Late Spring 2016

Can't believe how fast time goes. As I am writing this, spring is in full bloom. The white Irisis I saw at the Castoro Cellars in Paso Robles, central California. I took a photo with my phone and then painted this painting after I returned to southern California.

The above painting is really a concept painting for another project. The concept was not accepted, so I put the boat and birds in to make it peaceful statement.

I started this painting at the end of the day on location at Castoro Cellars in Paso Robles, California. I quickly brushed in the color and established the lines of vines pointing to the building. I finished it the next morning from a photo I tok on my phone.

This is a cityscape of London from a photo I took when I was there a few years ago. I took tracing paper and put it over the photo and with markers created a new value scheme, different form the photo. I then used this new value pattern composition to create the painting. For example I have late afternoon light shining through the street and lighting up the bus. I darkened the values of the buildings in shadow on the left and the cast shadow of the bus.

The watercolor above is a view from the Coulée verte René-Dumont in Paris, France. I painted it in June of this year, 2016, from a photo I took three years ago when I was there. I used pen and India ink in this watercolor.

The Gum Tree above is located in a local park near my home. We have different kinds of Gum Trees growing through out California; imported years ago from Australia. I started this painting on location and finished it in my studio.

The above painting is a version of a painting of Aix-en-Provence that I had previously done in my sketchbook. This version I did on Arches French watercolor paper. Once again I manipulated the value scheme.

This is a recent panting I did in early June, 2016, at a park in southern California. It is of a Gum Tree, by a lake in the late afternoon. I started the painting sitting on a bench at the park and finished it at my office the next day. There is great value in developing your skill as an artist by painting on location. You learn about light and how it visually affects nature. 

Sketchbook Work and Concept Paintings

Sketchbooks, I am told, are more personal. Someone told me they preferred looking at artist sketchbooks more than published works. Sketchbooks are more intimate, showing an artist's aspirations as well as new ideas. Below are watercolors from my sketchbook as well as some paintings that are more developed from ideas for different projects.

This is a quick sketch I did from a photo I took a long time ago in the south of France. 

It is supposed to be a bright summer morning in Aix-en-Provence

The above sketch is from a photo I took some years back in Provence. 

The sunset below is a quick sketch for a possible commission.

Below is another watercolor sketch based on photos I took in Provence.

You can see the gutter of my sketchbook in this rainy watercolor 

of the que in front of the Musée d'Orsay in July.

Above, winter 2016 in Wisconsin, from a friend's posting on FB.

This is a memory sketch. I saw it on a back road in Alabama out side the city of 

Cullman, AL. Below is a sketch of Balboa Park in San Diego, CA.

Below is a concept painting painted on French watercolor paper. 

It is for a proposal for a F&M Bank branch in Lakeforest, CA.

This is a quick sketch I did in less than a minute from a memory of a road trip I had recently gone on. It is of a panoramic view outside Bakersfield, California.

This is a quick sketch of sail boats employing a glazing technique for the background sky and foreground harbor. You do the sky and harbor first together with graded washes. Then you add distant shore and finally boats.

 

Welcome to 2016

Below are a few new paintings to start 2016. The painting of the Farm House in San Luis Obispo,directly below, was from an idea in my sketchbook. I turned it into a half sheet watercolor (15" x 22") The second watercolor was a commission. It is of an American Veteran's memorial in Orange, California. It is a quarter sheet and measures 11" x 15".

This is of a train station in Putney, UK. It is the East Putney Station. I painted it because I have used this trim station a few times. Some of my work is available to purchase at: https://www.etsy.com/shop/KenHarrisWatercolors?ref=hdr_shop_menu

Crystal Cove is a State Park on the Orange County Pacific coast. It has a collection of old vacation cabins from the early half of the 20th century. A few movies have been filmed here. Below is a recent watercolor of Crystal Cove, which I have painted before. 

Another watercolor of Newport Beach, CA. Someone said it looked Turner like. it does but the sky was like turner and I did not create that. I just tried to paint it. Maybe that was what JMW Turner was trying to do in his watercolors.

January 2016, Growing in Your Art

Well it's a new year and a time to set new goals. One of the things I am learning is that we need to set goals in art as well. I have a goal of learning new techniques by studying the old masters that came before us. Studying an old master by copying or interpreting one of their paintings is like taking a private art lesson from that particular artist. Recently I studied a portrait by Thomas Gainsborough a famous British artist. I learned to use "soft lines" when painting a portrait. It helps to create depth. I also learned that line is an abstract idea and doesn't appear naturally in nature. I learned how to handle acrylic paint better as well. Below is my project of the painting "Mrs. Richard Brinsley Sheridan" 1785.

Below is my 11" x 14" Acrylic version painted on a canvas panel. Underneath my version is The original hanging in the National Gallery in London. And finally I put a frame on my version in Photoshop. If you are interested in buying some of my art go to: https://www.etsy.com/shop/KenHarrisWatercolors?ref=hdr_shop_menu

Happy New Year!

2016 Ken Harris Watercolor Calendar available on Etsy.

My 2016 Ken Harris Watercolor Calendar is now available on Etsy. When hanging on the wall it measures 11" x 17" (28cm x 43cm). It features 13 months and 13 watercolors. Click on second image below to see all twelve paintings for this year. It is digitally printed on 60 lb. cover stock. Click link below to order:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/252309060/2016-watercolor-calendar?ref=shop_home_active_3

Summer/Fall 2015

Starting in July here is one of my summer watercolors I just completed. It is a painting of somebody contemplating the next step in their life. The model for the watercolor is my wife. The size of the painting is 15" x 22" (38cm x 56cm) If you are interested in purchasing a print of an original contact me at ken@kenharris.com

Finished this painting the morning of  7/12/15. It is of a stone wall with some wild flowers in Kempford, UK. It was from a photo I took there 5 years ago. To buy this painting as a card go to: https://www.etsy.com/shop/KenHarrisWatercolors?ref=hdr_shop_menu

The sketch below  is a watercolor study of a charcoal drawing done by Andrew Loomis. He was an incredible painter and illustrator. I have been reading his books to learn about drawing the figure and to learn more about color. What I like about doing color paintings from Loomis' charcoal sketches is that he has already established all the basic, structural values. Structural values are the foundation for any painting.

