COLORS OF THE RAINBOW

                                                     
                                                           Down On Marigold Creek
                                               8 x 10                                           watercolor


The painting I've shown you today is my new Yellow Labrador painting of a laid back dog just hangin' out in a favourite place. And I can't think of any word that describes the Labrador better than 'laid back'. They are wonderful, sweet dogs. 
But it's not really this painting I want to talk about at this time. I wanted to talk a little bit about COLOR and the watercolor artist.  Have you guessed yet that I am wild about color?  I know of many watercolor artists who limit themselves to a very few colors and them mix the rest of what they need from those colors.  Some refuse to use any color that isn't translucent, while others nearly faint at the thought of using Titanium White or Chinese White. "Hey, this is watercolor!  You use the paper as the white!"   Gouache or Body Color aren't to be considered at all.   But gosh, look at all the luscious colors they are missing!
After years of experience and learning about Watercolors, I happily use a great many of the colors you find on the watercolor displays.      Mostly, I use Winsor Newton or Daniel Smith paints, because they are each a professional paint - rich in pigment, consistent, and reliable. (But be sure to buy the Artist's Quality in WN, not the Coteman unless you are a student, when the Coteman may be the better  choice for stretched student budgets. And remember that there are other fine choices out there too.  I've just mentioned the ones that I like best and that are easily available to me.) The only ones I tend to stay away from are the extremely non-permanent or Fugitive colors. Some of these colors are beautiful, therefor  more permanent versions have, thankfully, been developed.  I also have to add, that at this time, I don't use Gouache at all. I've found that I don't particularly care for  the way the chalky look of Gouache combines with the brighter, sparkle of watercolor.
  I choose to stay away from the limited palette of primaries plus one or two, with the rest being artist mixed.  Just think, the paint companies made all those beautiful colors; it seems a shame not  to use them. :-0
I use translucent colors of course, but I also use the opaque watercolors, and the trick there is that they need a careful hand if they are to retain the life and sparkle essential for a successful watercolor painting.  Once in a while, for a particular effect, I use a heavier body color, but it must be done sparingly, and the same goes for the whites - Titanium and Chinese.  I sometimes blend Chinese white with a color to obtain a soft pastel, and I use Titanium for tiny hairs, sparkles, and very tiny highlights.  I know I could, (and have) paint around those areas I want to remain white, or I could masque them, or scratch them out later, but of all these little watercolor tricks, I much prefer to use a very small amount of Titanium.  Once again, "tiny" and "sparing" are the watchwords here.
Oh, and there's one or two other little tricks that Titanium White can perform for you, but that would be telling :-)
So who's right, the artists who prefer to mix most of their own colors, the artist's who would rather switch to acrylic rather than use body color, opaque colors or the whites, or the artists like myself who enjoy using all colors plus white in the correct manner?
You're right!  Whatever you said, you're right!  No one is wrong here. Just as there is room for all styles of painting and all (better make that 'most') subjects, I firmly believe there is no wrong answer - there is room for all the ways that artists use watercolor to develop their individual styles.  Happy painting!!




Heather Anderson


www.heatheranderson-animalart.com




watercolor painting, Labrador Retriever Art, Yellow Lab art, Heather Anderson Animal Art, Sheltie Hollow

Thinking Back to Move Forward

                                                 
                                                             GUARDIAN


I was awake late light night just thinking about painting. It occurs to me that I have spent a lot of time in the past year experimenting. I often didn't have time to paint for more than a few minutes here and there,  so it seemed like the time to try one or two big pieces that I could easily stay focused on for a month or more, treating every individual area as though it was a singular painting itself. I've experimented with adding people, something fairly new for me despite the life drawing classes from so long ago, and in each piece I do with a person in it, I can see improvement. I began to get serious about the backgrounds, and I like the direction I'm going in there. And although I have and use just about every color in the Winsor Newton range and lots in the Daniel Smith line, when I'm working on a painting, I've begun to choose a selection of colors and pretty much stay within that semi limited range for the whole painting.  I've put a lot of thought into what I want to paint, and why, and how I want to present the idea.  And after all that, when I look at a recent painting I've done, I know that I've reached a new level.   Sneaky things, levels - they don't arrive with a shout and a trumpet fanfare, they just sneak up on you and are suddenly there. 
I've also renewed my focus - I paint animals and the country life I live, and I want to share the peaceful and the fun moments and my delight in beautiful things of all sorts. 
Now that I think I know where I'm going next with my paintings, all I have to do is sit down and paint. :-)

