Watercolor Paintings by RoseAnn Hayes

2012-05-27T09:05:00.000-07:00

Poppies, using Cadmium Red and Geranium Red. I like red flowers painted botanical style, with white backgrounds.

Thoughtful Beauty

2012-05-12T14:40:00.000-07:00

A portrait of a girl in thought, painted a few years ago in my portrait days, painted in watercolor on Fabriano paper.

Rookiepainter Challenges

2012-05-09T19:15:00.000-07:00

I think I've mentioned the Rookiepainter site before. It's a really neat painter's challenge site. Challenges are so good for painters because they force us to paint things we wouldn't usually paint. I've only entered one of their challenges so far, but one of their earlier challenges contained a photo that knocked me out. A bowl on a shelf. So simple, but I loved it. I was too late to enter that challenge, but I couldn't resist painting from the photo anyway. In fact, I did several versions. This one is on Yupo synthetic paper. I hope to have time to enter more of the challenges soon. Check out their site if you can, because there are some wonderful painters that participate. http://www.rookiepainter.blogspot.com

Cherry Blossoms

2012-05-05T12:25:00.001-07:00

Cherry blossoms in baby food jar. On Fabriano Artistico watercolor paper. Painted recently for a promotional gift.

Lavender Field Watercolor Painting

2012-04-06T18:20:00.002-07:00

Been wanting to paint a field of lavender. This is my first attempt. I wanted it to be soft like a misty morning in France. Painted on Fabriano CP watercolor paper, and the purples are Winsor Violet and Thio Violet. Prints are available at Fine Art America (see the link on the right sidebar of this page).

Garden Flowers Watercolor Painting II

2012-04-04T20:54:00.003-07:00

I wanted to compare results on Yupo paper vs regular watercolor paper, so I repainted the daisy on one of my favorite regular watercolor papers, Fabriano Artistico CP. I still prefer regular paper, but I need to keep exploring.

Garden Flowers Watercolor Painting

2012-03-30T16:11:00.003-07:00

I'm experimenting with a pad of Yupo paper that I bought from CJ's Art Supplies. First I painted this simple sketch on Yupo, and then I painted it on my regular watercolor paper. This is the Yupo version. I've learned that you can't erase very well on Yupo. I always use Pentel Clic erasers (the soft white kind). When I use it on Yupo, it leaves an area that resists paint. Yupo is great fun, but lots of frustration, too. I'm not yet sure if I love it or hate it.

For Nicky

2012-03-23T18:38:00.003-07:00

Finally finding a little time to paint. This one is for Nicky, my beloved brother-in-law, and my daughter's beloved uncle. We love you, Nicky.

Mixed Bouquet

2012-03-15T18:07:00.002-07:00

Another of the mixed bouquet watercolors I painted a few weeks ago. I've been away from my watercolors since then, due to projects at work, but think I'll have time to paint again very soon. It's good to take a break sometimes. I'm very lucky to have that option.

Challenge Painting

2012-03-01T19:01:00.005-08:00

I painted this a few weeks ago for one of the "Rookie Painter" challenges. "Rookie Painter" is a site that contains nothing but challenges. About one a month or so. Challenges are SO good for watercolorists who want to improve. They force us outside our comfort zone. My work load at the office is improving a little, so I hope to be able to pick up a brush again soon. I want to try this challenge piece again, only on Yupo paper this time.

Purple Flowers in Terra Cotta

2012-02-16T18:45:00.003-08:00

For 2012 I have re-prioritized. I have such a busy career, and so little time to paint. For now, I'm planning no new listings, no commissions, no marketing. I need time to paint for personal development. I'll continue with my blog, though. This painting was an experiment on a new batch of Yupo paper.

Watercolor Paper

2012-01-14T12:27:00.001-08:00

The type of paper you paint on really does make a difference in the outcome. If you're a tight, realistic painter, you will probably want an absorbent paper, and if you're a loose, flowing painter, you will probably like a harder, flatter paper. My favorite papers are Fabriano Artistico hot pressed and cold pressed, Strathmore 300 cold pressed paper (the back of the paper), and now Yupo synthetic paper. I always try the front side of the paper and the back side. Often I like the back side because it is harder and flatter. This carrot was painted on a new kind of paper called "Fluid" watercolor paper.

Watercolor Painting of Flowers

2011-12-29T20:02:00.001-08:00

Another in my series of mixed bouquets. I've been exploring mixed bouquets in anticipation of someday creating a calendar. I enjoy these casual bouquets so much more than more formal, uniform bouquets.

