On this cold January day, I give you a warm painting to help you through the day- stay warm!

It is Monday and I still have many questions about how this all works. I have talked to my friends and we can not figure out how comments are made on my site. Oh, well! Today's painting is "A Sunset Serenade"( I am sure that this title will please my dear friend Mary-the English teacher :) ) I tend to like working with landscapes. They give me the opportunity to create space. Hopefully, deep space is what the viewer sees. I always tell my lovely wife,Mary Anne, that I should paint only backgrounds.I know as I walk and I drive I am constantly scanning the area to see the values and sizes of objects. I have even been known to request that Mary Anne remember what we are seeing. It is nice to have another set of eyes- epsecially on someone who has a good memory. When I paint I realize that as long as I give the viewer a good shape of the object the color can be very subjective. Here I emphasize the warmth of the sunset by limiting my hues to the red end of the scale.

The elements are always on my mind. I think that is because I taught a beginning drawing and painting class for forty years. I stood while I painted this painting- not a typical procedure for me. There are tiimes that I put my right arm behind my back. This keeps me from getting too tight with my paiinting. I have an unsteady hand and keeping my forearm on the table helps stablize my hand movements. I loved using the line element throughout my composition.

First, I apologize for yesterday's post. I am still trying to figure out how this all works. Below is a watercolor titled "A Tennessee Walk" . As a classroom teacher, I found that many of my student's problems occurred because of color. They tried to use every color that I had in my classroom. I encourage everyone to limit their hues. By doing this you tend to become more value(light and dark) conscious. In this painting, I also use the unexpected to create interest- not only the lack of color, but also the push pins holding the neutral image in its place. Try limiting your hues.

As a proud parent, I encourage you to look at my children's web site. Our girls, Sarah and Lauren, have started a business using their artistic talents. So search under Milkmoon Kids. I have their work hanging in my home- the graphic designs are good for all ages. Check it out!
It's Sunday afternoon and I am off to my studio to paint. Enjoy your day.

FISH

Here I am at day two of "blogging". I have already deleted the post that I wanted . So now it is day two and post three. My daughter, Sarah, has informed me that she will be interested in reading my musings. Just a little more pressure for a person who tries to please. I'll get even. She's my technical advisor). My thoughts also are about Mary Wegman, my friend and fellow teacher. I team taught with Mary. She was the English teacher. She would probably say,"Edwin you can come up with a better title than that!" (She always called everyoone by their proper name :) But I use the more direct approach- today's painting title: FISH. I continue my interset in creating patterns. I like the freedom of chosing subjective colors, of creating movement and space. While this may sound "fishy", there are many times that I start a painting and have no idea of where I am going. The journey is so much more thought provoking. Each stroke, each color forces more thought about the next stroke or color. Those preconceptions of what the piece should loook like often kill the joy in the act of painting. I hope your journey through the day is a joy.
Well, here it is day two of this new adventure- putting my musings(a term my daughter uses) on a blog. Here is another piece in which I have emphasized the use of pattern. I like the freedom of being able to create a line, change a hue, create some space- create an image that requires the viewer to "buy into" my experiences. I team taught art with my dear friend, Mary Wegman, and I think of her- she would say "Edwin, you can come up with a better title!" She's right.

"Tea Party"

Putting ones art into the public domain leaves the artist open to criticism.

Always trying to be a pleaser, my work reflects many different styles. While some of my paintings are done to make a living and please others, some are done to make me feel more like an artist- a person who can go beyond his technical skills. It is so much more exciting to show people things in a way that they have not envisioned. This particular piece was about color and pattern. I hope you enjoy it. Oh yes, this is one I did for the artist in me!