Sunflower Studio Art

Colorful Small Abstract Paintings for Gifts

noreply@blogger.com (K Joann Russell) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 19:36:00 +0000

"Color Chord #22"

4 x 6" acrylic on watercolor paper

$14.50 free S&H in USA and Canada

Colorful small abstract paintings are the winners for gifts! That's what recent collectors are telling me.

Let's go back to the beginning of this blog. Quite simply, I was playing with colors, my passion, in an artistic journal which was an outgrowth of my scrapbooking and mixed media experiences. I was just having fun and sharing the beautiful color combinations I achieved.

Then I experimented with watercolor paper greeting cards and shared them with friends. To my amazement people wanted to buy them! So, I listed a few in my Etsy shop. Visitors started adding them as their favorites and included many of them in Treasury Lists. Then the sales started.

People were looking for the unique in cards and gifts. A person from Australia purchased several cards. Wow! She planned to frame each of the paintings to give as encouragement to a friend at each of her chemo treatments for cancer. Double wow on that one!

I kept on painting the small abstract paintings just for fun to enjoy the gorgeous colors and textures. Then I noticed that I had uploaded so many that the appearance of my Etsy shop was bothering this more representational impressionistic painter. Was there a lack of continuity in my art style?

Then I noticed that the print on demand site I use was consistently getting a lot of traffic from all over the world, even places I'd never heard of. Color was speaking a universal language I hadn't recognized.

After seeking the advice of others I've settled the issue and am re-stocking my shop and planning to keep having fun with colors in small abstract paintings. This "Color Chord #22" of the series I uploaded today. You can purchase the painting directly from me through the link above or through my Etsy shop.

Colorful Sunflower Oil Painting for Winter Snow Days

noreply@blogger.com (K Joann Russell) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 23:16:00 +0000

"Sunflower 88"
7 x 5" oil on canvas panel
$39.95 incl S&H
Purchase

This is a new colorful oil painting of a sunflower, a special painting to brighten your day when the snow is piled up outdoors. This colorful sunflower was painted as part of a group of paintings of sunflowers to compare the drying times of oils and acrylics in damp, cold weather. It is a perfect painting for adding a happy "face" to your life every time you see it.

I selected this painting to share with you today because this is a Seattle snow day. A winter storm dumped a load of snow on us over night and it isn't going away fast enough.

I am reminded of a blog post I wrote in 2008 when we had a similar snow storm that just would not quit. Read Garden Frog Dances Today that same garden sculpture is totally covered in snow as well as the rose bush it stands near!

More covered garden sculptures are in the photo below: dragonfly metal sculpture is loaded with snow even on an incline and there is a mosaic bird house under the snow on the table!

Colorful Small Sunflower Painting

noreply@blogger.com (K Joann Russell) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 19:43:00 +0000

"Sunflower #86"
7 x 5" acrylic on canvas panel
$39.95 incl S&H
Purchase

A colorful small sunflower painting to brighten your day with its yellow colors. I painted this original painting as part of an experiment in drying times of acrylics and oils on cold, wet winter days.

I used different drying agents and paint mediums for oils and acrylics. What I found was that I was already doing the best process for me. Duh! Rather than fight the weather and complicate the painting process I usually paint in acrylics during the winter and oils in the summer.

As a result of my color exploration series of abstracts I paint faster and more freely in brushstrokes. This poses a challenge for the types of paints I use. I need to achieve a balance between my fast and loose paint application and my fun in color mixing with a limited palette.

I like the slower pace of oils so that I can thoughtfully apply each brush load of paint. But, when I'm eager to paint the idea in my head, I get frustrated with the drying time of oils and lose my enthusiasm by the next day or so. Then it is hard to get back into the flow of the art piece and the fun is gone.

Maybe this shows why I so enjoy the directness of pastels and shorter drying times of watercolors.

Colorful Rural Landscape Painting, Latest in Swan Lake Series

noreply@blogger.com (K Joann Russell) — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 17:51:00 +0000

"Swan Lake Series #7"
8 x 10 x 3/4" oil on canvas, gallery wrap
$94.95
Purchase

Rural landscape paintings provide me opportunities for using limited color palettes. This colorful original oil painting is the most recent of a series I've done of the Swan Lake area of southern Oregon.

The scene shows the planted fields where water from the large lake at the base of the mountains is the source for irrigation. Dikes above the water have roads for the vast ranch area.

The painting is ready to hang. No frame is necessary. The image is painted on to the sides of the wrapped canvas.

