Hellebores Dancing

I began this piece with lots of texture. I have some new pinks and greens and was thrilled to use them in this painting. Using granulation medium and various tools besides brushes, I worked on creating interesting texture and marks. Little bits of white gouache add a little sparkle along with some of the mineral paints.

"Hellebores Dancing" • Original watercolor • 8.5" x 11" on 100% cotton paper

If interested in purchasing this piece click HERE.

Hellebore in Blue

I've been painting lots of little 4" x 4" hellebore paintings with different color combinations and different compositions. It's been really fun to paint so many of the same subject. It's amazing all the variations that are possible! I even bought a hellebore plant!

"Hellebore in Blue" • 4" x 4" • Original acrylic on 1.5" gallery wrap canvas, painting continues on sides, ready to hang

If interested in purchasing this piece click HERE.
 
This is one of about 10 that I will have at my upcoming shows:
See my work at The RJ Art Gallery
October 1 to December 31
546 NE 3rd Street
McMinnville, ORI took 10 small hellebore pieces to this gallery!
Three Rivers Artist Guild Holiday Show
Saturday December 1, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Sunday December 2, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
Oregon City Pioneer Center
615 5th Street, Oregon City, OR
See you there! Holiday Market
Saturday December 15, 9:00 am to 3:00 pm

Clackamas High School Main Building
14486 SE 122nd Ave, Clackamas OR

See you there!

I also took 9 small hellebore pieces to Aurora Gallery in Vancouver.

Hellebore in Orange

This is one of my new hellebore pieces. I really like how the shapes and colors work. It's painted on a gallery wrapped 4" x 4" canvas and the painting continues onto the sides. It's ready to hang. It's only one of a whole series of hellebore paintings that I've been painting on the little canvases. I will have them at my upcoming shows.

Three Rivers Artist Guild Holiday Show
Saturday December 1, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Sunday December 2, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
Oregon City Pioneer Center • 615 5th Street, Oregon City, OR

Holiday Market
Saturday December 15, 9:00 am to 3:00 pm

Clackamas High School Main Building • 14486 SE 122nd Ave, Clackamas OR

"Hellebore in Orange" • Original acrylic on 4" x 4" gallery wrapped canvas, painting continues on sides, ready to hang

If interested in purchasing this piece click HERE.

Season's Turn

I started this piece as a class demo. I've had it in the living room for a couple of weeks just looking at it. I knew that I wanted to add some wildlife and when I put another piece in front of it, I realized that it looked better cropped. I made the changes this morning and I'm really pleased. This watercolor has kept its spontaneity and freshness using limited colors. The pigment granulated beautifully. It's painted on BFK Rives 100% cotton paper. It's a paper with a smooth, soft surface which is challenging to paint on because of the softer surface. Working on this paper encourages me to choose carefully what I want to do, apply color and water, and create what I want to happen without too many changes. I really love the soft finish and the emotional feeling that I get from this piece.

"Season's Turn" • Original Watercolor on 100% cotton paper • 11" x 11"

If interested in purchasing this piece click HERE.

New Paintings!

I finished these last week and I really love them so I thought I'd post them. Both are acrylic on canvas and each has a wonderful and unique mood. I was really trying to pay attention to color and brushwork and I'm pleased with the results.
What do you think?

"Hellebore Mood" Original acrylic on 1.5" gallery wrap canvas, painting continues on sides, ready to hang

 If interested in purchasing this piece click HERE.

"Listening to the Breeze" Original acrylic on .75 wrapped canvas, painting continues on sides, ready to hang

If interested in purchasing this piece click HERE.

Plein Air Class

We were fortunate to have lovely weather to paint by the river this morning. We talked about the scenery being a little like a buffet table, there's so much, what do you paint! Basically if you can simplify your image the painting goes easier. Below are the results of our work! Every piece looks BEAUTIFUL!

Summer Pansies

I was outside painting my pansies yesterday and they were SO BEAUTIFUL! Today it was a little smoky and cloudy so I brought a couple of pansies indoors and painted them. I think my attempt today turned out better with brighter colors. I've been experimenting with letting the paint flow more and leaving some softer edges. It's such a balancing act, what to define and what to leave softer.