GOLD AND BLUE ON PARADE

                                                                   
                                                        GOLD AND BLUE ON PARADE


The morning is bright and sunny, and it's horse show day.  In a few minutes, it will be time to ride into the ring in the Parade Horse class, and these two, with their brightly polished silver, blowing fringe and sequins, are just about ready.   
I love the brilliant color and movement in a Parade Class. It's all so Old Hollywood, and such fun to watch.
I've always enjoyed the 'behind the scene' activities in anything, and so many of  my paintings are about what goes on before or after an event.  You'll find just as much drama and emotion there as you will in the ring, albeit usually a quieter type of emotion.
In this painting, I used several references (as I always do) but in this one, I changed a grey horse to a palomino to enhance the bright atmosphere I was after.  The original barn was natural weather- bleached cedar (silver grey), but I felt it needed to be done in golden brown tones to keep the sunny feeling going,  and I changed the rider's clothes from a T shirt and breeches (she hadn't changed yet!) to the colorful turquoise Western outfit, complete with fringe, sequins, and matching hat. I guess there is still a little 'costume lady' blood in my veins, even after all these years. :-0
I'm pleased with this painting - I feel I have achieved the warmth and bright atmosphere I was after and created an image of a beautiful horse and rider enjoying a happy day.
GOLD AND BLUE ON PARADE is a 14 x 18 watercolor on Arches 300lb Hot Press.   Original, small prints, and note cards available.


www.heatheranderson.animalart.com          anderson.animalart@sympatico.ca

RACE YA HOME!

Early one crisp November evening, just around moonrise, we were driving home. I (passenger!) caught a movement out of the corner of my eye,  and looking around, I saw some horses running along in their field, almost as if they were racing the car.  They were headed back to a barn that I could see a ways away, and obviously, were looking forward to their dinner.  It was a magical moment to see these guys thundering past, and we slowed the car to keep pace with them for the few seconds it took before their trail turned away to the barn. This moment has lived in my memory for several years, and I knew that sooner or later, I would paint it.  So here is my memory painting - "RACE YA HOME" , an 8.5 x 10.5 watercolor on Arches 140 Hot Press.
Heather Anderson
http://www.heatheranderson-animalart.com/

GUARDIAN

Shelties have beautiful, lush coats that come in a variety of colors. This painting is of a Sable Sheltie, and sable itself has lots of variations. A sable Shetland Sheepdog can be red-gold, pale blond, a warm sandy brown or a dark, rich mahogany, all with a snowy ruff and the darker ones usually have lighter blond on their faces and legs. We've had several Sable Shelties over the years, and each one has been different in color.
Shelties are herding dogs, and as such, they have an instinct to act as gentle guardians of their "flock", whatever that flock may be comprised of (from sheep to humans). We have found that some of ours have had a more pronounced sense of guardianship than others.  Piper was one of them.  He always felt he knew best, and the really irritating thing was, that he was often right!  I've based this painting, "GUARDIAN" on his sense of confidence and assurance. He was a wonderful, faithful, and reliable dog and we miss him every day. His wonderful memory lives on in our present Shelties.
"GUARDIAN", an 11 x 14 watercolor on Arches 300 hot press.  Original available ~ $625.  Small prints ($38) and note cards ($14 for 6) also available.
Heather Anderson
www.heatheranderson-animalart.com
anderson.animalart@sympatico.ca

WINTER DISTILLED

It's one of those typical winter days that happen more often than the sparkling, bright days that turn winter into magic. The clouds hang heavy and grey, and the world seems to be painted in shades of black and white. I think of it as Winter distilled - the very essence of winter. And it has a beauty all it's own, so I wanted to celebrate it in a painting.  When I saw this group of horses that were so completely in harmony with their surroundings, I knew I had my painting. Actually, there were two groups of two black horses and one group of two black and white horses, but this painting needed to be simple, so I was selective in what I put in.
The whole painting is deceptively simple. It's more about knowing what to leave out as it is about what to put in, and that takes experience and skill. I've been painting long enough to have achieved those things. I love detail, but sometimes, the advice of Thoreau must be followed: 'Simplify, simplify'.
This recently completed painting, "WINTER DISTILLED", is an 11 by 14 watercolor on Arches 140 hot press, and it is available.  $625.  Also available are notecards and small prints.
http://www.heatheranderson-animalart.com/
anderson.animalart@sympatico.ca

