Art Journey Paintings

Announcing My New Book: Power of the Wind!

2009-07-12T09:16:00.004-07:00

Hello Friends,

I've taken the brave step into self-publishing and created my first book! Power of the Wind is the story of my three-year journey to create a series of paintings about wind energy. Just click the link below to preview it in my bookstore.

For all my wind energy friends who haven't been able to purchase a painting due to tight economic times, consider purchasing the book instead! You'll be able to see the whole collection of paintings and read how each one was inspired. The price is very reasonable at just $23 for a softcover copy, or $34 for a hardcover copy with dust jacket. The publisher will ship directly to you in a very timely manner! It makes a great gift!

So take care and let me know how you like it!

Sincerely, Marie Wise

~Yes, wind has a color, and it is the rainbow! ~

Power of the Wind

Marie Wise

By Marie Wise

Book Preview

Getting ready to stretch a large canvas

2009-07-05T14:39:00.001-07:00

Frame for Rhododendron Explosion - 48" x 96"

Read how I almost shot my eye out with the staple gun!

Painting at the Lake on June 28

2009-06-28T16:46:00.001-07:00

Done en plein air at Lake Sacajawea

around 1:00 pm, June 28, 2009

oil on linen panel - 11" x 14"

It was a beautiful Sunday so we headed for Lake Sacajawea to practice what we learned at the Mitch Baird painting workshop. Plus, the water lilies are in full bloom. I love water lilies.

Painting water lilies is easier said than done. I don't know if the principles of value, shape and distance apply when painting water and water reflections? Allan and I were both about as frustrated as we've ever been on a painting trip. I think my painting is a dud. Worth scraping off, in my opinion, but I saved it as a learning experience. Here's Allan's painting. It has an impressionist feel.

Part of the reason may be that we were both painting in full sun, at noon. It must have muted the colors, becuase neither one of us could figure out what color we were using. All my darks were too dark and my lights were too light. Next time I'll sit in the shade.

So here it is. I'll let you be the judge.

~ The brush wasn't happy in my hand today ~

Ann's Rhody

2009-06-27T17:09:00.001-07:00

Ann's Rhody - 16 x 20 - oil on canvas

Finished at last. The background morphed from what I'd originally envisioned. Thank you to Ann Chaikin of Bellingham, Wa., who granted permission to work from her beautiful photo. You can also see it on her blog.

I started this painting as a demonstration at the Salal Spring Arts Festival. I thought it would be quick work to finish it at home. Boy was I wrong. Maybe if I'd worked more consistently instead of taking a Mitch Baird painting workshop, started another painting, and compulsively watching all the Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett specials on TV, I might have finished it sooner.

But oh well. I like the finished product. I added it to my collection of Rhododendron paintings.

Here's the painting Allan just finished. I love the composition. He practiced his Mitch Baird painting skills.

Now I need to get busy and finish the painting I started while I was still in the middle of this one!

~ I will keep the brush happy in my hand! ~

Therese Tice's painting ~ longing for the tropics!

2009-06-17T19:27:00.001-07:00

A friend finished her teaching schedule for the year and jetted off to Hawaii. While there she visited artists and did all the fun-in-the-sun activities I wish I could do. She sent me this painting by an artist she'd met; Therese Tice. It seems so familiar. There used to be a Hawaiian store in Kalama, and I recall seeing a print resembling this painting. Of course, the store went out of business long ago, so I can't check, and I haven't been to Hawaii in ages. I Googled Therese Tice and didn't find anything, so I decided to give Therese's painting it's first Web exposure!

I like this painting, it feels comfortable, like someone I know painted it. If anyone knows about Therese Tice's artwork, let me know and I'll link to it.

Aside from that, I've had little time for painting. My father has been ill, I'm getting ready for a family reunion, and the flowers need watering every evening. Hopefully I can get back to painting soon.

