Aspen Trees, Greening for Spring – watercolor

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A little celebration of what’s hopefully coming soon… Spring!  Southern Indiana has had a fairly calm winter but it’s time for it to get out and allow the spring time weather to roll in. This watercolor that I painted yesterday is a 5″ x 7″  on 140lb coldpress paper, 3 color watercolor palette and india inked tree. For some reason I decided to only use the pen and ink on the tree trunk and limbs, and watercolor the leaves… just something different I guess. By keeping the shading down to minimum, I think it gives a more graphic or illustrated look. Instead of shading I either kept a thin white line between items to separate them or just used the contrast in colors for depth.  Anyway I have a canvas acrylic almost finished and another larger watercolor about half way finished that I hope to post next week (if time allows). Until then I hope you like this one and thanks for visiting.

Please visit my Gallery at the top of my header to see other paintings of mine.

Also, I apologize to all my good friends of the blog world for my absence visiting your sites, it has been a crazy year so far. I hope to visit more in the coming months, but just always know that I admire all of your talents and friendliness.

Hands of Time – Valentines Day

1963, so soft and so small… two sets were born… one in the Winter, and one in the Fall.

Just miles apart… a baby girl… a baby boy… one day will meet, bringing each other  joy.

Learning to play… learning to write… so close in distance, but no where in sight.

One set grows a little rougher… the other, softness remains… one now wearing jewelry, the other remains plain.

A young man in high school… the young lady the same… passing in a hallway, they learn each others name.

Hands drawn together… a touch that was meant to be… a perfect fit together, anyone would see.

Held for strength… held for love… held for faith, in each other, and the God above.

A ring is placed… on the hands they hold… unity as one, as their vows are told.

With the birth of our two daughters… who’s hands soft and sweet… tiny little fingers, with equally tiny feet.

My hand still belongs in one place… ever since 1963… my hands getting older, but in her hand it still prefers to be.

My hair since fallen… wrinkles now replace smooth… she still brings me love, and my heart she will always soothe.

I know someday I’ll part… but when that day is here… I hope that my hand is in hers, with love and with no fear.

1963, so soft and so small… two sets were born apart… but once joined together… they were one, both in hand, and in heart.

Thank you to my wife Jane of 27 years, and holding my hand for 33 years… Love Ya and Happy Valentines Day!

Sailboat – watercolor sketch

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Not sure why I’m into the nautical mood, but here is a 8″ x 6″ pen sketch with watercolor coloring. I don’t know a lot about sailing but I have a feeling that these guys aren’t in the best of positions.  I’m hoping to have another acrylic finished either tonight or this weekend for posting Monday.  Have a great weekend, and keep a brush in hand!

Sweet Jane – Watercolor

Set a float, with very little worries. Sun warming your skin, and a cooling mist of salty spray reaching over the bow.

The flash of emerald-green and blues from the heaven above mirroring off each ripple and wave.

Gentle motion of the rocking sea, holds and cradles you like a mother’s arms while putting a baby asleep.

The hypnotic rhythm of the sea crashing into the side of the boat and along the shore, as though an orchestra of wind and water plays as one instrument.

My heart slows, my mind calms, my body becomes one with the ocean, and all rhythms and sounds becomes my soul as my soul becomes one with the ocean.

I had mentioned my favorite artist in past post that I have always admired, but as I travel, I admire only one as the greatest artist of all… that would be God.  Whether you believe in God or not, the Earth has such wonders, as small as the road map of life on an autumn leaf, or as large as the sculpted stone mountains and the deepest blue of oceans.  I just find it hard to believe that just evolution would have had such an artistic touch in producing such life.  To me, evolution would have produced a more duplicating canvas. At one point supposedly all creatures were the same, from the same region, if this is so, why would some grow limbs to leave the oceans to survive, wouldn’t they all?  And those who merged from the oceans, why would some grow teeth, wings, claws, larger brains, some with hair, some without? IF they are still in the same region and climates, would they have all not gained the same evolutionary benefits? I may be a fool for believing in a higher creator of life, but my soul as a Christian and as an artist, tells me otherwise. Even if your beliefs aren’t with God, take time to stop and appreciate each of what has been given.

I painted the watercolor above last night while watching t.v. and thinking of Spring Break just around the corner. It is a 12″ x 16″ watercolor on 140lb coldpress paper. I hope you enjoy the painting and thanks for putting up with my thoughts!

Having a Ball… point pen sketch!

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This was a quick sketch during lunch using a ball point pen. I used to do sketching with pen a lot but haven’t for some time. This 4″ x 7″ on paper sketch of the sea from an over looking cliff.  It’s fun sometimes just to pick up a sketch pad or paper and a simple ball point pen, and sketch.  I need to do more of this for the practice of drawing, proportions, and shadowing.  This pen was a uniball by Signo, not one of my favorites for sketching because of the skipping when turned on its side. Ones I have used before (Pilot pen) could be tilted to get a finer line and although they skipped some, not as bad as this one.  Sorry for the far and in between post, but I have been extremely busy, but I hope to pick up the pace soon.  Thanks for visiting and I hope to have more soon!