Oregon Coast Original Oil Painting, Small 5 x 7 Unframed

noreply@blogger.com (K Joann Russell) — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 19:45:00 +0000

"Oregon Coast"
5 x 7" oil painting
$34.95
Purchase

"Oregon Coast" is a small original oil painting of an overcast day at the beach with evergreen trees covering the headlands above the ocean surf. I enjoy the beach in any weather, but this is a typical day when the lack of sunshine mutes the colors of cliffs, water, and trees. Imagine sitting by the fireplace looking out the large windows overlooking the Pacific Ocean as you enjoy the view without getting wet in the fog mist.

For this small painting I used oil paints on 5 x 7 inch archival gessoed mat board. The painting is sealed with varnish so you can frame without using glass.

Colorful Artistic Journal Sketch as Artist Journey Breakthrough

noreply@blogger.com (K Joann Russell) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 18:24:00 +0000

Artistic Journal Color Sketch
5 1/2 x 9 inch acrylics on paper
(click image to enlarge)

This color sketch I painted yesterday in my artistic journal is a bit of an expressive breakthrough for me. My color explorations of more than three years seem to be moving me into a new phase in my art. I wanted to loosen up and become more expressive in paint colors and brush strokes. I didn't want to continue as a scientific "reporter" of realism resulting from my drawing skills.

Because I enjoy playing with colors in a variety of media I've endeavored to focus on only one or two. That meant that I had to reassess the use of acrylic paints which I had narrow mindedly labelled garish poster paints. I had to decide if I would again focus on oil paints with the physical restrictions of air quality and drying times. Likewise I've had to consider if I will pick up my pastels again as I remembered my initial artistic inclinations in grade school. Watercolor has been my main media for many years, but I reached a plateau and wanted to develop more spontaneity and brighter, clearer colors. Also new canvas products suitable for watercolors needed to be explored. Maybe that would solve my oils on canvas versus watercolors on paper dilemma.

Among the books I'm currently reading, the biography of Chuck Close resounded with me as I read about the artist's search for personal media that fits one's personal art focus. I was encouraged by his journey. Also I've revisited books in my art library by Nita Engle, Nancy Reyner, Nita Leland, Ted Goerschner, and others. I reviewed again Robert Burridge's non-traditional approach to painting with acrylics.

Before I painted this sketch yesterday I had been "attending" a workshop on line about the personal experiences of women's search for validation for being who they really are as individuals rather than the roles "assigned" to them by authority figures or social mores.
It struck another chord with me because I've dealt with this all my life. I wrote articles and developed workshops about creativity for women when it was considered "new" in the era of "paint by number". I spent a year working with artist Judy Chicago who championed women artists in her unique art. I had people who had read my articles on creativity in a national magazine call me to ask, "How could you work with her?" Corita Kent continued as my heroine artist from my time involved with Catholic education. I admired the individualist Georgia O'Keeffe. Some collectors in my watercolor gallery exhibition days commented that my work reminded them of her.

So, yesterday I painted with a conviction of "yes, I can!" and produced bright, clear colors expressively applied. Not a masterpiece, I admit. But whose criteria decides a masterpiece anyway? I came to that conclusion in my art history classes long ago. For me, it's my personal masterpiece for yesterday. Today I keep moving forward to the next breakthrough masterpiece.

If you haven't seen my "Color Chord" series of abstract paintings on greeting cards, an outgrowth of this blog focus of playing with colors, please find them here. You can also find them among my website's "recently sold" paintings.

Playing with Color Combinations Using Acrylic Paints In Artist's Journal

noreply@blogger.com (K Joann Russell) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 20:15:00 +0000

Artistic Journal Sketch
5 x 9" acrylics on paper

Recent sketches in my journal included two unusual results from color combinations. The first color palette included the familiar colors of yellow ochre, burnt sienna, and ultramarine blue. I've used these colors in landscape paintings many times. Burnt sienna and ultra blue I too easily tend to fall back on for variations of grays from warm to cool.

The subtle colors of this journal sketch I found quite lovely. I might have responded to these three colors with a ho-hum attitude if you required that I use these three instead of some bright reds and yellows. Click on the image to see a larger view that shows the multitude of colors produced by this limited palette of a red, a yellow, and a blue.

Artistic Journal Sketch
5 x 9" acrylics on paper

For this color exploration I used cadmium orange, deep magenta, and viridian. I really like the full strength viridian green positioned next to the orange. The touches of magenta near the orange colors make a rich color combination.

