Season's Greetings from Susie Short Studio

Merry Christmas!
When I was asked for my Christmas Wish List earlier this year I took some time to think about what I really wanted. I struggled to come up with some "material stuff" I wanted that could be put in a box a wrapped to go under a tree. While trying hard to please those who asked me for my list, I was reminded again that what matters the most to me is the friends and family I am blessed with having in my life. Nothing would mean more to me than a phone call or a card from those who live don't live close enough for a visit. And a big hug and a good conversation have got to be some of the best gifts of all!
I confess I did think of a few items I'd like to have to put on a wish list. But I won't be disappointed if I don't get them. I believe the presents for under the tree are for the younger folks. What can be more lovely that the face of a child as they gaze excitedly at the gifts under a tree?

My Christmas wish for each one of you is that you are surrounded with the people you love and who love you. I wish for you to be surrounded by those who make you happy and encourage you to be yourself this holiday season.

And for the NEW YEAR my wish for you all is that 2010 be a year of creation, inspiration, imagination and motivation.

Happy Holidays!
SUSIE

Poinsettia Christmas card patterns are available!

Are you interested in painting poinsettia Christmas cards?

At the request of my students I'm making several of my best poinsettia patterns and photos available online for purchase. You will find these photos and traceable patterns in my Artstore

In addition to the photos and patterns I also have a free printable watercolor tips page on "How to Paint Pretty Poinsettias without a pattern" on my main watercolor website. Enjoy!

Happy Painting!
SUSIE

New Watercolor Poinsettias for Christmas

Hello!
I wanted to share the latest additions to my watercolor Christmas cards. These pretty pink poinsettias were painted from some photos I took last year at a couple of my favorite local greenhouses/nurseries.

At this time of the year when I visit the local plant places each and every pinsettia seem to be crying "Take me home with you!" I can't buy them all...so I do the next best thing... I take photos!

I'll add more as I have time. If you are interested in purchasing any of my watercolor cards you'll find them on my website in my new gift gallery.

I also have some tips for painting your own poinsettias in my watercolor tips pages.

Painting Pretty Poinsettias

Thanks for looking! Your comments are always appreciated and welcome!

SUSIE

Christmas Cards in Watercolor

Greetings!

I've been having more fun painting for this years Christmas card collection!

Here is a sneak peak at what I've been painting. Watch for my new gift shop to open on my website to see all 40 of my Christmas cards available this year. (It's exciting!)

Thanks for looking !

SUSIE

UPDATE!! The Gift Gallery is open! Click here! http://gifts.susieshort.net

Winter Landscapes make perfect greeting cards for the holidays!

I've had so many requests from those wishing to purchase my Christmas and Holiday Cards

(THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!)
I've been working on a little gift shop on my website to share them with you.
After several long weekends it's now open for business! I'm still adding the finishing touches but you are welcome to stop in and see what's happening!

Susie Short's Gift Gallery

Happy Holidays!

SUSIE

I'm back from Texas

Greetings!
I've just returned from a short trip to Texas to surprise my little sister on her birthday and to see my new granddaughter. It was a nice break from my routine and I enjoyed seeing my family again. Birthday celebrations and holidays are difficult at times especially when most of my family is in Texas. It was so nice to see them but I was happy to get back to some cooler weather.

It's beginning to feel like fall in the Northwest. Tomorrow I'm going to Leavenworth, WA to see if I can find some local fall color to photograph. I love this time of the year!
Last month my students were painting sunflowers and pumpkins. This month we will be painting autumn leaves and getting a jump on watercolor Christmas Cards. I guess that definately means that summer is over!

The last weekend in October I'm going to the beach to paint. I'll be teaching a workshop in Rockaway Beach. Check my website for more info. It should be a fun trip.

I'll see if I can find some photos from my classes to share with you....check back soon!

Keep those brushes wet!
SUSIE

Issaquah Art Walk

The Issaquah Art Walk is held on the first Friday of the month during the summer.
I had the honor and the privilege to participate in the Issaquah Art Walk August 7, 2007. I was one of the featured Christian Artists who had works displayed at the Meadow Creek Church located at 65 Front St. Issaquah, WA ( http://www.meadowcreek.org/ )
The newly renovated Meadow Creek Church was transformed into a stunning art gallery for the evening. I was amazed at the steady flow of people who wandered in and out during the 4 hours of the art walk. It was fun to see old friends and meet new ones.
Not only did I get to display some of my paintings for the evening I also had the opportunity to share some of my painting skills with those who stopped by. Most of this sunflower was painted during the art walk...with only a few touches added back in my studio. I have some additional tweaks to put in on the leaves before I call it complete but I wanted to share it with you on my blog as a work in progress.
FYI--I have a sunflower class coming up in September so watch for more of the beauties as they start to bloom on my watercolor paper.

Your comments are welcome!

Short Trip to Mt Rainier CANCELLED

Due to the current heat wave in the Pacific Northwest and weather conditions on the mountain my trip to Mt Rainier July 31, Aug 1 & 2, 2009 has been cancelled.