Baby Bird Figurine

2011-12-20T19:24:00.000-08:00

I like baby bird figurines, so I searched for some pretty ones to add to my floral still life scenes. I'm doing some individual studies of them, to get a feel for them, before I begin adding them to my florals.

Watercolor Painting Flowers

2011-12-17T23:09:00.001-08:00

Have you noticed there aren't very many purple flowers? While listening to an"Artists Helping Artists" broadcast the other day, I doodled these unidentified purple flowers.

Watercolor Painting Pink Flowers

2011-12-16T17:11:00.001-08:00

I wanted to tell my fellow artists about the neatest site on the internet for artists. It's a blog with live broadcasts called "Artists Helping Artists". It is the creation of two very talented and successful oil painters, Leslie Saeta and Dreama Tolle Perry. These two fabulous ladies are amazingly generous with their valuable time. Every week they do a live broadcast of a subject that is of interest to artists. They also archive the broadcasts. On the right side of the blog is a list of the archived broadcasts, and you can click on them to listen to them at any time. Subjects include how to sell your art online, how to photograph your art, using Facebook to sell your art, and many many more. These ladies are both powerhouses and I can't believe how generous they are. They also have live interviews with very successful and respected artists, such as Carol Marine. Check it out at http://artistshelpingartistsblog.blogspot.com/

Floral Bouquet Watercolor Painting

2011-12-06T19:57:00.001-08:00

I love casual mixed bouquets of garden flowers. Fresh and easy and informal, in an old glass jar. This is one of the studies I've been working on in preparation for putting together a calendar of bouquets in the future.

Pink Flowers in Terra Cotta

2011-11-29T18:46:00.000-08:00

This was a quick sketch I did the other day while listening to Artists Helping Artists, a wonderful "blog radio" site that I discovered a few months ago.

Portrait of Little Girl

2011-11-27T09:48:00.000-08:00

Here is a portrait that I painted a few years ago when I was doing children's portraits. This was a practice study - not one of my commissions. I love painting portraits, but I got burned out doing portrait commissions. One day when I have more time I'll paint more portraits.

Wild Rose

2011-11-25T11:42:00.001-08:00

Have a peaceful and relaxing Thanksgiving. Peace and calm and tranquility are of prime importance to me. I endured alot of stress and pain, years ago, before I finally learned to eliminate the negativity from my life. Life is so short. Don't struggle with people who bring you down. Surround yourself with only those people who treat you with respect and kindness.

Red Tulips

2011-11-24T10:44:00.001-08:00

This painting of red tulips is a little more whimsy and a little less realism, but I love it. I think it's something about the colors, maybe. And I felt good about the feeling of the red color. Red is always tricky in watercolors, because it is so strong and it turns out very opaque if you're not careful. If you want to keep your painting transparent, you have to go very carefully with the red. I think you have to suggest the red, instead of really pushing it. I made some prints of this one, and they are available in my eBay shop and my Etsy shop.

My Daughter Kelley

2011-11-13T15:32:00.001-08:00

Now that I'm getting a little more settled into my new (old) house, I've started to unpack some of my paintings. I'm taking them apart, cleaning them, adding fresh mats, and taking digital photos of them (up until now I only had polaroids, and those had gotten very old and faded). Here is a painting of my daughter Kelley that I painted when she was about 10 years old. I did a bunch of paintings of her at different ages, and I'll share more of them as I get them photographed. Kelley is 38 years old now, so this was painted a very long time ago!

Petunias

2011-11-04T15:14:00.001-07:00

I'm always looking for opportunities to use my favorite complimentary color mixes (pink and green, and lavendar and green). Using beautiful complimentary colors just seems to give you a head start on a satisfying painting. I love garden flowers tucked into everyday glass jars. This is a very simple study, but it gave me much enjoyment.

Mailbox in the Bluebonnets

2011-10-10T19:41:00.001-07:00

It has been a very long, difficult summer here in Texas. The worst draught I've ever seen, horrible wildfires everywhere, so many people lost their homes to the fires, hard times for farmers and ranchers, intense heat for months. I'm so grateful it's Fall, and we have finally had some nice rains.

Rosebud in Window

2011-08-13T20:40:00.000-07:00

I painted this for a Daily Paintworks Challenge. They gave us a black and white photo, and we had to create a color painting using the same values from that photo. I didn't follow the rules exactly, but I was still very pleased with the result and happy to be able to participate. I always start with a pretty detailed pencil drawing. That is the "bones" of the painting. For me, it's very important, because I paint such "loose" watercolors and I probably am a bit of a minimalist - I tend to consider a painting "finished" before most painters would. I just don't like to overwork a watercolor.