Besides using tried and true ultramarine blue with burnt sienna for grays notice the grays that happen when the orange, magenta, and green mix in this journal sketch. The moral of the story is that there are an infinite number of ways to produce gray colors.

It is also interesting to see the yellow component of the orange turn the viridian green to a yellow green. This is a good illustration of the nature of a secondary color, that is, orange produced from a red and a yellow mixed together in varying proportions.

If you haven't seen the "Color Chord" series of abstract paintings on greeting cards, an outgrowth of this blog focus of playing with colors, please find them here

Colorful Abstract Small Painting in Brilliant Colors by Artist K. Joann Russell

noreply@blogger.com (K Joann Russell) — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 23:31:00 +0000

"Color Chord #38"
4 x 6" acrylic on watercolor greeting card

Today I've included one of my small paintings in the "Color Chord" Series because I've been uploading them at the rate of a few a day. This one, #38, with brilliant colors went to my Etsy shop.

The popular series of color chord original paintings on greeting cards are now available as prints on canvas or paper in sizes larger than 4 x 6". I upload a few each day to my print-on-demand vendor, Fine Art America.

All of these color explorations are the result of my two years of playing with colors in my artistic journal, some of which I posted on this blog. Collectors are using these greeting cards to frame and display in groups. Other people are using them as special gifts for their friends. All the original small paintings are one-of-a-kind with gorgeous colors and textures.

You can purchase this painting in my Etsy shop.

View the other abstract paintings at my print website.

Garden Flowers Abstract Sketch with Three Colors in Artistic Journal

noreply@blogger.com (K Joann Russell) — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 21:28:00 +0000

Artistic Journal Sketch
5 x 9" acrylic on paper

In celebration of my garden flowers blooming into fall I painted this sketch for my journal using three colors to represent my favorite colors in the garden. The acrylic colors I used were permanent rose, winsor violet, and green gold, an unusual selection of paint tubes.

The deep purple color was in the rich velvet purples of petunias in planters. The rose color came from different petunias with that color and white. My garden this year also had lavender petunias. I use lots of petunias with snapdragons, sweet peas, carnations, geraniums, and glads among other beautiful flowers so that I have a wonderful variety.

The green gold color which I rarely use in paintings was the perfect color to show the colors in my sunflowers and their large leaves that are now bowing their heads in the October sunshine.

I found it amazing what color combinations came from three unlikely starting colors. That's my fun, to find all those interesting colors. View other color combos in my small abstract paintings.

Sunflower Garden for Paintings of Sunflowers by K. Joann Russell

noreply@blogger.com (K Joann Russell) — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 23:38:00 +0000

First Sunflower of 2011 Garden
Photo

Each year my sunflower garden provides me lots of reference poses for my paintings of sunflowers. A late wet spring and only 3,323 minutes of summer for the Seattle area made me wonder if my sunflowers would even bloom before frost covered them. Alas, in the last several days the first sunflower bloomed! Then several more popped out only to start drooping from a pounding by wind and rain storms.

Among the several photos I took of this one sunflower I found this pose the most interesting. It made me think of petal like layers of a skirt blowing in the wind. I wanted to show the greens of the blossom head and the leaves. I deliberately left out the top petals of the sunflower. The challenge now is to draw a composition for a painting.

You'll find lots of sunflowers in original paintings and prints on my website.

My Daughter, Photo Page Designer Elizabeth Sawyer, Featured on Ali Edwards Blog

noreply@blogger.com (K Joann Russell) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 23:42:00 +0000

One of my daughters, Elizabeth Sawyer, is featured today on the popular Ali Edwards blog. Both girls are extremely creative in lots of ways not just scrapbooks and photo albums. They mastered those quickly and started thinking outside the box, their natural bent. It's great seeing Liz getting some recognition today for the oohs and aahs that she and her sister receive when people see their design work. Proud mother here, as you can tell.

Here's my contribution to the world of originality for today. I finished a colorful landscape oil painting of a mountain lake with autumn foliage. This is a composite of the lakes in Oregon and Washington and reminds me of hiking into these pristine and peaceful lakes.