I'm really disappointed that I won't get to go up while the flowers are doin' their thing, but with the ongoing record breaking heat and the air quality forecasted to be poor for the next few days I can't afford to put anyone at risk.

The forecasters say the temps will remain in the 90's (even at Sunrise Visitors Ctr) for at least 4 -5 more days with a cool down starting in the middle of next week. With the high pressure comes the haze and stagnant air which is generally not a problem on Mt Rainier but when the weather pattern holds for this long, I understand pollutants collect under the dome of high pressure which can make breathing difficult.

There will be other times to make this trip when the weather is more favorable.
Please help me pass the word to those planning to join me that the wildflower trip won't happen this year.

Keep those brushes wet!
SUSIE

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Painting Water - Streams/Waterfalls/Reflections

Seattle 3 Day Workshop -- July 26th, 27th, 28th
Daniel Smith Seattle Store (click the title for more details)

This waterfall photo was used for painting a demo this past Saturday (July 18) promoting the upcoming workshop next week in Seattle. The waterfall is from a plein air painting trip to Mt Rainier a few years ago. I don't know the exact name of the falls or if there even is a name for this particular little gem but I do know it is on the way up to Paradise. You can see the demo painting in my previous post.

The upcoming workshop will cover how to paint the effects of fast moving water cascading over rocks and boulders and dramatic waterfalls. We will also study the laws of reflections and how to apply these properties to your future paintings.

I checked this afternoon and there are still a couple of seats available if you are interested in taking this workshop. It should be fun and full of good information!
Until next time...keep those brushes wet!
SUSIE

Mt Rainier Waterfall - A demonstration @ Daniel Smith

Greetings!

It is always an honor to paint in front of a room full of eager watercolor artists! I appreciate the smiling faces even more when the weather outside is sunny and beautiful and realize these people could be outside enjoying the day and they chose to spend a few hours watching me paint.
Thanks for making my day!

This quick little waterfall was painted on a 11"x15" piece of 140# CP Quiller Watercolor Block. As most of you know I'm partial to Arches 140# CP so I wanted to see how this new paper measured up to the Susie test. I've never used this paper before so it was a pleasent experiment yeilding pleasing results!! Would I use it again...yes, I certainly would!

I really liked they way it accepted my paint. I tested it using both wet and dry techniques and it passed my test with flying colors!

In this demonstration I also played with some brand new Daniel Smith paints that are available in the store but not even in the catalog yet!
They are Deep Sap Green (a mixture) Diopsite Genuine and Burnt Yellow Ochre.

Watch for these to be released soon! They have my stamp of approval.

If you want to learn more about painting water (including waterfalls) I have a 3 day workshop coming up next week in Seattle at the Daniel Smith Store Classroom. There are only a few seats left so hurry if you are interested!

Keep those brushes wet!

SUSIE

Ouch! This little bird has had a broken wing

Hello Everyone!

It's been a long time since I posted on any of my blogs. I've been busy doing what I do and trying to keep up with everything I had scheduled in May and June and now almost through July while I was healing from a broken arm.
Yes....as much as I hate to admit it I preformed a very clumsy one point landing face forward outside my studio on May 16th. It was a very pretty sunny afternoon, I'd been to the grocery store and was walking outside of my studio when I stepped off a little 2 inch sidewalk onto the asphalt parking lot a lost my footing. I had my arms full so I was unable to break my fall and when I hit the ground my right elbow found that 2 inch sidewalk. Kerplunk....no it sounded more like a loud "thud" as I recall. All I could do was blink away the stars and the tears while I tried to determine if I could even get up.

(Don't make fun of that commercial ..."I've fallen and I can't get up!......... it could happen to you :).
My husband was with me so he helped me get into a chair inside the studio until I decided if I was going to live or not. I decided it hurt too bad for me be dead so he began a search for an emergency room with a short line ahead of me. We found one close by and after a trip to the Kent Urgent Care Clinic and a couple of x-rays I found out I had a radial head fracture ( the small bone in my forearm where it connects to my elbow.) and cast would be required. Ugh! A cast meant limited movement. How was I going to paint with a cast? It could have been so much worse....I'm very thankful that my injury was such a minor one.
I would need to wait for the swelling to go down before they could apply a long term cast to my arm. After a couple of days I went to get my cast and I had a choice of colors so I picked purple.
The cast went from the palm of my hand to mid upper arm above my elbow.
I couldn't do anything! I couldn't even hold a paint brush or write my name! Forget about typing on a computer! I felt so useless. I did allow myself a couple of days to mope around the house then I realized at least I could still talk! (grin)
Fortunately, I wouldn't require any surgery to repair anything. So all in all I was very blessed as things could have been much worse.

I wore the pretty purple hard cast for a couple of weeks....talked my way through my weekly classes, then moved into a half cast (splint) with ace bandages to keep my elbow immobilized.
On June 25 I got the release from my doctor to resume my daily life as long as I took things easy and wouldn't try to over do.

