August 2024 Water Media Challenge- Join the fun/ all welcome!

[PaintBoss]

Hi everyone. I hope you will all join me in my first time hosting a challenge! All levels welcome. First time trying any water mediums? Do not be shy! We all started the very same way.Just start and play around, and see where it leads you,
I have chosen subjects that can challenge all levels. I hope one photo or more inspires you to pop out your art supplies and give it a go. Please use any of these photos from my albums.
Pls post all your work here in this thread. Pls post what water mediums you used and any other comments you would like to share. Let’s also be supportive of each other!
It is better to try than not try at all. You may just surprise yourself! I love when that happens.
I do hope we see some posters here. Have fun!

^^ Newfoundland

^ Scottish Highlands

^^Balquidder near Loch Voil, Scotland

^^Elora,

 

[Ellen Easton]

Hey, here I am! And what an adorable little model we have here! Is that your grand-baby, PaintBoss? Maybe I'll try her first but if I can try all of the photos I will. I'll use the new paper I got on Amazon. It's marketed as 100% cotton and when I did the math, 200 sheets came out to about 26 cents per sheet of 7X10 paper so I tried it out and stocked up on some. How could I not?

So far this year we have forest fires and some are relatively close, but no evacuation warnings yet. The way I do my work, though, I'm sticking to my plen air, RV-sized way of working so if I do have to evacuate, it's easy to take my art supplies along and keep working. The weather report predicts lightning this coming weekend which will torch more fires but I hope none near enough to make me take everything and leave. I don't live in the RV anymore even though I loved that old thing. Now I have a full sized mobile home to live in on the creek bank under the trees. I needed a bigger place where I can use my walker. I have a spare bedroom where I can store all my beads and watercolor supplies. I'm in the same RV park but across the park from where I was. This is a very small park, though, so I'm close by the spot where I was..

Just as an aside, there were four cougars killed across the highway from us last month. Having been judged endangered for years, they've become a real problem in numbers not only up here but also down in the cities in the valley because they can't be hunted legally and the population of them is big . We always keep our garbage locked away because of the bears and cougars but the cougars will prey on people's pets and goats, etc. If a cougar preys on someone's livestock, they can be hunted and killed but just the offending cougar in any instance. Below is one that had to be hunted further down in the valley from us. The hunter is over six feet tall just to give an idea how big a grown cougar can be.

.

 

[PaintBoss]

Hello Ellen! So happy to see you here and raring to start!
That does sound like a good deal on your paper. I hope you like working on it. The type of paper can make all the difference.
I’m glad you got a bigger place and in better condition than your little trailer which I know you had a soft spot for. I hope the forest fires stay away from you.
Our beautiful town of Jasper and area, which is such a beautiful area just got hammered by wildfire that came up very fast. There is some of the town remaining thank goodness, but they were quite worried about the outback hikers who wouldn’t know what the fire was doing.
That is a beautiful big cougar. Yes the fact is once they become interested in farm livestock and are coming in town and grabbing animals, they do need to be either moved or killed. When the cougar population becomes high enough then they’re gonna have problems with getting enough prey naturally. It’s the boom /bust cycle of predator and pray we often see. But if they can come in town and start hunting or hunting farm animals, that’s a real problem.
Well, I always really enjoy hearing about your life there Ellen and what you’re up to, and stories. Even though you may need your walker, I think you’re doing amazing! It is hard to find affordable trailers or housing that are wide enough for walkers through the doors or the halls and especially in the bathrooms. But still, I’m happy you’re in a bigger place and hopefully nice and dry and warm and all the rest of it. I remember when you were getting all the water in your trailer and it was cold. I was worried about you.
The little girl is my niece. She is nine years old now. She is my sister’s daughter.

 

[Queen Bee]

PaintBoss,thank you for hosting. I found two I definitely want to paint. You gave us a great selection to choose from.

 

[PaintBoss]

You are very welcome. I am excited! If we have more people participating, hopefully we can have more of these period. It’s quite fun and supportive and you get to know the people on the forum by participating. I have enjoyed that over the years.
I am so happy you’re going to participate Bee! Yay. Can’t wait to see your paintings. I’m curious, which photos you have chosen.
I’m hoping we can get a nice little group here, so please invite anyone who may not have seen the thread that you think might enjoy this challenge.
Happy painting!

