Susie Short's Watercolor Splashes & Splatters

Watercolor WORKSHOP in Bellevue January 15, 2012

2012-01-03T20:15:00.000-08:00

Warming Up Your Watercolor Winter Landscapes
One Day Workshop
Sunday, January 15, 2012    11am - 4 pm

$75   Register with Daniel Smith Bellevue Store (425) 643-1781

Most of the time when we think of a snowy winter landscape we envision a crisp clear sunny winter day where the colors of winter shadows are cool hues of blues and lavenders. On an bright overcast day a soft blanket of clouds will warm up a snowy landscape with gentle shades of gray and soft tones of browns and pinks. These scenes are not always dull or dreary but glowing and alive with rich diffused color setting the mood of peace and calm. Daniel Smith Extra Fine Watercolors with several selected colors of Daniel Smith’s Prima Teks are excellent pigment choices with properties that work well for many different watercolor techniques Susie will demonstrate in this workshop. Test your skills at working wet-in-wet, lifting, glazing, and working with Daniel Smith Masking fluid as you learn to paint soft transitions between snowy shadows and a Northwest sunbreak. This workshop will cover some advanced skills to challenge the experienced artist but Susie also will have patterns and simplified subjects to accommodate a beginner as well. Photos will be available for use and/or purchase (payable to Susie) or bring your own winter photos to use.
This workshop is not limited to advanced watercolor artists but some watercolor experience will be helpful.
Seating is limited. REGISTER TODAY! 425-643-1781

Preview Demo January 8, 2012   12noon and 2pm

Bellevue Daniel Smith
15112 N.E. 24th Street
Bellevue, Washington 98052

See you there!   SUSIE

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Hello 2012!

2012-01-03T19:45:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

As we bid farewell to 2011 and say hello to 2012

I wish you all the best!

May 2012 offer you time for adventures to inspire you, time for creating your best paintings ever, and time to share the love of family and friends.

Thanks to all my friends and followers of my blogs, facebook and website. I appreciate your encouragement more than I can say!

Keep those brushes wet!

SUSIE

Watercolor Demo -- Bellevue, WA

2012-01-03T19:06:00.000-08:00

Warm Up Your Winter Watercolor Landscapes

with Susie Short

2 FREE DEMOS

Sunday, January 8th, 2012

at 12 pm & 2 pm @ Daniel Smith Bellevue Store

Come see my examples of warm winter landscapes painted with DANIEL SMITH Extra Fine Watercolors and selected DANIEL SMITH PrimaTek Watercolors. Watch my watercolor paintings come to life as I demonstrate techniques showing how to use DANIEL SMITH Masking fluid
to reserve warm whites when working wet-in-wet. I will also share tips for
lifting and retrieving highlights and sun patterns when using selected PrimaTeks.
If you are a landscape painter….You do not want to miss this demo!

One Day Workshop January 15, 2012
11am - 4pm
Call Bellevue Daniel Smith to register (425) 643-1781

Bellevue Daniel Smith
15112 N.E. 24th Street
Bellevue, Washington 98052
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The December Greeting Card Give Away Winner

2011-12-01T10:52:00.000-08:00

Congratulations go out to this month's winner

Nellie Krams

from Wilmington, Delaware

When I spoke to Nellie this morning to let her know she was the lucky winner of the

December Give Away she told me she is also a watercolor artist with visions of

painting portraits of her grandchildren.

I predict she will be very successful in her pursuit!

Congratulations Nellie! Enjoy the assorted Christmas Cards.

Happy Painting and Happy Holidays!

Susie

12/11/11 Watercolor DEMO @ Daniel Smith Seattle

2011-11-29T17:55:00.000-08:00

Calling all Watercolor Artists!
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Two FREE demos - 12:00 noon and 2:00pm - Daniel Smith Seattle Store

You are invited to join me, as I unravel the mysteries of Watercolors! My "Short-Cuts" include my special tips, tricks and techniques as well as sharing ideas for repairs and fixes for your paintings. Come and find out more ideas for unique approaches for painting watercolors with tips for executing both basic and advanced techniques in both traditional and experimental watercolor!

If you have ever attended one of my demos or workshops, you know that I always has lots of tricks and new things to share!

This is a great demo for all levels of watercolor painting so bring your watercolor questions and join me!!

A few of the supplies I'll be using at these FREE demos:

DANIEL SMITH Watercolors

Susie Short Watercolor Brush

DANIEL SMITH Masking Fluid

DANIEL SMITH Watercolor Ground

Series 23 DS Platinum Brushes

Double Ball Stylus:

1) Small - 125 130 002

2) Medium - 125 130 003

3) Large - 125 130 004

Stephen Quiller WC paper

The December Give Away is almost here!

2011-11-29T17:22:00.000-08:00

HURRY! Only two days left!

December Give Away

before 12:01 December 1, 2011.

Just in time for sending to your friends and family....the December Give Away

is nine of my most popular watercolor Holiday/Christmas Cards.

As a reminder: The names are cleared after each drawing.

You must re-register for each months give away.

Thanks for your interest! Good Luck!

Enter now.

NEW DVD! Release date 11-11-11 PREORDER NOW!

2011-11-02T23:28:00.000-07:00

Release/Ship Date 11-11-11

Pre Order the latest DVD! (click here)

List Price ~~$34.95~~ $29.95 Save $5.00

Winter Creek DVD Workshop

Techniques for Painting a
Winter Landscape Greeting Card
in Watercolor

"This Winter Landscape Card has been one of my most popular eLessons on my website. I've received many requests to make a DVD to show each step...so here it is!" ...Susie Short

Along with the DVD I'll include the written guidelines and tips along with the painting layout guides and pattern from the original 5 x 7 greeting card e-lesson. I'll also include a copy of the original card used for this e-lesson plus a copy of the card I painted while filming this DVD.
See a Preview Clip of this DVD

Holiday/Christmas Card WORKSHOP @ Daniel Smith-Seattle

2011-11-02T22:05:00.000-07:00

Join me for two HOLIDAY CARD WORKSHOPS

What: Holiday/Christmas Greeting Cards
Where: Seattle Daniel Smith Art Store
When: Saturday, November 5, 2011 Winter Landscape Cards
             Sunday, November 6, 2011 Winter Bird Cards
Time:   11:00 am til 4:00 pm (either day)

Cost:     $75/day

There are a couple of seats available....HURRY!

Call Daniel Smith to register
206-223-9599

October/November Give Away Winner!

2011-11-02T21:23:00.000-07:00

Congratulations!

