Bittersweet Autumn

"Pumpkins on a Hill" Andrew Wyeth

"Church at Old Lyme" Childe Hassam

"Church in Eastham" Edward Hopper

"Pumpkin Patch" Winslow Homer

"Pumpkin Head Self-Portrait" Jaime Wyeth

I love the season of Autumn and although I reside in Florida I spent many years in awe of the colors that enliven the landscapes north of the Sunshine State.  To me, Maine seems a state that that was created for colorful months between summer and winter.  I did a bit of research on some of my favorite Maine artists and their interpretations of Autumn.  It's a jewel of a season and it graces only certain locations in our magnificent country.  I wish I had more time to embrace Autumn and have but a few of my own paintings that celebrate the season, like the one below.  It passes so quickly and you have to grasp the beauty when it presents itself to you.

"Fall in Tioga County"
Krys Pettit
Oil on canvas panel 

Carl Sandburg, the poet, said it perfectly.
"I cried over beautiful things knowing no beautiful thing lasts.
The field of cornflower yellow is a scarf at the neck of the copper sunburned woman, the mother of the year, the taker of seeds.
The northwest wind comes and the yellow is torn full of holes, new beautiful things come in the first spit of snow on the northwest wind, and the old things go, not one lasts."

Joseph Mallord William Turner Knows Storms

The Storm, c.1840-45
Joseph Mallord William Turner

Joseph Mallord William Turner -- or JMW Turner (1775-1851) to keep it short -- was a remarkable British artist decades ahead of his time.  When many were painting perfect landscapes, portraits of family pet, prize race horses and heady aristocrats (with or without the horses),  Mr. Turner turned the art world upside down and painted gritty, emotional, full-blown impressionistic paintings, long before his time.
This past week the southeast coast had its fill of storms with Hurricane Matthew.  While I sat out the wind and rain in my secure home I wondered how I could ever convey the power of such a storm. Then I remembered Mr. Turner.  And I realized I shouldn't bother when it's been done to perfection.
If you want to learn more about Turner and why many impressionist artists like Claude Monet were influenced by his work, you can find more information at this website dedicated to his work:
The Complete Works of Joseph Mallord William Turner

Hurricane Matthew, Daytona and an Art Show

"Treacherous Landing" Watercolor on Paper

"Shadowed Memories" Watercolor on Paper

If you live in Florida, you always keep an eye out on the weather between the months of May and December.  That's a long time to keep looking over your shoulder for a potential hurricane to hit the peninsula.  It never was a big fear until 2004 when within the span of 6 weeks Central Florida was battered by Hurricanes Charley, Frances and Jeanne.  We lived for 6 weeks with plywood and windows taped up, a little catacomb of sorts.  Waiting.  We were spared major damage during Charley and Frances with the worse happening during Jeanne when the power gave out for a week. And perhaps even eerier was listening to the rain and wind, the constant noise on the roof, the skylights and the windows.

Ironically, I was in an art exhibit back then in a St. Augustine art gallery.  And rain was so bad residents were able to paddle in canoes and kayaks down the streets of St. Augustine.  So the art exhibit, in a sense, was a wash.

This year we await Hurricane Matthew and I am again, in an art exhibit.  The paintings I have submitted are above (note the stormy seacoast -- thought it appropriate considering the current weather situation).  I am in a marvelous member show at the Art League of Daytona, a stellar art group founded in 1929 and located in the historic residential district of Daytona. The roster of members is impressive and I am honored to be a part of this exhibit.  As to whether it is a wash, it remains to be seen at this point.  I'll let you know next week if we got rained out or lost power. Creating art is a challenge and sometimes showing it is a bigger one.

You can visit the Art League of Daytona all year long rain or shine.  They have a number of excellent courses if you are looking to take on some artistic challenges. They also have a number of strong exhibits and art for sale.  Check out their site below (an bring an umbrella during hurricane season).

Art League of Daytona

Yupo? Don't Mind If I Do

"Remains of An Empire" Watercolor on Yupo Synthetic Paper

"Iris Dance" Watercolor on Yupo Synthetic Paper

"Canyon Dream"  Watercolor on Yupo Synthetic Paper

Artists for years have used things like panel, board, canvas, and paper on which to create their work. As a watercolor artist the traditional substrate I thought I was supposed to use was paper, specifically watercolor paper.  Watercolor paper is cold or hot press, and comes in weights like 140 pound and 300 pound.  It is designed to work with watercolor pigments and water, absorbing these and in many ways limiting the freedom to correct and just let the colors and thoughts flow when creating a painting. It's something I got to used to as a watercolor artist and I always dreaded the need to make a fix on paper.  And then came Yupo.

What the heck is Yupo?  If you look at the site Yupo Synthetic Paper, YUPO is"...100% recyclable, waterproof, tree-free Synthetic Paper with attributes and properties that make it the perfect solution for a variety of marketing, design, packaging and labeling needs..."  Which sounds fairly technical, ecologically great, a little daunting, and makes you wonder how it can be paper if its, well, plastic. No matter.  As an artist all I care about is how to apply brilliant colors to Yupo,  how I can try to control and manipulate it, and how in the end I basically have to let it do what it wants with my watercolor applications. Which is where the best fun and the best results happen.  Sometimes it's good to loose control if the results are good for you.  

