Obtuse Study

Obtuse Study No. 4
by Artist Rita Squier

Original Watercolor Painting
Size:  11.25" x 9"

An experiment with paint, color and water on paper.



This watercolor and more are available for sale in my Squier Etsy Shop:  http://squier.etsy.com

The Paisley Bead

Citrus Orange Paisley 
20 mm
Torch Fired Enamel Bead

Simply stunning!

I love torch firing beads and coating them with glass enamel.  The bead is beautiful and the photo is beautiful too.

The Obtuse Study

Obtuse Study No. 3
by Artist Rita Squier

Original Watercolor Painting
Size:  11.25" x 9"

An experiment with paint, color and water on paper.


What do you see in this painting?

Obtuse Study

Obtuse Study No. 2
by Artist Rita Squier

Original Watercolor Painting
Size:  11.25" x 9"

An experiment of paint, color & water on paper.

This one and more can be found in my Squier Etsy Shop section for Original Watercolor Paintings.

Bead Charms

I made a handful of bead charms.

They can be used as zipper pulls, perfect for those little tiny zippers you can barely get your fingers around.

Decorative little charm to add to anything with a little loop.

More Beads

More of my torch fired enamel beads.  A variety of beautiful colors for the 18 mm loopy beads and the 14x16 mm woven beads.

I love coating the metal beads with glass enamel using a small torch.  The spinning of the bead, the choosing of colors, watching the colors blend, it's almost therapeutic.

Sometimes the color combinations are a complete surprise.  The nature of the torch, the variation of heat on where you place the bead in the flame, the mixing of colors, timing, so many variables.

You just have to wait until the bead cools to see what you got!

Beads Glorious Beads

I have created lots of torch fired enamel beads.

Here is a box filled with 20 mm of three different types of filigrees.  My mission style beads, flower beads and paisley beads.

I have created more beads than I can use myself.  I love seeing what others can create with them.

You can find my beads in my Squier Etsy Shop.  I have a whole section devoted to just Torch Fired Enamel Beads.

I love torching the metal beads and coating them with glass enamel.  I love color and playing with the colors.

Tuesday's Tips and Techniques for Watercolor Painting

Misting Your Palette

Depending on the brand of watercolor paint you're using, the time of year, the location or the age of your palette it may be necessary to mist your palette with clean clear water before you begin painting.  This will help soften the paint and make it easier for you to pick up more color, more quickly.

This is my very first palette of watercolors.  I started painting in watercolors in 1995.  All but two colors are Winsor Newton watercolors and they are the colors suggested by my first instructor.  The two additions Sap Green and Permanent Violet Bluish are Maimeri Blu watercolors.

The Winsor Newton colors consist of Paynes Grey, Brown Madder, Burnt Sienna, Alizarin Crimson, Cerulean Blue, French Ultramarine, Hookers Green, Yellow Ochre, Cadmium Yellow, Cadmium Orange and Sepia.  Many of the colors have been replaced over time.  However, the cadmium yellow and cadmium orange I know for a fact I have only purchased one tube of each of those.  A little spritz of water before I begin painting and the paint works perfectly, like a charm.  Yes, you can use that old watercolor paint palette!

Obtuse Study

Obtuse Study No. 1
by Artist Rita Squier

Original Watercolor Painting
Size: 11.25" wide x 9" high


I created a new series of watercolor paintings entitled Obtuse Study.  It involves an experiment of paint, color and water on paper.

This series is currently available for sale in my Etsy shop:  http://squier.etsy.com

https://www.etsy.com/listing/104244207/obtuse-study-no-1-original-watercolor

Office Helper

Scooter enjoys rearranging my desk, commandeering anything he believes should be his or may be fun.

Two sheets of tissue wrapping paper now belong to Scooter.  Tissue paper apparently is lots of fun!

Happy July

 I hope you are enjoying your summer.

Today was a busy day, but I found a little time to bake a tray of homemade scottish shortbread cookies and topped them with periwinkle sprinkles.  Then I found the perfect bowl in my cupboards to place them into ... the cookies keep disappearing.

I've decided to call them my Periwinkle Shortbreads.

This evening I took a break and went outdoors to pick tomatoes.  I found one ripe yellow tomato the size of a little super ball, remember those?  And one ripe little Cupid Tomato.  They were gone within two minutes of picking, so no pictures.  :)

I also noticed the bumper crop of raspberries growing on a raspberry bush that I tried to dig out of the garden last summer.  Guess I didn't get all the roots. It only took ... oh ... 22 years to be able to pick this pretty bowl full.  Tomorrow even more will be ready for picking.