The October/November Give Away

winner is

Jean Brooks

from Wellsboro, PA

Jean will receive a boxed set of

Autumn Leaves Notecards

To see more Fall/Thanksgiving notecards

visit my Gift Gallery

The next Give Away is Assorted Christmas Cards

Click Here to Register

Holiday/Christmas Card DEMO @ Daniel Smith-Seattle

2011-10-12T10:45:00.000-07:00

2 FREE DEMOS

Sunday, October 16th

12 pm and 2 pm
Come see a demonstration and

watch me paint a few of these

Christmas Cards!

Winter Birds and Winter Landscapes

make beautiful cards that everyone on your list

will enjoy receiving.

I'll share tips on painting individual cards as well as tips painting a special card for reproduction.

I hope to see you Sunday at the

Daniel Smith Seattle Store

Call 206-223-9599 for more details

Workshops for Painting Winter Landscapes and Winter Birds -- November 5 & 6, 2011
See my next post for more details!

IPAP Worldwide Plein Air Painters 9th Annual Paint Out - Day Three

2011-09-12T11:33:00.000-07:00

Sunday, September 11, 2011
Highline SeaTac Botanical Garden, SeaTac, WA

Susie Short and Ann Breckon painting watercolors .

Today is day three of the WORLDWIDE Paint Out. My painting partner for today is Ann Breckon. We enjoyed the sounds of songbirds and water falling gently over the rocks in the little stream while we painting our watercolor skeches. The weather (sunny 86 degrees with a nice cool breeze) was perfect!
As usual, I visited with the guests in the garden as much as I painted so my sketch of this little waterfall and water lilies still needs some finishing touches.

________________________________________________________________________

Today also marks the 10th anniversary of the attack on America on 9-11-2001. As we listened to the airplanes taking off and landing at the nearby SeaTac Airport, we were reminded of the changes that day made in our own lives.

We are so blessed to live in this amazing country and have to freedoms that the brave men and women in our armed services fight and give their lives for us to enjoy.

THANK YOU!

Words not quite adequite for all the represent, but sometimes simply the best way to let them know they are appreciated. We will never forget the sacrifices made on 9-11.

Watch for the scans.....I'll post them in the next few days.
Till then...keep those brushes wet!
SUSIE

IPAP Worldwide Plein Air Painters 9th Annual Paint Out - Day Two

2011-09-12T11:08:00.000-07:00

For day two of the paint out weekend I chose the Soos Creek Botanical Garden in the Auburn/Kent area. It was a solo painting day so I looked for a spot close to home. I have to admit the day didn't have as much time for painting as I would have liked but I did get in some quick sketches and took several photos. I've never visited this garden before today so it was an adventure! This is an established private garden that only recently was opened to the public. This lovely garden is more of a strolling garden. While quick sketches from the paths are possible, painting for several hours in a single spot could prove to be challengeing.

I need to scan my sketches so I can post them.

SUSIE

The WORLDWIDE PAINTOUT is happening simultaneously in international locations and I am proud to be a part of this 9th WORLDWIDE group event hosted by International Plein Air Painters.

International Plein Air Painters (IPAP) is a blanket organization created for the sole purpose of advancing the execution and enjoyment of plein air painting without the restrictions and limitations of borders or regions. IPAP's members are the quiet activists in the ongoing environmental struggle.

More about IPAP:
They call attention to the threatened urban scene and the vanishing farmland for history.
IPAP members share inspiration and encouragement both on the Internet and at "paint outs".
They encourage other artists to get out and do it, to paint with other artists and share ideas.

You can join or show your support for IPAP or learn more about the group and see some of the many events happening posted on the website www.i-p-a-p.com

IPAP Worldwide Plein Air Painters 9th Annual Paint Out - Day One

2011-09-12T10:15:00.000-07:00

Friday, Sept 9, 2011 -- Day one of a three day weekend of Plein Air Painting

Woodland Park Rose Garden, Seattle, WA

My painting partner joining me for the day was plein air artist Mike Mallory of Everett, WA

Susie Short and Mike Mallory - Charter members of IPAP

The weather was warm and sunny and the location was the perfect setting for painting on location. Mike selected the sunny lily pond as his subject, while I found a shady spot with a great view of the quaint gazebo. It's always fun to share our joy for painting with the people who stop by to see what we are doing. It goes without saying, compliments and encouragement is always welcome, but for most of us who paint on location it's rewarding to be able to freely express our impressions of an inspiring spot and use the talents we are blessed with. And having a nice painting pal to share the day with doubles the pleasure!

Thanks for joining me Mike! It was fun and we both ended up with good paintings to boot!

Demo to benefit Highline SeaTac Botanical Garden

2011-09-12T09:17:00.000-07:00

Plein Air Demo @ Highline SeaTac Botanical Garden

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Even though I'm a little late with my post, I want to report on the fun day at the 5th annual Ice Cream Social and Plant Sale at the Highline SeaTac Botanical Garden. This year's Celebrity Guest was Ciscoe Morris, who hosts "Gardening with Ciscoe" on KIRO 97.3 FM radio and KING 5/NWCN television, and is the author of the best-selling garden tome, "Ask Ciscoe", as well as a weekly column in the Seattle Times. As always Ciscoe was very entertaining and loaded with information on plants and gardening.

My donation to the event was to paint a scene from the garden on location (en plein air). I started my demo around 11:00 am and completed the painting in the photo above by 3:00 pm just in time for the silent auction. I enjoyed meeting so many nice people while sharing the art of painting on location in such a beautiful setting.

Wendy Morgan from SeaTac had the winning bid and proudly took my watercolor painting to its new home.

Thanks to Laura Sweany and the nice folks at Highline Seatac Botanical Garden for inviting me to participate in this fun event! I look forward to doing it again!

Susie

Plein Air Weekend - Day 3 - Sunday

2011-08-29T14:55:00.000-07:00

Day Three of my Plein Air Weekend
Woodland Park Rose Garden, Seattle, Washington
July 31, 2011

Yesterday's sunshine is hiding behind the clouds this morning. But the lighting is good for photos.

I wandered around the Woodland Park Rose Garden taking photos and deciding where I wanted to set up my easel. About 15 minutes after I got everything set up it started to drizzle. Drizzle turned into rain and so I sat under my beach umbrella like a mother hen with all my painting gear stashed under my chair. From my sheltered spot I could still see some lovely rosebuds so I started a rosebud sampler page in my sketchbook.

Below I'll share photos of both my painting spot and my Rosebud Sampler Page

Later, the sun did break through and I was able to move around and paint some of the roses.

