Celebrate the Season

Hope your holiday season is filled with happiness!

"Coolest Blog Ever" Award

WOW ! Thanks so very much to Susan from Hot Rocks Glass Jewels for this really cool award! Please take a minute to view her beautiful creations especially if you are still looking for a unique gift.

Winners of this lovely Butterfly award are asked to pass on the honors to some of their favorite blogs as follows:

1. Put the logo on your blog
2. Add a link to the person who awarded you
3. Nominate outstanding blogs that you follow
4. Add links to those blogs
5. Leave a message to those nominees on their blog

I think I will concentrate on a few of my favorite fellow painters that I may not have recognized with previous awards. Here they are.

1. Paul Baines at Indoor Street Art
2. John Wright at John Wright Art
3. Diane Clancy at Diane Clancy's Art Blog
4. Kristina Laurendi Havens at Figures...in my Art and my Life
5. Marionette at Kauai Artist Presents Painting in Paradise

And maybe this lovely butterfly flew through this garden! This is "Wine Iris" from a garden series I will be continuing next spring.

A Trip to the Islands

We're having a heat wave in St. Louis; up to 55 tomorrow. I am busy with Christmas preparations and have put my paints away for a couple of weeks, so nothing new to share. But here is a favorite tropical painting titled Playing In The Sand.

My heart goes out to those struck by the recent ice storm. Hopefully power will be restored soon.

Do you ski?

I don't because I don't like to go fast. That eliminates snow skiing, water skiing and motorcycles, at least. But my sons love it. It all started when their Dad and Aunt gave them their first lesson about 15 years ago.

Here's a little painting of that day titled Ski Lesson. Prints are available in my Etsy shop and would make a great gift for someone in a skiing family!

Hello

Just want to give you Entrecard pals something new to look at today. Here is Pond in Winter, 11" x 15" original watercolor painting.

The Annual Total Waste of Time

Replacing those teensy batteries in the strand of lights! I have never been able to get that not-lighting half of the strand to come to life again. Why do they put that little replacement battery in there anyway? It's a conspiracy of some sort! But they've got me hooked. I spend 30 minutes getting the old ones out and a new one in and then trying each of the old ones with the new one, just so I won't have to put my coat on and go to the store. (I will use these anyway just wadding up the duds and cramming them inside the bush.)

Of course, now I get it. After I have wasted the hour on two strands (which were new last year BTW) I'll put my coat on, go to the nearest store and spend whatever they are asking for a couple of boxes.

Bah Humbug.

Holiday EtsyFest

In the spirit of super savings/super shopping over 200 Etsians are participating in a Holiday EtsyFest. Check this link to see the Fine Art category. Beautiful work for unique and personal gifts!

These two paintings are available in my Studio Sale section. Either would make a lovely gift for a family member who "has everything"!

Peace Roses, 11" x 14" Original watercolor painting

Red Roses, 11" x 14" Original Watercolor Painting

Let's go for a walk.

Good Sunday morning. How about a walk in a peaceful, silent park blanketed with snow and mist?

Here is A Walk In Winter, 11" x 14" original watercolor painting.

Color, Color, Color

Having fun with this color series. My process is to "paint" a silhouette using masking fluid and then layer, layer, layer transparent washes to achieve the luminous background color I am looking for. This piece has about six layers. Then I remove the frisket and lightly fill my center shape. Here is Cream on Blueberry, 11" x 14", original watercolor, available in my Etsy Shop.

Holiday Mood

It's time! I know it's still 12 days til Thanksgiving, but it feels like Christmas to me. For several years, the Saint Louis Watercolor Society had some fun paint-outs at Christmas time. About 40 painters met in the large fellowship hall of a church and set up elaborate still lifes to share. We spent the day painting and eating. What fun!

Here are my 3 favorite paintings from those days. The originals, all 15" x 20", are not for sale because I pop them into frames and hang them in my home during the season. But the images are available in my Etsy shop printed on white deckled edge greeting cards with matching envelopes. The insides are blank for customized greetings.

Celebrate the Season

Holiday Cheer

Poinsettias

Kudos to Me!

I am honored to have received four awards from Sharon Hart of The Artist's Muse. What a delight! Many of you know her work and thoughtful, detailed posts. She is one of my favorite art bloggers.

The first is the Arte y Pico Award. "It’s an international award for a global community of artist-bloggers, acknowledging that what we create helps make the world a finer place.” I bestow this award to Tomas Karkalas at Modus Vivendi for his art and philosophy.