 

[Queen Bee]

I chose the apples and the beautiful pink blooms.

 

[PaintBoss]

Oh fantastic!

 

[Joy]

Thank you PB! (Could we please have a first name?) There has not been one in a month or two, and your photos are great. Hopefully, I will get to participate. You and Ellen are Canadian? I am in the mountains of Western PA.

 

[PaintBoss]

I am a Canadian west of Toronto. Ellen is in Oregon with the cougars and bears!
Great to have you join in!
Glad you liked the ref photos.
~ Christine

 

[Joy]

Christine - knew it had to be a lady with the flowers and cats! We have seen bear in our yard, nut not a cougar. There are some about, though!

 

[PaintBoss]

Absolutely. In Ontario as well, we have had bears wandering into very built-up urban areas over the last few years. I have friends in eastern Ontario who literally have bears underneath their veranda all winter hibernating, and then their cubs running through the yard. They call their neighbours and vice versa when they see the bears going to their property. Or to get the kids out of the yard. They have to look around to make sure they can get to their car. I just couldn’t imagine that! My husband was amazed when he spent a week up there looking at his window seeing bears 10 feet away!

 

[KreativeK]

Such tempting images, Christine, and I see several calling my name. Thanks for hosting August!

 

[PaintBoss]

Oh i am glad Kay. I look forward to seeing what you come up with, and seeing you on the thread!

 

[KreativeK]

When I get done with this 3.5 day art tour in our homes and back to Texas, I'll get started. Guessing the pink flowers are peonies.

 

[PaintBoss]

Sounds good. Yes they are peonies.

 

[Jo Castillo]

I am a Canadian west of Toronto. Ellen is in Oregon with the cougars and bears!
Great to have you join in!
Glad you liked the ref photos.
~ Christine

Christine, thanks for the photos. We spent about 10 summers in a row touring Canada going coast to coast. We had some great friends in the Waterloo area. We started by visiting one of our priest friends in Hamilton and he suggested Toronto for Chinese food. We went and just kept going and ended up going all around the Great Lakes on our way back home to Texas. Ha. Then the next year we went farther west, etc. At one point we went to Nova Scotia so all the way coast to coast over the years. Loved it! Miss the old Tim Horton's, eh?

 

[Joy]

Christine, thanks for the photos. We spent about 10 summers in a row touring Canada going coast to coast. We had some great friends in the Waterloo area. We started by visiting one of our priest friends in Hamilton and he suggested Toronto for Chinese food. We went and just kept going and ended up going all around the Great Lakes on our way back home to Texas. Ha. Then the next year we went farther west, etc. At one point we went to Nova Scotia so all the way coast to coast over the years. Loved it! Miss the old Tim Horton's, eh?

Last year, on a cruise, we were in NS in Cornerbrook. There is a Tim Horton's there. We love Canada - so beautiful. In St Anthony, NL, we climbed the Devil's Staircase to gorgeous views. The citizens are so welcoming. Jerry says, "When I grow up, I want to be a Canadian!"

 

[Jo Castillo]

Last year, on a cruise, we were in NS in Cornerbrook. There is a Tim Horton's there. We love Canada - so beautiful. In St Anthony, NL, we climbed the Devil's Staircase to gorgeous views. The citizens are so welcoming. Jerry says, "When I grow up, I want to be a Canadian!"

We feel like adopted kids there. Lots of fun and lots of stories and memories.

 

[Jo Castillo]

I played in the water. I'm feeling a bit more comfortable. This is in a Strathmore Bristol Vellum sketchbook, 100 lb paper smooth. Doesn't say for water, but I have a few in there and I like it better than my mix media Canson sketchbook that is supposed to take water. Ha. This is about 9 x 12 inches. The shadows are more reddish in the dark greens than shows here.

 

[Joy]

Jo, this is fresh and lively. Nice composition. The Canson sketchbook was a waste of money to me, but taught me the importance of good paper.