"Tangles" Workshop

Beginning with a watercolor wash, dripping and spattering ink and acrylic, texturing with leaves and plants and saran wrap, we spent a FUN day CREATING!
Below are the results of our creations.

Sunshine!

Today I drove with my brother and Mom to the sunshine of the Deschutes River area! A day full of birdsong, river music, blue skies and even history!!!!!
We walked up the railroad bed above the river. The Meadowlarks were all around us singing in lilting, liquidy voices. As the sun topped the hills the light set off all the forms and shapes of the plants and grasses. Moisture from recent rains released scents of sage. I can still smell it when I close my eyes. We watched redbrown Canyon Wrens hop in and out of crevices in the cliffs. On the way back we followed a trail which my brother said was an
old roadbed and sure enough when we reached the end there was a sign saying that it was built in the 1860's as a wagon and stagecoach road! A truly BEAUTIFUL day!!!!!!

Rosehipe & Ravens

Sometimes I start pieces by just filling pieces of paper with color, adding texture and walking away and doing something else or beginning another painting. That's the way that this piece started. I really liked the texture and when I added the birds, I really liked them. But I felt the piece needed something. I've been wanting to experiment with collage again and decided this was the piece to do that with. So I tore up an old painting and had little pieces of paper all over! I finally managed to stick them on and I'm really pleased with the results! I like the torn edges and the textural effect that the collage adds. I used watercolor and acrylic inks in this piece as well as the collage.
See the finished piece below.

"Rosehips & Ravens" • Original mixed watermedia and collage on Arches 140# paper

See this piece on Daily Paintworks

© Melissa Gannon 2015

Wintry Woods

I've been continuing to work with watercolor, plant material and acrylic inks. This is my latest piece. Everything is pretty brown around here in the winter! (Except the conifers!) Looking more closely at the browns, which are beautiful by the way, I see chocolate and burgundy, blue and pink and deep gold. When the sun comes out it's a lemony yellow and SO PALE! The colors are different in the winter but still VERY BEAUTIFUL! Below is the piece.

"Wintry Woods" • Original mixed watermedia

View this piece on Daily Paintworks.

©Melissa Gannon 2015

A Moment in Winter

I treated myself to a walk in the park today. Geese hung out, woodpeckers wandered in trees, crows, robins and scrubjays and little sparrowlike birds all had important business.

Picture yourself in the woods:
Hear the birds, feel the air on your cheeks, see the sun!
A moment in winter!

"A Moment in Winter" • Watercolor • 7" x 5.25"

See this piece on Daily Paintworks

A commission to start out the new year!

Happy New Year!!!!!!
Painting kitty cats is really fun for me. Here is a commission that I recently completed. Working with the colors of the cat and adding my own color interpretation made for a really interesting project. Below is the finished piece! Of course Chester's owner provided a GREAT photo!

"Chester" • acrylic on canvas

©Melissa Gannon 2014