watercolors by Bruce Poulterer

NEW ONEMAN SHOW December 12th to January 10th

2011-12-12T16:59:00.000-05:00

This month I will be the Artist of the month at the Church of the Saviour in Wayne PA. There will be 11 paintings hanging until January 10th. The focus is on how my relationship with Jesus has affected my life and my painting. For a copy of my bio that describes how He has affected my life or if you have a question regarding who Jesus is, just send me an e-mail to poulterer@gmail.com.
May you have a Blessed Christmas and ..........keep sketching Bruce

New Web site

2011-11-25T14:06:00.000-05:00

Just thought you might want to see more of my art. It is on a new web site for artists. It is an Art Fair site that talks about show all over the US.

FALL ART SHOWS

2011-10-26T14:16:00.000-04:00

This coming month, I will be in two art shows. First, I will have several small paintings hanging in the Z Gallery in West Chester for the whole month. This is part of the Delaware Valley Art League show. So come out on November 4th for the Opening from 6:00 - 9:00 pm and meet the artists.

MEMORIES

The Penn Crest Christmas Craft show will be on November 19th, 10:00 AM TO 3:30 PM at their High School located behind the Granite Run Mall in Lima, Pa on Route One south of Media. I do this show since it is a local one for me. I will have a large display of art as including originals both small and medium, new 8 x 10 " framed or matted prints including the John Chadd House, the Gate of Thanksgiving that I have not had for a long time, as well as my new painting of two Roses all priced reasonably that make great Christmas gifts. In addition, I will have other framed 14 x 18 and 16 X 20 prints at special prices. This is my last show before the end of the year, so there are discounts to clean out my inventory to make room for the work I will do over the winter.
MEMORIES Special for this show this print only will be $10!!! Great to use to frame , mat or use even as a poster on foam core.
Let em know if you have a specific print you want to buy and I will be sure to bring it, either framed or by itself.

OCEAN CITY BLOCK FALL BLOCK PARTY

2011-10-11T14:25:00.000-04:00

UNBELIEVABLE, FANTASTIC, WHAT A DAY.
I am guessing over 75,000 people. They just kept coming along the street and some stopped in my tent to look and buy art. This was my very best show at this event. I sold matted prints, framed prints, cards and framed originals.
In addition, Jan took one of my photos of a life guard stand, beach chairs and umbrellas on the 8th street beach and had it reproduced on high quality sweatshirts to sell................and almost sold out.

We also sold three of our daughter Dawn's photos of several scenes of Ocean City. The weather was the best I ever remember. We went for a long weekend and spent time with good friends riding bikes, walking the boards and then they helped us sell at the show and set up the tent.
My next show will be the Z Gallery in West Chester for the month of November. I also currently I have three paintings at the Gryphon Cafe in Wayne.
Our last show will be in Media at the Penn Crest High School the Saturday before Thanksgiving...........and wait to you see my newest prints and new originals.

2011-09-28T20:29:00.000-04:00

This is another flower painting from my course. I learned to add colors that were not in the rose. Also, highlights were added that were not there and your will find more variety in the leaves than you could have seen in the leaves. Now I need to take these lessons and paint a few new flower paintings.

If you are interested in coming to one of my shows, send me an e-mail for a discount coupon. Also if you have any questions about watercolors let me know.

I just returned from a vacation to Nova Scotia and will have some new sketches to show you on my next blog.

Watercolor Flower Lessons

2011-08-04T16:47:00.001-04:00

For three days, we spent painting flowers with different fresh cut flowers in our room. We had roses, daisies, peonies, and more roses. I tried to paint daisies the first today and found that hard with out a background.
However, it was important to try and see if I could paint the daisies. Daisies are easy to paint outdoors with a green background, but with this attempt in the studio, it was difficult.

The second day I tried to paint roses. In this case Our instructor, Carolyn Anderson, was a big help as she would review our work and give us suggestions. In this picture, you can see how a leaf was added to the bottom to add some interest and a little different color to the arrangement. I changed the value and color in some of the roses to provide some variety.

New Flower Paintings

2011-08-04T16:15:00.001-04:00

A few weeks ago just before we went to Ocean city New Jersey on vacation with our family, I completed a three day course in painting flowers in watercolor. I used some roses that you see here. I also used some pink peonies and then some other red roses. Each day I painted but it wasn't until our teacher spent time each day to critique our paintings that

The HOWARD PYE STUDIO AND MY FLOWER WATERCOLOR LESSONS

2011-06-11T17:39:00.000-04:00

This past week, I spent three days in the incredible history filled studio of Howard Pyle. Now for those who do not know him, he was a famous painter and illustrator who lived until 1911. One of his many students was NC Wyeth, who eventually moved to Chadds Ford. Howard Pyle started the Brandywine School of artists that got it's name because he would take the artists in the sumer to Chadds Ford to study and paint along the Brandywine River.

