Cat & dog prepare their picnic, poppies in Thomaston Maine, cedar waxwing in cherry blossoms, 6/30/18

Mad dash to maybe get those 30x30 paintings/pieces/works done for the challenge. It was supposed to be for developing some kind of practice in direct watercolor, i.e. no under drawing - go right to painting. Parameters to the challenge were very loosely defined.

I originally planned to use the challenge to paint or draw in such a way that I could not correct. I did quite a few. But then decided not to continue because it was seeming this challenge was really a kind of publicity event to help launch the publication of a particular artist's instruction book.

The other day a couple insights came to mind that prompted me to try a few more works for it. ...All too much to explain here now.

These works are fresh off the black colored pencil, opaque watercolors and brush, and transparent watercolors. The transparent watercolors palette is so in need of refilling, but I keep putting off doing it. I'm almost painting with wads of cat fur that have embedded in the dried leftover paint puddles.

I drew the picnic scene on Staples card stock. So are the poppies, but on a quarter sheet, (small). The cedar waxwing is painted on HP copy paper, on half the page. It mottles like blotter paper when you paint but is ok when it dries. Any thin paper buckles like this when wet. It is the mottling I don't like. Staples multi-purpose copy paper, on the other hand, takes paint very nicely. Of course it buckles, but it does not mottle.

I started this waxwing painting a couple weeks ago by laying down a warm variegated wash. I was to return once that dried to paint in the dark details of the bird, and then create the bird by using negative shapes to bring it out. It means to almost cut the bird out of the background by painting around it - without using outlines. The coloring of cedar waxwings make it a perfect subject for this method way of painting.

I ended up having done about 24 images/works..

#30x30DirectWatercolor2018

Let's have a picnic! Cat & Dog silhouette watercolor, 6/29/18

After drawing this idea as line drawing for a coloring page, I tried a silhouette version. It's all freehand direct painting. No under drawing. It can make me sweat whether it will work or not - whether my brush and hand will hit their intended marks!

#30x30DirectWatercolor2018

Let's have a picnic! Cat and dog coloring page, 6/29/18

Circle of friends 2018 reunion pics upload attempt

Trying again. If these get thru to my blog, they go with the previous
post.

Circle of friends, annual summer solstice picnic, friends who had worked together many years ago, some of whom may still do so(?),2018 edition. Even smaller size pics

My dear friends from this place have sent each other these pics. Some have yet to be opened and seen because they are so big and unaccessable right now. I thought maybe I could forward those extra large pics direct to here, but they seem to get stuck in the process, in any case, I'm hoping these can post, so that they will at least be in one place. And I'm hoping the phone will give me the option to send in a smaller size...
Amended - yes one can choose a smaller size. The post went through to my other email accounts but not to this blog. At least not yet. I'll try a smaller yet size.

Still would not post remotely tho pics are much smaller. Now I'm trying text first and pics later somehow!

Circle of friends, annual summer solstice picnic, friends who had worked together many years ago, some of whom may still do so(?),2018 edition. Even smaller size pics

My dear friends from this place have sent each other these pics. Some have yet to be opened and seen because they are so big and unaccessable right now. I thought maybe I could forward those extra large pics direct to here, but they seem to get stuck in the process, in any case, I'm hoping these can post, so that they will at least be in one place. And I'm hoping the phone will give me the option to send in a smaller size...
Amended - yes one can choose a smaller size. The post went through to my other email accounts but not to this blog. At least not yet. I'll try a smaller yet size.

Circle of friends, annual summer solstice picnic, friends who had worked together many years ago, some of whom may still do so(?),2018 edition

My dear friends from this place have sent each other these pics. Some have yet to be opened and seem because they are so big and unaccessable right now. I thought maybe I could forward those extra large pics direct to here, but they seem to get stuck in the process, in any case, I'm hoping these can post, so that they will at least be in one place. And I'm hoping the phone will give me the option to send in a smaller size...

