This month I offer you images of paintings based on relationships — one that grew out of a new/old friendship, one of a beloved cat, and one created for an exhibit that grew out of a relationship between the United States and Scotland!

❤ Love, Jan Alice

NEW WORK

*Simba*, watercolor on Arches, 10x8 inches

A Friendship That Was Meant to Be

Though Simba and I were close friends in high school, after we graduated, we didn’t see each other for fifty years! When we finally got together again, it felt as if we simply picked up where we left off. It was as if we had stopped in the middle of a conversation and resumed the conversation fifty years later.

This little painting is of Simba at the age of twenty-two.

Gordon

I learned recently that this little work was accepted into the Art Ability Annual Exhibition. The painting is of my son-in-law’s much-loved cat Gordon, who likes to hang out on their back deck. I was interested in painting the shadows, the glimpses of greenery between fence boards, and the black and white pattern of Gordon’s fur.

*Cat on a Deck*, watercolor on Aquabord, 9x12 inches

In Other News

2024 International Exchange Exhibition
(United States and Scotland)

*Kelly*, watercolor on Arches, 8x8 inches

In 2018, Scottish artists, all members of the Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour (RSW), displayed small works at the Gallery of the National Watercolor Society (NWS) in San Pedro, CA. It was meant to be an exchange program, but because of Covid, the reciprocal part of the arrangement (RSW displaying paintings by NWS members) had to be postponed.

It is now time for RSW to move forward. I was excited when my small watercolor painting Kelly was selected for the online portion of the RSW exhibition. The major requirement for this show was that each submitted painting had to be exactly 8x8 inches, no more, no less! The selected paintings will be posted online in January 2024. All online paintings will be available for purchase.

Bonus Idea for Artists

from LCLewis

Special Tip: Set aside a few moments to be open-minded and non-judgmental about your ideas for possible subjects for new art works. Foster a playful attitude and see if you can enjoy letting your mind drift and wander. For these brief minutes, the main purpose or goal is to hone your ability to detect an art element in an object that speaks deeply to you or resonates with you. Good ideas often arrive if you are purposely purposeless in your search for them!

Practice: Go through your living space or yard and collect several small objects. Select any object that catches your eye, from indoors or outdoors, until you have objects with different colors, shapes, functions, and textures. Do this quickly, without evaluating or second-guessing. Have a box or basket ready to place the items in, or just pile them together on a chair or bed.

Once you collect the objects and place them together, you can closely regard and “interrogate” each one. One by one, notice and experience each object. Let your imagination roam as you wonder about each object. Remember how the items feel when you touch them, as well as how they look.
Select one, and take it into a different context (in your mind). Look at/listen to the object—is it balanced? Does it tell a story? Can it talk to you? Is it beautiful? Is it flawed? Does it convey its purpose? Can it be used for other purposes?
When you've answered those silent questions and other questions you will think of on your own, you are ready to sketch a first draft of a study presenting the object in a new way or in a new context, possibly surrounded or accompanied by some of the other objects found in your search. If you like, you can develop this study into a finished drawing, painting, or other work of art.

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