Visit my website and take a look at some of my work -- and see if you can spy the pieces I have painted using Yupo.
Krys Pettit Original Artwork

Flowers on a Friday "Wild Iris"

"Wild Irises" Original watercolor on Yupo

Years ago I would reward myself with a bouquet of fresh flowers on a Friday.  It was a special gift for myself, a small indulgence that pleased me.  These days I rarely buy myself flowers but still I paint them.

I particularly loved painting these irises since I broke away from the conventional use of watercolor paper and worked with a plastic paper called Yupo.  Watercolor paper absorbs water and pigment. Yupo is a plastic support and the water and paper pool on the surface.  It's a tricky thing to work watercolor on Yupo but I love it.  And the results, like a bouquet of flowers, are a great reward for a week of hard work.  I added a gentle spatter of gold metallic acrylic paint which gave the image a certain elegance.

Bring a bouquet into your day today.  And I hope you enjoy mine.

Oil and Water Mixing in My Studio

"Red Gate St. Augustine" (oil)

"Red Gate St. Augustine (watercolor)

Oil and water -- well known not to mix in a recipes, on our precious open waterways, and yes, when working with a painting.  But I mix my mediums if only on completed pieces these days.
For 25 plus years I worked in watercolor.  I like the medium and as finicky as it can be I have grown accustomed to the quirks. I love the immediacy and freshness of a watercolor painting.  But, as with any relationship, things were getting a bit old, a little boring.  They (who are "they"?) say artists shouldn't switch mediums when they are successful.  I say bull pucky.  And I succumbed to the seduction of oil paints.
   I have a marvelous instructor who is guiding me through what seemed a trickier process than painting with watercolor.  I love oil paint for the texture, viscosity, and bright, vivid colors.  It has more body for me, enabling me to build, correct, and give my images a certain patina.  But in many ways I want to work it like a watercolor, not overworking and letting the light places "sparkle" rather than dulling a painting.
   I am reworking paintings I have done in watercolor with oil these days.  Attached you will find a current effort.   On the left is the recent oil of an entrance in St. Augustine, Florida.  On the right is a watercolor image done some years ago of the same scene.  I know which one I like better.  How about you?

Small Might Just Be Nicer

I have been very lucky to experience some of the top art museums in the world.  I've toured the Tate and the National Gallery in London.  Paris was a dream come true with multiple visits to the Louvre, the Orsay and the Musée Marmottan Monet (I can never get enough Monet so can I add my trip to Giverny on this list?). When in Rome I had to visit the Galleria Borghese and of course the Vatican Museums.  Florence, Italy offered the spectacular Uffizi Gallery and the Academia.  In this country I've toured the Guggenheim, MOMA and the Met in New York City, the National and Portrait Galleries in Washington and countless other museums in cities like Charleston, Savannah, Raleigh, New Orleans, Portland, Phoenix, not to mention wonderful art venues in Florida. I've logged many a mile in museum galleries with many a revered master's work gazing down on me as I navigated through hallowed halls.

But more than anything I love small museums in smaller communities. There is something special about an intimate museum or gallery that allows you to linger, examine and get close to some very special work by talented artists that do not show up in conventional art history texts.  These are the museums that offer a glimpse at hidden gems and allow you to experience art that you can truly call your own in an intimate, relaxed setting.  One such place in Central Florida is a the Lake Eustis Museum of Art in the charming community of Eustis in Lake County, Florida.

Fondly known as LEMA it is run by the very capable and talented Richard Colvin, its hard-working Director.  Susan is one of the volunteers that will greet you when you visit -- she's a talented fiber artist in her own right and if you are lucky you can catch her working on her intricate needlework.

Richard keeps the museum running smoothy and he curates truly wonderful exhibits featuring local artists.  He teaches various levels of courses and brings talented and capable instructors to fill out the class availabilities.   You'll find instruction in Realistic and Abstract Oil Painting,  Pastels and Portraiture, Watercolor, Kidzart for the budding young artist, even a Create and Critique session each week to help motivate you.  The Museum is located on Lake Eustis at the edge of Ferran Park right in downtown Eustis. You can tour LEMA, and then take time to get some refreshment from the pleasant eateries just down the street. All in all a delightful way to spend an afternoon.

When you visit take time to longer over the new exhibits or closely examine the pieces shown from the permanent collection.  Relax, ask questions, chat with the wonderful staff -- and enjoy the wonderful feeling of being in this small museum that truly big on art.

For more information, hours, and directions visit the Lake Eustis Museum of Art website below:
Lake Eustis Museum of Art

Visit my website, Krys Pettit Original Artwork, for a look at how I create when I am inspired:
Krys Pettit Original Artwork