This is a scene at San Diego Museum of Art.

567. Three Women Watercolor Painting by Mariko Irie

The painting on the wall is in very fine realistic oil. I remembered the artist’s name, when I was at the museum, but I don’t remember now. I should make notes all the time.

Perhaps is it Thomas Eakins?

I was exited to look at paintings and people too much at the museum.

Anyway the painting: Young woman wear only a hat and shoes and posing like a ballerina in outdoors. And old woman is sitting in black. I wonder what is the story!?

I’m so curious to know the story.

It’ s a big painting. But this lady in green shirt, she was passing by without any glance to this painting.

I painted this strange scene and named “Three Women”. It’s simple.

If you know about this painting, please let me know.

This is a scene at San Diego Art Museum.

566. Grandpa & Granddaughter 2 Watercolor painting by Mariko Irie

I painted same scene last month: 552. Grandpa & Granddaughter

But this time I love this Grandpa & Granddaughter’s relationship very much. So I wanted to paint focusing this relationship and the painting, image size 6” x 9”.

It is cohesive to my series of “Art Lovers”.

I’m satisfied with this painting.

What do you think?

This is a scene at San Diego Art Museum.

565. Sorolla with Grandpa Watercolor painting by Mariko Irie

I was really happy to watch these Grandpa and Granddaughter were enjoying looking at paintings together.

The girl is looking at the painting by Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida.

I have seen his paintings on books. I was not so interested in his paintings till I saw his original paintings at the San Diego Museum of Art for three years ago. They had a fantastic exhibition of Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida. I went to see this exhibition with Plain Air Group “PAPASAN”.  Several truly great plain Air painters were in this group.

Anyway back to paintings of Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida:

His light, colors are incredible. His brushstrokes are so alive. A lot of his paintings are huge.

I recommend to watch “Art of Sorolla” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovV4HsXwems

He said, “I could not paint at all if I had to paint slowly,” he once said. “Every effect is so transient, it must be rapidly painted.”

In the studio Sorolla would sometimes use a palette the size of a grand piano lid and 3 foot long brushes to allow him to stand back from his painting.

Wow!!!

Georgia O’Keeffe painted this painting “Poppy”. I have never seen this original painting, so I don’t know how big the painting is.

Georgia said,  “ Flowers are quite beautiful. I painted them big. So people have to look at them.”

564. Poppy & a Couple Watercolor painting by Mariko Irie

This “Poppy” painting in this painting “ Poppy & a Couple”, is it big enough for you?

I wonder who is a good audience for this painting by Wayne Thiebaud: San Francisco cityscape, very steep slope.

My answer is skateboarders.

563. Thiebaud & Skateboarders Watercolor painting by Mariko Irie

It’s good match, isn’t it?

During copying his work, I felt that he was in his fanciful world.

It’s a wonderful world.

I love Wayne Thiebeaud.

I love his paintings very much as himself. He is a such intelligent human being with gentleman’s humor.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vI_QJ5D9Qm8

562. Cakes & Boy Watercolor painting by Mariko Irie

I moved to this country in 1982. I didn’t know about him.

Now I remember when we went to De Young Museum in San Francisco around 1990. I saw paintings of cakes. I was not so interested in these paintings. Back then I was so fascinated in American Super Realism.

In a few years I started to see his paintings more carefully. Now I love them. His composition, colors and his humor tickles me.

This scene is at San Diego Art Museum.

561. Bouguereau &Young man Watercolor painting by Mariko Irie

I love paintings of William-Adolphe Bouguereau. I don’t know how to pronounce his name.

He painted skin color marvelous: so fresh and real.

I heard that old time, they wanted to paint skin color fresh, they painted under coating of canvas green.

One time I copied Bouguereau’s painting “First Kiss” in oil seriously. I learned a lot from copying his painting.

If you are interested in his paintings, I recommend to watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-m92239EE8

This painting “Bouguereau & a Young Man” came out very good. I’m very happy with this. What do you think?

Georgia O’Keeffe is my favor painter/Artist.

But I didn’t know about her and paintings till I move to this country in 1982.

I can’t remember how or where I saw her painting first time. But I remember that I went to Mendocino library and borrowed books and Video about Georgia O’Keeffe.

Now days it’s easy to get a lot of information through Internet.

