American Wigeon

I often see dozens of these birds swimming along the shores of Langley-by-the-Sea.

"American Wigeon"   10" x 14"   Watercolor

Crow Visitor

One of our regular visitors, wondering when that next peanut snack will be offered.

"Crow"   10" x 14"   Watercolor

Admiralty Head Lighthouse

The Admiralty Head Lighthouse on Whidbey Island, Washington.

"Admiralty Head Lighthouse"   10" x 14"   Watercolor

Poppies

Poppies in a garden on Whidbey Island, Washington.

"Cary's Poppies"   8" x 10"   Watercolor

Driftwood Park

After teaching a workshop recently on Whidbey Island, Washington, I went exploring the island for subjects to paint.  

"Driftwood Park"   10" x 14"   Watercolor

Red-Bellied Woodpecker

I was in Nashville this past weekend for a portrait sitting and had a little extra time one rainy afternoon.

  

"Female Red-Bellied Woodpecker"   7" x 5"   Watercolor

Coals to Newcastle

A Texas artist sending a West Coast seascape to an art show in California feels a bit like sending coals to Newcastle. Nevertheless, the California Art Club has accepted this painting into this year's Gold Medal Exhibition -- and for that I am grateful.  You can see all of the paintings in the show here.

Indian Beach, near the town of Cannon Beach, Oregon.

Video by Justin Tennison

"Indian Beach - North View"   14" x 21"   Watercolor

Painting The Wenatchee River

Sunrise on the Wenatchee River -- near the town of Leavenworth, Washington.

"Sunrise On The Wenatchee River"   18" x 24"   Oil

My son was in the area shooting some wedding videos and joined me one morning as I painted a watercolor of this river scene. When you vacation with your videographer son, you get a cool video like this!

James Tennison - Painting on the Wenatchee River from Tennison Visuals on Vimeo.

"The Wenatchee River"   8" x 10"   Watercolor

Coneflowers and Lantana

Coneflowers and lantana from the garden.

"Coneflowers and Lantana"   10" x 8"   Watercolor

Time-Lapse Video -- "Bandon Beach Sculpture"

Driftwood on the beach of Bandon, Oregon.

Video by Justin Tennison

"Bandon Beach Sculpture"   14" x 21"   Watercolor

Coastal Crow

I encountered this crow at a lookout point along the Oregon coast -- perched and posing high above the rugged cliffs with a magnificent view of the Pacific Ocean.

"Coastal Crow"   21" x 14"   Watercolor

Time-Lapse Video - "St. Oswald Church"

St. Oswald Church in the town of Askrigg - in the Yorkshire Dales of Northern England. 

Video by Justin Tennison

"St. Oswald Church - Yorkshire Dales"   14" x 21"   Watercolor

Abandoned Windmill

Traveling through the rural countryside of Portugal, I came upon this abandoned windmill -- a relic from another age.  Many of these old windmills are now being renovated and used as homes or holiday accommodations.  The interest in organic and natural foods has also led to some of them being refurbished and used once again to grind corn into meal.

"Abandoned Windmill"   10" x 14"   Watercolor

Occasionally I have a studio visitor (grandson) who makes good use of my watercolor setup and shows me how it's done.

Beach Sculpture

Scattered along the beach in Bandon, Oregon, are large pieces of driftwood, looking like sculptures at an exhibition.

"Bandon Beach Sculpture"   14" x 21"   Watercolor

Society of Watercolor Artists Slide Presentation

The nice folks at the Society of Watercolor Artists in Fort Worth have asked me to give a slide presentation of my work at their January 25th meeting.  I'll be showing photographs of my watercolors and some oils and will have step by step examples of works in progress and some time-lapse videos of paintings from start to finish.

While I spend most of my time painting in oils, I find watercolor to be a refreshing (and challenging) change.  Below are are some of the ways I enjoy using this medium.

Watercolors are my preferred medium for working out ideas in my sketchbooks...

...and for sketching objects around my home.

They are easily portable and perfect to take along on my travels.

They're handy when the pilot announces that we will be stuck on the runway for an hour due to bad weather.

On occasion I like to paint the same subject in watercolor and oils, such as Pont Neuf in Paris...

"Pont Neuf"   14" x 21"   Watercolor

"Pont Neuf"   18" x 24"   Oil

...or a lamppost in Portugal.

"Portuguese Lamppost"   14" x 21"   Watercolor

"Portuguese Lamppost"   16" x 20"   Oil

I sometimes use watercolor to explore a subject before painting it in oils.

"Mariposa"   24" x 24"   Oil

And they're great fun for painting trees.

"The John Peter Smith Tree"   14" x 21"   Watercolor

The Society of Watercolor Artists meeting will be 7:00 PM Monday, January 25th at the University of North Texas Health & Sciences Center at 3500 Camp Bowie Boulevard, Fort Worth.

Time-Lapse Video - "Terracotta Flower Pot #12"

Time-lapse of a typical Portuguese subject --  accompanied by traditional music on the Portuguese guitar.

Video by Justin Tennison

"Portuguese Terracotta Flower Pot #12"   21" x 14"   Watercolor

Weatherford Art Association Slide Presentation

The Weatherford Art Association has invited me to give a slide presentation of my work this coming Monday at 6:30 PM (November 23).  The meeting will be held at the Fire House Gallery and Art Center located near the historic Town Square of Weatherford, Texas.  Each painting shown will be accompanied by time-lapse videos of the work as it progresses, along with some step-by-step photos and sketches.  I will talk about my materials and procedures and there will be a few original paintings on display.  If you're in the area, please feel free to stop by!

My artist friend John Cook advises that it's okay to show fowl paintings, just try not to show the foul ones. 

"Sketch for Goose on the Trinity River"   10" x 8"   Watercolor

"Goose on the Trinity River"   9" x 12"   Oil