As you walk into his studio, you notice a cross cut of a tree trunk in the middle of the floor. Why is this here I wondered? After Howard Pyle died, one of his students took this slice of a buttonwood tree and located it on the spot where his teacher stood to paint and instruct his students.
Now I have always admired the paintings of Andrew, Jamie and NC Wyeth so for me to be in the studio of the man who started the Brandywine tradition, much less spend three days painting was a great experience.

I did not want to take for granted just being able to walk into Pyle's studio and be able to paint where this master painter had painted. ANd yet here I was doing just that. For three days we entered his studio door and experienced the opportunity to learn how to improve our watercolors painting many different types of flowers. What a privilege to be there and be painting.

On top of that, our instructor's teaching methods coupled with her technical skills and her encouragement spurred us on to improve our painting capabilities. More in my next blog..........

Granite Farms Art show

2011-06-11T16:58:00.000-04:00

For the month of June I have 29 paintings on display in a one person show at Granite Farms located west of Media, PA. There are many originals and limited edition reproductions. The show runs until June 30. I have already sold one of the paintings the first few days it was on display.
So if you have time and enjoy art, stop in and see this show.

Watercolor Demonstration

2011-05-03T13:19:00.000-04:00

Last Friday's watercolor demonstration involved a presentation about turning photos into paintings and then selecting one of the photos to paint geraniums in a wooden bucket. The 40 plus people in attendance enjoyed the demonstration, asking questions and commenting. It involved working on two paintings at once, one on hot press paper and one on cold press paper, 140 pound. This allowed me to paint on one area and then allow that to dry, while I continued to paint on the other portion of the painting. In one version, an American flag was added. Attached is the photo used. I hope to add the final painting when it is finished.
The center of focus is to the top left area to create some interest..
Hopefully it will be finished for my next show on May 20th and 21st.

Watercolor Demonstration

2011-04-28T10:20:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow, I go to Garden Spot Village in New Holland to do a watercolor demonstration and share how I use photographs to paint a watercolor. then I will paint a watercolor of a geranium. This is my layout for a demonstration.

I look forward to meeting everyone and even though I only have one hour, I hope to finish the watercolor. Well I competed the drawing and started the paintings so I can go back an forth between the two.

Trip to Peru for the Adoption of our new Granddaughter

2011-04-07T15:06:00.000-04:00

In March, my painting shifted from watercolors to sketch books as we spent 10 days in Peru with our son, daughter in law and granddaughters Isa and Lia as they went through the process of adopting Lia into our family. They had to travel 8 hours by bus to a small town at the foot of the Andes Mountains. After spending a week there, they returned to Lima where we meet them. We spent our time walking to the park with the girls and going to the market and just being grandparents..............and it was great. We had a wonderful time and now we have the joy of having Lia to spend time with her in the US.
Here we are with the whole family able to celebrate my wife's birthday at home last week. What a treat.

NEW Show at Garden Spot Village

2011-04-05T12:33:00.004-04:00

For those in the Lancaster Area, I have a one man show at Garden Spot Village for the month of April. It consists of original watercolors and framed reproductions. There are 29 paintings hanging n the hall between the two main entrances.

Watercolor Lesson # 2

2010-11-04T14:24:00.002-04:00

In my first lesson, I suggested getting a sketch book and taking time to draw. Now you want to take one of your sketches and use that to do a watercolor painting. What do you look for in selecting a drawing or one of your own photographs?
I suggest you need to look for several key features.
First, you need a good focal point that will draw in the viewers eyes so it attracts their attention. Maybe it is an open window or a rocking chair on the porch or an antique sitting in your living room. So make a selection and decide where the focal point will fit in your picture.

Next, you will need to use what artist call the Golden Triangle. You divide the paper on one of your sketch book pages into thirds crossing the paper with light pencil lines. At the four locations where the lines from the side intersect the lines form the top and bottom, you will find your key points where the focus of your painting may be located. Select one of those points and determine how your drawing will fit on the page considering the focal point you selected.
Now sketch the drawing on the paper.

There is another way to identify the focal point and it is called the law of the Uneven Sides. For this you select a focal point that is unevenly located from the four sides of the paper. So it might be 4" from the top and 3" from the one side and 10" from the other side and 8" from the bottom.
The second step is to consider your lights and darks. Tradition holds you should either have 20 % of your drawing being very dark or the opposite with 80 % being very dark. Value is very important to make a painting eye catching. You need to look at the drawing that you sketched to see if you did that.

Now take up your Number 2 pencil or I like an H4 or H5 pencil and draw maybe one or two examples to try out to see if you like the focal point and the value. Is it dramatic enough to draw in someone's attention?

next lesson----- gathering your supplies

HISTORIC SUGARTOWN

2010-10-12T15:51:00.003-04:00

This is my newest painting of several of the buildings in Sugartown, PA that is in Chester County. During the summer my daughter Dawn and I visited this area and taking numerous photos of the buildings and assorted objects. We went into the antique shop and saw old samplers that children made about 100 years ago.
This is located on Sugartown Road just after Providence Road intersects it. The local historic society is restoring the community so there are several other buildings and barns.

