Sketching Iris

As write my articles for Senior Magazine and prepare for my Watercolor Flowers and Sketchbook Journaling classes, I want to share my excitement and encourage everyone to get and keep a sketchbook journal! It's also only natural to combine my love of flowers and journaling!

Below are a few sketches I did in a class.  The iris are so fleeting but in full bloom now.  Sketches are not meant to be great works of art, but I find I love them as much and sometimes more than those studio paintings I put so much love and work into!  My sketches range from fun and free form to detailed small paintings.

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 This first sketch was to show a student how the flower forms without much detail say "iris".  Done on regular paper, it is buckled and the colors are soft because the watercolor behaves differently on regular paper.  I liked it so well for its simplicity so I am going to glue it in a journal!!

 Again, a color demo on a watercolor sketch pad.  This time for color mixing and to show how form and a free approach still say "iris"!  I knew after it dried that I wanted to add ink for some detail and whimsy.

To the right is the finished product.   To me, this is what a journal is for.  A place to see whats possible, to experiment and take a risk.  I think it paid off!    

Iris 6 x 8  Framed (for sale)

         

And last, a much more detailed small demo.  Same iris, different view, different treatment.  And I love them all!!  

I have more work to share so I'll be posting again a bit more regularly.  Stay tuned and email me or post comments on the blog if you have comments or questions for me.  

Have a creative day!  

New Hat's for Michelle Morris Art

Glacier National Park- Plein Air 

Well, the blog has been idle, but I have not!  I have been busy trying on a few new hats.  Some very exciting new hats!  While they all surround my art and have kept me busy, be assured I am still painting and will share my newest stuff with you  in the coming weeks.

While teaching is not new, I have a new teaching venue this summer in Columbus with the Cultural Arts Center downtown.  Two workshops, Watercolor Flowers and Sketchbook Journaling.  I am very excited about this opportunity to expand my offerings to a different audience. Click on the highlighted texts for more information and to register for these workshops.

For those who want something in the northern suburbs, I have two workshop offerings at the McConnell Arts Center.  Plein Air in Watercolor on three separate dates, Wednesdays, June 12, 19 or Saturday  June 22: 10am-5pm (or take all three!) and a Basic Watercolor workshop- Wednesdays, July 31 and August 7: 1-4pm.  That link is not up yet but I have the info on my Web page.

But wait, there is more!  The workshop program is new to the Cultural Arts Center.  The mainstay of the program is quality local teachers who teach in an intensive time frame of one or two days.  This works so well for those who cannot commit to longer time frames of weekly classes.  The Director and Workshop Coordinator of the CCAC have given the Friends of the CCAC (non profit fund raising group that supports the CCAC) permission to bring in nationally known artists to the program once or twice a year.  I will be assisting with this and sent out a newsletter a few weeks back with a survey.  My apologies to you if the survey was missing.  Somehow I screwed that up after the fact.  Twice!! This time I promise the link is good and if you would indulge me and answer a few brief questions it would help tailor the workshops to what you, the public, most want.  This is a wonderful opportunity for the Arts in Columbus, but take the survey even if you dont live in the area.  I can use the data!  Click here to take the Survey.

And last, but definitely not least.  Read all about it!  I will be a regular monthly contributor to Senior Artist online magazine.  Senior Artist is an online magazine geared to older adults who finally have the time to pursue their artistic dreams.  As a contributor I will be introduced to the subscribers this Thursday May 16th as the featured artist with a brief bio and samples of my work.  On Thursday May 23rd I will be starting a monthly five week series on the many ways and reasons to keep a sketchbook journal.  Please check it out at the highlighted link above and subscribe to receive Senior Artist in your inbox!

Thanks for reading and I promise to get back to regular blog posts within the next week!