World's Oldest Blogger
I haven't been so busy though, that I missed a Time magazine article about Maria Amelia Lopez, the world's oldest blogger at 97. They called her Spain's granny blogger (she was from Spain). Sadly, she died recently, but it just goes to show, connecting via the Web is for any age. Good for you, Maria!

Here's her blog ~ in Spanish: http://amis95.blogspot.com/
Here's the CNN article: http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/05/22/spain.world.oldest.blogger/
Here's the Times article: http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article6344077.ece

~ I will keep this blog happy in my hands! ~

Mary's Poppies, At Last

2009-06-09T19:26:00.001-07:00

Mary's Poppies - 30 x 40 - oil on canvas

I'm not sure why it is that life rarely turns out the way you want it to, expect it to, or hope it will. It must be God's way of showing us who's in charge. It's also probably why I never won the Powerball.

So Mary's Poppies was, and is, an unexpected blossoming of painted shapes. It was unplanned, for the most part, without a map or photo to guide me.

For Mary. The one who always (well almost always) makes me smile. I love you!

~ I will keep the brush happy in my hand ~

Here's the painting progress:

I had no idea I'd painted so many poppies, but here they all are!

Plein Air Painting Workshop by Mitch Baird

2009-06-07T21:21:00.000-07:00

Mitch Baird painting (photo 1)

Mitch Baird's painting (photo 2)

My painting set up (photo 3)

Allan painting (photo 4)

My painting (last photo)

I did this painting today at a Plein Air Painting Workshop by Mitch Baird. Allan and I have never done a workshop, but after seeing Mitch's paintings at Art on the Boulevard and discovering he was teaching a workshop this weekend, we decided to give it a try.

We've loved Mitch's work since we first saw it. The paintings are so simple and fresh--like I've always wished I could paint. The workshop solidified two important concepts for me: simplifying shapes, and identifying values.

The workshop was on Sauvie Island. Mitch did a demonstration first, then we each did our own painting while Mitch gave advice. He helped me with perspective, which I always struggle with, and how to break up planes so a person's eyes move around the painting. He's also a master at smudging edges! Mine tend to get to sharp.

I've been painting all my life and I feel like I had the most to learn of everyone in the group! One thing is for sure, the simplicity of a beautiful painting is incredibly complex. Complex in that it's hard to capture, and has nothing to do with details.

The last picture above is my painting. Not even worth a frame, if you ask me, but a valuable learning experience. Also, I can't even claim it as my own, since Mitch helped so much. So I'll use it as my first example of a workshop painting! Hopefully there'll be more!

I met some other inspirational artists, Celeste Bergin and Sandra Longmore. And I discovered I need a better easel set up. More art supplies!

~I will keep the brush happy in my hand~

Painting another Rhody at the Salal Spring Arts Festival

2009-06-06T19:27:00.001-07:00

Ann's Rhody (Rhody #11) - 16 x 20 - oil on canvas

The 2009 Salal Spring Arts Festival at Lower Columbia College kicked off the official launch of this year's edition of The Salal Review, the college's literary and arts magazine. I was honored this year when the team of students and faculty advisors that produce the magazine selected my painting of a Rhododendron for the cover artwork!

It was fitting that I demonstrate painting a Rhody at the festival, even though I didn't finish the painting that day (nor have I finished it since). Here's what it looked like on Saturday, May 30 during the festival. I've worked on it every night since, but it's still not done.

Back in 2003-04 I completed ten paintings of Rhododendrons. I was inspired to do another by Ann Chaiken's photo of a rhody on flickr.com. Ann agree to share her photo with me and it became the inspiration for this painting.

To top it off, Allan bought me a humongous set of stretcher bars on sale at Utrecht: 4 feet tall by 8 feet long!! My plan is to paint an oversize Rhody floral to grace my livingroom. I want to call it Rhododendron Explosion. We'll see if I can realize this goal, because it will be the biggest painting I've ever done. The next largest is Riverwatch, at 2-1/2 feet tall by 8 feet long. I completed this painting in 2004 after we moved into our new home, but it was done on three separate panels.