4th of July Celebration fireworks, student display, (child and adult), kids' art class, 6/26/18

Red, white, and blues - bluebirds and strawberries, adult art class display, 6/25/18

Revelation – I know that as we get older time seems to speed up.

Can it be that it is the speeding up a time of time perception that also causes a greater sense of confusion about things, because so much is flying at you, especially in our increasingly technical and separated world, or should I say fragmented world?

I had to tell my new insight to the students in adults class today.

And then I asked them what they thought, since several of them are

seniors.

Here are their responses as I remember:

• Getting older, each year is a smaller percentage of the overall number of years
• Young people on TV and everywhere seem to talk so fast, it is almost impossible to follow or understand.
• A group conversation where people are talking at once is almost impossible to follow.
• I'm just grateful for each new day.
• I give up trying to follow all the new stuff and the fast talk of the young people.
• People now don't believe me that I am older.
• That's why we come to an art class so we can slow down and just pay attention to what we're doing.
• It took me a half an hour of talking on the phone with the representative, not being able to understand much of what she said, and finally she said she would have a technician come out to check out the machinery. It was a huge waste of time. It used to be that you could call up whatever it was and they would send somebody right over, or they would make arrangements right away, that someone would be over to check the machinery.

We did red white and blues to celebrate the upcoming Fourth of July holiday. Since the June topic is birds and berries, we worked from bluebird pictures. Strawberries we had to invent on our own for the most part.

Exercises: four windows or rectangles on the horizontal sheet. In each rectangle draw a continuous line drawing of the bluebird reference picture. Everyone had sheets of several different bluebird photos to work from. 

Final drawings make a red white and blue composition of bluebirds and strawberries of your own choosing.

Summer gardens and landscape scenes - children & adult student display, kids' art class, 6/19/18

Cedar Waxwings and berries, student display, adult art class, 6/18/18

We tried exercises of just drawing the darkest spots of the birds' markings in 'less is more' manner. How little can one use to express a bird?

July Children's Drawing Classes at Rockland Public Library with Catinka Knoth, 2018

Press Release

"Let's Draw  Maine Memories of July!" Children's Drawing Workshops at Rockland Public Library, 2018

Rockland - Children will explore drawing Maine memories this July at
the weekly drawing classes led by Catinka Knoth at Rockland Public
Library.  Knoth invites participants to follow along in drawing a
variety of motifs. July themes  will include subjects such as:  Rockland -  buildings & landmarks of a Maine town; favorite cats & dogs from Maine books; marine mammals - harbor seals, whales, porpoises;  and

classic Maine scenes.

7/06   (Friday, 3pm:) Let's draw Rockland - landmark scenes of a Maine town!
7/10   Let's draw favorite Maine cats and dogs!
7/17   Let's draw marine mammals!
7/24   Let's draw a classic Maine coastal scene!
7/31    Let's draw a Maine lighthouse!

The classes, geared for ages 6 and up, (including the young at heart), meet most Tuesday's, 4-5 pm., Community Room, Rockland Public Library, 80 Union St. (Note exception: Friday 7/06 at 3pm.) Library policy requests that children age 10 and under have adult accompaniment. Knoth expects participants to work independently for the most part. FMI - Jean Young, children's librarian, 594-0310.

Wendy and Keith Wellin sponsor the ongoing workshops, free and open to the public, with all materials supplied. Friends of Rockland Library host.

Attachments: Demonstration art and photos by Catinka Knoth

July Adult Art Classes, Rockland Library, 2018

Press Release:

 "Coastal Maine Floral Landscapes" - July Adult Art Classes with
Catinka Knoth at Rockland Library, 2018

Rockland - Catinka Knoth will give a series of  free drawing  classes
on depicting Maine coastal floral scenes, at Rockland Public Library,
80 Union Street. Classes meet in the Community Room, 11 a.m.,  most Mondays
in July. The first scene  will explore creating a lupine coastal scene. Participants will create art using
pencils, colored pencils, crayons, and  maybe scissors, with an emphasis on
drawing in color.  Each week is different scene. Knoth will give
instruction and guidance. She invites adult students of all levels to come
make art  in this communal and diverse environment.

