Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you!
Hope that 2016 is filled with JOY, PEACE, LOVE, and ABUNDANCE!
Thanks to all for reading my blog!
Melissa

Riverbank Hues

"Riverbank Hues" was born from a desire to paint the beautiful woods and forests of winter. Just wandering in the park and seeing the different colors, thinking about how even while dormant, everything is FULL of LIFE, makes me really appreciate this time of year. Nature never asks questions. The seasons march on no matter what, answerable only to the conditions. It's a little like a giant metronome, keeping the beat of life.

"Riverbank Hues" • Original mixed watermedia on Arches 140# cold press paper • 11" x 15" • Sold

I will be offering a workshop in this technique Saturday, January 23, 2016. See my website at  http://www.melissagannon.com/workshops/index.html  for details.

Two Swans

I love the grace and beauty of swans. I also love it when I am able to take really good photos of swans! These swans were a pleasure to paint.
I masked the whites with white gouache and let that dry. Then I spritzed with water and floated acrylic inks and high flow acrylics over the piece. When that was dry I washed off the white gouache. I finished the piece with watercolors. I really like the effect of using white gouache as a mask. Some of the colors go through a bit and the edges look natural. Because the gouache has to be washed off, the background needs to be acrylic or something that won't wash off.

"Two Swans" • Original mixed watermedia on Arches 140# cold press paper • 5" x 7"

If you're interested in purchasing this piece click HERE.

Magic in the Air

I've been working on this piece for a few days. I started with watercolors and acrylic inks and added texture. This kind of piece is always challenging to finish but I'm pleased with the result.

'Magic in the Air" • Original mixed watermedia on Arches 140# cold press paper • 15" x 11"

If interested in purchasing this piece click HERE

A Place by the River

I've recently been doing a lot of painting using watercolors and acrylic inks. The colors are strong and the atmospheric qualities are really AWESOME! Trying to figure out how to finish them without compromising or losing all the texture is very challenging.

In this piece I wanted to really show the overgrown riverbank. These kinds of places look really disorganized to people but every plant and every leaf is placed to get maximum sunlight so nature probably thinks it's organized! I really love these kinds of places. They have a kind of magic from all the plants but also from being in a place where land and water meet.

"A Place by the River" • Original mixed watermedia on Arches 140# cold press paper • 11" x 15" • Sold

Trees & Lace

I started this piece awhile back and I've been looking at it for at least a month! It's a combination of flowers and trees, two of my favorite subjects! I collaged lace paper for the flowers and painted over that. The whole piece is a combination of watercolor and acrylic inks. I also used some iridescent blue ink on the bottom to add sparkle. This was a challenging piece.

"Trees & Lace" • Original mixed watermedia on Arches 140# cold press paper • 15" x 11"

If interested in purchasing this piece click HERE.