Next is the Butterfly Award "for the coolest blog I ever know", which of course is very poor grammar. But it is a cool looking award and I would hate to be the one to deface it with a correction. Since the first three blogs I have started to give this to have already just received it, I'm going to keep it on my mantle.

Next is the "I Love Your Blog" award. I'm giving this to Five O'Clock Somewhere for her great ability to mix art with life in her posts
.
And last is "My Favorite Blog". I give this award to The Art Zoo. I really don't expect them to post it because the perfect thing about their blog is the clean, focused, look and content they post every day.

Thanks again Sharon!

Color Series Continued

Here are two more paintings in my color series. The first is Green on Wine. I feel it really fits the visual complement color wheel.



And next is Blue Iris on Brown. This piece is an expression of value and temperature. A look at interior decorating trends finds that any pastel on brown is appealing. I think it works best if one is cool and the other warm. Here I placed a warm blue on a cool brown.


Both paintings are 11" x 14" and are available in my Etsy Shop. Have a great weekend!

Color - The Visual Complements

Several years ago I took a workshop with Hilary Page. She is a fine watercolorist who has made an intense study of the pigments from every watercolor manufacturer. She shared her discoveries with us but also explained a new look at color complements - visual complements as opposed to mixing complements. (See her website for an in-depth explanation.)

We are familiar with the traditional 12 section color wheel based on the 3 primaries, red, yellow, blue. The Munsell theory of color, which Hillary subscribes to, squishes the wheel a bit and leaves 5 major colors, 10 total. The 5 are red, yellow, green, blue and purple.

All artisans working with color whether 2d, 3d, fiber, metal, glass, come to realize that some colors just look good together. The traditional complement of red is green. But red, especially an orange red, looks best with blue-green. Well, except at Christmas!

In the days after the workshop I did 4 little paintings of imaginary still lifes to cement my understanding of visual complements. Working clockwise through the 4 paintings you will see that yellow moves to red-orange to blue-red to purple. Blue moves to blue-green, to true green and to yellow-green.
You are probably already making these color decisions subconsciously in your work. But if not, give it some thought. And if you are contemplating buying a piece of art you may better understand why it "works".


Now you see why the painting below works so well. Be back soon with a few more color studies.

Color Series

New series - color, shape and impact! Yes, I'm bouncing all over the creative map once again. On the way to my Tetons series I got waylaid. The brilliant orange/red of the trees and the intense blue autumn sky captured my imagination. To showcase those two colors I placed each on a complimentary color by masking the focal shapes then layering the background with multiple washes. The result.

Here is Tomato on Teal, 15" x 20", original watercolor.



Here is Blue on Chocolate, 11" x 15", original watercolor.


And now, back to the mountains....

Flower Show

I used to be quite into gardening and flower arrangements. I was president of a federated garden club in Richmond, VA and entered a flower show once. The competitions are fierce. While my arrangement was pretty good, I was way off in presentation without enough scene-setting paraphernalia.

Of course I learned this from my mother who was in the garden club wherever we lived. When I paint florals I imagine that I am arranging flowers. Is it a hogarth curve, a triangle, a mass? I painted this last weekend thinking of an armful of fall grasses, ferns, and coleus with a few lilies added for color. To me, it is a mass with a touch of hogarth (up on the left, down on the right).

Here is Fall Flowers, 11" x 15", original watercolor painting available in my Etsy Shop.

A Change of Scenery

It's time for a new look around here. I love painting florals, and even painted yellow roses again. But, for a change of scenery, I started on a new series based on my friend's trip to the Tetons a few weeks ago. I'm starting the series with a realistic interpretation and plan to progress into some abstraction.

Here is Summer In The Tetons, 15" x 22", Original Watercolor Painting

Tag! I'm it!

Woo hoo, I've been tagged by my colleague, Fransceca (Cecca) Whetnall. She is a fine watercolor artist that I met on Etsy where we are both members of the Watercolor Works Esty Team. As you probably know, this means I have to tell you seven things about myself and then tag seven other blogs. I'm honored to be included in this fun game!

Tagging Rules
1. Link to your tagger and list these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 interesting/random facts about yourself on your blog.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post, leaving their names as well as links to their blog.
4. Leave a comment on each of their blogs to let them know they've been tagged.