Each week offers a different scene to explore:

7/02 - No class
7/09 - Lupine coastal scene
7/16 - Oriental Poppies
7/23 - Rosa Rugosa - Beach Roses scene
7/30- Wildflower coastal scene

Knoth provides the classes free of charge, with materials supplied.
Friends of Rockland Library host the workshops, which are open to the
public. FMI Knoth at 593-6085 or Rockland Library at 594-0310.

Knoth paints watercolors of Maine and whimsical animal scenes, which
she offers as cards and prints. She also teaches a free weekly
children's drawing class at Rockland Public Library, sponsored by Wendy
and Keith Wellin. For more information about Knoth's work visit
www.catinkacards.com.

Attachments: Artwork (and photos) by Catinka Knoth

Cardinal couple in lilacs, direct watercolor, 6/13/18

Cardinals in lilacs posed in our imaginations for adult art class, 6/11/18
#30x30DirectWatercolor2018

Filippino Lippi portraits - my grid drawing and a grid watercolor. Filipino Lippi self portrait in a St. Peter scene in the Brancacci Chapel, Florence, Italy,

Filippino Lippi portraits - my grid drawing and a grid watercolor. Filipino Lippi self portrait in a St. Peter scene in the Brancacci Chapel, Florence, Italy, c. 1481-82

This was a lesson I gave perhaps in 2007. The portrait is a detail from a larger painting of his. The students, (all adults), were not happy with me. Too exacting, 'not creative.' 'we want to be loose'. I had worked hours and hours the night before in preparing the materials for the students to work with. One student, who had been taking class for years, told me the next week, that it was the  last class for the season. Later I heard that was it. Even later came the feedback from the student that their project had turned out well.

A recent grid watercolor of an acquaintance by their high school friend prompted me to go digging for this.

I don't know how much the Old Masters used grids for portraits. They certainly used them to enlarge their small drawings for the large wall and ceiling murals.

This was inspired by the work of Chuck Close. Perhaps I'd just seen a tv interview with him for a new book or exhibit. I don't remember now.

Info on the painting: conflicting info - I think this source also suggests that this is a portrait of Botticelli. Find the story here.

http://www.travelingintuscany.com/art/filippinolippi/brancaccichapel.htm

Recording me as I mimic the tones/beats of a guest on a talk radio show...

Ugh the sounds are so mechanically predictable, droning and put me to sleep. I cannot listen to the words..

Cardinals and Lilacs, student display, adult art class, 6/11/18

Lilacs exercises - schematic cone shapes using a looping line as if to draw a 'slinky'. Make some curving cones too. The try one as if using fake handwriting loops. Now try one using separated floret shapes - also moving around the cone.

Cardinals exercises:
Practice in red doing the crest, beak, cheek shapes - go right across your page, facing them in both ways.
Then do that head shape and add the body, tail, legs shapes.

At last, put it all together. I drew several continuous line drawings, and I'll see how it ends up.

Hummingbird and rhododendron crayon painting ...further working, 6/10/18

My drawing from the other day, developed further. Don't let me hear complaints about just using simple kids crayons! Maybe I used 8-10 colors out of the 24 color box. My overall set of colors on hand is missing lots of those 24 colors.
Dandelion yellow, yellow green, green, violet red (or the other one?), red, blue, cerulean blue(?), blue violet...hmmm, that is 8 colors
Ok carnation pink towards the end as a blender. Nine!

Hummingbirds and Rhododendrons, crayon drawings, practices, and direct ink painting, 6/4-5/18

For my adult art class demo I worked in crayon, as we all do. With my watercolor student I did the same basic exercises but using a brush with black watercolor direct to paper. Practicing the strokes and shapes gives the confidence to paint directly. The group of three birds was just another practice sheet. Figures like that easily make a nice grouping because of their shapes.

#30x30DirectWatercolor2018