HEAVENLY LIGHT - Day 7 - 30 in 30 Challenge

Facebook can be such a creative place if you allow it to be. The current 30 day challenge is in full swing, popping out new art by the minute. 

Another Facebook post inspired me to write the first prose I’ve laid to print in a long time. Susan Knight asked “You are writing a novel.. you look out the window... inspiration strikes because of what you see.. what would the first line of your book be??? 

I replied ...

“Brilliant sunlight poured through the trees creating shafts of yellow, green and blue: The heavenly light was in stark contrast to the scene it illuminated.”

GREEN SQUARE - Day 4 - 30 in 30 Challenge

GREEN SQUARES

This digital abstract embraces the theme of squares, which I continue to explore on occasion. I have to say that I was shocked when I saw the similarity between this new work and THREE CLICKS which is an older abstract and one I haven’t seen in a while. All I can say is that it must be hidden in the depths of my mind. I wonder what it means? I was very excited to see how mature GREEN SQUARES is in comparison to THREE CLICKS, which must mean all my hard work is paying off.

THREE CLICKS

BLUE WEAVE

50s ABSTRACT

PIXEL PAINTING

SUN l

Into the light - Final Version

This is the final version of “Into the Light”, a commanding certerpiece to my upcoming solo exhibition. I had excellent feedback from two internet artist friends whose work I admire greatly, Marion Hedger (www.artbymarion.uk) and Sheila Delgado (www.sheiladelgado.com): The resulting painting is something I am proud to sign my name to.

The adjustments were very minor. First I eliminated dots and lines which had strayed too close to the edge, leading the eye away from the center of interest. The most important eliminations were some bright green lines above the figure, and one suggesting a face which was too bold and distracting. Another important elimination was the bright corner bottom left which has just been blended with the rest of the red area.

Of course I could keep adjusting forever, but that would I overwork and result in a watered down version lacking pizzaz. Not me at all.

Into the Light will be on show with all my other latest works, from April 20th at Lake Country Coffee House on Bottom Wood Lake Road, Lake Country, BC, Canada.

Blue Lake

My favorite part in this iPad drawing is the lake. I’ve found a way to create a wash without lines by keeping a certain pressure while moving across the page. It all gets wrecked if I change pressure or go off the side, so there is a lot of to and fro as I back erase and start again. The effect is worth it though.

On this drawing I did a light grey wash all over before adding the rest, scary because any wrong line is hard to correct. It takes supreme concentration.

#30in30 - 30 paintings in 30 days - Day 7 - Mini Tex I

MINI TEX I by Sea Dean 4” x 3” x 1/2” birch cradle

We’re a week in to the 30 day challenge and I’m just getting into the swing of things. I had a productive day in the studio yesterday with about 5 starts. With varied drying time it’s good to get ahead.

For this 30 day challenge I decided on texture as my theme and this diminutive painting has heaps of it. I’m calling the series MINI TEX, and I’m planning to use all the texture supplies I have on hand, to really get a feel for what they can do. MINI TEX I, has acrylic skins from dried out paint tubes torn and applied. It also has lumps of heavy gloss gel, acrylic medium and varnish, soft gloss gel and hexagonal giant glitter.

We’re heading into winter and busy season, so I’m also using this challenge to create Fresh work for my Artfinder Shop and tiny paintings for the ‘Undet 100’ Show coming up in November. The starts I’ve made are in a new direction and exciting, so follow my blog to get updates as I post them.

By the way I keep forgetting to let you know that I have a series of sales at Artfinder Taking us into the new year, so check out what’s on sale this week, here. artfinder.com/sea-dean

Jewel Tree

I needed to step back for a while to decide whether to do more to this iPad drawing. I liked it just the way it is, but thought it may be a bit sparse once mounted. However, I think the tree has enough variation and uniqueness to carry the white space. We really do have a lot of very tall narrow trees around here, especially higher up in the hills. I felt the same way about my most popolar iPad drawing, BIRCHES when I had completed it. 

Surprisingly it was the lines of current on the lake which took the most amount of time: I drew the lines and changed the color of the pencil many times before I was happy with the result. The more I look at this the more I realise that any addition would ruin it. Possibly when I add paint I will only darken the body of the lake slightly.

I can’t wait to see this printed, mounted and embellished.

Add Some Green

I’m looking forward to potting geraniums on my balcony again this year, but I’m still craving a bit of life in the “tween time”. I’ve been thinking of cactus or succulents for indoors because I like quirky. Browsing the Houzz website I came across this article. It’s a nice spot of green for your home and it seems easy to care for. What’s more it’s common name hints it may be a “fortunate” choice.

Pilea May Be Your Next Favorite Houseplant

I’m of to hunt for it.

Shady Trail

SHADY TRAIL
8" x 10" Slim Wrap Canvas
$99
or $125 in white float frame

I've had this painting on the back burner for a while, adding the odd tweak, but it never seemed finished. Although it isn't typical of our local landscape, there are many beautiful shady trails to wander along on a hot summer day. So this is another painting destined for our local airport Skyway.

