The peony , one of my favorite flowers, blooms in June. I never tire of looking at them and always anticipate their arrival. I take many rolls of film in the hope that I will capture some nuance that will excite me to paint.  Here is an image I shot in 2004. I loved the lighting and the shapes it formed were quite dynamic. The colors range from subtle to rich. There is a warm dominance with cool undertones. I chose to paint this as a demo for the Pine Shores Art Association in New Jersey . I spent time editing the shot when I photographed and was happy with the design, so made only a few changes in my drawing. I used a grid system to enlarge the drawing to fit a half sheet of Waterford paper.  The colors I selected were New Gamboge, Permanent Rose, Quinacridone Magenta, Berlin Blue and Prussian Green.

I painted with my board tilted at an angle, so the wet paint would move well, creating the wet-in-wet look of mingled color that I like. Notice how often I changed the color through the painting! The darks were created by adding more pigment to a passage while it was still damp. If you don’t add too much water, but use enough paint, a bloom will not form.

News

Afternoon Light was selected for the Watercolor Society Of Alabama 64th Annual Exhibition

Peony was selected for the 59th Annual International Aqueous Open Exhibition of the Pittsburgh Watercolor Society

Morning Vision was selected for the American National Exhibition of American Watercolors; Old Forge, NY

 Watercolor Magazine's summer issue will feature an article; Advice From Experts, about Ann's work.

Afternoon Light was selected for the Watercolor Society Of Alabama 64th Annual Exhibition and received the Little Linden House Award.

CASCADE ON THE AUSABLE was selected for the Montana Watercolor Society's Watermedia 2005 Exhibition at the Bigfork Art & Cultural Center.

PARADISE FOUND was selected for the Rocky Mountain National Watermedia 2005 at the Foothills Art Center; Golden, Colorado