In a world filled with noise
Everyone talking
Is anyone listening?
I have my quiet place
Always near a towering trunk
A person or two coming and going
Enjoying their quiet place
I marked the first day of fall by painting a hot day that still feels like summer. This peaceful alcove is one of my favorite spots in my community because it’s always quiet.
#pleinairpainter #watercolorpainting #landscape #mariapeagler
Wildflowers in Crested Butte. These flowers were in a neighbor’s yard and I designed this scene to include the purple wildflowers and mountains, which we’re nearby but not in the same composition. #artisticlicense #wildflowerfestival #crestedbutte #landscape #mariapeagler
I spent a lot of time composing this painting. It’s from a photograph of a farm with two barns, a truck, and the hay bales. The photo was a far away shot and in landscape format.
I was immediately drawn to the lines of the two barns where they intersected the hay bales. I played up the contrast there and made it the center of interest in the composition.
The tree on the right was my own addition, a little artistic license to keep you in the painting.
I used a split-complementary color scheme here of blue, red-orange and yellow-orange, with a little red-violet thrown in for accent.
I’ve been helping a friend who is struggling a bit with watercolor, and my advice was to learn to let the watercolor do the work. As Keiko Tanabe says, “you’re a team.” I let the colors mingle on the paper and granulate in the upper barn roof.
Those colors are my “secret recipe.” I use a Daniel Smith pigment that I’ve never heard of anyone else using, and I discovered it by accident. But it’s now my favorite, and I work it into as many paintings as possible.
I adore the way this turned out. This is my style: bold color and lots of drama.
The exercise was from Brienne M. Brown’s class on Composition over at OpenStudioOnline.com.
Is there any more southern tradition on a hot summer day than to go fishing on the bank of lake?
I did a lot of composing in this scene: the bridge was actually much further to the left about a half a mile. The bridge that was here was a common overpass, nothing interesting. I loved the metalwork of this bridge and wanted to include it.
I also made sure to create depth using aerial perspective: the trees in the back are much lighter and bluer than those in the middle and front.
This family was enjoying their afternoon: father, mother and son, fishing together.
Beautiful day in Dahlonega at Lake Zwerner. #watercolorpainting #landscape #mariapeagler
I’m a gardener and love herbs: they are easy, bug-resistant and bring so much beauty to my world.
Last week I visited Red Oak Lavender Farm in Dahlonega and relished in their rows and rows of different varieties of lavender.
I’ll be sharing a watercolor I painted of the lavender field soon.
#watercolorpainting #5×7 #landscape #mariapeagler
On our way home from spring break in Florida, we stopped at Providence Canyon State Park, “Georgia’s Little Grand Canyon.” David and Zach waited patiently while I painted this gorgeous scene.
This painting was heavily influenced by my visit two weeks ago to the American Watercolor exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. I was able to see John Singer Sargent’s paintings in person.
It changed me.
I stared at his “Muddy Alligators” painting for what seemed like hours. Up close, it looked like any other painting: just strokes of watercolor on paper.
But step back, and the painting transformed into a symphony of lights, darks, brights against muted values.
I live in Georgia, home of the Okeefenokee Swamp, and I’ve seen plenty of gators in my time. I never saw them the way Sargent did.
But that’s changing. The most important skill for an artist is vision: not just in imagining what your art can be, but in actually “seeing” what’s before you.
I’ll be doing a series of paintings based on my Providence Canyon visit, each in a subtly different style.
#watercolorpainting #8×10 #landscape #mariapeagler
The sunset view from my porch every evening. This small 5×7″ study is one in a series I’m doing during winter when bare branches allow me to see more of the glorious colors.
Watercolor requires a lot of advance planning and perfect timing. I tend to be more spontaneous, so doing small studies lets me practice the wet-in-wet layers, progressing to wet-on-dry. My goal is to do enough studies that the process becomes instinct, so I can be spontaneous.
After 12 years of painting, watercolor still challenges me.
#watercolorpainting #landscape #canoelife #danielsmithwatercolors #mariapeagler
It’s snowing outside but I’m staying warm and painting Amicalola Falls. We’re expected to get 4-6″ of snow, so I won’t be able to get to the park and see the falls frozen. #watercolorpainting #landscape #georgiastateparks #mariapeagler
Fall Shade. This is a little piece of heaven at the Big Canoe marina – one of my favorite spots anytime of the year, but it’s especially beautiful in fall. The colors are gorgeous and fleeting, as soon the leaves will be gone, leaving a brown mountain behind.
I’ve painted this scene three times before, and each has its own style.
Available. #watercolorpainting #landscape #mariapeagler
Fall’s Fiery Glory. This is the view from my back porch looking out into the woods. Our trees are vibrant reds, oranges with just a touch a green left. I wanted to capture the patterns of light and shadow on this hillside. We normally have a stream running through the trees, but with the extreme drought it’s disappeared. #watercolorpainting #pleinair #landscape #appalachians #mariapeagler 8×10″on Arches 140lb rough paper. Available.