The thing that took the most time with this painting was creating depth along the trail. I would love to add a person walking a dog or a wild animal crossing the trail, but I'm not that brave yet. I think I need to attempt it with a larger painting as this size would be too fiddly.

Orchard View

ORCHARD VIEW
8" x 8" Deep Wrap Canvas
$89

I've been a bit overwhelmed lately, but today I found a bit of time to practise for Art Battle which is being held on June 16th. I don't know if I will end up painting this view, but I wanted to practise working with paint of a similar consistency to that provided during the competition. I will have to pick up speed though because this took me a lot longer than the allowed 20 mins and it's a lot smaller.

Our skies have been quite cloudy and grey lately because the weather has been unusually wet. Luckily it's been a bumper season for cherry blossom and the apples are now in bloom. This painting was inspired by images I took on a quick Sunday drive up Black Knight mountain where many orchards have survived the trend of converting to vines.

The sky is neutral violet grey, the blossom titanium white, the grass lemon yellow and ivory black and the blue cobalt.

Summer Breeze Exhibition Painting

SUMMER BREEZE II
36" x 24" Deep Gallery Wrap Canvas



I've been working on this painting for a couple of months. It's one of those paintings that took its own sweet time declaring itself done. I think I had to wait for a nice sunny spring day to feel in the mood to get the colors perfect.

This is one I would like to keep for myself, but it is needed for a submission and if I choose not to submit it will either go to Skyway Kelowna Airport or Ritchcraft Gallery in Kelowna Mission district. However, it is currently for sale at Daily Paintworks, so if you love it, snap it up before it leaves the studio.

Painted Turtle

PAINTED TURTLE by Sea Dean 

I'm working on ideas for my summer display at Kelowna Airport. In sorting through the types of wild life we have in the area, I came across some fabulous images of the undersides of painted turtles. The Northern Painted Turtle is a famliar sight sunning themselves in our smaller lakes and pools, but I had no idea their underbellies were so beautiful. The patterns appear to be almost like a fingerprint with each variation belonging to a particular turtle.

Painted Turtle

5.5" x 4" cold pressed watercolor paper

Original Watercolor by Sea Dean

I am also working on fabric designs derived from this painting.

And the originals in all their glory.

Bird on a tree

BIRD ON A TREE
6" x 4" cold press watercolor paper
Mixed media



I'm on a bit of a walkabout, so out came my wonderful Koi watercolors and off I went. I need to restock a few of the brickets soon, so I searched our local art supply shop and came really close to buying a whole new Koi set. My set has 24 colors, but I discovered they now stock a slightly larger pocket field sketch box with a choice of 36 or 48 colors. The new sets aren't even twice the size, so easy to slip into a carry on and so much more choice.

So this is my first travel painting which is watercolor with a touch of graphite. I'm still debating whether to add a couple more birds flitting through the branches, but perhaps that is another in the series.

BLOSSOMING

BLOSSOMING

24" x 24" Deep Gallery Wrap Canvas
By Sea Dean and Tammie O'Rielly

This is a collaboration for this years' Intergenerational Exhibition. This exhibition is a non- juried event, so I rounded up an art loving friend who had not created a painting before and encouraged her to give it a go. Tammie said she had no talent, but working together I think we created art fit for any modern gallery.

It is such an inspiration to work with beginners. I started by showing Tammie a collection of abstract paintings and we talked about effects we liked in them. Then I guided my friend through some colour theory techniques and selecting a limited palette. I explained a few basic composition tips and we got started.

Tammie had chosen one of my small abstracts for inspiration and we started to paint, building up layers of our three main colours, adding tissue and acrylic skins and finally letting loose on the leafy effect with palette knives. Although I did some of the painting to demonstrate various techniques, Tammie did more than 50% and thoroughly enjoyed herself. My job was mainly to tweak the composition with a few additions and add archival coating. We painted on flat gessoed canvas which I later adhered to a deep gallery wrap canvas. This is a freely paints botanical abstract with deep texture and bold color.

The painting will be on exhibit  March 1st - April 1st 2017

Lake Country Art Gallery
Bottom Wood Lake Road
Lake Country, B. C. Canada
Wed - Fri 10 - 4

DONE AND DUSTED

I finally completed my submission for "Spirit of the Okanagan" Skyway kiosk in the departure lounge of Kelowna airport. As my regular readers will know, only ten First Nations artists and ten non First Nations artists are accepted each year. I'm proud I was chosen last year, but every year more artists apply and competition for those few spots is fierce, so this year the pressure was palpable.

I struggled far more than usual over this submission and each painting has morphed its way through several versions. In the process I learned a huge amount about composition and impact. The biggest challenge was eliminating the eyes and faces that appear in the clouds; it's human instinct to find things in clouds as a protective skill developed when we were hunter gatherers. It was important to see any animal lurking behind the bushes when hunting, but in a painting they can be annoying or even scary to buyers, so they have to go.

Although I can only submit six paintings, I created eight for the final selection. The two I removed are excellent paintings, but I think the six I selected work better as a group. The jury meets in mid February and those selected will be informed in March. The great thing is that I now have eight very nice paintings that will be very useful for exhibition if I don make it into the airport this year.

