The Light of the Moon

Moonlight fascinates me.  I'm always trying to take a great photo or paint a lovely moonlight painting, but Moonlight is an elusive thing.  When I was a child, I would sit out on the back porch with my Grandmother while she told me stories about the faeries and we would watch the big old summer moon together.  Now every full moon that arrives finds me out watching, or at least watching from the sun room windows if the weather is way too cold to venture out.  Did you see the spectacular moon these past few days?  So bright and big!

Last Full moon, there was a dance at the other end of the village, and the music flowed up along the riverbank to our garden.   My Sweetie let the dogs out for their night time business, then came in and asked if I would like to go outside and dance, and that is just what we did.  We had a lovely time, just the two of us, while we danced by the light of the moon.  Romance is alive and well at Sheltie Hollow :)

I hope all of you enjoy the rest of the summer, and remember, there will be another full moon in September, so get out your dancing shoes!
Cheers,
Heather Anderson
www.sheltiehollowart.com

Awash With Colour

Watercolours speak to me the way no other medium does.  I specialized in it -along with drawing - at art school, and I've been hooked ever since.    I love the flow of the paint, the fluid washes of colour, and the brilliancy of the paint itself, especially when the bright, white paper is shining up through it.  After all these years, I know it's tricks and idiosyncracies, and I feel very much at home with it.

I agree with what I've read and heard about the various colours.  For the most part, the earth colours, the blues, and the yellows are quite friendly and agreeable, although the granulating colours within those groups can get a bit tricky.  But the greens and reds can be bullies if you are not careful.  Green can get over-GREEN or go acid very quickly if you are not careful, while red can get very heavy very fast, and it's also rather mobile if you accidentally sweep the edges with water, and you'll end up with colours running where you don't want them.  True of any colour of course, if the situation is right, but I've had the most trouble that way, with red.  Handled skillfully, these colours glow, and I am still working on getting a glorious, glowing red.  Baby steps - red insists on taking baby steps.

With all the juicy colours dancing on the palette, it's tempting to boldly sweep it everywhere, but some restraint is necessary if you want your subject to stand out.  You have to make a difference in the colour and amount of detail if you want any one thing to become the main focus.  And the eye needs a place to rest - a place where the colour is quieter and the detail fades away.  You want to dazzle the viewer, not blind them :D

I'm still working on these things and I always will be. There's always something new to learn and something you can do better.  And isn't that GREAT!!
Cheers,
Heather
www.heatheranderson-animalart.com

Old & Familiar and Something New

Well Happy New Year everyone!  I hadn't planned on doing a new blog until next week, but suddenly it felt right to do it today.  New Years is so full of intentions and plans . . . so energizing.  I'm not stating intentions - haven't done that in years, but I am making plans for the upcoming year. The most important plan is to  make sure I am connected to every day and to my loved ones, not letting the days slip past in a blur of busy-ness.  Each day is precious.  Each special day needs marking and celebrating. Our loved ones need to know they are loved each and every day.
And with my painting, I want to have fun again.  With that in mind, I have lots of the usual things I love to paint on my list.  The Dogs, especially Shelties, the horses and cats and the country way of life I so love.  If you enjoy my work and these types of paintings, I'll have lots to show you over this coming year.

                            The Lavender Path       Watercolour

Naturally, I love painting Shelties,  They have been our dog of choice for over 30 years, although we have also enjoyed the company of Collies and a few other breeds during that time.

  

                         Heading Home          an older watercolour


The sight of a horse always brings a smile to my face and quickening of my pulse, so I guess I will always want to paint them now and then, either by themselves or in the rural setting that surrounds me.  But dogs remain my main focus again this year.

But every now and then, I need to take a flight of fancy and dip into Fantasy.  I did several Fantasy paintings a couple or so years back, so don't be surprised if I wander down the Faery path now and then during the upcoming year.

Lady Iris     Watercolour

                             This is a little series of Medieval Knight paintings that told a story of a Knight going out on a Quest all the way from him starting out, to meeting a baby Dragon, to his being home with the Lady he saved when he jousted a rival knight.  And on to his Ghost horse still protecting the Castle ruins.  Great fun!  And each of these little paintings was only 2.5 x 3 inches big!  I have a new idea or two, so don't be surprised if the story of my Knight and his Lady is continued.  Did you realize she had been captured by . . . no, I'll wait and let you see it later in the year!

So I hope you will follow along to see what's happening . . .  there will be another surprise or two ahead, I promise!  And if you enjoy the blog and my paintings, please share with your friends if you think they'd like them too.

cheers
Heather
www.heatheranderson-animalart.com