We Are Movin...

It's official, we have sold the house, loaded up the mini van, tied down the hound dogs, pulled the "young in" out of Rocklin High, put me in my rocker on the roof and we're movin

to San Diego! So, I will be teaching out of my studio in San Diego, available for painting sessions around the beautiful San Diego area and still teaching my workshops in France and England. This is the official photo our neighbors took as we pulled out of the driveway. The reason for the move? Rick discovered Texas tea in our backyard. Email me if you are interested in classes or are too young to know the meaning of "Texas tea." rabjsl@pacbell.net

Could You See Yourself Painting A House Like This?

Just in case you might want to paint a house like the one above, it is now a definite possibility for you. Just sign up for my watercolor + ink painting and journaling workshop in the English Countryside this fall. I snapped a photo of this restaurant and hotel during a 45 minute tour bus stop in one of the Cotswolds villages. It was during that tour on a big red inconspicuous bus that I fell in love with this area and vowed to return to paint here. Now you can come along. Its Sept. 26-Oct. 3rd. 2010. Fly to London and I will escort you in a mini van out to Dorchester on Thames in the heart of the Cotswolds, where we will stay in a wonderful inn, and paint and sight see, and have tea and scones, visit a palace and local villages, walk the local foot paths and maybe even shop a bit. Contact me for more info: rabjsl@pacbell.net.

Which Came First, The Chicken Or The Egg?

Which came first? This sketch? Or the painting of the cottage in yesterday's blog post? The answer is this sketch. I usually do a drawing first to figure out the values and the lines that I then apply my watercolor paint to. Just in case you want a few more tibits of advice, I always recommend doing a quick value sketch first to find the light, medium and dark tones before painting. A value sketch gives you a road map to follow when you paint.

Watercolour Wanderlust?

Notice the spelling of watercolor in the title of this post? That may tip you off as to the location of my new Fall workshop location. You will also find a clue to unlock the secret if you read the print on the picture posted above. If you think you have the answer to where I will be painting with students in September leave your answer in the comments section of this blog or email me @ rabjsl@pacbell.net. If you are interested in signing up for this mystery location Fall workshop, please let me know. I am finalizing the details and will have the exact price and details in a few days.

Mysterious Dress Shop

Does this dress beckon to you? Do you feel a mysterious pull to step inside this shop and look around. Any desire to slip on the pair of purple slippers and see if by chance they are your size? I sure hope so..................I am trying to forge an emotional connection with my viewers and my paintings.

I am a grat artes

Do you think I rush to my studio every day full of confidence in my artistic ability and paint away the day creating thrilling masterpiece after masterpiece? Well thats not me. I wander into my studio and paint and hope for the best. The thing that keeps me painting day after day is that I love putting color onto paper and sometimes I like the results I get when I complete a painting. I also love to learn about watercolor and build my skills but I never ever feel that I am a grat artes. That is until yesterday.

Yesterday, I went to visit my teacher friend's 3rd grade class. Every year she lets me give them an art lesson. This year I brought my little former research beagle, Ollie and I showed the children how to draw the dog step by step. Everyone of these kids did a great job drawing. I didn't hear anyone say, "I don't know how to draw." They just drew. I felt so fortunate to have been able to spend an afternoon with these kids.

This morning I received a batch of "thank you" notes from the 3rd graders. Every letter was wonderful. I love the note I posted here. This child refers to me as a grat artes.........

Feel free to copy the lesson on how to draw Olive and teach it to your loved ones.

Learn How to Paint A Tuscan Landscape

Would you like to learn how to paint your own fun landscape similiar to this one of Tuscany?
Well for the past few months I have been working on a how to book that would take you step by step thru all the things you need to know to produce your own landscape. My subject matter comes from all the things I observed in the Tuscan landscape as I traveled thru it in the back seat of a Ugoslavian station wagon. I really saw little villas perched on hills, rows of grape vines and beautiful fields in every shade of green under the sun.