The gazebo I wanted to include as a focal point in my painting (below) will have to wait

until another visit to be completed but I did get it started!

Thanks for looking at my report on my Plein Aire Weekend.

If you live in the greater Seattle area I hope you will consider joining me for one of my plein air adventures. There are so many beautiful gardens to visit and paint...just not enough time!

Until next time ...Keep those brushes wet!

Plein Air Weekend - Day 2 - Saturday

2011-08-29T13:56:00.000-07:00

Saturday July 30, 2011
Pt. Defiance Rose Garden, Tacoma, Washington

Susie Short painting at Pt Defiance Rose Garden

For Day Two of my plein air weekend my destination was the beautiful rose gardens in Point Defiance Park. Accredited by the American Rose Society as an All American Rose selection display garden, Point Defiance Park has more than an acre of rose gardens, the oldest of which was established in 1895. The site includes a garden of miniature roses, arbors of climbing roses, and a quaint gazebo encircled by fragrant rose bushes.

After walking through the garden and taking some great shots of the beautiful roses I selected a seat in the shade of the gazebo and painted this soft peachy colored rose named Summer Dream.

"Altissimo" is a very tall bright red rose that always catches my attention. This quick sketch catches this beauty as it appeared against the clear blue sky. Too bad this rose doesn't live in my own back yard so I could see the rest of those little bud open and bloom.

My selection for the afternoon was this stunning bouquet of bright yellow orange roses named "About Face."
The variety of colors in this grouping was fun to paint and kept the painting interesting. The sun moved quicker than I could paint and visit with those passing by. As you can see the shadow of the gazebo started to block the sunshine and remind me that my time was running out.

About Face Sketch by Susie Short

Day Two was a success. Ahh, I'm happy!
Tomorrow is another day...... to paint!

Plein Air Weekend - Day 1 - Friday

2011-08-29T12:52:00.000-07:00

Since my plein aire "Short Trip" to Mt Rainier was postponed due to the weather, I decided to take advantage of the time I'd set aside for painting and visit some wonderful gardens in the area. Roses were my intended target but at these gardens there are other attractions that can be very tempting to paint too.
Friday July 29, 2011
Highline SeaTac Botanical Garden
Say Hello to Madeline! This adorable little artist painted along with me in Highline SeaTac Botanical Garden. Madeline will celebrate her seventh birthday August 5, 2011. I hope she gets some painting supplies for her birthday, she's got talent!!!

This is the spot in the garden where I painted with Madeline during the morning of July 29th. I was having too much fun chatting with the people visiting the garden and didn't finish my sketch before the light moved changing all the shadows. At the right is the sketch I painted before the light shifted, as you can see it remains a work in progress. If I can't make it back to the garden soon I'll finish it in my studio from the photos I took or better yet, paint the rest from memory. The sketches in my sketchbook are basically my "notes" to remind me of the colors, textures, and mood I experienced while on location.

Friday afternoon I moved to a shady spot with a good view of the water fountain near the heart of the rose garden. The fragrance in this area was heavenly! On the right you can see the first stages of my sketch of the fountain with the purple clematis climbing on the trellis in the background.
As you can see the sun was brightly shinning and the cast shadows made my subject even more intriguing and challenging.

My painting style includes a technique that is sometimes referred to as "alla prima."
Definition: ...with little or no preparation...in other words, I don't draw my subject before I start painting. I like to say "I draw with my brush as I paint."
As shown in the second photo I was able to add some of the roses and background to my sketch before I quit for the day. Again, the finishing touches will be added later. But I did get in most of the details on the fountain and I'm pleased with my little sketch.

These nice ladies were enjoying the garden and stopped for awhile to watch me paint and were kind enough to take my photo while I was painting.

Highline SeaTac Botanical Garden is located next to the community center north of the airport
13735 24th Ave S, SeaTac, WA See Map
If you speak to the nice staff when you visit tell them "Susie sent you!"

August Greeting Card Give Away Winner

2011-08-07T15:08:00.000-07:00

Congratulations!
Pat Hinkel

from Maryland

Pat will receive the greeting card gift set featured

in the August 2011 Give-Away

Ocean Wave #38

Thanks to the 503 visitors who signed up for this Give-Away

Be sure to register for the Sunflowers
September/October Give-Away coming soon!

Enter to Win! All previous entries will be discarded.

New DVD! Painting Fallen Leaves PreRelease Special Offer

2011-07-14T17:19:00.000-07:00

ANNOUNCING A NEW DVD!

Painting Fallen Leaves

Simple Watercolor Techniques for

Beginning Painters

PreOrder Now

Expected Ship Date: August 1, 2011

Watch Preview on my website
or use the YouTube video link on the right >>>

This DVD has two painting projects using real leaves
as stamps and stencils for creating paintings
or greeting cards.

Running Time: Approx. 1 hour 40 minutes

Susie's August Give Away

2011-07-12T22:07:00.002-07:00

Please sign up for my

August Greeting Card Give Away

Get three note cards

and

Three 5 x 7 greeting cards

Good Luck!

www.susieshort.net/giveaway

My Final Two SWAP paintings

2011-07-12T22:07:00.001-07:00

SWAP is an international group of watercolor artists who have been exchanging small 5 x 7 works of art quarterly each year since 2003. Sadly, our group has run its course and we will no longer trade paintings under the same leadership. It's been a wonderful experience for all of us! We made good friends and shared good art!
The painting on the left is my painting for my friend, Michelle Himes.

The painting of the rose on the right is for my friend, M.T. Cherian who lives in India.

I thought a Peace Rose was a good choice for the final SWAP.

To all my partners and friends at SWAP I wish you well and ask that you stay in touch.
Happy Painting!

Susie

April/May Greeting Card Give Away Winners

2011-07-12T22:06:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to the April

Greeting Card Give Away Winner
M.J. McMasters
from Chattanooga, Tenn
M.J. received 6 note cards of this painting
"Birdhouse in the Garden"
by Susie Short

________________________________________

Also.....
Congratulations go to the May Give Away winner
Margie Reyes
from San Antonio, Texas
She gets a gift set of 6 greeting cards with this

"Butterfly on Verbena" painting.

_____________________________________________________________
My apology for the delay in announcing the winners. I appreciate all of the 400+ entries each month. Please remember to register again for the next Give Away.
All entries are removed from the hat and only the new entries qualify for the current contest.
Thanks again for your interest! Susie

Valentine Give-Away winner

2011-02-06T17:41:00.000-08:00

The rosebud goes to........