So I better stop yackin' and get to work!

~I will keep the brush happy in my hand!~

Doreen and her Paintings

2009-06-02T19:09:00.001-07:00

Doreen is 86, subscribes to my blog, and e-mails me often. We've never met, but I love hearing about her painting and gardening. I decided to post the three pictures she sent me recently. The top two are paintings she's done, followed by her own smiling picture.

Doreen, I hope I can do as well as you when I'm 86! I know a lot of seniors younger than you who think a mouse is that fuzzy gray creature the cat chases after, have no idea what a blog is, nor would they even consider joining an online social network.

So here's to all the members of the Silent Generation who (by leaps and bounds) are using the Internet, sending e-mail, reading blogs, watching online videos and participating in social networking. Good for you!

Doreen my friend, you are breaking the glass ceiling!

~I will keep the brush happy in my hand~

Doreen said that!

The Green Paper and my Klondike Wind Painting

2009-06-01T18:41:00.001-07:00

Klondike Wind Turbines - oil on panel - 11 x 14

Tracy Laine stopped by my office last week and saw the postcard advertising my Power of the Wind show last January that featured this painting on the cover. She asked if I'd give permission to include it in the next issue of The Green Paper, a free monthly publication in Oregon and SW Washington. So I said, sure!

The Green Paper is all about renewable, recyclable and green information. It's published by Mollie Riley in Clatskanie, Oregon. The Green Paper blog is out-of-date, but the articles I read in the May issue seemed relevant to increased awareness of green issues such organic coffee, raw foods lifestyle, edible flowers and American's energy future.

My artwork appeared on the back cover of the paper, with this caption:

Local artist Marie Wise of Kalama, captures the power and beauty of wind energy in her oil painting entitled "Klondike Wind Turbines". For more information on this painting or other works of art by Marie Wise, visit www.mariewise.com.

So thank you to Tracy Laine and The Green Paper for featuring my artwork in the May issue!

Here's the painting on my online wind gallery

Here's the painting on ReImaginations (online wind energy gallery)

Here's another painting of a Klondike Wind Turbine

Here's the blog post on my Power of the Wind show

~I will keep the brush happy in my hand~

Quick Poppy Study

2009-05-29T20:02:00.000-07:00

Quick Poppy Study - watercolor - 7" x 9"

I'm starting a new painting, you guessed it, poppies again. I just bought a set of Daniel Smith quinacridone watercolors, so I decided to try them out.
Quinacridones are transparent, extremely vibrant warm colors. Mixing them with other colors, or glazing them on top of colors, makes everything pop.
This little study gives me a feel for the larger red poppies I'm putting into the new 30 x 40 oil painting. I have to wash the colors on big and bold, and worry about the details later, which is sort of counter-intuitive for me; considering I can get carried away with details in a hurry.
So hopefully I can loosen up!

~I will keep the brush happy in my hand~

Painting at Lake Sacajawea on May 23

2009-05-28T19:27:00.001-07:00

Done en plein air at Lake Sacajawea
11 am, May 23, 2009

oil on linen panel - 11" x 14"

Another beautiful weekend and maybe the last chance to paint yellow irises this season. We set up on a shady bank facing the Kessler side, with reflections of Emmanuel Lutheran Church in the water. I liked the spot because the water was calm.

The irises posed so nicely, they didn't even move once! A little brown duck even floated back and forth for me. I know he wanted to be in the painting so I obliged!

I like how it turned out, sort of capturing the moment, but not too fussy. I refuse to touch up my plein air paintings when I get home. It sort of defeats the purpose of capturing the moment, plus I'm tired by that point and have brushes to clean.

I won't be able to paint next weekend, I'll be at the Salal Spring Arts Festival demonstrating a painting of a Rhododendron, inspired by a photo taken by Anne Chaikin, a wonderful photographer I met on flickr. Anne's screen name is Paint and Shoot!