Fair Warning – Acrylic Elephant Fnl

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Here it is… finally got a few minutes this weekend to finish it up.  I hope you like how it turned out!  To purchase, please visit my other website artbyrhayes.com

Loose as a Goose… or Elephant!

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Sometimes in a persons life, they need to loosen up.  You know, undo that top button on your shirt, throw an old pair of jeans on, and loosen your belt (those who still have gluteal muscles) not me, yep straight as a board.  This painting is still in progress, with details and highlights yet to be put in, but I’m using it as a learning tool to stay loose.  I watched a video of an amazing Australian artist Robert Hagan that inspired me to once again, back up on the brush, back up on the canvas, and relax.  Man does this stress me out! Relax, relax, how can I relax when trying to stay loose while painting. How does he put so much life, color, movement, and a detail that’s not detailed but sure looks it when viewed.  Wow! I love this style of painting and I hope to get better at it, that is unless I stroke out from the stress trying to stay loose!

This painting is a still in progress, 18″ x 24″ acrylic on stretched canvas

Twisted Love – Hot and Cold

Decided to play around and try something different.  Driftwood and trees aren’t something different for me, but the twisted color palette is. I wanted to show a struggle between hot and cold, love and hate, and how they dance together sometimes as one.  War is a horrible thing, but at times we have to fight in order to keep freedom, safety, and yes even save lives, by killing others.  Like in war, there is hate and evil, and we could stand aside and see innocent women, children and men die at the hands of evil, but because of caring and love for the innocent, we fight to save those and secure our future safety.  This struggle goes on in families, communities, the work place, politics, and within our own hearts.  I guess without the one, we would soon lose appreciation for the other.

This isn’t finished yet, I have more leaves at the top to fill in, but wanted to post something new.  Click on the image to zoom in and I apologize for the poor quality photo.  It is all watercolor and for the first time in a long time… I used no Black, I know shocking!

Leave comments on whether you like it or not, either way I won’t be offended.

I’m Seeing Red

Wow, am I seeing red!  MAD! You’re darn right I’m mad!  MAD about my kids! MAD about my family! And most of all, I’m MAD about my wife!  I’m even MAD about you people! So, you’re asking… Ryan, why are you so MAD about all these things?  Well, the MAD that I’m talking about, is the good MAD.  I’m not sure how words that have original meanings such as Mad, Crazy, and Bad, have been turned into words that mean just the opposite.  I remember years ago when everyone was saying “That’s so BAD” which meant great, for an example, when you bought the biggest BADDEST boom box (Large music device, with huge speakers, carried upon your shoulder… for those under the age of 30) your friends would say “that is sooooo BAD” meaning that is soooo COOL!  The same goes for the word MAD, it just takes a few changes in words to change the meaning of MAD, such as “I’m MAD about you” Good…. “I’m MAD at you” bad, and bad as in bad, not good???? I think… now I’m getting confused.  And for the term “CRAZY about you” is that a good thing? Or is it more of the creeper, stalker like CRAZY about you?  And then you have words that doesn’t have a good or bad meaning at all thrown in there to really make it confusing. Now I’m a little to young for this one, but at one time being HIP was a good thing? What? What is good about being called a body part, and who choose HIP as the body part? Why wasn’t it Arm, or Nose, for an example “Wow Betty, that new dress makes you look soooo Nose” instead of  “Wow Betty, that new dress makes you look soooo HIP”.  The other two words that are just the opposite but are used in the same way, is COOL and HOT!  I’ve been called COOL before, but I think that they really meant HOT… O.k. maybe not, but in my head, that’s what they meant.  And can you be COOL and HOT and the same time? Halle Berry seems to be COOL, and Lord knows she’s HOT, but how is that possible if the words mean the complete opposite… this is the type of thing that makes you say Hmmm.

So what I’m really trying to say is that I’m MAD about you, not in a BAD way, but in a COOL way, not cool as in cold, but in that, I think you’re HIP way, not as in the body part that most women complain about, but in that, I’m CRAZY about my bloggers way, but not in that, I’m up in a tree just outside your window CRAZY, but in the way… Oh I give up! You know what I mean.

I have been really busy and I hope that you all hang with me and keep coming back.  I have enjoyed, learned, and laughed so much in the last two years with all of you, and I hope to continue in the coming year.  Thank you!

This is a 4″ x 4″ watercolor that I played around with last night. I haven’t had a lot of time to paint because of shows and demonstrations, but wanted to do something to stay practiced. Hope you like it!

Cardinals Win!

But this little guy doesn’t act that happy about it. Sure the other cardinals are making millions of dollars, living in huge HEATED homes, or better yet flying to some tropical island for the winter until spring training.  While this little sits in a pine tree draped with heavy snow and as snow continues to fall on his little head.  Life would be a lot better for him if they made Snuggies in his size!

Oh and congratulations to the St. Louis Cardinals and their amazing year of baseball. I’m not a huge baseball fan, NFL football and College basketball are my favorites, but I’ll have to admit that the ending season and the World Series this year was pretty exciting.

I did this 7″ x 10″ watercolor last night while watching t.v., I haven’t had a lot of time to paint so I wanted to do something simple just to keep myself painting. Everyone have a safe and family filled Thanksgiving, and give thanks for what you have no matter how little it is.