Kim DeLude

Illinois

Congratulations!

Kim will receive the greeting card gift set featured

in this month's Give-Away

Valentine Rosebud

Thanks to the 459 visitors who signed up for this GiveAway

Be sure to register for the March Give-Away coming soon!

Register for the Valentine Give-Away

2011-01-17T19:48:00.000-08:00

To express my thanks and appreciation to my students, followers,

and newsletter subscribers

I'm my having my third Thank You Give-Away.

All you need to do to participate is enter!!
ENTER HERE
The prize this month is one of my personal favorites!

The winner will get four 5x7 greeting cards and four 4x6 note cards

of this pretty rosebud painting in a clear gift box.

Good Luck!

Please only one entry per email address.

The New Year's GiveAway Winner is....

2011-01-17T19:35:00.000-08:00

Barbara Leech

Benton, Arkansas

Barbara will receive the following 5x7

Winter Landscape Cards

Congratulations Barbara!

Thanks to all the participants! I appreciate your comments

and praise for my website and watercolor tips!

Watch for the Valentine GiveAway...coming soon!

Thanksgiving Give-Away -- And the Winner Is!......

2010-12-01T12:40:00.000-08:00

Drum roll please......

The winner of the Thanksgiving Give-Away is:
Pat Knepshield from Vandergrift, PA

Congratulations Pat!

Pat will receive the boxed gift set of 10 Christmas Cards (shown below)

In the people's choice vote for your favorite card the results were:
#1 32 votes
#2 18 votes
#3 28 votes
#4 22 votes
#5 27 votes

There were 349 entries for this inaugural Thanksgiving Give-Away
Thanks to each of you for your participation!
Many of you left me comments on my DVDs, my website,
and how my tips have been helpful to you.
THANK YOU!
I read every single word! It is good to know that what I share is worth
the time and effort that is involved.

This was so much fun! Let's do it again!
On December 17th I'll post another
Give Away for January 1, 2011
I think that should be a good way to welcome a New Year!

Happy Holidays to each of you!
Keep those Brushes Wet!
SUSIE

Thanksgiving Greeting Card Give-Away

2010-11-21T19:41:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

To express my thanks and appreciation to my students, followers, and newsletter subscribers I'm having a little Thank You Give-Away. All you need to do to participate is enter!!

ENTER HERE

The prize, if I can call it that, is a set of my best selling Winter Holiday/Christmas Cards. The set of ten cards shown below contains five images with two cards of each image with matching envelopes in a clear gift box.

Entries will end at midnight November 30, 2010. The winner will be announced the first day of the month...December 1, 2010 here on my Splashes and Splatters Blog.

You are invited to join my blog followers so you don't miss the announcement!

GOOD LUCK!!!

Susie

Hints and Tips for Painting Waves in watercolor

2010-11-03T11:37:00.000-07:00

It's done!
Ready to ship!
What is it?
My second DVD on painting waves.
See the You Tube trailer on the top right >>>>>>

Hint's and Tips for Painting Waves in Watercolor

There simply wasn't enough space in the first DVD to say and show everything I want to share, so I put together another DVD workshop with more tips and practice exercises to show more options for painting the parts of a wave. This new DVD is 1 hour and 38 minutes. It is quite different from the first wave DVD called Making Waves.

Hints and tips for Painting Waves in Watercolor is an informative fun filled video workshop using basic watercolor techniques and the easy to follow practice exercises for learning how to paint each part of a wave. I will demonstrate how to use three different brushes and several brush stroke techniques so you can find a method to that works best for you and your style of painting. I will also share some of my special tricks and special effects to help you reserve and recover whites as you paint frothy foam and splashing sea spray.

For those of you who would like to have a printed version of the practice exercises I demonstrate during the DVD workshop Hint's and Tips for Painting Waves, there is a companion workbook available. (Sold separately) This loose leaf 33 page workbook is designed to be used along with the DVD or can be used as a stand alone resource.
Click here for more information

Introductory price $16.99 plus s/h

Mt Rainier Painting SHORT Trip

2010-04-29T14:47:00.000-07:00

SHORT TRIP to Mt Rainier 2010

This years trip to the mountain to paint the wildflowers on Mount Rainier was a wonderful experience. The wildflowers were a little late this summer due to the late snow melt, so I suspect we would have seen more blooms the following weekend, but we certainly could not complain about our weather this year! It was gorgeous!

There were four of us painting from the parking lot at the Sunrise Visitor's Center on Saturday Above are: Hilary, Lori and Terry applying brush to paper and behold (!) here we are with our paintings!

We will go again next summer maybe you can join us!

Hilary, Terry and Lori at Mt Rainier.

Oh my! Spring Tulips!

2010-03-22T14:37:00.000-07:00

Oh, what a welcome sight! Tulips Blooming!

The calendar says spring has sprung and when you see the tulips starting to pop up it's not hard to imagine that the winter is really behind us and warmer temps are just around the corner. My Tuesday Afternoon Watercolor class got their brushes wet this past week and painted some beautiful tulips from last year's photos. This is a work-in-progress shot of a tulip painting I started as a demo.
Here is a tip for painting red tulips in the sunshine. Paint the tulips yellow first, then glaze the red paint over the bright yellow tulips. You might like the variety of the mixed colors and decide to leave some yellow as you see in the example above. It's not completely finished, but I do like what I see so far!
I can't wait to go to the tulip fields to see them in full bloom this year! It won't be long the daffodils are blooming now and the tulips are not far behind.

Another Wave...This one is for Vicki

2010-03-22T12:40:00.000-07:00

This is my Spring SWAP painting for my partner Vicki Greene.

Sharing With Artist Partners is a wonderful spin-off group of artists from my Watercolor Workshop group. Both are international groups with artists members from around the world. We exchange paintings each quarter (4 times a year) and this is our 25th SWAP. Our paintings are all 5" x 7 " watercolors.

I'm still waiting for my SWAP painting and wondering where it will be coming from???

It's almost like Christmas .... very exciting and a lot of fun!

Happy Painitng Everyone!

SUSIE

Sunset Sky with Tree Silhouettes

2010-03-22T12:39:00.000-07:00

This was my demo for my Wednesday night class. I promised the class I would share it when I finished it. The reference for this painting was a photo I took near Deception Pass at sunset overlooking the Straight of Juan de Fuca, Washington State.

When you paint a beautiful sunset sky with nice reflections it can be very challenging to add the dark silhouetes tree shapes in the forground. But quite often the drama is worth the challenge!