Seven facts about me
1. I am currently addicted to dark chocolate and cheesecake but plan to switch to carrots and celery any day now. Really.
2. I wear earplugs when I sleep.
3. I do all the daily puzzles in the newspaper including the NY Times crossword.
4. I am a 16 year cancer survivor.
5. I have been on a 2200 mile boat trip.
6. I do not pay anyone to cut or color my hair or paint my fingernails and toenails.
7. Dust is a protective coating in my house.

Now you're it!
1. Veronica Escudero
2. Jordanka Yaretz
3. Marionette, Kauai-artist
4. AlteredEvents
5. DesignsBySheila
6. 57 Design Studio
7. HolyCuteness

And for the painting du jour:
Here is a new painting; Pink Rose Bouquet, 11" x 15" available in my Etsy shop.

Whatnot, Whatever, What Now

Whatnot seems to be the new etc., I suppose. Well in the last decade or so. My husband happened to have the dictionary out just now where we were looking up pedantic. I mentioned my title here and he looked up whatnot. It is defined as "an indescribable thing." (derived from the whatnot shelf) However, my son, who has always been very creative with his word construction, (I'm always saying, "Jimmy, that is not a word.") started using the phrase and whatnot often as a list-ender.

Having solved that weighty matter, let's move on to whatever. A good friend, whom I spend a lot of time with on the weekends at the lake, truncates many, if not most, of her sentences with whatever. She gives a it very definitve downward inflection; end of discussion. It's rather contagious for some reason and I find myself imitating her, whatever.

So what now. I just stared out the window for about 20 seconds. Oh yeah, the yellow roses painting of the last post sold this weekend. And someone else is interested in a similar painting, only larger. That's a good thing, isn't it? For the nonce,

Here is Fishermen's Dock, prints available, original sold. I imagine those fellows on the Chesapeake are hauling up the oysters as we speak.

The Color of the Day is Yellow

It's sunny and I feel cheerful today. I was just accepted to display my art on the TrunkT.org site. My portfolio will be accessible later today or tomorrow and I look forward to filling it with my current paintings.

I was also feeling sunny a few days ago when I completed this loose, painterly mass of yellow roses in a celadon vase. For the painters in the room, my pigments were New Gamboge, Winsor Yellow, WN Perylene Green, DS Undersea Green and Winsor Violet. I'm loving this perylene green! It goes from a soft grey-green to almost-black. I think these cool greens really emphasize the warm intense gamboge. I'm off to buy some more perylene green at Cheap Joe's special one-day $1 shipping sale!

Here is Yellow Roses, 11" x 14" original watercolor

A Touch of Pinks - Breast Cancer Awareness Tribute

So Much Stress

Just sitting here in a daze. I think I typed that about 3 minutes ago. I want to show you this painting that I did on Monday in the midst of all that stress - the bill didn't pass, the market dove, and I had to plan a dinner party for 18. I was over-the-top stressed into an actual place of calmness. Like when you drink so much caffeine that it makes you tired. The result here is a very quiet, serene painting.

Here is Magnolias, 11" x 15", original watercolor painting.

No talking, please.

I'm painting today, so I am not talking to you. Actually, I am, because I am waiting for my background to dry.

Here is a painting I did yesterday and just listed in my Etsy Shop. We are all fascinated by watching koi; their colors, their constant movement. I tried to capture those aspects.

Koi Pond, 15" x 22", original watercolor painting

My Palette - Exposed

When we have demonstration painters at our Saint Louis Watercolor Society meetings, you will always hear, "What paints are you using?" We all seem to have a fascination with the palette of other artists. And what about the workshop supply list. "He uses Naples yellow. I better get some."

Having been to about 20 week-long workshops, I have a bag full of barely squeezed tubes. While I am still open to new ones, and a sucker for the workshop bait, I seem to have settled on this mix.Here is my palette as of last evening. I will name the paints starting in the top left corner. The number of stars indicates frequency of use, 3 being most often, and none, meaning it's gotta go.

WN Cobalt Blue **

WN French Ultramarine ***

WN Antwerp ***

WN Winsor Blue/Red

WN Winsor Green/Yellow *

Daniel Smith Under Sea Green ***

American Journey Skip's Green ***

WN Cadmium Yellow Med *

WN Lemon Yellow

WN Raw Sienna **

WN New Gamboge ***

WN Winsor Yellow **

WN Orange *

WN Burnt Sienna ***

WN Scarlet Lake **

WN Perm. Alizarin *

WN Perm Rose *

Daniel Smith Quinacridone Magenta **

Maimeri Theoindigo Violet **

WN Violet ***

WN Opera *

WN Cobalt Violet *

Holbein Manganese **

Maimeri Bleu Verde ***

Dabs in the middle: Sepia**, Maimeri Avignon Orange **, AJ Andrew's Turquoise **, S Quiller Rose Madder **

And my favorite white is "Aqua Cover" made to match brand name papers. Very nice for emergency recovery of whites.