THAT SORT OF YEAR

Early last Spring, I was counting my many blessing and as a Thank You to the Universe, I vowed I was going to post one "Happy" thing a day on Facebook.  A week later, one of our beloved Shelties was diagnosed with his second go round with cancer, and suddenly, it became very difficult to find a happy thing each or any day.  The saga went on for many months, with the darkest day being the morning last summer when I lay flat out on the floor of the emergency Vet hospital, face to face with our fragil dog, pleading with him to keep fighting to  stay with us. (It delights me to be able to tell you that this same little Sheltie was out chasing squirrels this morning!)
I still felt I had to honour my committment to post about happy things, so despite the ongoing fatigue and sometimes absolute terror we felt most days at that time, I tried to find happy things to post. And you know what?  There was always something. Maybe it was only looking at the amazing, endless blue of the sky, or a hummingbird hovering, serenading us with the low hum of his wings, but there was something. As Sara Teasdale  said, "Look for a lovely thing and you will find it."   It helped us through the year, and looking back, I see that we have changed. The future might be bright, it might be scary, but today is good. So we have learned to let go of small annoyances, small worries, and focus on the good of today.  I wish you all the blessings of "the good of today."

RETURN FROM AVALON

In a way, I've been working on RETURN FROM AVALON for years - and years.  It's been in my mind that long, but I've only just put it down on paper.  I love the stories of King Arthur, and in Tennyson's "Idylls of the King",  just as Arthur is being placed in the barge that has been sent from Avalon, the magical island where he will be taken, he promises to come back when the world most needs him.  I've been counting on that.
In my painting, I see him returning from Avalon as promised.  With him are his wonderful white horse, his pale wolfhound, and his best friends, Merlin the Wizard, who is far too smart to stay locked in his crystal cave forever, and Sir Bedivere who was with him at the end and helped him into the magical barge.  Together, they are bringing light back to the world and pushing back the darkness.   But the dark forces will try to oppose them.  Dark faeries and elves peer from the shadows and malevolent eyes glare from the dark.
Arthur is saddened by what the world has become, but Sir Bedivere merely sneers at the efforts to stop them and keeps his hand ready to draw his sword, and Merlyn is serene, knowing that light will always overcome the dark.  Even now, the good faeries and elves are gathering to welcome them back as the dark fades away.  In the background, you can see magical Avalon wrapping itself in mist, and in a few moments, it will vanish until next time.
  I am very pleased with this painting - it is a huge step forward for me. I learned a lot with this one.  I learned that if there is a mass of tiny things in the painting, it is better to keep the idividual details simple. And  I learned how hard it is, but how very satisfying, to work almost entirely without reference.  I didn't want the three riders to ressemble anyone at all except the way I saw them in my mind, so they were extremely hard to do.  It was also a challenge to fade dark as the light advanced, but I'm satisfied with the result. And it was difficult to pull a painting of this complexity together.  Although (as always) I see things I would like to improve,  I love the way this turned out.
RETURN FROM AVALON is a 14 x 18 watercolor on Arches 300 hot press paper.  It is available, but at this time, I have not settled on a price.

BOO!

It's been a while since I've done a blog post, although I've composed a number of them in my mind.  But somehow, they just didn't get written. Since the last time, we've lost one of our fur-family and even though he was an older dog and not in good health, it is never easy to say goodbye to a loved one.  In the wake of that,  I've found myself with a decided lack of energy and a tendency to feel not quite up to par, although that's improving steadily.
Maybe that's why I've been thinking in very gentle images these past few weeks.  With Halloween coming up, that can be difficult, because everywhere you look, you see goth and gore and horror movies/costumes.  I started to think back to when I was a kid.  Halloween was fun, spooky, and silly, and a that's where the emphasis lay.  People decorated with pumpkins, jolly or fierce, with maybe a ghost or two blowing from a tree.  Dry leaves skittering down the street,  a cold, sneaky wind blowing down your neck, and pumpkin-light were the main spooky effects.  Costumes ran the gamut from little witches, princesses,  pirates, and cowboys/girls to polite vampires, skeletons and ghosts. Boys and girls had wonderful costumes (mostly Mom-made) to match  interests or fantasies that did not include chain-saw murders.  Makes me wish we could bring back more of the fun of  the occasion instead of focusing so much on  the darker side of things.
With these things in mind, my new painting is based on a memory of going Trick-Or-Treating with my dog.  It is an 11 x 14 watercolor on Arches Hot Press.   I love the porch-light and pumpkin-light shining out of this one, and the body language of the Sheltie.  "The things I do for my kid!"   EXPECTATIONS is an original watercolor and is available at $400.