"Mountain Lake in Autumn"

8 x 10" oil on canvas panel

$64.95

Colorful ACEO Painting in Pastel Pink Watercolors Challenge Artist K. Joann Russell

noreply@blogger.com (K Joann Russell) — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 18:51:00 +0000

"Sweet Peas" ACEO Original Painting

3.5 x 2.5" watercolor on watercolor paper

$14.50 with free S and H

SOLD

Pastel pink flowers among my garden sweet peas challenged me to paint their fragile petals in delicate colors. For a person who is a jewel tones type pastels are a big challenge. Even painting in light colors without strong contrasts is definitely not my forte. This ACEO original painting met the challenge.

The beautiful soft colors of these flowers needed to be painted in a transparent technique to show how delicate they and their fragrance were in the hot weather.

I chose one stem of these beautiful pink flowers to paint in watercolors. Because the folds of the petals are so intricate I used watercolor pencils to draw them in a representational style. The final effect of the watercolors is somewhat abstract due to the flower shapes.

I like this unique piece of art for the challenges it posed to me. In addition, pastels rarely appear in the strong colors I tend to use in my colorful paintings.

You can view more paintings in this size here.

Colorful Painting Sketch Using Three Colors by Artist K. Joann Russell

noreply@blogger.com (K Joann Russell) — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 19:58:00 +0000

Color Sketch

5 x 9 inch acrylic on paper

A color sketch I recently painted with only 3 colors turned out unusually beautiful. The limited palette consisted of green gold, light blue violet, and dioxazine purple. The variety of colors achieved by mixing the blue and olive green were more than the scanner could show you. Be sure to click on the image to enlarge it to see the variety of colors and textures.

As you may know, my nearly daily fun with colors results in color sketches for my artist journal. I never tire of playing with colors to see what I can find from color mixes. These sketches spurred me on to doing small abstract paintings in a series of color explorations entitled, "Color Chords".

The small abstract paintings I now paint on watercolor paper greeting cards have surprisingly become quite popular. People use them for gifts, unique greeting cards, or framed collections of art for their decor. Some that have recently sold are shown on my website.

You'll find an entire section of my Etsy shop kjoannrussell filled with these colorful 4 x 6" acrylic paintings on one of a kind greeting cards. Soon the growing collection will be available on my website.

Abstract Flowers Sketches With Limited Palettes by K. Joann Russell

noreply@blogger.com (K Joann Russell) — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 21:36:00 +0000

Abstract Nasturtiums Color Sketch

5 x 9 inch acrylic on paper

Nasturtiums in red, bold orange, bright yellow, and a subtle light yellow have been blooming profusely and covering my garden like a multi-colored carpet. I've enjoyed the bright colors along with the reds and purples of petunias and other flowers. I painted two color sketches on different days in response to the colors of the nasturtiums.

The first sketch using cadmium red light, Hansa yellow medium and viridian is shown above. It is an expressive sketch with stronger greens than those in nasturtiums to contrast with the bright yellows and oranges.

Abstract Nasturtiums #2 Color Sketch

5 x 9 inch acrylic on paper

A few days later I used different colors to show more true leaf color for the colorful nasturtiums. My palette changed to scarlet red, cadmium red medium, naples yellow, and light emerald green. Again I was responding to the color profusion of reds, oranges and yellows among emerald green foliage.

The colors in this sketch are closer to those in the flowers, but I find less excitement in this sketch because of the lack of color contrast from the viridian greens in the first sketch. Click on each of the sketches to view a larger photo which shows the colors and textures in greater detail. Which one do you like?

To see other color combinations I've used in paintings of nasturtiums click here.

Colorful Original Painting of Red Poppies Flowers Art

noreply@blogger.com (K Joann Russell) — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 19:56:00 +0000

"Red Poppies in Shade", 12 x 9" acrylic on watercolor paper
SOLD

A new original painting of red poppies is now on line. The red colors, some of my favorites, were fun to paint on gesso coated watercolor paper.

Even though the colorful flowers are in shadow with bright light behind them I chose to paint them with opaquely with acrylics. Another possibly would have been to show the transparency of the petals with watercolors or glazes of acrylics. View some of my other paintings of poppies for these two different effects.

Purple Irises Print of Beautiful Flowers Painting by Artist K. Joann Russell

noreply@blogger.com (K Joann Russell) — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 22:36:00 +0000

"All In a Row"

Original Painting available as Fine Art Print

The original painting, "All In A Row", was inspired by my neighbor's flower garden where beautiful irises were all in a row at the front of her house.

Today I uploaded this image to my POD service (print on demand) and now you can purchase a print on stretched canvas, a framed or unframed print on fine art paper or a greeting card of this painting.

The painting image has a classical appearance to it, even a vintage look of the classic iris.