"Summer Pansies" • Original watercolor on 100% cotton paper • 7,5" x 5.5"

 If interested in purchasing this piece click HERE.

Getting Together

Lately I've been working with acrylic inks. I love their brightness!!!!! I've used iridescent ink in the beginning wash for this piece. The iridescent inks are heavier and settle differently on the paper. I love the beginning wash and decided to add leaves and birds. I started that with watercolor and then added more ink on top. I think this composition really works and the colors sing!

"Getting Together" • Original mixed watermedia on 100% cotton paper • 11" x 15"

If interested in purchasing this piece click HERE.

New pieces

I've been reading Jean Haines new book "Atmospheric Flowers" which is a really inspiring book. In these recent watercolors I've been attempting to work a bit more loosely and more colorfully and to be mindful of the power of suggestion.

"Blues & Greens" • Original watercolor on 100% cotton paper • 4.37"  3.37"

 If interested in purchasing this piece click HERE.

"Tints of Orange" • Original watercolor and gouache on 100% cotton paper • 7.37" x 5.5"

If interested in purchasing this piece click HERE.

Hellebores in Miniature

I've been painting small hellebore pieces on 4" x 4" canvases using different compositions and color combinations. For the centers of the main flowers I've been using a little iridescent paint to add just a touch of sparkle.

Dancing Flowers in the Home of the Ravens

I really wanted to watercolor today before I began painting with acrylics. (I have 3 that need finishing.) Watercolor seems so flowy and it's easy to get lost in the colors and the process. I began with an idea to paint grasses. I wanted to lift bits here and there and I decided to use my new calligraphy brush for the sticks and twigs. I decided it needed the birds when I was nearly finished to give a sense of space and maybe purpose. This is kind of a dreamy piece and rather ethereal. It's a high key piece that I think has enough information in it to let the viewer wander around and dream.

"Dancing Flowers in the Home of the Ravens" • Original watercolor on 100% cotton paper • 7.5" x 11.25"

If interested in purchasing this piece click HERE.

Magic in the Mountains

I really love this magical meadow painted in acrylic. When I added the distant mountains the whole piece came together. It's a little different color combination which is very effective.

"Magic in the Mountains" • Original acrylic on 3/4" wrap around canvas, painting continues on sides, ready to hang • 20" x 20"

If interested in purchasing this piece click HERE.

Flying Above the Marsh

I started this piece as a workshop demo. I really liked it and decided to finish. I added the sparkle on the water and some purple in the foreground water. I thought the purple would be too much but it really adds depth. I looked at this piece for awhile and thought it looked empty so I added the bird. A few highlights on the grasses and twigs and everything works!

"Flying Above the Marsh" • Original Acrylic on 3/4" wrap around canvas, painting continues on sides, ready to hang • 12" x 12"

Dancing Hellebore

This piece began with a fluid acrylic background which shows here and there. I really enjoyed working with these colors to make a really special piece,

"Dancing Hellebore" • Original acrylic on 3/4" cradled wood • 8" x 8"

Warm Light in the Mountains

I really love this piece! The unusual color combination really works. I guess it's just a variation or the triad purple, green and orange but somehow with all of the colors being sort of muted they really pop together. This piece just makes me want to hop in the painting and go sit somewhere or maybe hike to that field where all of the light is.

"Warm Light in the Mountains" • Original Acrylic on 3/4" wrap around canvas, painting continues on sides • 12" x12"

If interested in this piece click HERE.

Tangles and Magic

I've been enjoying working with the interesting shapes of fern  and maple leaves. I combined both in this piece to show the tangled up foliage that you can see in the woods. I used gouache for some of the light areas in the birds and inbetween the leaves. Twigs and saplings weave through the piece.I enjoyed working with color changes from red to green. There's a little shimmer here and there. Some of the original textured wash shows as well.

"Tangles & Magic" • Original watercolor and gouache on 100% cotton paper • 16" x 20"

If interested in purchasing this piece click HERE.

