08-07T19:53:00.000-07:002011-08-07T20:59:09.833-07:00

Some of my paintings on display at our "Vernissage"Our instructor, Maggie Siner, met personally with each of us for 15 minutes on Friday afternoon. We discussed what we had accomplished and Maggie selected works to hang for our evening art show. At 7 we gathered in the studio and invited guests joined us, people from the village that know Maggie, David, and Elizabeth. We had a lovely selection of

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-7030537748685461932011-07-31T15:28:00.001-07:002011-07-31T20:47:53.077-07:00

"Silver-tinged Olive Grove"Near Croagnes, Provence, FranceJury duty has kept me from writing more about my trip to Provence, France, for an art workshop. A few more days and my civic responsibilities will be done. Meanwhile, I find that like the trip, I don't want the writing to end either! So what you get today is our final morning of plein air painting. Yet to come is our show on Friday evening

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-69082671632771971092011-07-24T10:23:00.000-07:002011-07-24T12:47:06.496-07:00

"Almost Heaven"Saint Saturnin Les AptChurch in sunshine"Late Day at Saint Saturnin Les Apt"Church in sunshinePainting at Saint Saturnin Les Apt after our picnic dinnerCloudy day painting on the easel and sunny day painting belowTonight we would enjoy a picnic so we could paint in the late day light . David ferried us to a town just a few miles from Les Bassac over narrow country roads, pointing

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-8312249116865708572011-07-22T09:14:00.001-07:002011-07-22T13:43:51.272-07:00

"Ochre Quarry at Rest"Near Roussignon, France"Nature's Colors"Ochre Quarry near Roussignon, FranceOn Wednesday, we left Les Bassacs at 8:30 to travel to the small village of Goult. We had a choice to paint in the cemetary or the village, and Maggie demoed using the interesting shapes of the topiary trees and the monuments to create a shape painting filled with light and shadow.One topiary tree is

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-21774907069284092502011-07-20T06:54:00.001-07:002011-07-22T13:15:34.763-07:00

"Heavenly Light"Bonnieux, FranceMichelle in Bonnieux where Joan and I painted the light and shadows on the churchEach painting session began with a ride in the van to our location. Joan and I fondly dubbed it the Artmobile. Loaded with easels, each painters supplies, and the painters, the Artmobile headed out over the tiny roads of Provence to deliver us to the location where we would paint for

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-73325642787933838212011-07-19T08:02:00.000-07:002011-07-19T15:09:04.214-07:00

A study of the recessional planes at the Wall of Liouxwhere I erroneously made the trees on the top of the cliff too darkAt our orientation on Saturday, Maggie laid out the daily plans and her expectations for us. Our original correspondence told us the workshop would be intensive and to plan any touring before or after. We would be taken twice a day to painting locations where we painted for

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-40193482222356410942011-07-16T06:19:00.000-07:002011-07-17T07:43:43.854-07:00

"Sunlit Olive Grove"Near Croagnes, Provence, FranceYesterday I returned home after being on the road for 108 days. Since flying to the East Coast on March 30th, I attended a family wedding on the beach at Hilton Head; completed a solo tandem bicycle tour with Bob from Key West, FL, to Portland, ME; and with artist friend, Joan, attended an art workshop in Provence, France, and visited Ireland. My

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-53856094064890955392011-03-29T20:42:00.000-07:002011-03-29T20:54:43.768-07:00

My touring art kitMy personal items for 3 monthswith pannier to carry themThe adventure draws near. The house sitter moves in tomorrow. After a family wedding in Hilton Head, we will make our way to Key West and begin riding the Atlantic Coast for South to North. Check our progress here.In the top photo you see my sketch pad, my Koi paint set with waterbrush, my Moleskein watercolor sketch

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-85427548786978699272011-03-21T20:45:00.000-07:002011-03-21T21:11:31.566-07:00

"Spring Callas"Pastel, 12" x 14"You may have wondered if I continue to attend drawing class, and I do. I never seem to be able to finish anything in the few hours we have to draw and apply pastels. This is by no means finished, though I took some time tonight to apply more pastel. We've been working on florals the past few weeks. These two large Calla Lillies were a much easier subject to tackle

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-4771070502509534092011-03-17T10:01:00.000-07:002011-03-17T10:33:58.922-07:00

