Monday, July 20, 2009

mercy me


mercy me it's hot! and mercy me i have no energy for taking pictures or blogging!! so i'll put Mercy Me here as a sort of 'place holder' until the energy returns...

yes, this is Mercy Me. i painted her last night, which is when she revealed her name to me.


this is where she lives now, and where was living before she was painted (and named), along with lakshmi, ganesh, and two other unpainted and unnamed barely there beings...


the following words by charles reid refer to this painting...

The whole idea here is to decide what areas I want to emphasize. Too often, students become recorders of facts and details. Look at the hand next to the face; the fingers were interesting and called for attention. Why did I practically ignore them? Always compare the relative importance of one area with another. Since I was most interested in the face and knew the hand would be a monster to paint, I concentrated on getting definition in the face.

This painting isn't literally finished. I wish the area under the hand that rests on the knee was done better, but there was an ugly pattern in that part of the setup. I'd rather leave an area like this with a few spots of color if I don't know how to handle it.

Charles Reid in The Natural Way to Paint - Rendering the Figure in Watercolor Simply and Beautifully


XO

23 comments:

  1. I hope your energy reterns soon and thanks for such a wealthy post when you are not feeling 100%. The watercolour is exquisite and gives me hope (I can't draw hands!), I love the photo of the little shrine / table top and Mercy is perfect. A wonderful combination.

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  2. Mercy Me... just love her and her name (is she a relative of the infamous mrs. mizzle ?)

    I love the watercolour and the wonderful quote from the book by Charles Reid. Sounds like interesting reading.

    Mrs. mizzle has had her nose in a few new books in the library lately...Eco Colour by India Flint (she tells me she would love to try her hand at eco dyeing) and she is all excited by the new Quilting Arts....she's going to keep me busy!

    Hope you get a lovely cool change soon and all of your energy returns...doesnt hurt to lay around sometimes though.

    Jacky xox

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  3. I love hearing why artists paint how they paint. It is a beautiful watercolour.

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  4. Mercy Me is a perfect name! I hope your energy returns quickly.
    To be honest.... I can totally identify with you right now!
    love the what Charles Reid had to say!

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  5. oboy do i know what hot is . it looks like the whole west coast is hot.
    i love mercy me. i have been working with paperclay too. it is a lot of fun, thanks again for a new addiction.

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  6. mercy me i love the subtlty.

    oh goodness... oh exoblessings.... multiplied.

    I think this phrase, "Since I was most interested in the face and knew the hand would be a monster to paint, I concentrated on getting definition in the face" ... yes, this phrase went through me like a kind of mantra; a philosophy on selective attention and using my kinda hot and emptied self ... too. Very subtle!

    mercy me! :)

    until then... exoblessings.

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  7. Mercy Me - she's an explanation! how fabulous - I wonder what her fellow shrine beings think about an explanation in their midsts! some hyper energy running wild in this little peaceful oasis :)))))) lazy crazy days of summer finally here - I'm so happy....

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  8. Dreading our summer but in the mean time I'm savouring winter. Hope you cool down soon. Mercy Me looks to be quite tolerant

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  9. Mercy me indeed...I feel you on all counts! We hit 108 today, which was pushing even my own quite heat tolerant limits.

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  10. Mercy me, she's a peach! And such envious stylie digs she's in.

    Still trying to figure out summer in this part of the mountains - temps have moderated - upper 50's for lows, upper 70's for highs ... nice.

    Mercy Me is doing a stellar job, you should be proud of your offspring.

    titter titter ... xxoo

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  11. Mercy Me looks as if she could easily have stepped off a page in one of your most wonderful journals! if you had to leave us, at least you left us with her. :)

    ps - wishing you cool breezes!

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  12. kate, yes, charles reid gives me great hope too! he says these important things very matter-of-factly, and i think, 'Oh!!'

    thank you for your nice words...

    hee, jacky, that ms. mizzle's gonna keep you busy it looks like! of course, her interests are *good ones*. ; )

    i'm practicing the laying around thing... : )

    hi zom, yes, i do too... and he says some of the most insightful things. i *adore* his watercolors...

    hey manon! it's funny how her name just popped into my head -- it was *just there*!!

    hee, we can cyber lay around together... : )

    kathy!! i think i still owe you an addiction or two if the scales are to be completely balanced! : )

    lol, m.... yes, exoblessings multiplied...

    that phrase shot through me like a mantra too... that's what i love about his painting advice -- it applies to EVERYTHING.

    ohhh... here are more exoblessings floating by... : )

    lol, jeane, i think her fellow shrine beings are casting a tolerant eye in her direction. ; )

    robyn, i think she's downright cool, calm, and collected. ; )

    good lord, cynjon!! and that's probably 108 with humidity!! that makes me look like a positive wimp!

    blowing you cool kisses...

    kathy... ooohhhh, those temps sound nice... and hee, yeah... mercy me keeps quite the elevated company. : )

    lol, michelle, mercy me can hang out with my journals once i'm gone... they'll probably have a lot to talk about. : )

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  13. oh how i love ms mercy me oh my!! whew!
    xox k

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  14. I love Mercy Me.. I also love the watercolour also.. Also just a wow also on the post before..I love those journals..I think they are wonderful.
    Katelen

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  15. mercy me is magnificent ! such a sweet energy to her - she must add so much to your wonderful altar. I hope your energy gets back to filled up soon.

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  16. oofff i went to bed last night with Exoblessings tangled and singing in my hair! * they're having babies!

    :)
    ....:)
    ........ :)

    that up there is a smile skipping through the day!

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  17. Hi Lynne, yes it is hot! I love your "mercy me" and her home on the table. The feathers and the lace, the stones... lovely and the quote so true. Have a lovely night. Roxanne

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  18. Mercy Me and Mercy You in the heat - great that it has produced such creativity Lynne - hope it cools for you soon - I love your shrine too - a fitting place!

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  19. Oooh Lynne, I love that sneak peek of where Mercy is living. please pop over to my blog, when you have time and collect the award I've left there for you x

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  20. karin... smiles and kisses to you... : )

    thank you, katelen! i love charles reid's watercolors...

    hi kim, thank you about the energy refill and mercy me. : )

    m.! tangled exoblessings!! oh i love that!! abounding and tangled!

    thank you, roxanne. thinking about you as you get ready to leave for british columbia... xo

    hello rosie... thank you -- and i must get back to your place to see the further progression of your classes. i am so loving that...

    lumi, you are so kind... and thank you... xo

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  21. Dear Lynne,
    Hop on over to my blog and check out what "someone" has sent to me. You are just too great. I don't know how to thank you but all of you who read Lynne's blog ought to know what a wonderful person she is, full of love and generosity, and that out of the kindness of her heart has sent me some wonderful healing flags for my place here. I just am blown away at the wonder of it all and it has been rolling around in my head ever since. The world is just such an amazing place, filled with amazing people who give freely of their time and talent. Lynne: I love you!

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  22. Mercy Me is a lovely addition to your alter...

    I'll send some of our 'Seatle-ish' Colorado weather your way....

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  23. teri, i hopped on over and immediately got a big lump in my throat!! ... just big, big smiles (and love) from me to you... xo

    thank you, stephanie... i think i'll keep our hot sun, though. : )

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