Artists
Related: About this forumA painting of a local salt marsh from a few days ago.
I haven't posted my art here in quite a while, but I've still been painting and improving. This one is from this past weekend. It was a gorgeous afternoon/early evening to go out and paint. The late afternoon light made the salt marsh glow.

cate94
(2,944 posts)femmedem
(8,500 posts)And I'm lucky to live near such an inspiring landscape.
niyad
(122,963 posts)femmedem
(8,500 posts)It sure was a lovely place to be for a few hours.
Best thing I've done in the last few years was take up painting again after a decades-long hiatus.
Diamond_Dog
(36,452 posts)Very nicely done!
femmedem
(8,500 posts)It was such a beautiful spot that I felt like I'd had a full week's vacation after spending a couple of hours painting there.
sinkingfeeling
(54,798 posts)femmedem
(8,500 posts)I appreciate the compliment.
sheshe2
(90,962 posts)You can almost hear the water.
femmedem
(8,500 posts)That spot is so serene yet invigorating.
Sanity Claws
(22,153 posts)femmedem
(8,500 posts)The linseed oil that they're mixed with is emulsified, as is the oil medium I use to thin them. No turpentine, no mineral spirits necessary, and I can clean my brushes with soap and water. I love them!
Sanity Claws
(22,153 posts)I'm just learning and never heard of them.
Oils take longer to dry than acrylics. Is that true of the water-mixable oils?
I love the painting. The little dabs of pink really add a lot.
femmedem
(8,500 posts)I started the painting with an underpainting using red transparent oxide (a reddish brown), white and burnt umber to work out my composition and values (lights and darks). And then some of that red pokes through here and there.
bif
(25,022 posts)It has such a serene quality to it!
femmedem
(8,500 posts)I've been enjoying your artistic journey here and on Instagram.
markie
(23,247 posts)
femmedem
(8,500 posts)AmBlue
(3,452 posts)femmedem
(8,500 posts)Joinfortmill
(17,692 posts)femmedem
(8,500 posts)MLAA
(19,049 posts)I just love how you handled the water. And the softness yet clarity of the background is perfect. Is it an oil painting?
femmedem
(8,500 posts)They dry slightly faster, but not much, and you just need soap and water to clean your brushes.
MLAA
(19,049 posts)Ziggysmom
(3,748 posts)femmedem
(8,500 posts)Thank you so much.
fierywoman
(8,258 posts)I've been entranced by Ian Roberts' (the guy who wrote the wonderful composition book) weekly (Tues) musings on YouTube on all sorts of aspects of painting -- he does a lot of landscape painting. They're 5-8 or 9 minutes, jam packed with ideas, so very easy to watch, and inspiring.
femmedem
(8,500 posts)I do learn a lot from online videos.
StarryNite
(11,444 posts)femmedem
(8,500 posts)AllaN01Bear
(24,498 posts)



femmedem
(8,500 posts)MontanaMama
(24,354 posts)Thank you for sharing your work with us.
femmedem
(8,500 posts)I'm glad you like it.
karin_sj
(1,192 posts)What brand of water mixable oil paint do you use? I just bought a set of Cobra oil paints but haven't tried them yet.
femmedem
(8,500 posts)Good luck with them! One tip: I don't use any water while I'm painting, just the oil medium made for these paints.
FuzzyRabbit
(2,137 posts)I like this painting a lot.
femmedem
(8,500 posts)I love your username. I used to have a lionhead rabbit.
GPV
(73,257 posts)We're up early.
GPV
(73,257 posts)
gurthang
(13 posts)I just decided to get into oil painting and have four pumpkins/gourds in my shopping cart that are going to be my first victims/subjects.
femmedem
(8,500 posts)I have a stressful job in the nonprofit sector and nothing, nothing clears my head like painting. I hope you find the same joy in it that I do.
If you'd like any advice, I'd offer that it's a big job to try to understand drawing, lights and darks and color all at once. If it gets to be too much, try painting in monochrome. I often start my paintings with an underpainting using only a reddish brown (I like transparent red oxide, but burnt sienna would work, too), burnt umber and white. That's how I started this one, and then I painted in color on top. You can see the reddish brown peeking out here and there.
Or, ignore my advice and just dive in! Pumpkins and gourds are great subjects.
Also--I just noticed your post count--welcome to Democratic Underground!
lunatica
(53,410 posts)It gives the landscape an ephemeral moodiness. Soft light is amazing!
femmedem
(8,500 posts)You're such a gift to the artists' group, always so supportive. I hope your own art is going well.
lunatica
(53,410 posts)Thanks for your kind words!