The painting is 11" x 15" Arches 140# CP paper using Daniel Smith Watercolors painted with my 1" Susie Brush and a #4 rigger.

Painting Skies and Clouds

2010-03-11T15:56:00.000-08:00

This coming weekend (March 13-14) I will host a weekend workshop for artists who have a 9-5 job in another career. It is really hard for working people to find classes on the weekends so I'm trying to fill this void in my own special way. If you live in the Seattle area I'd like to invite you to join me and take a weekend watercolor workshop. (Even if you don't work at another job!)

Our topic for this workshop will be painting watercolor skies. If all goes as planned we will end up with at least nine or more skies to use on future landscape painitngs. These are a few of my skies and clouds "starts" that came from my paintbrush in preparing for the class.

And speaking of future landscapes....the April weekend workshop (April 10-11) is on painting "Landscape Elements" ( trees, rocks, mountains, bushes, grasses, etc) Join us if you can! Register here.

Happy Painting!

Keep those brushes wet!

SUSIE

Making Waves DVD has been Released!

2010-03-01T18:24:00.000-08:00

Hip Hip Hooray! The new DVD is ready to hit the market!

Are you ready for Making Waves?? Order Here!

All the pre-release orders are in the mail and on their way to the studios of fellow artists. (THANKS!)

Wow, what a feeling! I'm so glad to have this latest effort behind me and now I'm ready to start the next one....well almost! In case you don't know the whole story, I do have other DVD videos and while they have been very successful (thank you very much!) this is the first project I've produced totally on my own "in house". (....or should I say "in studio"?) It was a great big learning curve and I now have a fresh respect for videographers and what all is involved in filming and editing and producing....etc.

You'll find a short YouTube preview here on my blog in the right hand sidebar. Take a peek and let me know what you think.

I'm always interested in learning what topics you might like to see me paint for future DVDs.
Here's a link to a page on my website to add your DVD suggestions

Thanks for stopping by! Keep those brushes wet!
SUSIE

Announcing my new DVD! Making Waves

2010-02-14T17:33:00.000-08:00

Hip Hip Hooray! My new DVD is finally here and scheduled for release on March 1, 2010! I'm excited to get this one to you. Some of you may remember my wave studies I posted in a previous blog post and after several requests I've been working on this video workshop on how to paint a wave. I'm happy with the final version and ready to share it with you all.
The Making Waves DVD covers my process for painting wave #297 from my photo references as I show you step-by-step how to paint this wave. I'm including the reference photo and a painting pattern with the DVD along with a copy of my painted wave. The running time is 1 hour and 40 minutes which covers the entire painting process plus a few Bonus Tips on adding some finishing touches to your waves.
As with anything new and different it wasn't without it's little quirks. The biggest hurdle we had to jump was "too much of a good thing"....yes.... I talked too much! (Go ahead laugh!)
I had so many tips, tricks and techniques to share that we ended up cutting out a bunch of good footage....enough to make a second video........so........I'm pleased to say I'll be launching a follow up video called Hints and Tips for Painting Ocean Waves as soon as we can get it pulled together.

For more information and to order the DVD go to my website http://artstore.susieshort.net/dvd-store.html

The Making Waves DVD is at the top of the list.
You are invited to take advantage of my Pre-Release Special Offer
If you order before February 27th the shipping is FREE!

Keep those brushes wet!
SUSIE

February Already!

2010-02-02T16:56:00.000-08:00

My oh my, where does time go? We are already into February.

I've been painting on some new projects and working on some new videos to be released this spring. It seems like when I'm in production mode the whole world races past me while I'm locked in my own secret studio. I promise I don't have my head in the sand! Or do I? (Smile) Now that's a picture to imagine!

I had a nice visit with my son, Hunter, visiting from Texas. He was here for almost a week and believe it or not it didn't rain the whole time he was here. I wish he could have stayed longer and I wish there weren't so many miles between us so we could visit more often. Sigh, if only!

The subject for my Wednesday evening class this month has been 'birds.' We are working with masking fluid and learning techniques for painting wet-in-wet backgrounds as a back drop for our feathered friends.

I'll attach my bird painting demo (in progress) and update it in a couple of weeks.

Happy Painting everyone!

SUSIE

Welcoming 2010

2010-01-10T21:44:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year Everyone!
Are you a resolution maker and breaker? I was....:) so I stopped making new years resolutions a few years back. Hey, if you don't make them you can't break them, right?
So, I don't know if this is a resolution or just a goal but I do plan to blog more often. My plan is already nine days behind... but I can't go back so the best thing for me to do is begin!

Today is a special day. First, it was my Grandmother's birthday. She's been gone for 18 years now and I still miss her every day. I wish I could share some of my news with her. I believe she would be proud of me. She was always such a sweet lady.

And today is the 10th Anniversary of my online watercolor group called Watercolor Workshop.
It is a group hosted by Yahoo! and our membership is hovering just under 2000 members from around the world. It's hard to believe ten years has gone by since we began sharing emails about watercolor online. I've made so many wonderful friends through this group and I know that the group has made a difference and served as a stepping stone to many watercolorists who have come and gone and many who are still active. It's been amazing to watch their careers grow and take off successfully. Smiling I can honestly say ..."I knew them when..."

So here's to the wonderful watercolor artists at Watercolor Workshop! Thanks for making our group one of the best if not the very best groups online!

Keep those brushes wet!
SUSIE

Season's Greetings from Susie Short Studio

2009-12-24T11:23:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-11-22T14:02:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-17T17:35:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-17T17:34:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-11-17T17:33:00.000-08:00

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

2009-10-08T16:53:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-01T16:33:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-30T15:09:00.001-07:00

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

Become a Follower!

2009-07-20T17:37:00.000-07:00

You are invited to become a follower of

Susie's Splashes and Splatters!

It's easy! Just use the links on the right.

Welcome Aboard!

Subscribing to the emails is a quick and

easy way to see what I'm posting and when!

Your email addresses are safe and secure...

I don't share!

I'll be phasing out my formal newsletter account soon

and replacing it with this blog so if you don't want to

miss anything subscribe today up today!

Susie

Painting Water - Streams/Waterfalls/Reflections

2009-07-20T16:10:00.002-07:00

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

2009-07-20T16:10:00.001-07:00

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

2009-07-20T15:52:00.001-07:00

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

2009-04-27T19:46:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-25T21:21:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-23T19:31:00.000-07:00

More geraniums!