It Matches The Bedspread

There are artists who have a statement to make or cause to promote. And there are artists who don't. That would be me. Well, not really. My artist's statement is I paint because I love the process. I paint to please my eye. I have fun painting.

There are art collectors who collect a style, or the work of an artist, or for investment potential. There are collectors who buy to make their room look better. All are very fine reasons to buy art, I'm sure.

This painting is not about anything. But it is very nice to look at and it would look great with certain bedspreads or sofas. Don't you think so? Do you collect art or buy art? What is the last thing you bought and what are you looking for next?

Here is Poppies, 11" x 15", available in my Etsy Shop and at auction on eBay through Sunday.

It's a Challenge

I belong to two Etsy teams so far, Watercolor Works and Visual Arts Street Team - VAST. As is the case with most Etsy teams, the monthly challenge is a fixture to help promote the team. I'm all for promotion and I like themed exhibits, too. My local society, the Saint Louis Watercolor Society follows the theme genre at an on-going venue, CJ Muggs restaurant. Themes are generally inspriational and certainly motivational.

For the WWETeam challenge, our team leader posted three photos to be interpreted as we see it. Here is the photo and my interpretation for that challenge. It is titled Harvest Time, 11" x 14" original watercolor, available in my Etsy Shop.

The VAST September challenge is "fall colors", that I intend to work on soon. You'll have to come back to see that one!

Just Ask Me

Many artists offer to do commissions. You might wonder why they do that and why you would want a commission. Here is an example of a recent commission request I completed. I had a painting of purple irises listed on eBay. Someone liked my style, but really wanted white irises with a yellow background for the room she was decorating. So she emailed me and asked if I could do white irises. I said sure, and because I was painting that day, and in the mood, I was able to complete her request that day. I emailed her a photo of the painting, she liked it, and she paid me through Paypal. Voila!

So artists offer commissions because they are willing to paint upon request. This is not for everyone. Some artists just really want to stay with their own "from the heart" inspiration, which is occasionally how I feel, too. On the other hand, it can be very gratifying to create a painting that fulfills the vision of someone else.

If you see an artist offering commissions, take a minute to consider their offer. It is from the heart.

Here is White Iris, prints available in my Etsy shop.

Vote For Me!

Please. I'm late with this announcement, but I was so excited about winning the puppy cake receipe contest (see below) that I forgot to post this. I am competeting in the Etsy Challenge this week. Please take a minute to go to the blog, scroll way down, (voting along the way in other categories if you wish), until you get to the 2D category. My painting is "Pedestal". The contest lasts through Sunday. Thanks!

The original painting is currently hanging in a "Big Splash", the Saint Louis Watercolor Society's annual member awards exhibit. Prints are available in my Etsy Shop.

Art Has Gone To The Dogs!

Well, at least temporarily anyway. The other day I turned my creative energy toward a new recipe for a puppy birthday cake contest sponsored by Melissa at Melissa's Jewelry and Gemstone blog. And I WON! Check out her blog to see my award-winning recipe. But here's the best part. I won this ring! What a wonderful prize! Thank you to Melissa and her children for choosing my cake.

The lovely color of this blue topaz reminds me of this award-winning painting of mine inspired by my years living in Richmond and cruising Chesapeake Bay.

Here is Tangier Island, prints available in my Etsy Shop.

Everything's bigger in Texas!

Ohhh, today the Texans' mantra is bad news as they cope with one of the biggest hurricanes on record. Our thoughts and prayers are with them as they continue to weather Ike. My inlaws are on high ground in Houston and reporting trees down and shrubs uprooted but no broken glass yet. Cell phones are working.

On a happier note, I am pleased to be included in "Etsy Sixteen" on the lively blog by Alicia Hurst, Sunny Day Happy Face. Here's a look at some happy Texas cows on a sunny day in the cotton and wildflowers.