"Flute Practice"16" x 15" watercolorArches 300 lb. hot pressDick Cole demonstrates his approach to artSanta Clara Valley Watercolor SocietyThis piece is granddaughter Kelly and Grandpa Bob playing the flute last summer when my son's family visited from Vermont. I've done a few other pieces of Kelly alone from the photo, but I really like this picture of the two of them. I took my drawing to Ted

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-67835345668980025882011-03-11T10:00:00.000-08:002011-03-11T10:50:29.361-08:00

"Thoughtful"14" x 18"Watercolor on Arches 300# hot pressNot much art happening here since attending the Ted Nuttal workshop, and that's been tough because I am all fired up to do figures. We are in the final preparation stage for our East Coast tandem bike tour. You can read about this pre-tour work in our journal. If you care to keep up with our tour, we update the journal daily, unless wifi or

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-27461137448001900612011-02-19T11:28:00.001-08:002011-02-19T12:24:05.726-08:00

"The Egg Lady"11" x 14" Watercolor on Arches 300 lb. coldpress paperThe first layers of "Thoughtful"Ted Nuttal, Artist and MusicianOur final workshop day was very special. Not only did we learn more, paint a bit, and have a critique session, but Ted also sang and played his guitar for us as we painted. Two for the price of one!I loved some of the quotes that Ted provided in his slide shows. I

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-65674062128922271602011-02-17T20:17:00.001-08:002011-02-17T20:39:40.746-08:00

In process - "Baby Bob"Another great day at the workshop. Ted talked about design and we dissected what works in some paintings by accomplished artists. Ted likes to float his art on mat board, so he showed us how to tear the paper to achieve a deckle edge similar to the one that results from the manufacturing process when the painting will be less than a full sheet.In the afternoon, we continued

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-9280607288144288282011-02-16T20:12:00.000-08:002011-02-16T20:35:38.949-08:00

"Bertina on Her Wedding Day"11" x 14" transparent watercolorI'm thoroughly enjoying Ted's approach to teaching the workshop. We begin the day at 9 a.m. with Ted setting the tone for the day and giving a slide show. This morning he talked about several artists. Ted's approach to shadows is to darken them with the same color, and he uses warm colors in the shadows. He does, however, tone the darks

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-33807202911357924102011-02-15T19:06:00.000-08:002011-02-16T20:37:20.815-08:00

Day 2 of "Bertina on Her Wedding Day"Today Ted did a great slide show to discuss ways to paint features and body part -- eyes, noses, mouths, and hands. Then he demoed how to begin doing the background. He does many transparent layers.When I left off on Bertina, I had knocked back the white background with watered down ivory. Today I added some detail on the dress, and did two layers in the

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-88076987735796964672011-02-14T19:39:00.000-08:002011-02-14T20:25:00.010-08:00

Day 1: I begin "Bertina on Her Wedding Day" Ted demos his approach to painting people.Family photo source for BertinaSanta Clara Valley Watercolor Society sponsors some of the best and least expensive workshops in the country. We are an all vounteer group, so we deliver workshops for the price of covering the cost of the workshop with a minimum enrollment of 15. This week we are featuring Ted

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-41541514138816721112011-02-12T08:01:00.000-08:002011-02-12T08:23:22.585-08:00

"The City by the Bay"Micron Pen on paper"Beach Blanket Babylon Hat"Micron Pen on Paper"A Room with a View: From Parc 55 Hotel"Watercolor and ink on sketch paperFor Christmas, Bob gave me a trip to the city to see Beach Blanket Babylon, a unique San Francisco experience. This hilarious musical revue is known for it's big hair and hats and political spoofs. The grand finale always includes the hat

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-30354187901703892182011-02-04T14:01:00.000-08:002011-02-05T06:48:54.707-08:00

"Misty Christmas on the California Coast"Andrew Molera State Park15" x 18"Continuing the theme of winter, here is another painting inspired by Christmases spent in the Big Sur area 0n the California Coast. That year we hiked in Andrew Molera State Park to the sea along Big Sur River. I loved this simple scene of evergreens backing dried grasses along the trail. You can see another view of the

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-5448058852025432592011-02-01T18:28:00.001-08:002011-02-01T19:44:42.969-08:00