The Hardest Thing

There's nothing hard about these darling Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. They were posted on my old blog, and deserve to join the other spaniels on this new one.  They are wonderful, sweet natured little dogs who make fabulous companions.  FOUR CAVALIERS is an 11 x 14 watercolor, and is available as the original painting, as note cards, and as small prints.
So what's the hardest thing? Getting started of course.  When I am confronted with a piece of pure, snowy watercolor paper, panic sets in. What if I mess it up and ruin an expensive piece of paper?  Am I truely committed to the image I'm thinking of painting?  What if I get tired of it part way through?  So I tidy the studio, clean the sinks, check on the dogs if they are not in the studio with me, find out where in the house the cat is hiding, have a snack (after all that cleaning and hunting up of animals, I'm peckish), have a drink (Please!  I'm talking ice water!), do a couple of stretches, and look out the windows - first the front, then the back overlooking the garden. THEN I pick up my brush, take a deep breath, dip the brush in water, then in paint, and  . . . .. . finally get that first blush of color on the paper. And then the image and the paint grip me and I'm off.  But getting started - oh dear.

PEACE

When you've been used to life being quite hectic, a day or two when everything is going well and you can just noodle around becomes a very precious commodity.  These last few weeks, there always seems to have been something to make me crazy, but things are opening up to a peaceful day here and there where I can paint again with all my concentration.  Bliss.
I embarked on a series of Spaniel paintings a while ago, and I'm finally nearly done.  Two more to go, and my set of Spaniels is complete - until I decide to revisit them. 
This one is the English Cocker Spaniel, a lovely, lively companion who is quite different from his American cousin in looks. This fellow is a Blue Roan, but they also appear in solid colors and Parti-color (black or any shade of tan/red/blond and white). I don't see many of these little beauties where I live, so every time I meet one is a treat.
This 6 x 8 watercolor is available as the original, a small print, or notecards. Any one of these, or a combination would make a great show award.

AMERICAN COCKER SPANIELS

HAIR!  I love HAIR :-0  And I love these little American Cocker Spaniels too. I've spent time with these cuties and they have lovely personalities and then there's all that hair!  It's a challenge to paint, and I find it such fun to work at bringing those long, wavy ears and flowing skirts to life in watercolor.  In this 11 x 14 watercolor painting, I've done a BLACK, an ASCOB, (Any Solid Color Other than Black) and a PARTI-COLOR (white with any other color). The American Cocker colors are rich, their coats are sumptuous, and their eyes are melting.  Although they are in the Sporting Group, their main career now is that of loving companion.  Who could resist?
This breed painting is part of my series on Spaniels, and is available matted and shipped for $400.     Note Cards and small prints are also available. Please inquire. 
anderson.animalart@sympatico.ca
http://www.heatheranderson-animalart.com/

LAUGHING IT OFF

Jo-Jo the Chipmunk thought it was safe to get into the water.  Who knew there was a Shark in the bird bath, just waiting to take a big bite out of him?
Sadly, life is sometimes like that, and a place where we should feel safe and welcome as artists, or as a neighbour or co-worker is home to a lurking spirit, waiting to take a spiteful bite out of US!
Spite bothers me - it's so deliberately mean.  And I hate meaness and bullying in all its forms above everything else. They are a coward's weapons.
The way I deal with things that bother me is through humour.  My two favourite Chipmunks, Biff and Jo-Jo help me see the humour in things by presenting me with fun images in my mind.
Jo-Jo is in trouble, but his dear friend Biff is about to launch a life boat to rescue him.  I've found in life that when something nasty hits, there is always a friend or two who is there to help us with just the thing we need.
So "When the Dog bites . .. When the Bee stings" (My Favourite Things - Sound of Music) let laughter put things in perspective for you.  That mean ol' shark?  it was just an inflatable thing, easily punctured after all :-0

