New Artwork When The Website Is Down

Next work on the studio table

Yes, I've been away. Yes, it's been a hectic time. Yes, the Wordpress website is down.

And yes, the world is upside down as well, yet I keep plugging away.

Thankfully.

Here I am, back at Blogger. The fancy, dancy Wordpress site has communication issues, and as the world turns crazy I turn to creating art.

Besides looking over my own reference photographs of places and things I love to paint, I've been all over all the social media, scouring photos I'm drawn to. This one was from a lovely photographer from Greece who took this scene of the Mani region in the Peloponnese. I loved the colors and shapes that created a nice drama. I asked and received permission to use her work, and this was my start.

A new media for me is gouache. I've been watching other artists use it to get a feel for manipulating it. Even though it's a water based media, it is very different than watercolor. It has a velvety feel and reacts much like oil paints.

I got the hang of it, and tried to minimize my shapes to render this scene. Two days and it was finished.

©Dora Sislian Themelis, 7x10 gouache on paper, The Mani Region

Sometimes I work too long on a piece ending up with way too many details than I need. Details are ok for photographs, not what I was looking for. I wanted to get in the colors I like, the different shapes, look for a likeness in the scenery, but in a painterly way.

This has detail, but I stopped before it got away from me. I think it brings the mood of the scene I was interested in working on.

I hope every one is safe, staying in place and healthy in this craziness.