"Let's Do Lunch"30" x 22" watercolor, 2006"Sea Battle"Wassily KandinskyKathy Cartwright, author of one of Donna Zagotta's blogs to watch this year, has an interesting discussion of Kandinsky's book, "Concerning the Spiritual in Art." So I thought it would be fun to resurrect an old painting from 2006 when I took Mike Bailey's class "Watercolor Beyond the Obvious" for the first time. In the course

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-76352262807823450562011-01-27T18:31:00.000-08:002011-01-27T21:31:37.254-08:00

"Casa Grande"New Almaden14" x 11" WatercolorHere is a really different view of January. Today the Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society held their plein air session at Casa Grande in the old mercury mining area of New Almaden, Quicksilver Park, within the San Jose city limits but it is country. In marked contrast to the winter in the Northeastern US, we are having a mild, dry stretch, with

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-21182620781977651072011-01-26T20:13:00.001-08:002011-01-26T20:23:01.239-08:00

"Winter in the Garden"North Danville, Vermont14" x 11" WatercolorA few days ago my son Jeff sent me a picture of his garden. They were experiencing subzero weather. When I was there last summer, they had just put up their scarecrow. At the time she was wearing a large hat with Beth's dress and looked quite stylish as she protected the prolific plants from pesky birds. The crops have been

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-37714880174175158772011-01-24T18:49:00.000-08:002011-01-25T08:02:58.991-08:00

John Salminen demoThe start of another pastel still lifeYesterday I attended John Salminen's demo for the Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society. Some lucky artists are attending his workshop this week. Our demo's are open to the public at no charge, so anyone in the area can learn from the masters we engage for workshops.John has wonderful teaching skills and imparted a lot of wisdom during the

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-18386236526131713662011-01-18T15:05:00.000-08:002011-01-19T10:55:47.943-08:00

"Winter in Andrew Molera State Park"11" x 14" WatercolorContinuing with my versatile approach to art, the medium is watercolor and the subject category is landscape. I must say, there is just something so satisfying about working with watercolor -- the way it flows, moves, and mixes on the paper is delicious.In recent years we've spent a few days by ourselves over Christmas in Big Sur. That

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-10616893139331152712011-01-17T19:45:00.001-08:002011-01-17T20:38:07.577-08:00

"Lemons in Clay"14" x 12" PastelHere is the piece I worked on today. As usual, it was half-done when I left class and I applied a bit more pastel tonight from memory. Not a "finished" work, and it will join the stack of other almost complete pastels.Yesterday I attended the Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society Holiday Party. My job this year was easy -- buy and deliver the ice. The party was

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-19601393714413686762011-01-07T09:16:00.000-08:002011-01-07T16:27:57.384-08:00

"Bassoon Rhythms"9" x 12" Oil on CanvasHappy New Year, Blog Friends! Here is my first art adventure of 2011.The other day when I tried water miscible oils for the first time, I created a landscape. When I was done, I adopted an idea from wonderful artist Don Michael Jr and used the leftover paint on another canvas in an abstract fashion. Unlike Don's approach, I wanted to simply use the abstract

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-88409236530891484052010-12-31T13:05:00.000-08:002011-01-01T06:20:58.624-08:00

"Self-Portrait"8.5" x 11" GraphiteLight effects in Adobe PhotoshopWhile my housecleaners prepped the house for our major New Year's Day Open House, I sequestered myself in my art room. I had too much on my mind to start a serious project, so I decided to do a self-portrait in pencil. I quote Hallie Farber from a comment she left on an earlier post, " Self-portraits are easier; we don't need to

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-7258701145886274772010-12-30T05:46:00.000-08:002010-12-30T08:45:38.571-08:00

"Jamie in Sunshine"14" x 12"WatercolorAfter a few paintings done with unfamiliar mediums, I retreated to watercolor. This is my granddaughter Jamie, 16, as she sat on the edge of the water at Capitola. I did an earlier version in acrylic. I find it much easier to mingle colors with watercolor and to obtain soft edges where I want them. I felt like I needed to do a watercolor to make sure I hadn't

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-44706274039695269792010-12-29T15:48:00.000-08:002010-12-29T16:11:42.128-08:00