Ferns & Woods & Magic

"Ferns & Woods & Magic" • Original watercolor and gouache on 100% cotton paper • 13" x 20"

This is my latest piece! Just finished it today!!!!! It started out in my backyard with a lot of paint and plant pressings. It was a challenge to finish but I really love it! What do you think?

Fields & Flowers

I began this piece with washes over rough press handmade paper. The texture of the paper shows through the washes. I used white gouache to add the flowers.
Each edge has a deckle and due to the uniqueness of this paper, the measurements aren't exact.

"Fields & Flowers" • Original watercolor on 100% cotton handmade paper • 9.25" x 12"

If interested in purchasing this piece click HERE.

A Quiet Moment

This piece started out as a wash with one of my new colors from Daniel Smith, Naphthamide Maroon and I think some Lunar Blue also from Danies Smith. I textured with saran wrap. I decided it needed a kingfisher and used white gouache to bring out the whites in the bird and to add sparkle to other areas. I was bike riding yesterday and thinking about this piece and thought that it needed some ferns. I added the fern shapes today and I like how they turned out. When I added cobalt teal to the left edges of the bird, it really make the painting come together.

"A Quiet Moment" • Original watercolor on cotton paper • 8" x 10"

To purchase this piece click HERE.

Wisteria Mystique

"Wisteria Mystique" • Original mixed watermedia on 100% cotton paper • 25" x 38.5"

This painting is on a big sheet of watercolor paper that's a little heavier than 140#. I began with watercolor and acrylic inks creating an impressionistic wash onto which I could make flower shapes. I worked on the green part on top separately while the purples were still wet. After everything was dry I tried to figure out where the flowers and leaves should be and added them by painting with watercolor, acrylic and gouache depending on if I wanted opaque paint or not. I finished with the curving vines and brushwork accents.

If interested in purchasing this piece click HERE.

Chickadee and Green

This is my latest chickadee painting. I really wanted to use a variety of greens contrasted with the browns in the bird. The little peach accents  add a lot of zing.  I always think it's interesting to imagine what it would feel like to perch in a tree and look through the canopy of leaves.

"Chickadee and Green" • Original acrylic on 7/8" deep cradled wood, sides are painted dark brown

If interested in purchasing this piece click HERE.

Painting Hellebore

This is definitely hellebore season and these flowers are SO BEAUTIFUL!!!!! I really love how the flowers hang from the curved stems as well as the contrast between the pointy leaves and the rounded flowers. These are 3 of my recent hellebore paintings.

"Magic & Hellebore" • Original watercolor on 140# cold press paper • 11" x 7.5"

This piece started as a wash that I looked at for weeks before deciding that it would be a perfect hellebore piece. It was a challenge to find the flowers in the wash but very rewarding.

"Hellebore Magic" • Original watercolor on handmade rough press paper • 8.25" x 8.5"

This piece started with just 2 colors, bloodstone genuine and duochrome bronze. The wash was pretty light, so as I added the flower shapes I darkened around them. I like the color variation. This paper is rough press, so the texture shows in the painting. All edged have a deckle.

"Hellebore Minuet" • Original watercolor on handmade rough press paper • 9.25" x 12"

I really like the simple shapes in this piece.
If interested in purchasing any of these pieces send an email to: info@melissagannon.com

Flowers & Field

This is a new piece painted on handmade rough press paper. The paint has settled beautifully into the uneven surface. It reminded me of a field so I added the flowers in gouache. I added the geese for more interest. Because the paper is handmade, the edges all have a deckle and the piece isn't perfectly straight.

"Flowers & Field" • Original watercolor and gouache on handmade paper • 11.5" x 17.75

If interested in purchasing this piece click HERE.

Country View

This was kind of an intuitive piece on 1/2" cradled wood. I started out with colors in an experimental wash without a clear idea of what I was going to paint. After the wash dried I really loved the peachy color and decided it would make a great spring tree.  There's a bit of contrast in the way the paint is applied; it's very thick in some places and very thin in other places where you can see the brushstrokes in the undercoating which add subtle texture. I've been trying to pay more attention to values and color notes and while this piece is small, (6" x 6") it does make a big impact on the wall.

