Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and yours! 

Hope that 2017 is a great year for you filled with LOVE, JOY, PEACE, HAPPINESS & BLESSINGS!

www.melissagannon.com

Winter Happenings

It's such a pleasure to apply color and watch what happens. I used a wintry mix of darks in this piece and left a lot of white paper. There's a little ink spatter and some ink in the tree trunks. It has that wintry feel where everything starts to disappear into misty grays.
This piece is painted on handmade Shizen paper, so I didn't crop all the way so you can see the deckle edges.

"Winter Happenings" • Original watercolor on 100% cotton paper • 12" x 9"

If interested in purchasing this piece click HERE.

Wintry Mix

With our recent snow, I've been having snow on the brain! I really love what happens to the landscape when it snows, the misty quality of everything. I'm working with a new to me color, ultramarine turquoise and the blue green it adds is really beautiful and contrasts wonderfully with other colors. I put rosehips in the foreground. I saw some this past weekend and they were the most beautiful rosehips!!!!! And, of course there needs to be some geese flying and calling over a land that is resting and dormant until warmer temperatures and longer days start the cycle all over again.

"Wintry Mix" • Original Watercolor on 100% cotton paper • 5.5" x 7.5"

 If interested in purchasing this piece click HERE.

Interweaving Melodies

This piece has been happening for awhile. The first ink wash was SO BEAUTIFUL that I couldn't figure out where to go next! Then as I was painting snowberries, that's when I realized that snowberries were the perfect addition to my wash. I of course had to work in leaves and the geese give dimension to everything.
I was thinking about how everything exists in its' own cycle from the ground to the sky and every part is worthwhile and interesting but also harmonious and linked to every other part.

"Interweaving Melodies" • Original watercolor and acrylic inks on 100% cotton paper • 15" x 11"

Season of the Snowberries

Have you really looked at the woods lately? They are truly beautiful! Gray tree trunks, reddish twigs, rich brown leaves, bits of greens here and there, some golds still hanging on the trees looking like  Christmas ornaments, and russets and grays. Snowberries stand out at this time of year. They're not very big bushes and the berries aren't very large but you notice them, very white against the darker somewhat muted color around them. Maybe I just love white berries!!!! (They're not edible for people.) Anyway, I started painting them the other day and can't seem to stop!

"Season of the Snowberries" • Original watercolor on 100% cotton paper • 5.5" x 7.5"

If interested in purchasing this piece click HERE.

Season of the Snowberry

This piece is painted on Saint Armand handmade paper which is very textured.
I started with an ink wash using a lot of iridescent inks. Then I kept looking at the paper trying to see the painting! Snowberries! Of Course!!!! They are prolific around my house and I love how they stand out in all the browns of winter foliage. The geese have also been really active lately and I decided that they needed to be part of the "Season of the Snowberry."

"Season of the Snowberry" • Original mixed watermedia on handmade paper • 14.5 x 10.75

If interested in purchasing this piece click HERE.

Winter Along the Riverbank

I've been exploring different papers. This piece is on handmade Shizen paper and is very textured. I really wanted to keep this piece simple with washes and white paper. You can see how the paint has settled in the dips of this paper.
Winter is cold and seems very stark but life is still happening. As I painted this piece I was thinking about how all the plants are alive, just resting until spring and I was also thinking about what it would be like to be flying through this cold environment.
I applied a little acrylic ink and some iridescent ink to finish.
Since the paper is handmade, a deckle edge is on all 4 sides. I didn't crop the photo all the way so you can see what these really interesting edges look like.

"Winter Along the Riverbank" • Original watercolor on handmade Shizen paper • 12" x 9"

 If interested in purchasing this piece click HERE.