And finally, Suzanne Amodio, another flickr artist, asked if I could mention her on my blog, so that's what I'm doing. Thanks for sharing your work with me!

~I will keep the brush happy in my hands~

My Painting on The 2009 Salal Review

2009-05-21T19:17:00.001-07:00

Rhody - 24 x 30 - oil on canvas - 2003 (top)
The 2009 Salal Review - cover artwork (bottom)

I was honored this year when students and faculty advisors at Lower Columbia College selected my painting for the cover of the college's literary and arts magazine, The Salal Review.

The 2009 issue will be officially released at a launch party in the Student Center at the college on May 30 at 5:00 pm. I can't wait to get my copy and see the other artwork inside, plus read the stories and poems. I know one person who's poem was accepted and she is so excited to be published!

I read all of the previous issues of The Salal Review I could get my hands on, and found the selection of stories and poems to be thought-provoking, sensitive and inspiring. I think the students and faculty do a wonderful job with this publication, and I'm honored to grace the cover.

More about The Salal Review

Rhody in my online gallery

~ I will keep the brush happy in my hand ~

Coco's Poppies

2009-05-19T18:23:00.000-07:00

Coco's Poppies - size unknown

My friend Coco subscribes to my e-mail list, and after seeing my poppy painting progress, she shared her own poppy paintings! If you've ever seen Coco's artwork, you know it's big, bold and textural. And not necessarily done with traditional art materials. But that just goes to show you, artists cannot be pegged into a pre-defined pattern.

Since Mary's Poppies is almost finished, I've been thinking about the next painting. I want to paint another poppy, but how exactly, I'm not sure yet.

So in the meantime, I'm sharing Coco's work with you. Coco, you need to start blogging ! Here's more about Coco.

~SeeYaLater!

We will keep the brush happy in our hands!

Mary's Poppies ~ Day 7, and the banana bread

2009-05-17T18:35:00.000-07:00

Mary's Poppies - 30 x 40 - oil on canvas - Day 7 (top image)

My banana bread (bottom image)

~The painting is coming together, but I've been so busy that I haven't done much painting lately. Today I spent most of the day cleaning the deck outside my art studio and getting my planters ready to plant poppy seeds I ordered from the One Stop Poppy Shoppe. I tell you, online shopping for poppy seeds couldn't have been easier. I placed my order on a Tuesday and on Friday the seeds arrived, together with planting instructions and a lovely thank you card from the company. I planted them today and hopefully by September I'll have poppy inspirations for more paintings.

I also made a Crock-Pot bean with bacon soup from our Easter ham bone, and banana bread with two uber-ripe bananas. It turned out yummy. Here's the recipe, handed down in the 70's from my Dad's friend Sallie Schott.

Banana Bread

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1-1/4 cups mashed banana

1/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

You can add some applesauce and sour cream if your bananas don't equal 1-1/4 cups.

Cream the butter and sugars. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat well. Add the flour, baking soda, salt cinnamon and nutmeg and mix well. Add in the mashed bananas and combine. Stir in the raisins and walnuts/pecans.

Pour into one greased loaf pan. Bake 350 degrees for one hour, or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool for a while, then slice and serve. Yum!

Yesterday we painted at Lake Sacajawea, and I already posted my painting, but here's Allan's painting of the yellow irises. He finished it up at home.

Here's the poppy painting progress:

E-mail me if you'd like to subscribe to my list.

Painting at Lake Sacajawea ~ and carrot cake!

2009-05-16T15:52:00.000-07:00

Done en plein air at Lake Sacajawea
11 am, May 16, 2009
oil on linen panel - 11" x 14"

The weatherman said we could expect 80 degrees this weekend, so Allan and I got up early on Saturday, had coffee, and headed for my favorite painting spot at Lake Sacajawea. I was all ready to paint just the yellow irises and their reflections in the water that I'd scoped out earlier in the week. But seeing Allan against the water, combined with bright greens and yellows changed my mind, and I decided to put him in the painting. I had to work fast, because he doesn't sit still long. I think I captured it, just like one of those Impressionist paintings of artists painting in the grass. ~Viola.

