Saturday, December 27, 2014

Ivory Dahlia

© Ellen Blonder
Last watercolor of the year. This is an ivory-colored dahlia from an Oregon friend's garden. I loved the flower's frilliness and graceful curled petals. 

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

More Monkeys

 © Ellen Blonder, © Steve Coleman
Here's a shot of the room I'm working in, filled with Steve Coleman's amazing art. The monkeys I'm painting are in the blue spaces at the top of the columns.
  © Ellen Blonder, © Steve Coleman
This is a close-up of the top of the column in the room shot.
  © Ellen Blonder, © Steve Coleman
Here's a better photo of the second guy.
 © Ellen Blonder, © Steve Coleman
And this is today's work.

Monday, December 22, 2014

Monkeys in Progress

 © Ellen Blonder, © Steve Coleman
I'm enjoying a collaborative treat, working with artist Steve Coleman on his anteroom interior at 142 Throckmorton Theatre in Mill Valley, California. He's working on covering every square inch of the theater in his over-the-top style. My small contribution is three monkey scenes on blue faux-insets. Above is my tissue sketch taped in place, ready to transfer to the board underneath.
  © Ellen Blonder, © Steve Coleman
Here is the finished first painting in place at the top of the wall.
 © Ellen Blonder, © Steve Coleman
The second painting is nearly done, but the light was fading and I was losing my edge. I'll add final touches tomorrow when I can look at this with fresh eyes.

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Red Dahlia

© Ellen Blonder
I've been painting mostly pastel-tinted dahlias, but they come in bright red, too. Here's another flower from the Mendocino Coast Botanical Garden. I'm painting it the week before Christmas, so it looks like a summer flower dressed in winter colors.

Thursday, December 4, 2014

English Bulldog Skull

© Ellen Blonder

The skull exhibit has closed at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, but I photographed many of them for drawing reference. This was one of the most extreme of the dog skulls. The English Bulldog has a startling underbite and smashed in nasal cavity. I wondered how it eats, and it's easy to see why it must have trouble breathing.

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Satsumas Are Here

© Ellen Blonder

Satsumas are plentiful at the farmers' market, and they're sweet and wonderful. I had to do a quick watercolor of these, so pretty with all those leaves attached. 

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

White Dahlia

 © Ellen Blonder
© Ellen Blonder
When I think of dahlias, I usually visualize bright colors. I thought it would be an interesting exercise to paint one that was all white, where I couldn't rely on color gradations to define the layers of petals. My reference was another flower from the Mendocino Coast Botanical Garden.