"Country View" • Original acrylic on 1/2" cradled wood, sides painted brown • 6" x 6" • Ready to hang

If interested in purchasing this piece click HERE.

King of the Marsh

I love painting marsh areas and revisit painting the a lot. I pretty much finished this piece and decided that it needed something else so I added the bird. Working on another project with iridescent paints, I added some to this piece. There's a little iridescent blue in the black of the bird and some interference paint in the water.

"King of the Marsh" Original acrylic on 3/4" wrap around canvas, painting continues on sides ready to hang • 6" x 6"

If interested in purchasing this piece click HERE.

Kingfisher in the Marsh

I've been working on this piece for a few days making adjustments.
The idea for this piece came to me when I was going through my photos and came across a kingfisher photo that I really liked. So I decided to place the bird into a landscape that a kingfisher would love! Lots of water, grasses and little fish (you can't see those) for tasty snacks! I made use of adding red to my greens in the background to set them back and worked with the different blues and purples in the water to make it interesting.

"Kingfisher in the Marsh" • Original acrylic on 1.5" gallery wrap canvas, painting continues on sides, ready to hang
12" x 12"

If interested in purchasing this piece click HERE.

Warm Light—Heron Peeking Through the Grasses

This piece is painted in acrylic on canvas. The shape is challenging and really makes for interesting compositions. I've been wanting to work a lot in greens lately which I think can be a difficult color to work with. I've discovered if I add tan colors as well as yellow and peach accents it makes the greens look better. The gray of the bird really stands out against the greens. In the water I used a glaze of lighter paint to make the ripples in the water. I think this is a really strong piece.
Thanks to my brother for the photo!

Warm Light—Heron Peeking Through the Grasses • Original acrylic on 3/4" wrap around canvas, painting continues on sides, ready to hang • 24" x 12"

If interested in purchasing this piece click HERE.

A Magical Time

We've been having snow lately and I've been painting. Using a softer brush and more medium with my acrylics is creating some softer effects with the paint. This piece, A Magical Time, is based on some marsh photos that I took last spring which seemed too complicated to paint. You know, a photo looks great until you try to make it into a painting! These photos have some really great values so composing this piece worked out pretty smoothly. I added quite a bit of red to the greens in the background to set them in the distance. Glazing some lights over the water really add to the quality of the reflection and the grasses and weeds create a wonderful atmosphere.

"A Magical Time" • Original Acrylic on 3/4" wrap around canvas, painting continues on sides, ready to hang • 20" x 20"

If interested in purchasing this piece click HERE.

Musical Sunflowers

I started this piece as a class demo and I've been working on it. I added the flowers above the largest flower and worked on the leaves. My eye kept going to the orange on the right so I adjusted the saturation of that flower peeking behind the leaf. When I added the little touches of gouache with the spatter and the flat brush strokes I think it really started to sing.

"Musical Sunflowers" • Original watercolor on 100% cotton paper • 11" x 15"

If interested in purchasing this piece click HERE.

Music of the Marsh

I have been working from some marsh photos that I took last spring and trying different color combinations and switching grasses and twigs around. This is a watercolor variation. It really started to work when I added the darker twigs in the central portion of the piece. I used a little iridescent paint on the left and the spatter at the bottom is also iridescent paint. I really like the blue to purple gradation in the water and the sense of depth in the piece.

"Music of the Marsh" • Original watercolor on 100% cotton paper • 8" x 9.93"

If interested in purchasing this piece click HERE.

Sunflower Dance

Thanks to a friend I had a real sunflower in the studio. I looked at it all day while I was painting other pieces and decided that time was running out to paint this sunflower. My first version was just a round flower which looked OK but didn't say anything particularly special. So I tilted the flower and adjusted the image and changed the background color and— YAY! —it worked! I'm much happier with this piece!!! I enjoyed using warm and cool yellows and the neutral accents in the flower.

"Sunflower Dance" • Original Acrylic on 1.5" gallery wrap canvas, painting continues on sides, ready to hang • 6" x 6"

If interested in purchasing this piece click HERE.