Below is a painting about Northern California, where I am from. It is different from Southern California. In some ways more rural. This is from a photo I saw on Facebook of a friend's ranch. I liked the design of the clothes "wagging' in the wind. The light hanging clothes against the shadowed background of the trees and building. Light against dark..

The painting below, I finished at the beginning of August. It is a copy, or my translation, of the Birth of Venus by Raphael. It was done in Acrylic. It has been hot in California this year so painting out in the garage with acrylic is a bit tough. The paint dries too fast. I discovered this Flo additive for the paint. It really thins the paint. Almost like watercolor it seems. It helped finish the painting. See more of my art at: http://www.kenharris.com

Today is the end of August. The month went by too fast. It has been very hot. Our house has no AC. I started this at the beginning of the week and did a bit each night when it was cooler. Finished this AM, 8/29/15. This is a story of a back street in Aix on a hot summer morning. 

I did the watercolor below of Cassis 9/9/15. Cassis is on the Mediterranean coast of the south of France, in between Marseille and Toulon. This is a view of the harbor on a lazy summer afternoon. The size is 30cm x 44cm (11" x 15").

Below is another painting from the south of France. It is a subject I like. There are some good places to paint. This is of a square in Aix-en-Provence. It is early evening on a hot summer night. It is painted on a half sheet of watercolor paper, 15" x 20". 

This is painting below is of the Edison Electric plant in Huntington Beach, CA. It measures 15" x 20" and is painted on 300 lb. watercolor paper.

This is a watercolor image of the Clarkson Bridge in Cullman, Alabama. First built in 1904, the unique truss bridge (invented in the U.S.) stretches 270 feet over Crooked Creek. Cullman is a beautiful area of the united states. I really enjoyed working on this painting. The motivation of love is a great power when painting.

Below is another version of Notre Dame, Paris during a rainy day in July. To help get the feeling of rain, I painted clear water onto the paper and brushed in vertical strokes of color into the wet areas.

This painting of the boats at sunset took I completed in approximately 1.5 hours. I painted the reflection of the sky first in the water are. Then I painted in the sky. While the sky was still wet, I brushed in the trees with a one inch flat watercolor brush. The color bleeding slightly into the sky. With my finger nail (like Turner), I scraped out a few preliminary tree trunks and branches. Next, I proceeded to draw the boat and quickly painted the rocks with a round brush. I finished by adding dark reflections of the trees into the water and put in a few more scrapes with a razor blade. 

Watercolors for May-June 2015

Finished painting Below June 14, 2015. I am studying VALUE PATTERNS. Value patterns are the foundation for any painting. Upon those patterns we build our subject and decoration. I will be explaining value patterns hopefully in the future. If you are interested in buying an original watercolor, print, or note cards of any of my art email me at: ken@kenharris.com. You can also buy some of my art and note cards at: https://www.etsy.com/shop/kenharris1?ref=hdr_shop_menu.

This is a painting about a summer evening in Paris. The sun does not go down till about 9:30-10:00pm. The street is Blvd. Diderot. This painting measures 11" x 14". 

I was in Paris looking out the window of my hotel, watching people walking in the rain. I saw these two young women walking, so I took a photo of them for a possible painting. I first did a sketch in my sketchbook. Then I did the painting below on watercolor paper. This painting is available in the US and EU at: https://www.etsy.com/shop/kenharris1?ref=hdr_shop_menu

This is a painting I did at the end of May, 2015. I did it on location in northern California and adjusted it when I got home. It is good training to paint on location because you have to observe. You learn a lot about light and atmosphere; how things are constructed. As many have said before me, "Nature is your best teacher".

Above is a watercolor I did for a Music CD project. You are looking at the T-Shirt version of the watercolor. I could have posted just the illustration, but I wanted to show the context. I also did the typography for the piece. If you are interested in buying my art, I now have a store on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/kenharris1?ref=hdr_shop_menu. You can also go to my website at www.kenharris.com.

This is a fine watercolor I did back in 1988. It is truly a blast from the past. The words of a song from the Byrds comes to my mind, "I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now." Click on the image to see a larger view.

This is a larger version of a watercolor I had done before of Newport Harbor, California. It measures approximately 28 inches high and 40 inches wide. It is a nice piece. It is adorning a home by the beach in southern California.

Below is another painting of Newport Harbor, California on a foggy, cloudy morning in June. I started it on location and finished the painting in my studio. The drive from location to the studio gives you time to re-think your design.

Below is a selection from my latest sketchbook. It just evolved onto the page from my brush (mind).

This painting I did from a photo I took while driving through Huntington Beach, California. I saw the pattern of the trees against the sunset and stopped my car and took a photo with my phone. The incoming fog and primary colored sunset created an "other world" type of atmosphere. It measures 15" x 22" unframed (half sheet size). It is for sale for $900 US dollars.

Below is a quick sketch from a photo I took on location. I like working with ink.

Below is a Watercolor based on a drawing from my sketchbook that I posted earlier this year. It is of Regents Park in London UK. It was painted on 300 lb. French watercolor paper.

The next painting is an older painting I re-worked about three weeks ago. I tried to add some darker values to give the piece a little more visual interest.