Watercolor Print of Small Inviting Sunflower Painting by K. Joann Russell

noreply@blogger.com (K Joann Russell) — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 21:40:00 +0000

"Inviting Sunflower"
Original Watercolor available as Fine Art Print

When I designed on my website the archives page for recently sold sunflower paintings I noticed this charming watercolor that I had forgotten. Today I uploaded it to my POD service (print on demand) and now you can purchase a print on stretched canvas, a framed or unframed print on fine art paper or a greeting card of this "Inviting Sunflower".

Why call it an inviting sunflower? Notice the flower head and the visiting bee enjoying the nectar.

I'm enjoying anew the freshness of this watercolor and the transparency of the sunflower petals. In many ways I wish I had painted this painting larger, but it may have lost the simplicity of the smaller size.

Original Greeting Card Colorful Abstract Painting by K. Joann Russell

noreply@blogger.com (K Joann Russell) — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 18:17:00 +0000

4 x 6" Acrylic on Watercolor Paper Greeting Card

"Color Chord #30"

Colorful small abstract painting with golden yellows and royal purples reminiscent of regal brocade fabrics for your gift giving or personal art collection.

This is an unusual color combination for me. It is a challenge to use the subtleties of complementary colors in a painting without a totally neutralized result, i.e., mud. This is a one-of-a-kind hand painted greeting card in gorgeous colors, a small 4 x 6" original abstract painting entitled, "Color Chord #30". Enjoy the nuances of colors.

This is one of a series of abstract impressionistic cards I'm making available after two years of color explorations in my artistic journal. Each card is one of a kind, not a print nor a copy of previous work. Have you been following the series of small paintings?

The images are 4 1/4 x 6 1/4" on a 5 x 7" single fold greeting card. The image is signed by me, the artist, and the back of the card has information about my art. The inside of the white card is blank. A matching white envelope is included.

The card can be easily framed in a standard size frame.

Give a gift of an original art greeting card, small painting, with your original personal greetings.

You'll find more of these original abstract paintings in this section of my Etsy shop:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/KJoannRussell?section_id=7661482

Sunflowers Abstract Daily Color Exploration with Two Colors by K. Joann Russell

noreply@blogger.com (K Joann Russell) — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 02:19:00 +0000

Sunflowers Sketch
6 x 10" acrylic/ink on paper

As I started to do a daily color exploration in my art journal I wanted to make it high key (light and bright) and use only two colors, azo yellow medium and light green oxide. I had no intention of drawing nor painting sunflowers, but the resulting color shapes and textures looked like the sunflowers I grow.

Sometimes I add expressive lines of black ink so that seemed the appropriate next step in this sketch. With only two colors I found the color variations most interesting.

I guess I've had a lot of sunflower art on my mind lately while organizing the archive files of my paintings of sunflowers which have sold. Every time I see this page in my artist's journal it makes me smile. I think I achieved my goal of a light and bright sketch. It also contrasts with my recent post of the muted colors in the sunflower ACEO to show you the effect of painting on white background rather than a colored ground.

Sunflower ACEO Original Painting Using Limited Palette

noreply@blogger.com (K Joann Russell) — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 21:25:00 +0000

"Sunflower #84" ACEO Original Painting
3.5 x 2.5" mixed media on watercolor paper

$14.50 with free S & H

A sunflower ACEO original painting using a limited palette shows the effects of blue and yellow color mixes. The gessoed watercolor paper I painted a golden yellow color.

With watercolor pencils I drew the sunflower image and used yellow, blue and orange washes. Later I applied acrylic washes of yellow to the flower petals. Then I used acrylic washes in varying strengths of ultramarine blue to glaze the leaves and darken the background.

Notice the color effects of the blue over the yellow areas. Remember that I did not use any green paint or green watercolor pencil. The ultramarine blue with yellows gives a muted green which adds to the subtleties of this small painting. In a white mat the ACEO is striking.

For more of my sunflower art please visit my website to enjoy the many sunflower images in the archives of sold paintings of sunflowers.

Red Poppies Flower Garden Colorful Sketch by Artist K. Joann Russell

noreply@blogger.com (K Joann Russell) — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 16:46:00 +0000

"Red Poppies Garden Sketch"
6 x 9" acrylic/ink on paper

The reds of garden poppies draw my attention whenever they are blooming. This abstract color sketch using only four acrylic colors I painted as a fun break from a more realistic painting of poppies I am working on. I used scarlet red, cadmium yellow light, cobalt turquoise, and chrome oxide green.

