The Latest Work on the Easel

Click here to see the new painting on my easel and read my blog post..

The Twitter Art Exhibition 2019

The Twitter Art Exhibition 2019 will be held this year in Edinburg, Scotland on May 11! click to visit the post...

Postcard art for theTwitter Art Exhibition 2019 ©Dora Sislian Themelis

The Latest Work

Since I realize I am running two blogs now, this old Blogger blog and the new one at Wordpress, I'm dizzy trying to decide where to post anything!

I tried to reply to a comment left here at Blogger and for some reason I just couldn't post it. I apologize to the readers I have here who may not want to jump back and forth between two blogs to find my posts. I get it. And if my reply did post in the Universe somehow, many times because I kept trying, I apologize for that too! It's crazy.

So to update you on my latest work, please click to visit me here..here...

Sneak peak at the latest watercolor sketch..

The Top Nine For 2018 - A Review

Here we are at the year in review, the Top 9 images on Instagram. I've been out of the loop this year, working on some paintings, selling items on Etsy and Ebay, watching grand babies, otherwise disposed. 

I deactivated some social media to redirect the focus, and other dopey things were happening that were a complete waste of time and energy. 

Fine.

Work at the easel was sporadic, just as my posting here or at the Wordpress site. Where to post, became no posting at all. Too confusing, with readers here, none over there, why did I even move? 

A dilemma I didn't need.

Active on Instagram though, seemingly "safe," I posted these photos, some of paintings, others of life. The Top Nine photos of 2018 are here, the most viewed. 

Top Nine Photos on Instagram 2018

I painted in watercolors and oils, of places and things I love, visited the Armenian exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NY, taught Greek dance to my church kids, compared myself to a photo of my Armenian grandmother when she was young.

Life is up then down, busy then slow, moving then stagnant, always changing. Decisions need to be made, things need attention, other things should get absolutely no attention. Stay here, or move there?

For the moment, this present moment, I am stopping in here and I'll see where it goes.

The Latest Work With Permission

©Dora Sislian Themelis, 11x14 Watercolor, Patmos Sunset
Available for purchase

The latest work is from another person's photograph. Don't worry, I asked permission to use it. I just had to, it was too beautiful to me not to. The photographer agreed to let me depict this scene in watercolor paint. I was thrilled.

Of course, the view is stunning, and it's from one of my favorite places, our Greek island home of Patmos. 

I find it dreamy. Maybe you do too. 

The misty look of the distant hillside from the sheltered patio with potted flowers and the blue metal chairs and table give me comfort. I could be sitting right there, in that very spot, and breathe really deep. Perfect for a watercolor application and my supplies were ready to go.

All the steps in the work

The photo above shows the steps I took from photograph through the initial sketch and first wash of color. As I go about the work I add detail, more color, try to follow the forms and edges to get to the finished piece.

I took my time to develop the scene slowly. Believe me I could go to far and have it trashed. That's not so hard for me to do. Lately I've been able to pace myself, not make a mess of things.

Also, the process is important. The act of painting takes me out of my head to a far away place where there is nothing except the work in front of me. Time and space mean nothing. I am gone.

But then there's dinner to make, and I'm back in my head.

New Work

New Greek island harbor watercolor painting

All the trouble started when I decided to switch blogging platforms from Blogger to Wordpress. Over on Blogger I began my online journey, gained some readers, learned a lot about online art making sites, joined in on some very interesting challenges, made "friends" so to speak with other like minded individuals.

Then Wordpress came along, with all its hype and flash, and I moved it all over from Blogger. Not realizing that when I did that I then had essentially two platforms to blog on. Gone were the fun "friends", the challenges, the readers, the excitement of writing a blog.

On Wordpress I write my post, link it up to Blogger, where if anyone is still reading my musings, they get whooshed here with a click of the link. However, I don't think anyone is doing all that. There's no time left in anyone's day to be going back and forth, looking for little old me. No comments show up anywhere anymore.

Ho hum..

But all along I've been working away on all kinds of things, and no one knows about any of it. Today I decided to once more pop on here and throw some things around, make the place look "lived in."
You know, messy up the living room table so it looks like people actually are present, not like a showroom with only pretty things. A book here, a pen there, nothing too sloppy, just like a good, comfy pair of worn in jeans. That kind of messy.

Messy with a purpose, if you like.

Pictured above is a montage of steps in the latest watercolor painting I just finished yesterday. See? I am at my desk working!
It's a Greek harbor scene, surprise! I liked the sunny aspect of it, the misty mountain behind the sun splashed pavement, the houses and shops in the morning shadow. Lots of details that I'm not sure I wanted to depict, but sometimes I can't stop working.

Maybe I'll repost all of this over on Blogger. Maybe I won't. Not sure how I'm going to proceed. It's a process, and Mr. Resistance will surely let me know just exactly in which direction he'd like me to move.

Or not.

Late to the Party Once Again, with Mr. Resistance

And so here I am. Late to the party once again, thinking I'm in the swing, not realizing how long it's really been since I've posted anything, anywhere.

Resistance is full on.

But lately there's been some action here. Somehow I've giving myself the kick in the pants I had been needing. Too many things going on around me, too much to keep up with, too much drama.

Posting here. Posting there. Painting. Not painting. Daydreaming. Painting in my head. Trolling the latest artist who's selling plenty of work online and in person, in her big, bright, sunlit studio.

Where am I, and what am I doing? Rescheduling my days to fit in the work.

Has it been actually working? Sorta. Kinda. 

Is it good enough? No, it's not enough, but sometimes magic does happen if I can stay away from distractions. 

Story of life. We shall see..

Sketching at Clark Botanical Garden

Watercolor sketching at Clark Botanical Garden again...

Back in the Game

I'm back in the game...visit my latest post here as you click

In The Studio With A New Idea

Yesterday I had a great idea... online art gallery on Instagram

Grief and Hope in the New Year

As I contemplate the year that has just passed, and look forward to the new year ahead, I am both grateful and regretful. Full of hope, today I picked up my favorite book, The War of Art, by Steven Pressfield, my guru, and this quote was the first page I opened to..