While I was painting, Mary called and asked for the carrot cake recipe I made for her birthday, so here it is:

Carrot Cake
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
3 cups grated carrot
1 cup cooking oil
4 eggs
1 8-oz. can crushed pineapple
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chpped walnuts

Get ready:
Grate the carrots. Drain the pineapple but reserve the juice. Chop the walnuts.

Mix:
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large bowl. Add carrots, oil and eggs. Beat with a mixer until well combined. If mixture seems dry, add pineapple juice bit by bit. Mix in the drained crushed pineapple, coconut, raisins and walnuts.

Bake:
Pour into two bread pans (8x4x2) that have been sprayed really well with Pam. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Let cool 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool on wire rack. When completely cool, frost with Cream Cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting
1 8-oz package cream cheese
1/2 cup softened butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar (or more if desired)

Beat together the cream cheese, butter and vanilla until light and fluffy. Beat in powdered sugar until frosting is spreadable.

Divide frosting in half, spread top of each cake with frosting and swirl around.

Refrigerate to firm up the frosting. Slice and serve. YUM!

Freezes very well, just wrap up in plastic wrap and foil. I like to put one in the freezer, so I can just slice off a piece once in a while and have it for dessert. I think I'll do that tonight!

Longview and Kelso student artwork

2009-05-16T15:15:00.001-07:00

We attended the opening reception for the Longview/Kelso Secondary Schools Art Show. There were so many wonderful artworks, I can't believe how talented young people are today. I snapped a few photos, mainly of paintings that inspired me enough to take a second look. In my opinion, the very best work by far was the pastel painting of a black crow (see top image). It reminds me of The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe.

Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter,
In there stepped a stately raven of the saintly days of yore.
Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he;
But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door -
Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door -
Perched, and sat, and nothing more.

Mary's Poppies - Day 6, and Doreen's Poppies

2009-05-14T19:03:00.001-07:00

Mary's Poppies - 30 x 40 - oil on canvas - Day 6 (top)

Doreen Fitzgibbon's Poppy painting (bottom)

~Work continues on my painting, bit by bit. I'm still blocking in the background colors and shapes.

One of my mailing list subscribers e-mailed me today to share that I'd inspired her to create her own poppy painting. See Doreen Fitzgibbon's painting (above). Doreen says she's 86 years old, still working in her garden (planting over a thousand flower plants) and painting! Wow! I hope I'm doing as well at that age. Thanks for sharing your work with me, Doreen! I love your painting.

In Doreen's words "We will keep the brush happy in our hands!"

On another painting note, Allan's been painting his blue glass, and his view from the Port. Lucky guy!

See Day 1
See Day 2
See Day 3
See Day 4
See Day 5

E-mail me if you'd like to subscribe to my list.

Mary's Poppies - Day 5

2009-05-12T18:57:00.001-07:00

Mary's Poppies - 30 x 40 - oil on canvas

Day 5

~More blocking in of background and poppies. The little art deco shapes are getting more definition. I'm using a lot of Cadmium Red and Alizarin Crimson. It's a slow process, but I accomplish a little more each day.

See Day 1

See Day 2
See Day 3

See Day 4

Compare to another poppy painting I did

Mary's Poppies - Day 4

2009-05-11T19:14:00.000-07:00

Mary's Poppies - 30 x 40 - oil on canvas
Day 4

~ I started adding colors to the top left of the painting. The poppies are taking shape, along with the art deco quilt shapes in the background.

See Day 1
See Day 2

See Day 3
Compare to another poppy painting I did

Mary's Poppies - Day 3

2009-05-10T19:42:00.001-07:00

Mary's Poppies - 30 x 40 - oil on canvas

Day 3

~I bl0cked in the green stem and leaf shapes. Did you notice that another poppy has appeared?