I added some black ink lines after the color exploration. When I started an artistic journal a few years ago I used expressive black lines because I like to doodle over the color shapes. Later I stopped adding the lines when painting the color chord series of abstract greeting cards. You'll find some of them in my Etsy shop.

Red poppies are one of the perennials I want to plant in my new garden. This year I've used my "tried and true" bright nasturtiums and petunias to provide masses of colors from purples to reds to yellows. Have you viewed my colorful flower paintings including prints of red poppies?

Colorful Abstract Landscape Original Painting Note Card from Sunflower Studio Art

noreply@blogger.com (K Joann Russell) — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 19:11:00 +0000

4 x 6" Acrylic on Watercolor Paper Greeting Card
"Color Chord #36"

Artist Inspiration from Dragonfly Arts of Maine to Sunflower Studio Art

noreply@blogger.com (K Joann Russell) — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 19:09:00 +0000

"Prout's Syncopation"
by Rachel Maher of Dragonfly Arts of Maine

Rachel Maher contacted me several years ago because she was inspired by my paintings. I encouraged her as she started developing her uniqueness as a watercolor artist. Later she told me that she was fighting leukemia.

Through all the challenges that illness brings, Rachel keeps being true to her gifting as an artist. She continues to grow as an artist and as a Christian believer. She and her husband David haven't stopped reaching out to others in need with their love and prayers. They send us occasional updates.

Today was the day for the present update with good news of arrested/delayed symptoms in the fight with the big "c". But, this time, she is the inspiration for me as I get back to work painting after weeks of fighting a weird sickness that seemed only a "simple" sinus infection and sore throat. The "bug" drained my energy and usual stamina which I am now regaining slowly, too slowly to suit me.

I've not been on this "page" before where it takes determination to pick up a paint brush when your body is fighting you at nearly every moment. Rachel deals with this each day. I'm only learning to fight through the present "bad" times. We're not alone, other artists have their challenges, too.

But, come what may, we're in our studios wherever they are, facing each day. "Why," you ask? One simple answer, Life! This is our life. It is who we are and what makes us tick. It's our music.

Thanks for the inspiration, Rachel, and all the other artists out there whom I admire and from whose art I draw inspiration and encouragement.

Red Poppies Field Abstract Color Exploration Sketch

noreply@blogger.com (K Joann Russell) — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 13:06:00 +0000

"Red Poppies Sketch
6 1/2 x 10" acrylic on paper

Red poppies attract my attention wherever I find them. The red colors, the graceful petals, the challenging foliage, the buds... all are fascinating to me. The challenge in this abstract sketch was the red and green colors.

The goal in this color exploration was to use the red and greens without looking like the usual Christmas colors. In addition, poppy greens are grayed in tone which gets me over into the chromium oxide green range, my least favorite color.

Because this is a sketch in my personal artistic journal rather than a painting for a collector I could take the liberty to use any brand of paint, fine art or craft. Rather than the dreaded chromium oxide green I used a celery and a spruce from leftover scrapbooking supplies my daughter shared with me.

The names of the colors in the leftover bottles, celery and spruce, point to the problem of naming paint colors so they can be reproduced. What is the color celery? Yes, I can mix that color from fine art paints and it will be what I see as celery. The same is true for spruce. However, what is celery color to me may not be the same for you. Interior designers use color names such as celery in communicating with you. However, their "celery" and yours may be poles apart.

Happily I'm a few years removed from celery talk and can simply have fun with color explorations in my journal. However, I will be painting a red poppy composition when they bloom. In the meantime, view my poppies in prints.

Springtime House Finch in Paper Sculpture of Anna-Wili Highfield

noreply@blogger.com (K Joann Russell) — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 19:20:00 +0000

Paper Sculpture by Anna-Wili Highfield
House Finch
2010
14cmx 15cm x 7cm
ink, water colour, archival cotton paper, cotton thread, brass rod, timber block

Yesterday I noted a single bright red house finch among the birds at the feeder in my yard. Amazingly, in reading a person's reference to an artist, I found the most incredible sculptures in paper by this Australia artist. And, lo and behold, there was a red house finch!

I asked the artist's permission to feature her exquisite work on my blog and she graciously agreed. For an artistic treat please view her work at annawilihighfield.com

In addition to this little bird I was fascinated with her horse sculptures, done in paper!

It was so refreshing to digress from two-dimensional art for this blog post.