"The Landscape of Georgia O'Keefe"9" x 12" OilA friend has invited me to go with her to a Maggie Siner workshop in Provence in July. I was hesitant for several reasons -- Maggie is an oil painter as is my friend. Also, Bob and I will be riding our tandem bicycle from Florida to Maine to Vermont from April through June. I won't bore you with all the complications this presents. I was assured that

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-57195948900214391992010-12-27T20:58:00.000-08:002010-12-27T21:21:42.756-08:00

Cards for my granddaughtersLeft -- Kelly playing her flute at my homeRight - Jamie competing with Sky in a Vermont horse showI always like to personalize my thank you cards. Last year I was really creative with my cards for my son's family. You can see the collaged cards here. This year, I printed cards with images I recently painted of the girls and shown earlier on this blog. I know they will

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-8950246835182539292010-12-22T19:52:00.000-08:002010-12-22T20:16:46.175-08:00

"Delft Bowl and Fruit"Pastel12" x 16""A Light Repast"Pastel12 x 16Always the pastels are not quite done. We draw from life and the setup is available for just 3 hours, which includes any instruction Bob gives us. I've done the delft bowl before. Both times I've found it a challenge to draw -- getting the ellipse and the depth of the bowl is a challenge. I use the dowel stick method of

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-78265570821083890052010-12-17T14:56:00.000-08:002010-12-18T11:58:01.951-08:00

"Historic California Theater in December"from St. Claire HotelSan Jose, CA"A Grey Day in the City by the Bay"from Mark Hopkins HotelSan Francisco, CADecember is always a busy month, with my birthday and then Christmas. We usually like to do something special on birthdays. This year we took light rail to our own downtown San Jose, about 10 miles away. We checked into the historic Saint Claire

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-14239531291489435672010-12-05T05:04:00.000-08:002010-12-05T14:15:17.481-08:00

"Jamie"Acrylics on gessoed paper12"x 10"This is a first for me - a portrait done in opaque acrylics, and truly I had quite a learning experience. Unfortunately, I can't get the colors true in this reproduction. I have not yet bought any Ampersand panels as suggested by Hallie, so I gessoed over a failed watercolor painting on Arches 300 pound paper. The support is quite rough and very rigid. I

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-7611827539012933702010-11-28T14:38:00.000-08:002010-11-28T15:15:12.546-08:00

"Jamie and Sky Compete"9" x 12" acrylic on canvasThis is a thick application of acrylic paint on canvas, like painting with oils, my third attempt at painting in this manner in the past couple years. To achieve the color of Sky, I mixed a magenta and orange as I had no burnt sienna. For the Vermont grasses, I put down a base coat of Permanent Green Light mixed with Hanza Yellow. I came in with a

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-60511335382436205682010-11-26T11:38:00.000-08:002010-11-26T11:54:18.699-08:00

"The Flute Player"10" x 12" AcrylicYesterday, between making a few things for Thanksgiving with family, I started this painting in acrylic. Today we rode the tandem to pay for our gluttonous ways yesterday and then I finished this painting. I captured a reasonable likeness of granddaughter Kelly. This is acrylic done in watercolor style with impressionistic tendencies.Wishing my blog friends a

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-56431497348576757252010-11-24T11:35:00.001-08:002010-11-24T12:11:00.084-08:00

A Kelly Sketch8" x 10" AcrylicKelly and Grandpa Bob practice the fluteThis summer we had a wonderful treat -- my son Jeff's family came from Vermont to stay with us in California for a week. Kelly is the youngest at 14 and has so many interests. She and sister Jamie spend a lot of time caring for and showing their horses, and they both play sports. Kelly's flute playing has been largely set aside

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-49120026581634218662010-11-21T12:21:00.000-08:002010-11-21T13:06:59.582-08:00

"Les Trois Artistes"Jeanne de Campos-Rousseau, Moi, Diana HenrichsonBob awaits the crowdThe reception beginsMany people braved the stormy weatherand were blessed with rainbowsAs we drove the winding highway over the coastal range to Santa Cruz, rain fell in buckets, making driving pretty unpleasant. I worried that not many people who planned to make the hour drive would brave the elements. Vino

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-49295459749002768552010-11-19T15:19:00.000-08:002010-11-19T17:36:35.726-08:00