Land & Water Music

I love marshy areas and this if from a photo that I took last Spring that it's taken me awhile to figure out how to paint. Using masking fluid to preserve the small areas of white allowed me to be free with the initial wash of acrylic ink in the water and watercolor at the top. This is the second time I've done a mixed watercolor and ink wash trying to keep the two mediums a little separate. I like the transparency of the watercolor at the top and the strong ink color at the bottom. I also used a little black ink mixed with red on the right side. Black ink is amazing to work with—it's REALLY BLACK and takes only a little to make a big impact. After the first wash was dry I added more color with watercolor and a little more ink. I've tried to paint this without putting in every detail and I think it works really well.

"Land & Water Music" • Original mixed watermedia on 100% cotton paper • 8" x 10"

If interested in purchasing this piece click HERE.

A Place on the Pond

This is a piece that I did as an example for my waterlily workshop last Saturday. I really liked it but thought that it needed a couple of changes to really work. I darkened the blue on the bottom right and added the lighter blue at the upper left and changed some of the colors in the flower and added more orange to the center. These were just small changes but I feel that they made all the difference! It's amazing how sometimes just a little change make a BIG difference!

"A Place on the Pond" • Original acrylic on 1.5" wrapped and stretched canvas, painting and design continue on the sides • 4" x 4"

If interested in purchasing this piece click HERE.

Spring in the Wisteria

This is a painting the I've been working on in bits for the past week. I started by squirting paint directly from the tube onto the paper. Using a spritzer and brush I moved the paint around on the paper. Paint straight out of the tube is very vibrant and strong and mixed really beautifully. When I thought I had interesting colors and shapes I let the piece dry. Next I defined the flower shapes and painted in the bird. My last step was brushwork with tinted gouache which is opaque and covers the watercolor. This piece has a lot of sparkle!

"Spring in the Wisteria" • Original watercolor and gouache on 100% cotton paper • 11" x 15"

If interested in purchasing this piece click HERE.

Waterlily Workshop with Melissa Gannon

Today we painted waterlilies in acrylic. The emphasis was to use design and interesting colors. We worked from a photo of a single waterlily. We all really enjoyed the process. The paintings completed in this workshop are below. Thanks to all for allowing me to post your beautiful work!

Dancing Roses

I used a photo for this that I took last year. I was really trying to use impressionistic brushwork to suggest but not totally spell everything out. I also was trying for a lot of variety in the pinks and greens. I started this piece before Christmas and just finished!

"Dancing Roses" • Original acrylic on 3/4" wrap around stretched canvas • 5" x 7" • ready to hang

If interested in purchasing this piece click HERE.

Magic in Purples & Greens

I've been painting wisteria lately. I have some lovely Daniel Smith purples and a new green and I wanted to use them all in a painting. This is at least my 5th or 6th wisteria painting and I'm working on another that's even larger.

This painting was created intuitively by squeezing color on the paper and washing it down in very loose washes. This is the fun part with no pressure, just lots of color! When the painting dries then comes the design. Where should the flowers be? Where should the leaves be? Is everything interesting? Does it work? This part of the painting process takes thought and confidence. The last step of this piece was the addition of tinted white gouache for the lovely sun sparkles. I'm very pleased with the result!

This piece is painted on a 1/2 sheet of Shizen paper that I tore instead of cut, so that the edge blends in with the other deckle edges. Since the paper is handmade it's not perfectly straight but it works well with a mat. The paper is rough press and the texture really adds to the piece.

"Magic in Purples & Greens" • Original watercolor and gouache on 100% cotton paper • 15" x 22"

If interested in purchasing this piece click HERE.

Anticipating Spring in January

"Anticipating Spring in January" • Original watercolor and gouache on 100% cotton paper • 11" x 15"

I wanted to paint with purples and greens and wisteria is perfect for those colors! I started with a really loose wash, used saran wrap for texture and let everything dry. I added the darker shapes, lifted a bit for more lights and the last step was tinted gouache to create holes in the leaf patterns and lighten the bottom.

If interested in purchasing this piece click HERE.