Painting Geraniums - March 2009

2009-03-09T12:00:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-09T11:18:00.001-07:00

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

2009-02-23T14:33:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-16T12:15:00.000-08:00

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:

January is for Pinecones

2009-01-11T12:22:00.001-08:00

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

Happy Christmas Eve Ya'll!

2008-12-24T12:02:00.000-08:00

T'was the day before Christmas ....

I just had to share this photo of Casey and Rocky, my two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. They have loved playing in the snow this week and getting them to pose for the camera is a major accomplishment.

Commands like ..."sit" "stay" "wait" go in one ear and out the other.

What worked? Showing them a bag of "Beggin Strips" doggy treats did the trick!

Happy Christmas Eve Ya'll!
SUSIE

Holiday Greetings from Susie Short!

2008-12-23T23:59:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays!

This little landscape is one of my favorites from my Winter Landscape Collection for 2008. It has such a crisp clean and peaceful feel to it.

For those interested in learning how to paint this card I do have a pattern packet with written instructions available. Click here for more information

We are really experiencing winter here in the Seattle area this week. In my neighborhood the roads are icy and there has been about 8 inches of snow on the ground for 5 days. I took a lot of reference photos on the snow on the trees and I'm in the mood to paint some more snowy landscapes. I guess thats what happens when you get snow bound. I've never lived where the snow stuck around for very long so I like it! It really does make it feel more like Christmas!

My dogs love the fluffy white stuff and can't wait to go outside to play. Trouble is the snow attaches to their fur and they don't like sitting by the door with the hair dryer to melt the snow balls that collect on their feet and bellies.

Maybe tomorrow I'll build a snowman.

SUSIE

Painting a Pretty Poinsettia

2008-12-20T13:44:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas!

When we see a poinsettia we automatically thing of the Christmas Season. They make the perfect flower for the holidays. Painting a poinsettia can be as easy or as difficult as you want to make it. Easy is painting them like this on, looking down at them from the top. Painting them from the side view or other angles includes more shapes and perspective.

I've added a new watercolor tip on my website for Painting Pretty Poinsettias. Check your print preview before you print it. You may need to adjust your margins a little. I hope you enjoy painting these pretty flowers with me. Please email me a jpeg of your poinsettias I'd love to see your paintings or cards. I'll be starting a new page for paintings created from the watercolor tips on my website in a few months.

Merry Christmas!
SUSIE

Christmas Roses

2008-12-20T13:12:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!

May the Joy and the Blessings of the Season

be with you through the coming year!

I thought I share a completely different type of Christmas card with you today. This was the card I painted as my own to be sent by me for 2006. Next year I will include it in a collection of Christmas Roses Cards for the public to purchase. I love to paint white roses surrounded by winter greenery like holly with red berries and sprigs of fir or pine. Each card is unique because I "build" them as I go. I'll share another of my Christmas Rose cards I painted this year in a day or two.

Perhaps this subject would make a good watercolor video. What do you think? I'd appreciate your feedback.

Meet my boys!

2008-12-19T13:46:00.000-08:00

Allow me to introduce you to Rocky and Casey our two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. They are

the official "greeting committee" for students and guests coming to my studio. This photo was taken on one of my photo excursions to a local nursery to get reference photos of poinsettias of future painting or cards. If you live in the Seattle area you are invited to stop by my studio to be welcomed by the "boys" and see some of my latest paintings.

Merry Christmas to you all!

SUSIE

Susie Short Studio is located in Kent, WA @ 1311 Central Ave South Suite D

(Plemmons Bldg) (not too far from Emerald Downs)

Happy Holidays! Greeting Card by Susie Short

2008-12-19T13:00:00.000-08:00

Warmest wishes for a wonderful holiday season!

When I sit down to paint winter cards I usually don't have an exact composition in mind. I like to paint on 4 or 5 at a time and let them evolve as I go. Do I ever mess one up? YES!

But I like to give myself permission to try something new and if it doesn't work try again or do something different.

One of my favorite techniques for starting a winter landscape card is using a plastic card (expired credit or gift card) to "scrape" or "scratch" out the white birch or aspen tree. Then I add the darker bark features and darker evergreen behind the 'scraped trees' to make them stand out.

If you are interested in learning more about this technique you will find instructions on my watercolor tips page on my website. Try it!

For my original cards I use blank greeting cards made for watercolor. Two brands that work well for me are Strathmore Watercolor Cards and Canson Watercolor Greeting Cards. Both come with envelopes in economy packs of 30-50 cards. Enough to goof up a couple and still have plenty of cards to paint on!

Of course you can always use regular watercolor paper and cut it to greeting card size.

If you do try this technique I'd love to hear your comments.

Happy Painting!

SUSIE

Winter Landscape Christmas Card

2008-12-17T19:12:00.000-08:00

Season's Greetings!

Brrrr! It's been snowing at my house in Washington state. Talk about inspiration for winter snow paintings! This is another card I painted with a winter landscape theme. It is a composition that "happened" as I added brushstrokes to my paper. Instead of being painted from a real place it evolved from my imagination. I like to paint on several cards at the same time and while one card is drying I add something to the next card. Its always surprising how a little detail in one card is just what the other card needs too. That happened with the rocks in this card. And after the rocks I decided to add the hint of frozen water. I like the final results, don't you?

Being a gal from Texas where it doesn't snow much and when it does it usually melts almost as fast as it hits the ground I try to take advantage of "snow days" and soak up as much as I can. I do take photos for reference but nothing beats good observation and painting from memory.

Thanks for your comments! I enjoy reading each one.

SUSIE

Christmas Greeting Cards

2008-12-17T18:46:00.001-08:00

As many of you know I paint what seems to be hundreds of cards for the Christmas Holiday season. My Christmas card classes and demos always seem to be a favorite topic for my students. And each year I try to come up with new and different ideas to share.

As a test to see if there was a market for them I took 10 of last years original watercolor cards, printed them and put together a sampler pack to sell on my website. The 2008 Winter Landscape Collection has really been selling well. Many thanks to those of you who placed your orders! In addition to the package of 10 greeting cards I also wrote step by step instructions for painting each card. Call them a watercolor mini lesson, because each little landscape "could" be a larger winter landscape painting.

There is still time to get more in the mail if you are interested.

Click here to order from my artstore. Or just to take a better look at them!

Autumn Leaves

2008-12-13T15:49:00.001-08:00

I'm still in catch up mode here.....In November we painted leaves leaves and more leaves! I love the beautiful warm colors of the fall. I even create a special palette with extra paint colors that I don't use in my regular palette. Painting #3 is stamped from real leaves then when dry filled in with color. Painitng #1 is a composition of stamped leaves and freehand leaf shapes. Painting #2 is painted from a photo I took of a some leaves in the parking lot at my studio. Amazing what you can find when you look down.

