Hello,

New SALE in my SHOP from Aug 31 - Sept 7th midnight. Save 20% with code FIRSTSALE.

So thank you for visiting, and hope you enjoy the many art tips in my BLOG, and paintings in my SHOP and just feel blessed while you hang around awhile.

Joanie

This is an image title

This is an image title
This is an image caption

This is an image title

This is an image title
This is an image caption

This is an image title

This is an image title
This is an image caption, this is an image caption, this is an image caption, this is an image caption.

TREE theme continues....get out your palette knives

Friday, August 28, 2026

Hi folks

Loads of fabulous trees painted this past month by all my artists...and we continue with this theme but break out our palette knives for the last of this months classes. Weeks 2, 3, and 4.

It's not too late to join us.  Here are few of my trees done this month....I experimented with chalk pastel backgrounds for that nice smoothness, then proceeded to mostly paint with gouache then of course topped with mixed media....in other words I grabbed whatever I thought would work. To tell my story.

What are you trying to say in your paintings?  


Consider this before jumping in and "just painting." What is exciting to you that you want to convey?  OBSERVE CLOSELY your inspirational source. Study it, what thrills you, what do you not care about....EDIT!  This is your painting, so show us what you love, and why bother with the rest? The ole "Take what works and Leave the rest" adage.

Please don't forget to be playful with color!  Pastel background, gouache, some charcoal and pastel pencils


A few more examples, hopefully, to inspire you to paint a tree or three.


I love to draw just branches, once again, pastel background, and gouache. some colored pencils, and acrylic pen

Never miss an opportunity to do the same painting twice. I switched up the palette, was looser in my drawing, oh yes....this and the above started with ink over the pastel background, then gouache, colored pencils and pastel.


Simply branches....I ditched the ho-hum blue sky and went for yellow in pastel. There's some collage on there too, Gouache then the usual toppers.

This is the palm tree, (actually one of 3) that are out in front of my community, and I painted this on 5 x 7 wood. I love painting small....and that's what we will be doing in Oct-Nov. - and even exchanging a little painting among each of the artists....give one, receive one. This will be fun. Gouache and a few pencils.

This was the first in this series of trees......adding color pops because,
that's what i love, so that's what I do. Pastel bg, gouache painting, some pastel pencils.

Mostly gouache.....and pastel bg.

I come from apple country, western upstate New York, and i live in apple country, Sonoma County, Ca. So apples are a love of mine....plus i eat at least one a day!  Yep, i really do. Pastel bg, gouache, and pencils!

These next scenes are from my daughter's living room view in Seattle area. The Puget Sound is on the other side of these trees. I was taking loads of pictures, then in a matter of minutes the sunset began and the colors shifted warm to cool and i got some spectacular photos that were the inspiration for these paintings. One was obviously not enough.

Both, as you can probably guess by now, are pastel bg, gouache and various mixed media on top. 


I certainly do love me some Gouache!


So for Zoom and in-person classes in September, we begin Mon Aug 31 and/or Wed Sept 2. Then take off Labor Day week as a mini vacation, the last week off of the year. And we will have 4 classes a week for Oct/Nov then Dec just two classes, Dec 7 and 9 - the last two of the year before we take our well-deserved holiday break before starting all new sessions in Jan 2027.

Registered students, watch for a more in-depth email regarding what supplies you will want to have at the ready for this coming month. See you starting this coming week!!!

Blessings to you all, dear Creatives!


Ready to join us?


There's plenty of creativity, inspiration and fun to go around.
→  MORE INFO on my classes here.

If you wish to join us for a month or more of classes,
GET IN TOUCH and see if you don't get inspired, too! 🎨

Blessings, Joanie

To subscribe to this newsletter,
Simply click here!
Copyright © ART for the SOUL of it
Design out of the FlyBird's Box.