Obtuse Study

Obtuse Study No. 5
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.

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.

Trophy Puppy

Trophy Puppy on his first birthday.

Sporting his trophy and ribbons.

STAR Puppy Medal
AKC Good Citizen Medal & Collar Tag
1st Place German Shepherd Baby Puppy Class Trophy when he was 4 months old.

Now if he would only stop chewing MY shoes and the remote controls, I would be a happier person.  We may as well add in stop barking at one of our cats, the bicycle riders, and walkers that pass by the front of the house.  Then and only then, I would believe he was a good citizen.

Twitter Art Exhibit in Moss Norway

Mystical Dew Drops
by Artist Rita Squier

Original Watercolor Painting
Size: 4x6"

SOLD Today!

Donated to the 2nd Twitter Art Exhibit
at the Moss Library
in Moss, Norway

Tomorrow is the last day of the charity event.
If you're in Norway, go to the library and buy a small painting!

This charity exhibit is raising money for the Women's Crisis Center.  An extremely good cause!

Run don't walk!
Get there as soon as the library opens.
The exhibit closes tomorrow, May 25th.

Tuesday's Tips and Techniques for Watercolor Painting

Reflections in Water 

Three Posts
by Artist Rita Squier
Original Watercolor Painting
Size:  11x15"

The first post tips towards you, the reflection in the water will be longer.

The second post tips away from you, the reflection in the water will be shorter.

The third post stands tall, the reflection is same size, a mirror image.

The reflections in the water can be no darker than the local color.  The colors of the reflecting object combine with the colors of the sky and the local color of the water.

The colors of reflections are often lighter than the object itself except when the object is lighter than the local color and it hangs over the edge of shallow water then it will be darker than the light object.  This is because you are not seeing the reflection, the object is blocking the sunlight and you're viewing the bottom of the shallow water.

Friday Feature

  

So many jewelry designers are inspired by a simple little bead and create amazing pieces.

I wanted to do a little recap on my Friday Feature.  

Click here to
Search "Friday Feature"
on my blog. 

Give them all a second look or a first look if you just found my this blog post.  Click the links into their Etsy shops to view more of their fascinating work.  

You'll find jewelry that is perfect for everyday and special occasions.  You'll even find some have other creative inspirations as well.  

The talent is awe-inspiring. 

Tuesday's Tips and Techniques for Watercolor Painting

Sunset Blend 

Creating a sunset in watercolor is magical.

The lovely blue sky that fades to a glowing yellow setting sun.

Add a single swipe of Primary Red Magenta in between your blue paint and your yellow watercolor paint to avoid creating green in your sky.

The red will mix with the blue to make a red-violet.
The red will mix with the yellow to create an orange.

This little trick will help you create that special glow at sunset.

Friday Feature

Mint Drop

Erin from ItsyBeadsySpider on Etsy created this fabulous necklace with one of my torch fired beads.

Art nouveau meets paisley on this lovely antiqued patina 16" chain.  The enamel is a beautiful shade of mint which complements the patina perfectly.

Browse through Erin's ItsyBeadsySpider Etsy shop, I think you will enjoy her charming little shop.  You may just find something you absolutely have to have!

Tuesday's Tips and Techniques for Watercolor Painting

When painting with watercolor on Yupo paper, if you need to draw your image first sketch carefully and lightly with pencil.  It's a one shot deal.  You do not want to erase the pencil lines, doing so disturbs the unique surface of the Yupo.

Be very careful handling the paper as well.  The oils from your fingerprints will cause the watercolor paint to not adhere to the surface of the Yupo paper.

No fingerprints.

No erasing pencil lines.

Yupo is a synthetic paper, watercolor paint floats on the surface creating very unique and spontaneous reactions.

Friday Feature

Pink Tiger Earrings

Meredith who runs VenerablePastiche and MersFolly on Etsy created these fabulous earrings for herself using my torch fired enamel beads.

Although this particular pair of earrings is not for sale in either of her Etsy shops, Meredith makes jewelry for sale.  She has fabulous handmade necklaces, earrings, bracelets and glass charms in her MersFolly shop on Etsy.  I love her style!

If you love vintage check out her VenerablePastiche shop on Etsy.  She has vintage home decor, vintage jewelry, vintage holiday items and more!

Take a look today!
http://venerablepastiche.etsy.com
http://mersfolly.etsy.com

Tuesday's Tips & Techniques for Watercolor Painting

Water Control Tool

When learning to paint in watercolor or improving your watercolor painting skills, controlling the amount of water in your brush is very important.  The ratio of water to paint, paint to water, water to paper, etc. is one of the more difficult things to learn.

Years ago, I took a number of Zoltan Szabo watercolor painting workshops.  I learned this little trick in his workshop.  It's in several of his books as well.

Create your own blotter.  With this blotter, you will learn how to control the water in your brush faster than you would trying to use a sponge or an old kitchen towel.

1. Take a cheap roll of toilet paper.  Yes, toilet paper.  Squish it flat once or twice to crimp the inner cardboard tube.  Pinch the tube with your fingers.
2.  Twist and pull out the cardboard tube.  Completely remove it.  Recycle it.  :)
3.  I prefer Bounty paper towels.  You will need 5 sheets in length of regular paper towels or 10 sheets select-a-size (my favorite!).  Take the long length and fold it in half lengthwise.  Then fold in each short side half way to the middle, this will end up about the width of the toilet paper roll.  Wrap and roll the toilet paper with the paper towel.
4.  Stuff it into a square plastic container.  I used an old square Tupperware sandwich container.  Charge or pre-wet the top of the surface with a little clear water.

You now have the perfect watercolor paint brush blotter, cleaner and water control tool.

As you paint, blot your brush on the top to decrease the amount of water in your brush.  Swipe a paint filled brush across the top if you have too much paint in your brush.  Or swipe a dirty paint brush across the top before cleaning it in your water, this will help your water container to stay cleaner longer.

The top gets dirty, swipe a wet wash brush across the top a couple times with clear water and the paint seeps into the middle of the roll.  If it gets really dirty, twist the entire roll until a clean portion of paper towel is a the top.  This little tool lasts quite a long time.

As silly as it sounds, it really is a good learning tool and extremely handy!