Painting Pumpkins

2008-12-13T13:24:00.000-08:00

Hello!

Wow! I am so far behind with my blogging! I had so many good intentions when I started this. And when things got hectic I didn't want to get things out of order or miss sharing my activities with you. What happened? I found out the "behinder " I got the more impossible it was to catch up. So ..... I'm going to share what I can when I can and not let the things I miss stop me from posting current activities.

In September and October I held several classes on painting pumpkins and other harvest bounties. Here are a few of those paintings.....enjoy!

Paint the Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest

2008-08-08T12:07:00.000-07:00

Paint the Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest is the next watercolor class I will be teaching in Seattle at the Daniel Smith Classroom.
Working from an assortment of high resolution digital photos taken over the past 3-4 years in Mt Rainier National Park and the Cascade foothills this class will focus on close-up views of individual flowers as well as natural groupings or clusters of wildflowers as they can be found in the meadows or along the trails.
Seating is limited to 14 painters. There are still a few seats left so if you want to join us for a fun day of painting wildflowers call my studio @ 253-859-1111 asap.
Where: Seattle Daniel Smith Classroom
What: Paint the Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest in Watercolor
Who: Susie Short, watercolor teacher --- All skill levels welcome
When: August 18, 2008 10:00 am - 3:30 pm
Cost: $55 paid in advance

Basic Watercolor Supplies -- Supply List emiled upon request.
For More information visit my website www.susieshort.net/2008-local-classes.html
or contact me (Susie) susie@susieshort.net

From my sketchbook - Plein Air Sketches

2008-08-07T15:26:00.000-07:00

These are the sketches I painted sitting in my van while the fog rolled by. Even though the day was chilly and the air was damp, being up there....close to the top of the world... was a pleasure.
They say the mountain creates its own weather. For what ever reason it just needed to be behind the blanket of fog that Friday.
Whenever I look at these little 6x8 sketches I'll remember ... I was there.
Sigh............ so much to paint so little time!
SUSIE

Sunday - Plein Air on Mt Rainier 080308

2008-08-05T10:08:00.000-07:00

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What a difference a day makes! The previous twenty-four hours were filled with a fog that rolled in and out of our base camp at Sunrise. On Sunday the sun was shining and the sky was the most beautiful azure blue you have ever seen!

We had a wonderful view of the mountain and the wildflowers. My nose and cheeks got a little pink during my 2 hour demo. Sunscreen was definitely a must on this day! As you can see we all were able to make the most of of afternoon. It always amazes me that even though we were all looking at the same mountain and foreground we all came up with really different paintings of the same view. After we painted for a while several of us took to the trails to see how many more wildflowers we could find to photograph for future paintings.

2008 will go down in our books as one of the best years for painting the wildflowers en plein air.

My thanks to the fourteen painters who made my trip to the mountain a pleasurable treat.
It's my hope that you will join me again next year to see what "the mountain" has for us in 2009.
Until next time....keep those brushes wet!

SUSIE
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Plein Air Paint Out @ Mt Rainier National Park - August 1-2-3, 2008

2008-08-04T23:33:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, (August 1-2-3, 2008) fourteen fellow watercolor artists joined me to take advantage of the limited opportunity to visit and paint Mount Rainier's meadows of wildflowers, which usually flourish in late July and early August. Fortunately, our scheduled dates to paint "en Plein Air" at Sunrise Visitor's Center was a good choice and the blooms were near peak for our visit. It was reported that the long winter season of 2008 with it's heavy snowfall has been trying to fool Mother Nature. And we all understood when the park ranger explains, "the plants won’t bloom until the snow melts away and the sun shines. "
The best news is that even though the bloom season for many of the flowers was delayed by the lingering snowfall most of the wildflowers were all blooming at once and creating a spectacular display for us to capture on paper! Oh, what a colorful sight to behold! Soft hues of blue and bright yellow, crisp magenta and pale lavender, creamy white and luscious greens made up the perfect wildflower palette.

Mt Rainier was playing a game of hide and seek with us as far as the weather was concerned. On Friday a blanket of thick fog that never lifted to give us a glimpse of "the mountain" from our base at Sunrise located at 6,400 ft. The day of fog was cold and wet with intermittent rain showers. I was able to take advantage of the many wildflower photo opportunities I found at the lower elevations along the drive up to Sunrise. (And I got some great photos of the trees through the fog too.)

These photos were taken on Friday, August 1, 2008 - I was the only painter in our group that made it to the mountain to paint this day. I took many photos and painted two sketches in my field sketch book.

More to come............SUSIE

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Saturday, started out foggy. As seven artists gathered for a "meet and greet" we wondered if we would even get a glimpse of Mt Rainier. We could however see the glorious wildflowers on the meadow in the opposite direction. While I was painting the demo of the wildflower meadow that extended to a rugged peak, the clouds parted and the mountain in all its glory allowed us to say hello. For the next 3 hours we had off and on quick glimpses of Little Tahoma and Mt Rainier's glaciers. Our focus of the wildflower meadow yielded a handsome array of watercolor paintings.

The beauty of the snowcapped mountain known as Mt Rainier is complemented by the park's famous wildflowers that bloom in the meadows on its slopes after the snow has melted in mid-summer. We were there to paint both the mountain and the meadow's wildflowers!

Read my next post about Sunday's Plein Air Painting...

SUSIE

Our artist pal Joe is missing from the photo. Joe did arrived in time to see some sunshine. We accused him of bringing the waves of fog that came with a drastic drop in temperature and millions of tiny water droplets. Most of us called it a day by 4:00 pm.

Report on Sea & Shore Workshop

2008-07-29T15:43:00.001-07:00

Well, it was sink or swim for 14 students at this two day event!

I'm pleased to report that everyone survived the day with their heads and paper above the water!
Day one: As planned we worked on studies of waves in action learning to recognize just what they do as they roll into shore. It was fun to see all the splatter and splashing of the brushstrokes create "recognizable" wave shapes. After a short lunch break the class started on a small (7.5 x 11)study of Arch Cape. The study included rock formations often referred to as Haystack Rocks, wet sand with reflections and the ripples of the ocean waves washing ashore. Before we knew it the day was gone and it was time to quit.

