Autumn Maple Tree watercolor painting

A stately maple stands in magnificent color as October draws near.

It's such a pleasure to walk and drive in the countryside at this time of year and even more of a pleasure to paint the fall foliage. In this new watercolor, I used primary colors to suggest the glory of autumn trees in New England.

• Find more of my autumn paintings in my Etsy shop, JanetZeh.Etsy.com

Fall Harvest - an oil painting of pumpkins and chrysanthemums

At this time of year, the abundance of local gardens produces bright orange pumpkins just right for an autumn arrangement.

In this scene, chrysanthemums, corn and various squash including pumpkins make a colorful picture arranged with hay bales by a white picket fence.

• You can find more of my autumn scenes on my blog here
• JanetZeh.Etsy.com, my Etsy shop has my autumn paintings and prints for sale

Tropical Retreat, St. Bart's Island - View from the Balcony

 

Now that the background is painted in, it's time to paint the balcony.   I start with the railing and the wall on the left - love that pink door!

Tropical Retreat, St. Bart's Island - Coming ashore!

Now that the sky and water are basically painted, it's time to work on the distant shore. Normally I work from the top of the painting  to the bottom in a landscape and so that is what I'll do here.

 

Autumn Maple Leaves - watercolor paintings

Who can resist picking up a colorful maple leaf or two when out for a walk in Autumn?

I cannot! Today I came home with a handful. The trees are just beginning to turn - brilliant reds and yellows are appearing among the green leaves here and there.

These two paintings have been sold, but you can see my small paintings currently for sale at ZehOriginalArt.com. Thanks for stopping by and have a lovely day!

Tropical Retreat, St. Bart's Island - painting the water

Today I did not have too much time to work on this piece as I was out on a consult with a client for part of the day. But at least there was time to paint the ocean.

You can see that the horizon is softened to almost blend with the clouds. This pushes the horizon line visually back to give the feeling of far distance.
The deep water past the coral reefs is a deep cool blue. As it comes toward shore, it becomes a lighter, turquoise blue.

Below is the full piece with the water done for now. Perhaps I will adjust the colors and values as needed once the landforms are painted.

Tomorrow, though I have to teach a class, there will be time to work on the distant landforms. Hope you can stop by to see the next part of this seascape oil painting demonstration - Coming Ashore!

"Fresh from the Fields", Black-eyed Susans watercolor painting

A bright bunch of Black-eyed Susans and tiny white wildflowers make a lovely natural bouquet in an old-fashioned tin watering can.

I thought this scene from a nearby farm would make a perfect September painting of rural New England. I've softened the barn in the background to focus on the flowers in their fun, makeshift vase.

•  The original painting has been sold, but you can find the fine art print of Fresh From the Fields in my Etsy shop. Thanks for stopping by today.

Tropical Retreat, St. Bart's Island - painting demonstration

A tropical island is a wonderful place for two people to spend special time together. To keep that memory alive, what could be better than to have a painting done of the memory? Today, I've started a commission painting for a collector who will give it as a gift. Because it is a surprise for someone, I'm not going to reveal the island or who it is for!

I begin with four photos sent to me - the painting will be a panoramic view on a 10" x 30" canvas, so I've taped the photos together for reference:

Hummingbird and Rose of Sharon Hibiscus Flowers - watercolor

Have you ever had a lucky photograph? I did recently when taking photos of a white Rose of Sharon Hibiscus shrub.

As I pressed the shutter button, a hummingbird flew into the picture almost as if it wanted its picture taken. I was so pleased with this happy occurrence, it inspired me to do this painting.

• The original of this painting is sold.  Check my Etsy shop for currently available bird paintings or let me know if you'd like a print. Thanks for stopping by and hope you have some happy surprises today.

Marginal Way Maine Seacoast watercolor painting

This painting uses sunny color to depict the roaring surf along Maine's southern coastline. The Marginal Way is an awe-inspiring walk that traverses part of this coast in Ogunquit, Maine.

A couple of gulls rest on the rocks before soaring out over the water looking for fish. Behind them the surf rolls in crashing to shore with tremendous power.

I used this painting as a study for a painting demonstration I did for an art guild. Here are some pictures of that demonstration:

Below is how far the larger demonstration painting progressed. One hour is just not long enough for this artist! If you look carefully, you will see that it already has a different look than the smaller work. I used slightly different primary colors and changed the composition of the waves. No two paintings are ever totally alike.

"Maine Coast" framed watercolor is available for sale in my Original Art Shop

Waterlily Pond and Dragonflies watercolor painting

It's September and the waterlilies are still blooming prettily on the pond though the lily pads are beginning to turn russet and gold colors. Here and there a red maple leaf has drifted down to lay on the sapphire blue water.
A couple of dragonflies swiftly dart back and forth above a white lily adding a bit of lively energy to this colorful piece.

• This painting is sold, but more of my work can be found at zehoriginalart.com. Thanks for stopping by today!

Monarch Butterfly and Hydrangeas

Sunlight coming from behind lights up this beautiful Monarch Butterfly and the white petals of the hydrangeas.

These hydrangeas in my garden attract many types of bees and wasps along with butterflies. There are a couple of honey bees in the painting too!

• The original has been sold, but you can find the fine art print of Monarch Butterfly and Hydrangeas in my Etsy shop. Thanks for stopping by today.

Autumn Maple Leaves watercolor painting

It's great fun to do a painting of leaves. I collected colorful maple leaves from the ground on one of my daily walks and used them as stencils for this painting.

I start by brushing paint on the vein side of a leaf,placing it on the paper and, using a wide flat brush, painting out from the leaf to color the area around it. Then I repeat with other leaves letting the paint overlap previous leaves. Finally, I choose which leaves should stand out, add deeper colors around those and add details to the prominent leaves.

There is a point at which everything looks like a mess, but once the major leaves are detailed, it is really quite a nice effect!

• Check out my autumn paintings and prints in my Etsy shop, JanetZeh.Etsy.com. Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

Maine Cape House and Red Roses watercolor painting

Weathered cedar shingles and climbing red roses frame the window of an old Cape House on Maine's rugged seacoast.

I painted this from a photo that one of my watercolor students took on a trip to Maine. When painting a window from a photograph, the artist must be careful not to copy the photo! Often photographs show windows as blank black spaces and this was no exception. The last thing I wanted was to have a big black "hole" in the middle of my painting.

Painting reflections of sky and trees on the windowpanes takes care of that problem and makes the window come alive!

Wild Concord Grapes oil painting

"Wild Concord Grapes" original oil - for sale in my shop!

The smell of grapes ripe on the vine is inviting when strolling along a country road in early September.

Whenever I see them, I have to pick a few to taste before the birds get them all. They are always sour with thick skins and crunchy seeds and remind me of my childhood picking concord grapes at my art teacher's little farm.

This painting celebrates the richness of late summer and wild grapes!
It is an original oil painting on panel size 7"x5". You can get it in my Original Art shop: Wild Concord Grapes. Thanks for stopping by today!