"Birthday Bouquet"15" x 22"WatercolorBob's daughter gave him a fascinating cut bouquet for his birthday on October 8. The twigs had small gourds in green and orange and looked so Fall festive. Jamie suggested that I might like to paint the bouquet. I started a few weeks ago, before heading off to Santa Fe and then leading a workshop. My Thursday night South Side Art Club was down to two of us

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-71159463082089725632010-11-18T10:21:00.000-08:002010-11-18T11:53:52.185-08:00

"A Study in Black and White" (charcoal)"Red Peppers and Pitcher" (pastel)"Georgia O'Keefe's Mountain" (watercolor)"Rain in the Fjords" (watercolor)"The Coast" (watercolor)"Memories of Ghost Ranch, NM" (watercolor)"Matinee Memories" (watercolor)"Villa Montalvo Gardens" (watercolor)"Sunset over Tuscany" (acrylic)"Dancing Poppies" (mixed media collage)Some of the Matted Original Art for the

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-53511726158243955942010-11-15T16:02:00.000-08:002010-11-15T19:07:13.371-08:00

"Persimmons Please"14" x 12"PastelA week in New Mexico followed by a week coordinating the Frank Webb workshop equals no drawing class. I like my drawing class with Bob Semans on Monday morning. I had an "I Love Lucy" kind of morning, if you get my drift. Out of my usual rhythm, I traveled to the class 16 miles away by bicycle and light rail. I leave myself time to have coffee at McDonalds. I

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-56628842094386538742010-11-11T20:31:00.000-08:002010-11-12T07:39:37.576-08:00

"Dining Italian Style"11" x 14"Watercolor"Life above the Elevated"11" x 14"WatercolorCalligraphic marks in watercolor was the painting approach of the day. I will probably use this approach rarely, but I have used it before on sketches. Here is Frank's demo. He first did wet-in-wet washes, leaving his white area alone. Of course the paint diffuses and mixes quickly, so he used a hair dryer to

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-38003098322142833642010-11-10T18:38:00.000-08:002010-11-14T10:11:03.176-08:00

"Memories of Ghost Ranch"Watercolor15" x 22"Frank Webb's demo: Mixing Color on the paperSugar HouseArlington, VTFrank has demoed a unique approach to watercolor each day. Let's start with Day 4, as I felt more successful. Frank calls this drizzling paint on the paper. He told us to bring a table easel or he would show us how to use a folding chair. I like an easel and have had one at the workshop

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-24838912219306084762010-11-09T18:55:00.000-08:002010-11-14T04:32:46.826-08:00

"Sunflowers in the Dordogne 2"15 x 22WatercolorFrank Webb demos Wet-into-Wet technique"I'm a day behind in describing the workshop. I just came from a lovely dinner with Frank and some of the workshop participants. We take the instructor out one night and attendees are welcome to join us for a no host dinner. We had a very nice visit.Frank's Day 2 demo was Wet-into-Wet. I had hoped to do a

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-57532588203701194722010-11-07T19:00:00.000-08:002010-11-14T04:31:54.928-08:00

"Sunflowers in the Dordogne"15 x 22WatercolorFrank Webb discusses design(His painting is visible in the overhead mirror)One of the best things about being a volunteer on the workshop committee of Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society is meeting some of the best and most well known watermedia artists. When I first started doing watercolors in the 90s, I was especially taken by the artists who had

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-20727859724479255542010-11-05T13:12:00.001-07:002010-11-05T14:01:06.916-07:00

"Birthday Gourds"In progressWatercolorWill the real birthday gourds please stand up?As I sign off for a bit to coordinate a demo tomorrow and a 5-day workshop featuring Frank Webb, I leave you with a work in progress. Bob's daughter Jamie gave him a wonderful and unusual cut bouquet for his birthday in October. The fruit looks like little pumpkins, most in a bright red-orange, but some still in

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-65011260512464940762010-11-01T10:32:00.000-07:002010-11-01T10:58:13.879-07:00

"Georgia O'Keefe's Mountain"The PerdenalGhost Ranch, NMGeorgia O'Keeefe said God told her she could have this mountain if she painted it enough times. Friday we drove north to Abiquiu and on to Ghost Ranch. There we took the O'Keefe Landscape Tour on a clear sunny day. We stopped at a number of places that inspired her work. We passed her summer home on the ranch where the view from her front