Day two: Nine of the fourteen artists returned for the second day of painting. By the end of the second day each student had a seascape painting to hang on their wall.It always amazes me how we can all use the same photo to paint the same subject and yet each painting is very personally unique.As is usually the case during a workshop I started my demo painting but did not get it finished. After spending most of the afternoon coaching and offering advise my painting is still a work in progress.
I will post it when I have time to add some finishing touches.
Thanks again to all of the artists who participated! It really was fun.

Until next time, keep those brushes wet!
SUSIE

Seattle DEMO & Bellevue Class

2008-07-19T22:38:00.001-07:00

This was a busy week!
On Saturday July 12th the Seattle Daniel Smith Store had standing room only for the morning demo on painting the Sea & Shore. One of the things I love about doing demonstrations is the interaction with the other artists in the room. They were very responsive and interested in learning how I painted the different types of waves featured in the watercolor paintings on display.
The afternoon demonstration repeated some wave information but also included some tips for painting rocks and wet sand. It was fun to show everyone how the new Surf and Sand Triad works for painting the beach and the ocean water.

REMINDER: There are still a couple of seats left in the two day workshop Painting the Sea & Shore Watercolor Workshop July 27 -28 at the Seattle Daniel Smith Store. Call 206-223-9599 to register. It is sure to be a fun two days!
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On Tuesday July 15 I taught a Sea and Shore class in Bellevue. After a morning of practicing how to paint waves, the afternoon was dedicated to executing a painting with water and rocks and wet sand with reflections. Everyone in the class had a successful painting to take home and frame. I'd like to say thanks to the Bellevue staff for making our day so enjoyable!

There will be more one classes in both Seattle and Bellevue this summer and into the fall.
Watch my blog and my calendar for updates and more information!

Until next time.... Keep those brushes wet!
SUSIE

Sea and Shore Watercolor Demo and Workshop

2008-07-08T19:19:00.000-07:00

You are all invited to come see my FREE demo at the Seattle Daniel Smith Store this coming Saturday (July 12th, 2008) at 11:00 and 1:45 pm

I'm offering a one day class on painting the techniques used for painting seascapes in watercolor at the Bellevue Daniel Smith Classroom. Register with me (Susie) for this one. To sign-up online using PayPal click here or you may register by completing the mail form found at the same link.

Check the Daniel Smith Store Blog for a preview based on the blog report of my first Sea & Shore demo on June 21st. (Thanks Debbie!) And I'd also like to thank the fine group of Wet Canvas artists who came to the demo...it was nice to me you'll and I hope you will come to more of my watercolor events!

Plus I'll be conducting a two day Sea & Shore Watercolor Workshop on July 27th and 28th in the Seattle Daniel Smith Store. This fun two-day workshop is packed full of information for the intermediate to advanced watercolorist.

Day One: I'll start by showing many of the elements that make a successful seascape painting. Students will learn how to create the forms of waves, breakers, rocks, sea foam, and wet sand. I'll will discuss and demonstrate the importance of color, sunlight, atmosphere, and composition. Practice exercises will help you build a foundation using these forms, and also help plan your composition before actually starting a painting.
Day Two: We'll begin with a brief demo following with a review of painting techniques covered on day one. You will then start your seascape painting while I'm there to offer individual instruction and encouragement helping you effectively paint the sea and shore.
Photo references will be available for use and purchase or you may wish to bring your own photos to work from.
Cost: $75 per day
Time:11 AM to 4:00 PM

Don't forget my FREE demo at the Seattle Daniel Smith Store this coming Saturday (July 12th, 2008) at 11:00 and 1:45 pm

See you there! Keep those brushes wet!

SUSIE

New Sand 'n Surf Watercolor Triad

2008-07-08T18:23:00.001-07:00

Take a look at this newly released triad of watercolor paint the nice folks at Daniel Smith let me select just in time for painting summer seascapes! I wanted to include two of my color favorites and introduce my students to Goethite a nicly granulating pigment perfect for painting sand.

These three superb colors work together to create the illusion of waves breaking into foamy surf and washing onto a golden sandy beach. Ultramarine Turquoise and Indanthrone Blue, used side-by-side or mixed, create a wide value range of blue-greens. Diluted they add the right touch of color to foaming waves. The natural granulating characteristics of Goethite (Brown Ochre) are perfect for painting golden beach sand.

The DANIEL SMITH Limited Edition Susie Short "Sand and Surf" Extra Fine Watercolor Triad is available online from the Daniel Smith website. Save 47% off the list price and it ships FREE!

You may also want to read the DS Blog about this new triad too!

Let me know how you like them!!

This photo was taken by Wet Canvas artist Laura D at the June 21st Sea & Shore DEMO. I appreciate the WC folks getting together to come see me do my thing! I hope they can make it to more events.

Keep those brushes wet!

Susie

PS. The waves in the previous post were also painted with this new watercolor triad.

Watercolor Splashes and Splatters

2008-07-02T12:18:00.001-07:00

Greetings!

I've been splashing in the waves for the past few months. I have so much to learn about how the waves are formed. Once I have some understanding of what I'm seeing I then have the challenge of putting what I see and what I want to see on my watercolor paper. Wow, what a fun and exciting task!

The Internet has many good images of waves in photos from around the world but I don't like to work from other photographers work. Aside from copyright infringement issues, I find (for me personally) nothing beats going straight to the source...cameras and sketchbook in hand ... and just study the waves for myself. What a wonderful excuse to visit the coast!

During my visits to the Oregon coast I was fortunate to observe several different lighting conditions and directions to give me a wider depth of study. And I came home with several hundred digital photos to sort through. A task I will thoroughly enjoy.

I have found that the best motivation for learning how to paint an unfamiliar subject in watercolor is the teach it. At least that's what works for me, after all how can I teach someone else how to do it if I can't do it myself. I'm feeling pretty confident that my wave studies have been successful and while I still have much to learn about waves and their nature I believe I have a fairly good grasp on where to start my watercolor paintings. The two watercolor study paintings displayed above were painted in my studio from a combination of my photo references. They are 11 x 7.5 inches painted on Arches 140# CP paper using Daniel Smith Watercolors.

I used these two watercolor paintings (plus several additional watercolor works-in-progress) to teach a watercolor class in Bellevue in April. It was such a fun class. There will be more....

I'll share some more coastal paintings in the near feature. (I'm on a roll! And I have another watercolor workshop coming up on July 15th in Bellevue and July 27 & 28 in Seattle. And you're invited to come see my FREE DEMO at the Seattle Daniel Smith Store on July 12th 11:00am & 1:45pm)

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you will visit again soon!
Keep those brushes wet!

SUSIE