I found these videos, which I watched many times back then.

Georgia O’Keeffe in New Mexico http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYwKRVJaNEA

Georgia O’Keeffe talking about her life and work http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v71awD38Qy4

This is new to me. It’s a good one to watch. Georgia O’Keeffe Tribute, Bones In The Sky ~ Dan Fogelberg [ CC ] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3QAS_jwh28

This Scene was at San Diego Art Museum.

560. O’Keeffe & Young Couple Watercolor painting by Mariko Irie

I remember O’Keeffe said, “ He told me that my color is hopeless. So I painted barns in dark color. It was sold next day.” something like that.

I believe that she was talking about this painting. Mostly her colors of paintings are bright clear colors. So this painting is different from them. But still they are beautiful colors and strong charming composition. When I go to San Diego Museum, I visit this painting all the time.

 

Yesterday I was invited to do Watercolor painting demonstration for Artist Round Table in Santa Rosa CA. The room was very big and around fifty artists including many watercolorists attended my demo.

I will show the process of the painting on this blog.

First soak the watercolor paper in distilled water for over 10 minutes and stretch the paper with staples and tape down on an Art Board.

After stretched paper is dried completely, draw the image. Especially when I paint a big painting, I draw the image on a tracing paper then trace on the stretched watercolor paper using graphite transfer paper. That is the way I don’t mess up the watercolor paper.

This painting I painted background to forward. So I painted sky first.

Then this one.

549. Mondrian in Rice Field process Watercolor painting by Mariko Irie

Then this one,

549. Mondrian in Rice Field process 2 Watercolor Painting by Mariko Irie

Then this one,

594. Mondrian in Rice Field process 3 by Mariko Irie

Then this one

549. Mondrian in Rice Field process 4 Watercolor painting by Mariko Irie

Voila!

594. Mondrian in Rice Field process 4 Watercolor Painting by Mariko Irie

I photographed this image, when I was in the village where is surrounded by Japanese Alps. It was on my morning walk in the last November. The front of this image is a rice field, which was harvested, cleaned and turned soil. I wonder that these lines were on purpose for farming process or somebody just played. To me these lines in this field like a design of Piet Mondrian . So I named “Mondrian in Rice Field”

Thank you for attending my one-hour and half demonstration at the Artist Round Table. They had a camera behind my shoulder, showing what I was doing on the big screen and head microphone. It was great, awesome.

You were wonderful audience, gave me good questions and nice words. I had a great time with you.

Several people want to take my workshop. I’m trying to find the room in Santa Rosa area for my workshop, and when it’s scheduled, I will announce. I hope to see you again.

My next workshop “Luminous Watercolor” is scheduled at the Mendocino Art Center on July 6^th & 7^th 2013. More information, please visit at http://www.mendocinoartcenter.org/Summer13/Irie.html

They are offering 5% early bird Discount through March 31.

Happy painting!

558. Ben Shahn & a Woman Watercolor Painting by Mariko Irie

This scene is in San Diego Art Museum in Balboa Park.

They do excellent shows and have great collections.

I love Ben Shahn’s ink drawing since when I was an Art University student.

And I had never seen his original paintings till I saw this painting at the museum. What I had seen were cover of books or posters. I was so fascinated his lines and interesting images.

After I painted this painting “ Ben Shahn & a Woman”, I wanted to know about him. So I searched in Internet.

I found that he was very involved politics as a human being.

This YouTube is a good one to watch getting know him.

Art as Activism: The Compelling Paintings of Ben Shahn

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L24lrWVNVRo

He also did a series, called Lucky Dragon, about the Daigo Fukuryū Maru (literally, Lucky Dragon No. 5), the Japanese fishing boat caught in the Bikini Atoll hydrogen bomb blast.

As of 2012, an important part of this series is in the collections of Fukushima Prefectural Museum of Art

But after the Tsunami / Nuclear Power Plants accidents in 2011, they decided not show the painting, because the painting is too grotesque.

And American Museums refused to send Ben Shahn’s paintings to this museum’s Exhibition, because they are afraid paintings might get damage from polluted air from the Nuclear Power Plants accident.

After I looked at his works I realized that I have never seen his paintings before besides the one I painted.

I love this painting “Ben shahn & a Woman”. The way came out is just right. The lady who is looking at the painting is just right there, don’t you think?