1. Wildflower Mountain

2. Kalamalka Bay

3. The Camels

4. Moonlight Over Kalamalka

5. Lake Country

6. Peaceful Lake

30 PAINTINGS IN 30 DAYS - TWENTY NINE - TAROCCO

TAROCCO
IPAD DRAWING
8" x 10" Limited Edition Print
$39 unmounted
$69 mounted on Birch Cradle

You can choose whether to purchase the limited edition print ready to frame or the premium edition which is mounted on an 8" x 10" Birch Cradle. Some drawings may be available in Limited Edition larger sizes.

Tarocco is a type of blood orange in Sicily. Have you ever eaten a blood orange? It seems to be a largely Italian delight. The orange flesh is flecked with red and the juice is rich and delicious. If you
have the opportunity, visit your local Mediterranean store and buy some. Yum!

As with others in the
series there is a hidden signature in this drawing, which is part of the proof of authenticity. This drawing serves as my 29th entry into the 30 in 30 challenge. Follow my blog so you don't miss any.

Posted as # 4













8" x 10" Limited Edition Print
$39 unmounted
$69 mounted on Birch Cradle

You can choose whether to purchase the limited edition print ready to frame or the premium edition which is mounted on an 8" x 10" Birch Cradle.

This drawing serves as my entry into the 30 in 30 challenge. Follow my blog so you don't miss any of my entries.

Posted as #

30 PAINTINGS IN 30 DAYS - TWENTY FOUR - GRASS

GRASS
IPAD DRAWING
8" x 10" Limited Edition Print
$39 unmounted
$69 mounted on Birch Cradle

You can choose whether to purchase the limited edition print ready to frame or the premium edition which is mounted on an 8" x 10" Birch Cradle. Some drawings may be available in Limited Edition larger sizes.

When I created this drawing i made an effort to stick to a limited palette in the green section of the color circle. I have a good friend and patron that loves green and I had her clearly in mind when I was  drawing. As with others in the series there is a hidden signature which is part of the proof of authenticity.

This drawing serves as my 24th entry into the 30 in 30 challenge. Follow my blog so you don't miss any.

Posted as # 3

30 in 30 - EIGHTEEN - LAKE COUNTRY II

LAKE COUNTRY (revised)

8" x 10" Birch Cradle

Reserved for Skyway

I think I've tweaked this painting enough to be classed as new. As you can see, I've added definition in the clouds, more color in the lake, darker trees, snow on the peak and although I liked it before, I love it now. The overall impression before was cold, but now it feels sunny even though there is more snow. Adding lots of light permanent blue and eliminating some of the light Cadmium yellow did the trick.

This painting serves as my eighteenth entry into the 30 in 30 challenge. Follow my blog so you don't miss any of my entries.

Posted as # 7

30 PAINTINGS IN 30 DAYS - TEN - GREEN CURRENT

GREEN CURRENT IPAD DRAWING
8" x 10" Limited Edition Print
$39 unmountd
$69 mounted on Birch Cradle

My first iPad drawing exhibit is currently showing as a slideshow at Kelowna Art Gallery. The slideshow is called OCEANS, and includes seascapes, fish and underwater views. This drawing is part of my seascape series inspired by ocean currents.

You can choose whether to purchase the limited edition print ready to frame or the premium edition which is mounted on an 8" x 10" Birch Cradle as below.

This drawing serves as my eighth entry into the 30 in 30 challenge. Follow my blog so you don't miss any of my entries.

Posted as #

IPAD DRAWINGS - Ocean Series - Seagull View

SEAGULL VIEW
Oceans Series by Sea Dean 
Copyrighted iPad drawing
Available as a one time use download or limited edition print

I'm constantly striving to capture the atmosphere of the ocean on a summer day. There are many ways to depict waves, but I love these simple linear layers with delicate tonal lines. I'm not sure about the clouds and whether they blend enough with the rest of the drawing. What do you think?

Now available as an Art Card
5" x 6.5" Art Card and envelope with 6" x 4" gloss or low sheen photo 
$5 each + shipping - $24 per 6 same design. $30 per 10 same design. 
Combined shipping available for multiples.

Poinsettia makes a wonderful holiday card. I've cropped it to 4" x 6" which gives it a modern slant and my retailers are giving great feedback about the glossy look.

IPAD DRAWING - Ocean Series - Abalone

ABALONE
Oceans Series by Sea Dean
Copyrighted iPad drawing
Available as a one time use download or limited edition print

I'm enjoying spending a bit more time on each drawing as I work through the challenges of the Notes drawing app. 

The secret is in learning how to layer the translucent colors of the marker tool. I use the white marker tool to lighten some of the colors that seem too intense. I rarely use the eraser because it absolutely returns everything to white. With the white marker you have to pass over the color several times to make remove all lines, so it gives you more options. 

I find that in order to create a full color rendition like the abalone shell above, I have to go through several stages of coloring and whitening until I get the desired effect. Once again I am learning not to slow down and put more and more thought into each stroke as I get closer to completion.

PS. This one really makes my heart sing