See Day 1

See Day 2

Compare to another poppy painting I did

Mary's Poppies - Day 2

2009-05-07T19:05:00.000-07:00

Mary's Poppies - 30 x 40 - oil on canvas
Day 2

~Today I blocked in the poppy shapes with Cadmium Red and Ivory Black. I wanted to get a feel for the shapes within the canvas space. I also added some Klimt-like art deco design elements that Mary requested: squares, circles and swirls. So far so good !

Compare to Day 1

Compare to another poppy painting I did

Mary's Poppies - Day 1

2009-05-05T19:28:00.001-07:00

Mary's Poppies - 30 x 40 - oil on canvas

Day 1

Mary has a new little place that needs some color. I offered to make a big bright painting for her living room.

I brought over several canvases and we picked out one that fit best. Then she and I sat on the floor with our glasses of wine and sketched out the composition with brown and orange conte. We used a big jug of fake poppies for inspiration. The cat knocked it over twice.

When I got home I roughed in the drawing with Yellow Ochre and Cobalt Blue oil paint thinned with Liquin to a sort of greenish yellow. From there I plan to start blocking in the colors.

I'll post each day's progress, until Mary's Poppies is finished. Then we hope to have an unveiling, along with some wine and snacks!

Have you Ever Done It on Yupo?

2009-05-03T17:02:00.001-07:00

Camellias - 8 x 10 - on Yupo paper (top)

Camellias - 8 x 10 - on hot-press watercolor paper (second)

Camellia - 2.5 x 3.5 - on Strathmore trading card paper (third)

Yupo (fourth)

An artist friend asked for help in using his digital camera. During our visit he asked me if I'd ever painted on Yupo paper. I said I'd tried it once, but wasn't that familiar with it. We talked about it for a while.

So like telling a child not to do something, I had to go and do it. That is, paint something on Yupo. You can see the result in the top image. It was like painting on glass and took me a week. Every night I'd come home and add more paint, but it was more like subtracting paint, because every stroke of the brush took off what was underneath. In my opinion, it ended up looking like a pile of mud.

Because I'd intended this painting for a birthday gift, I couldn't very well give someone a pile of mud, so I had to do it over again. This time I used hot-press watercolor paper (second image). The inspiration came from Bev Jozwiak, the watercolor artist who told me she pretty much paints in one shot, that is; no tedious layer after layer. In my last post I wrote (in reference to Bev Jozwiak), "I figure if she can do it, so can I." Now I'm not claiming to be anywhere near the watercolorist Bev Jozwiak is, but it's amazing how a few words of advice from one artist can influence another. This painting took only one day!

The third image is just a small trading-card sized painting I'll use as the birthday card to accompany the birthday gift.

And the last image is, you guessed it - Yupo paper!

So I'll leave it up to you, do you like the hot-press version, or the Yupo version? Post your reply as a comment to this post. Whatever you tell me will influence my next watercolor.

See the photos that inspired these paintings.

Staring Back: Portraiture at the Sixth Street Gallery

2009-05-02T18:23:00.000-07:00

Opening Reception for Staring Back: Portraiture at the Sixth Street Gallery

The opening reception was well attended. The paintings were wonderful, by far the best we've seen this year at the Sixth Street Gallery. There were so many wonderful portraits. We had a chance to talk to Marcus Gannuscio and he posed for a picture in front of his largest painting (top image).

You can see my painting (second from bottom). Yup, that's me in the red scarf, thus the name of my painting: Red Scarf!

Afterwards we walked uptown to the Aurora Gallery and met the artist Bev Jozwiak. Her watercolors are so inspiring. She also paints in acrylic. I always thought good watercolor paintings involved applying tedious layers of watered-down paint. But Bev said she pretty much paints them in one shot. How intriguing! I came home and got out my watercolors. I figure if she can do it, so can I. We'll see.