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-69385156800555148332010-10-29T09:40:00.000-07:002010-10-29T10:05:13.199-07:00

"Driving the Rio Grande"South of Taos, NMBob's Photo from the Car Yesterday we did the Taos loop from Sante Fe. On the way to Taos, we traveled on the High Road through snow-capped mountains and the colorful trees. I will likely paint at least one of those scenes later. We stopped at a great, funky little cafe in an old theater, Sugar Nymphs Bistro, and they delivered on their promise --

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-76905387919851474342010-10-25T16:00:00.000-07:002010-10-25T17:16:25.255-07:00

"Pomegranate and Plums"Pastel13" x 16"We did a still life today using fresh fruit and a pretty, small white porcelain bowl. Bob set the table in the middle of us to have more room, but that meant that the setup was less than ideal. The plum was right next to the bowl so I artistically moved it over in my drawing. I eliminated the second pomegranate that just stuck up behind the bowl. Bob stated

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-62206891241621556952010-10-20T11:06:00.000-07:002010-10-20T17:21:53.449-07:00

"Dancing Poppies"11" x 14"Watercolor and Collage***See addendum***This past week I decided to experiment with my favorite California wild flowers, Poppies. However, I was not happy with the intermediate stage and got bogged down. So I thought about Gerald Brommer and collage and decided to cut out some of the Poppies and tear up parts of the half-done background. I arranged the pieces on 300 lb.

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-66368852544458769252010-10-18T14:56:00.001-07:002010-10-18T15:29:12.766-07:00

"Drapery"11" x 14"PastelBob Semans originally planned to demo modelling a crumpled paper bag. Not sure if he took pity on us or just preferred to do draped linen, but that's what he did. He set up the drapery over a table edge under warm light. The most difficult places to model are parts of the folds is in the half light. Getting the piece to read correctly so there is perception of roundness is

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-1722497631308184502010-10-14T09:37:00.001-07:002010-10-14T09:48:20.754-07:00

"Peach and Plums"11 x 14"PastelWith hanging shows and then needing to catch my breath, I did not post my Monday morning class drawing. I like the results of my work on the fruit. The plum on the right was a rich deep color and the one on the left was a bit more reddish and translucent. I like the dark core shadow on the peach. The cloth, though, doesn't suit me, at least not yet. It was a

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-54762577613517380052010-10-12T16:51:00.000-07:002010-10-12T19:39:20.146-07:00

Les Trois ArtistsVino Prima Wine BarSanta Cruz WharfOctober 11 through December 5Reception November 20, 2 - 6 p.m.Yesterday after Monday morning drawing class, Bob and I drove to Santa Cruz to hang the show on the Santa Cruz Wharf. There are three artists showing: Jeanne de Campos-Rousseau, Diana Henrichsen, and I. One small wall bears the title of the show and one painting each. Mine is "Big

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-8960414478679596202010-10-06T09:09:00.000-07:002010-10-06T09:52:24.367-07:00

"Memories of Norway13" x 18"WatercolorSanta Clara Valley Watercolor Society has a Members Show each Fall. There is no juried process to get in, though there is a juror for cash and sponsor awards. I had to file my entry form before I left for the East Coast, so I finally decided to enter my fantasy Norway piece for Alternate Realities." I had created a quarter sheet painting shown and discussed

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-56087725479947970302010-10-05T09:12:00.001-07:002010-10-05T17:02:05.032-07:00

"Copper Bowl with Gourds"Partially completed pastel20" x 14""Coastal Chili Peppers"Rockport, MAby Joan KendallOilI returned to Monday morning drawing class with instructor Bob Semans. I just love this class. I've done this copper bowl before, it's old and tarnished and the black shows up beautifully in the shadow when Bob puts a spotlight on the still life. The gourds provide a nice contrast and

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-62318826546219226432010-10-01T05:24:00.001-07:002010-10-01T16:44:49.627-07:00

"Rockport Headlands"14" x 11"watercolor"Sunrise on the Headlands"Rockport, MAOilby Joan KendallOn a very windy, sunny September morning in Rockport, MA, my artist friend Joan Kendall and I walked down our small Cove Hill Lane and clambered over the rocky headland to find a sheltered place to paint. We huddled behind a large rock looking down on the impressive headlands. I had just had time to

