still life studies

right now i am working on some portraits. i'll plan on posting the results when they are finished. i was hoping to document the process but time got the better of me. maybe next time. i wanted to show some more examples of still life and these paintings are representative of this genre. they are good subjects for someone who doesn't have a lot of time in one sitting as they don't get up and walk away, the sun and weather don't change and, if one uses artificial flowers, don't wilt. i like putting flowers and everyday objects in my paintings . if they look like a table top that someone just walked away from, i am usually happy with the result......informal would be another way to say it. really formal set ups don't do too much for me (and i don't do them very well if i'm being honest.)

Bob Witte, Watercolor Artist......First Post

this is my first attempt at a post on a blog. i am largely a self-taught watercolor artist. i first started on the quest when i obtained one of charles reid's first books on painting flowers in watercolor. when i received this book in the mail i was impressed that watercolors didn't have to be the drab things that i had seen when viewing old english watercolor paintings. i must have read this book from cover to cover 5 times and then on rainy saturday morning i decided to go down to our local art store and get some paints, paper and a brush. i was hooked. i became a believer in hands on instruction when i took a workshop with dale kendrick. i could not draw at that time and he was very patient. i went from being hopelessly confused to being tenuously confident in producing a decent drawing and getting the paint on the paper. in early 2006 i was fortunate enough to take a workshop with charles reid in hilton head. since then i have attended a few more workshops with him ( i feel a bit like a charles reid groupy). his patient instruction and advice have kept me struggling to improve in this exciting medium. i would be remiss if i didn't mention louise lundin whose workshop in northern wisconsin on portrait painting was so helpful in understanding the human head and face and rendering it in watercolor. this painting entitled "charles' hat, susan's boot" was recently done after a workshop on figure painting at silvermine in connecticut . the other two, "high shelf flowers" and "recovering in sarasota" are other examples of my work. i hope you enjoy them as much as i did painting them. please post comments if you wish. i would enjoy dialog with others, artists or not. thanks for viewing.