This bright yellow iris is the first painting I did with my fixed wing. Sigh..........things were going to be ok. (Very Big Smile!)

So that's my story, I'm getting stronger every day and I promise I'll never take being well for granted. Thanks to all of my sweet friends, family and artbuddies who sent me "thinking of you" and "get well soon" emails. You don't know how I appreciate your love and care!

I love you all! Keep those brushes wet!
SUSIE

PS. I haven't decided if I want to leave the left top corner of this painting light or paint it dark like the right side. What do you think? Please let me know by clicking on the word "comments" below. Thanks!

Tulips at Windmill Gardens, Sumner, WA

The afternoon was just perfect for painting... a cool breeze, not too windy, birds chirping, partly cloudy with intermitten sun breaks to expose those illusive shadows that were playing hide and seek with me.

To be honest I spent more time taking photograph than painting. There were a couple of weddings in the garden so I tried to stay out of the way and off the beaten path.

This is one of the little sketches I painted while I was at Windmill Gardens.

It's in a 7x10 sketchbook filled with 140# CP paper. No drawing for this little treasure, just painted free handed with my Niji water barrel brushes.

Sunday en Plein Air @ Windmill Gardens - Sumner WA

Hi all!
I'll be painting en plein air at Windmill Gardens in Sumner tomorrow Sunday April 26 (good weather or not) Join me at the Gazebo if you can come paint!Wear your jacket!
Susie Short
PS. I'm planning more plein air outings for this summer; most are for the last weekend of the month.
Let me know if you are interested in joining me!

Geraniums in a blue pot

More geraniums!

Painting Geraniums - March 2009

My Tuesday Afternoon Watercolor Class will be painting geraniums during the month of March. Shown is an example of what happened on my paper last week. The blooms were painted freehand without drawing them first. And then I added the leaves... and they weren't drawn first either! Focus was placed on seeing and painting the shapes. Not only are we learning the anatomy of this pretty flower we are also learning how to use a variety of reds to create drama and interest and how to mix a bunch of luscious greens. This week we will try painting geraniums as potted plants. Come back to see the results!

Upcoming Seattle Class- Butterflies,Dragonflies, & Bees

BUTTERFLIES, DRAGONFLIES, & BEES
Seattle Watercolor Class @ Daniel Smith Classroom
March 20, 2009 10:00am - 3:30pm $55 pia - $60 atd
Call Susie to Register 253-859-1111
Register Online

A Rose for Lenora

I always think of February as a time for roses. I guess it could be that Valentine's Day is on the 14th. Here in the Pacific Northwest (where I live) roses still have a few months to wait before the sun comes out to give them the exposure they need to bloom. But I do love roses and I love to paint them.

This pretty pink rosebud was painted for Lenora, my SWAP partner. SWAP stands for Sharing With Artist Partners, an international group of artists who share their watercolors with each other quarterly.
I was pleased with the results of this 5x7 painting. As with most of my watercolors, I prefer to paint without a drawing and work out the shapes with my paintbrush as I paint. For this painting I started with the background. I wanted a cooler background so I could play up the warm backlit leaves in the foreground. I used a mixture of Ultramarine Turquoise and New Gamboge for the green background color charged with Carbazole Violet for the darks around and behind the rosebud.
About the rain drops… There are several prestigious rose gardens in the Seattle area. Last year I planned several “outings” to photograph roses and when the day arrived it was raining again and again….yep…that’s Seattle! So after 3 tries I went anyway. Got my umbrella out to protect my camera and came home with a ton of Raindrops on Roses photos.
Let me know if you like this one.

SUSIE

Watercolor Workshop's Artist of the Year

Each January Susie Short's Watercolor Workshop an International eMail Group (hosted by Yahoo! Groups) honors a member artist as their Artist of the Year. This year's deserving recepient is Doris Glovier a talented artist from the east coast of the United States.

Voting members consider the following criteria for the Artist of the Year award:

• The member is interactive in WcW projects and our message board;
• Offers encouragement to others;
• Inspires others with their own watercolor efforts;
• Exhibits growth in their watercolor skills and abilities throughout the past year.

The Watercolor Workshop Group was established in 2000 and now has a membership of over 1750 artists from around the world.

Congratulations Doris!

To see artwork by this outstanding artist:

• Visit Doris' Artist of the Year Announcement page
• View Doris' Blog

January is for Pinecones

Happy New Year!

My Tuesday Watercolor Class for Serious Beginners will be foucsing on painting pinecones during the month of January. We will be painting the same subject using several different techniques each week to hone our watercolor skills.
This is an example of starting with a wet in wet background then adding detail and definition with value and contrast. Although this is a simple work in progress I think you can tell they are pinecones and see where I might "pull" some more from the fuzzy background.

If you live in the area and want to practice your watercolor skills --- join us!

Keep those brushes wet!

SUSIE