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-32097905946360710512010-09-26T16:43:00.000-07:002010-10-01T09:16:43.876-07:00

"Fall Hydrangeas"11" x 14"Watercolor"Fall Bouquet"by Joan KendallWatercolorMentally crop the dark stripe on the left and straighten the top image. Make the background white on the lower image. I am working with limited function on a netbook while traveling.Gage, current family owner of "the barn" had kindly consented to our renting the cottage in Rockport, MA. We arrived to find lovely bouquets

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-5571675789635549362010-09-26T11:31:00.000-07:002010-09-26T16:42:11.693-07:00

"Near the Salt Marsh"Crane Estate at Castle HillIpswich, MA14" x 11" watercolorThe Crane Estate on Castle Hill in Ipswich, MA, is a lovely early 20th century seaside estate now preserved for public and private use. Joan and I were there on a beautiful afternoon. We set up our easels away from the large house where a private wedding was underway. We overlooked salt marsh and hills that were

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-40372095168088749472010-09-25T07:37:00.000-07:002010-09-25T07:52:41.228-07:00

"Heath Cottage"14" x 11"Rockport, MA"Artist at Work"by Joan KendallRockport, MAAs our 91-year old friend Doris from Rockport said, "There are no "R's" in Massachusetts," at least not within a hundred miles of Boston. My art friend, Joan Kendall from Connecticut, and I enjoyed our annual trip together, this time to the North Shore in the little town of Rockport. Here you see the cottage where we

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-32192564823574301572010-09-13T15:04:00.000-07:002010-09-13T17:25:11.016-07:00

"Moroccan Vase and Apples"PastelBob told us to bring back our vase piece to finish it in class today. If you compare it to the previous post, you can see that things changed a bit. The plums and apples all ripened over the two week hiatus for Labor Day. Bob did not put up a back drape, so the background changed. The vase is oriented differently, which Bob said made for a better layout, so he

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-39051032721782485132010-09-08T14:37:00.000-07:002010-09-08T15:00:47.966-07:00

Vino Prima Wine Bar Sunset"Watercolor11" x 14""Trois Artistes" is coming up fast. It's a show on the Santa Cruz Wharf at the Vino Prima Wine Bar with work by three artists. I was invited to participate by Jeanne de Campos Rousseau, a good friend from the Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society workshop committee. The space is not real large and I probably have room for a half dozen modest size

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-84929476220758969732010-08-30T18:23:00.000-07:002010-08-30T18:56:27.634-07:00

"Moroccan Vase and Apples""Bob's Cowboy Hat"Seems like we seldom get to really finish our pastels in class, which runs for 3 hours. With setup time, instruction, and then working on our pieces, time flies. I would have finished the vase piece today after arriving home, but Bob Semans wants us to bring this piece to class after Labor Day and work on it again. The cowboy hat was done just before

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-21334862458542910672010-08-29T15:00:00.000-07:002010-08-29T15:24:48.309-07:00

"Sisters"Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Association' Annual Member show is coming right up. The title is "Alternate Realities." I have a number of different ideas of what I would like to paint, and this is one of them. I recalled my pregnant mom, later a mother of seven, being totally surprised to learn that my fourth grade teacher at St. Monica's School was her former college roommate, who, by

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-30792161001370315162010-08-26T11:19:00.000-07:002010-08-27T07:58:04.866-07:00

"Illinois Prairie""Early Morning in Eastern Colorado""Colorado River, Western Colorado""Utah Sunrise""River in the Nevada Desert"The Amtrak California Zephyr that runs between Chicago and Emeryville, California, goes through parts of 7 states. Five years ago Bob and I took the Zephyr from west to east. This reunion prompted us to do a reverse of our earlier trip, which enabled us to ride through

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572300932905140618.post-28015427332855860082010-08-21T15:15:00.000-07:002010-08-21T15:33:45.854-07:00

"A Room with a View: In the Loop, Chicago"We flew to Chicago for Bob's high school reunion. We spent the first several days staying in the heart of the Loop downtown. The area is defined by the elevated railway tracks that encircle this section. Our room looked down on a piece of the "El" that is seen in the lower left. Early one morning the sun was making the most interesting patterns on the

Mary Paquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847021818957221109noreply@blogger.com9