Moo Me?, 14" x 20" original watercolor by Linda Hammelman

It's Great To Be Loved

Isn't this cool? I received this honor from an art colleague and internet friend. Please take a moment to view her fine work at A Painting A Day By Veronica Escudero. This award personifies the sense of community one can find in the blogging world whether within your field of interest or on a wider scope.

Recipients of this award are asked to pass it on by nominating 7 other blogs they particularly enjoy. What a difficult task! After only a few weeks here I am sure I have just scratched the surface, but here are 7 blogs that I recommend:

Beadalicious

Karooart Expressions In Polymer Clay

Figures... In My Art And Life

Mary Lou's Art [Ad]Venture

LWGodsil's Jadis Jewelry

Skwiggazine

Blenda Studio

Winners may pass it on as follows:

1. Post the award image on your blog

2. Link to the person you received the award from

3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs

4. Link to those 7

5. Leave a message on the blogs you have nominated

I'm a Tasmanian Devil

and proud of it!

A guest lecturer at one of the Saint Louis Watercolor Society's membership meetings once described three approaches to painting; the plodder, the deliberator and the tasmanian devil. The plodder works on a piece for weeks, months, years, perhaps never even finishing. The deliberator plans and considers every move and brush stroke from the detailed value sketches to the final framing. The tasmanian devil flies right at the paper or canvas with arms flailing, paint flying and brush strokes every which way AND loose!

That's me. It's the way I do it. I loathe value sketching and even most pencil work. I love the loaded brush caressing the paper. The energy and passion pours as fast as I can release it!

This is also my approach to writing although I admit that this blogging business has made me stop and think just a bit. This week I came across a great blog dedicated to successful blog writing and especially appreciated the blog, Tips on Avoiding Wordiness. I plan to spend more time hanging around on that blog, although, like I said the other day, I really need some time to paint!

Before I head off to bang out a little gem straight from the heart, here is Joyful, Joyful, an award-winning painting completed in about 15 minutes from a photo of flowers from my mother's funeral several years ago. Prints available in my Etsy Shop.

"Merv Griffin" - or Learn a new thing everyday...

So I had just gotten off the cell phone with my 27 yr old son and was talking to my sister on the house phone when my cell phone "text" rang. We were in the midst of a long-winded political debate but I glanced at the cell and it said "Merv Griffin". I interrupted my sister to say, "Charlie just texted me "Merv Griffin". What in the world?" She said, "I can't imagine" and we went on to reminisce about all of his game shows while I punched buttons on my cell attempting to reply to Charlie.

Finally, somehow, I scrolled down to see "Merv Griffin Seinfeld episode on right now TBS." This, of course, is breaking news and worthy of attention!

So now I know. If you receive a text message, scroll down!

On the other hand, you can always resort to the old-fashioned "let's meet at Buck's for a beer and some convo."

Here is Buckeroo's, prints available at my Etsy shop.

What does a full-time artist do?

Well, I can tell you what they do not do.

• They do not volunteer to be treasurer and business manager of their local art society.


• They do not volunteer to have Grandpa's 88 birthday party at their house instead of a restaurant.


• They do not blog or otherwise promote their work.


• They do not sell art on the Internet.


• They do not ship their art anywhere.


• They do not clean their house.


• They do not cook dinner for their husband and/or kids.


• They do not do laundry.


• They do not feed the dogs.


• IF they do all of the above, they do not sleep.

Well, I am doing all of the above today and I am going to sleep tonight. So, guess what? No painting again today. (Just a small rant because I am blessed with a very full life.)

But here is a look at a painting I did a few months ago.

This is White Sands, original watercolor, 15" x 20", available in my Etsy Shop.

Labor Day Sale in my Etsy Shop

As a member of the Visual Arts Street Team - VAST, on Etsy, I am offering 3 special 8x10 prints from my popular Garden Series 1/2 PRICE, only $7.50. I figure since the flowers are fading fast, it's time to pick a few! The sale runs through Tuesday, Sept 2.

Follow this link to see my shop with the 3 sale pieces featured in the top row. Also search "laborday vast team" to find many other special deals from some very talented artists!

http://hammelmanart.etsy.com/

Ports of Call Series - Lake of the Ozarks

I'm pleased to announce that prints of this series are now available at Artpho Gallery & Frame, 1075 Main Street, Osage Beach, MO 65065, 573-348-4084.

Originals are 15" x 21" and are available from me. This series includes the most popular entertainment venues at our wonderful Lake of the Ozarks.

Painting portraits this week!

Order your custom boat portrait now: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=14628184