Cat

Good morning meow to you.

(3″ x 5″ pen with watercolor)
Displayed artwork © 2017 Kim Reading. All rights reserved.

GM Truck: An Old Gal

I see this beauty around my neighborhood and always stop to admire her. She reminds me of my balloon tire bicycle from first grade (best bike ever). And the nostalgic sound of a solid steel car door slamming shut from the sixties. I’m guessing its a 1940’s era rig. She’s missing an “eye” and although I’ve never seen her in motion, I’m sure she can still turn over because she hauls—note the custom hand-made side rails her owner has lovingly installed.

If I ever meet her owner, I’m offering this sketch. AFTER I get a ride down the street!

(click image to enlarge)

(5.5″ x 3.5″  micron ink pen and watercolor on Moleskine®)
Displayed artwork © 2017 Kim Reading. All rights reserved.

Pendulum

A little mini-abstract. Playing with watercolor.

(Click  to enlarge)

(2.5 x 3″ watercolor)
Displayed artwork © 2017 Kim Reading. All rights reserved.

Sketching in Public

A favorite bonus (or downside, if you’re shy) to sketching in public is the curious visitor. Kids are the best because they just bound right up asking questions — no sideways glances, no quiet slow stepping to get just close enough for a peak (wouldn’t want to disturb the artist). This day, “Troy” came flying over in his awesome orange and blue monster shirt. I showed him what I was painting and what the names of the places were.

“You need blue there,” he blurted out. Well, yes indeed — I was just getting to that sky! And so he supervised my blue wash for all of 2 seconds and was off again — then back again (you know kids). I told him the best thing about sketching things is you remember that moment very clearly forever. “So every time I look at this painting, Troy, I will remember you and your monster shirt.”

Indeed I shall.

View north from Daybreak Star Cultural Center toward Golden Gardens park with Mount Baker’s peak in the distance.

(Click an image to enlarge)

These were my other visitors that day.

Triangular crabapple tree with mucho abundant fruit.

(3 x 5″ watercolors on paper)
Displayed artwork © 2016 Kim Reading. All rights reserved.

Happy Monday!

(click image to enlarge)

(5″ x 4″  water-soluble pen on paper and watercolor)
Displayed artwork © 2016 Kim Reading. All rights reserved.

Watercolor Meditations — Second Series

This second series, inspired by the wonderful Carla Sonheim’s 2016: “Y” is for Yellow class, is a study in overlapping three transparent colors. It was a meditative process that appealed to me during my otherwise “quiet” art summer. The results were unexpected and colorful.

Small 5 x 5″ birch panels are the substrate onto which paper watercolor paintings were affixed. Each was finished with three separate layers of protective UV semigloss varnish. I plan to do (at least) 4 more to make a symmetrical block of nine.

(Click an image to enlarge)

(5 x 5″ watercolor paintings varnished onto cradled birch boards)
Displayed artwork © 2016 Kim Reading. All rights reserved.

Snowball Juggler

The little girl on this New Yorker cover is so uninhibited and carefree — not a worry in the world. She’s surrounded by focused adults all trying to push somewhere through the seasonal chill. The little girl pays them no mind. She’s in a world of her own, too. A very different world. This is what I suspect she may be imagining in that playful brain of hers…

 

 

(click image to enlarge)

(5″ x 5″  pen and watercolor on sketch paper)
Displayed artwork © 2016 Kim Reading. All rights reserved.