MELLOW DAYS

We're starting into my favorite time of year. I love late summer and Autumn. The garden has gone through the sometimes blistering heat of July and is settling into the more peaceful days of August. I'm hoping this will be an allegory of our lives. In these past months, we've come through a blistering time too, and are hoping that things will be settling into a slower, more peaceful pace. 
Some of the earlier blooming poppies are setting seed already, and the pods are dry and ready to have the seeds gathered for next  year.  I leave some of them to be sown by the air, because that leads to nice surprises, but I like to have some to place exactly where I want them too.  This past summer, my choice of place was the wrong one, and the only poppies we had to enjoy were the ones sown last autum by the "wind faeries". They were wiser than I. 
The Lunaria (such a beautiful name) is ready to be gathered a bit early too, so I have an envelope of papery discs tucked away for next year.
The Shelties can enjoy a stroll in the garden again, as the mosquito population is slowing down. Sitting on the back porch with a cool something to sip on before dinner is becoming a pleasure again too.
And you know the best part of August now?  Neither my Sweetie nor I has to get ready to go back to school in a few short weeks!  Life is good :-)

TIME TO STOP AND STARE

Last week was very strange.  Two people went out of my life. One acted out of spite towards me, and I just don't have room in my life any more for spiteful people.  So I'm done - they're history. The other, a friend of whom I was fond, took a major hissy fit over nothing and took themselves off.  I'm not even sure where it came from, but I'm sorry it had to happen. But things like that do happen sometimes, and all you can do is say "oh well", and move on.
After those incidents, it was a delight to dive back into a painting that I had been working on, a 14 x 18 watercolor on 300 Arches HP called "TIME TO STOP AND STARE".  This is a wonderfully peaceful memory I have from my riding days.  My friend and I would saddle our Morgans and go out right after dinner in September and early October and ride up into the back fields to where they bordered on a cornfield.  We'd stop the horses and take time to watch the geese coming in to land for the night for some food and rest. You could hear the wind, the creaking of the saddles, the soft blowing of the horses, and the rustle of the corn as the geese landed and wandered through, pecking at bits of dropped corn. The sky was a glory of golds and pinks, and we'd stay as long as we could and still get home before dark. SO wonderful!  We were each in our own peaceful world, almost as if we had ridden out alone. I have to think that our lives would be more relaxed, more at peace, if once in a while, we all took the time to stop and stare.

Crushed Raspberries and Lace

A week or so ago, my trusty little Canon digital bit the dust.  Well, not dust exactly, but a battery seemed to have sprung a leak, and when I tried to take a photo, nothing happened.  Because I had just put new batteries in it, I had a look, and found "stuff" all over the bottom and inside the camera.  Not good. I may at some point have it repaired if possible, but I needed a camera 'now'.  This was the camera I often took along just in case I saw something I wanted to photograph. So I went shopping, looking for something inexpensive this time, but able to do what I needed to do.
I was introduced to a Sony Cybershot, waay more than I wanted to spend. BUT, there was one, lonely last year's model left over, and it was  offered to me at less than half price. I am now the happy owner of a great little camera that takes great photos, is slim enough to fit in any handbag, something the other one was not, so this one really can go everywhere with me, and best of all, it is a delightful shimmering crushed raspberry in color. Well YES, color is important! :-0
While we were driving along the other day, I commented how beautiful the roadsides looked, now that the municipality is no longer spraying them with weed killer. At this time of year, they are thick with Queen Anne's Lace, blowing and billowing in the breeze. So I whipped out my trusty little camera, and now I can share our beautiful country roadsides with you. Have a lovely day everyone :-)
Heather Anderson   . . . . .  .Sheltie Hollow
http://www.heatheranderson-animalart.com/

New Beginnings

Welcome to my brand new blog!  It's new because my old one vanished over night, in fact, all the blogs I posted to, went along with it.  I can't do anything about the other blogs, but this one, we were able to start over with.  That's sort of fun, and in that spirit, I chose colors that are among my current favorites because I want to have some fun with this.
I chose an image from the old blog to open this new one - "STEPPING LIGHTLY", a 14 x 18 watercolor on Arches 300lb hot press paper.  Don't worry, Mum never so much as brushed against her baby when she stepped out of the tangle he had made of his legs! This painting is on my website and is available.
http://www.heatheranderson-animalart.com/