The town was named after Eli Shugart, an early 19th-century tavern keeper. Sugartown was a typical crossroads village that provided goods and services required by the surrounding farm community.

My next post will be the next lesson

Trip to Chicago

2010-09-17T20:22:00.003-04:00

Just returned from spending a week in West Chicago visiting our grand daughter and of course my son and daughter in law. Also had a chance to photo some of the old homes ( 1890s) in the area for future watercolors. Here is one

I am also trying to complete my painting of the historic town of Sugar town in Chester County, PA. Next week I will be going before the jury for another special show in Chester county and I want this painting to be one I show. I am more excited about painting as I have more time and I see the colors dance across the paper. I think I have learned to focus on one area of the painting to get across the message that continues to bring out the fact that I am a painter of memories..........My next Watercolor Workshop will be coming up once I finish the " Sugartown" painting.

Summer Painting and Sketching

2010-08-27T12:51:00.007-04:00

Well it has been a busy summer. I went to several workshops for watercolor artists in VT and NY. The travel in late July was inspiring as we drove along Lake Champlain and took the ferry across it. Just as enjoyable was learning several new techniques that will help me to improve my paintings

Last week I had what was to be minor surgery called lithotripsy....and now while I am recovering and doing better, I am painting using these skills and painting more original watercolors.

My Sugartown painting that was a sketch is now almost finished.

During the workshops, I thought that it might be worthwhile for me to share some of the benefits I learned while in the classes.....and so I thought I will add a comment to each post taking you through a watercolor course.

Let em know if you find this helpful.............

Watercolor Workshop

So let's begin with the most important step.........................

Lesson # 1 Practice drawing ..........once your drawings are done correctly, your paintings will always begin in the right direction.
So we need to ask ourselves the following questions------what will I include in the painting, how do I arrange my composition, what about the best values or the balance between dark and light, and don't forget perspective.
Does the drawing look like the object I an trying to paint?
Is the drawing interesting so that people will enjoy looking at it?
Is there a focal point that draws my attention?
Because if I can make the drawing interesting then the final painting with color will even be better.

So while this is a watercolor workshop, the most important step for a good watercolor is getting your drawing done properly. It always this takes time , but makes sure the painting is going in the right direction from the start.

Application # 1 Get a sketch book, a # 3 or 4 pencil or black ink marker and begin practice your drawing......every day. Could be an item in your kitchen, a flower outside, a fence or bird house or your neighbor's house.
Don't forget to keep your sketch books as a reminder when you started this new exciting journey.

Next lesson will cover selecting your best sketches to plan your watercolor.

Blessings Bruce

Spiritual Leadership Retreat

2010-08-04T17:36:00.003-04:00

On August 5th and 6th at the Church of the Savior, Wayne PA. a special program on Spiritual Leadership is being run by the Willow Creek Organization and is broadcast to many churches across the US.
As part of this workshop, several artist including my daughter Dawn and I were selected to share some of our work. Dawn returned from a trip to Haiti and has a number of photos on display.
I placed some of my paintings with scripture verses on them in this special workshop.The workshop runs this Thursday and Friday.

The verse says" Teach me to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom" Psalm 90:12

Watercolor Activity

2010-07-25T16:35:00.005-04:00

Have you ever been to Sugartown?

This week I am taking several watercolor workshops in VT and taking by camera to capture new images to translate into finished watercolors. It should be cooler and a nice change from our area. I am working on some new watercolors for several fall activities. I recently drove along Goshen Road with my daughter Dawn who is taking great photos. We visited Sugartown and took this collection of photos grouped together turning it into a large watercolor.

Watercolor Study of Sugartown

Beginning with these photos, I drew the images onto my new, special watercolor pad that is long and narrow making it ideal for this type of painting. I used this study to test out several concepts.

Here is the study

Once this was stared I realized I wanted to create a focal point and had to visualize where that would be. As Dawn and I walked around the village, we walked into the Antique shop and noticed all these "antique samplers" stitched by children in the 1800's.
So my center of interest will be either the Antique Shop or the store next to it with the 4th of July decorations. Now my next post will show my beginning steps of the large watercolor and maybe some VT scenes.

Summer Activity

2010-06-21T12:28:00.005-04:00

Well the summer has officially arrived and so far it has been very busy. First we went to Alaska in May with close friends and had a fantastic time. We sent to several towns including Skagway and journeyed up into the Yukon to see bears near the tormented valley, Carcross and Lake Bennent, site of the Gold Rush launching point back in the late 1800s.

This is Emerald Lake near Carcross in Canada that truly has that green cast to the water.

Summer means time to paint outdoors called Plein Air. I did one painting at an older estate in Villanova called Appleford. I did some sketching in the morning along with about 15 other painters and then painted a small watercolor of this building, at one time a tannery.

IMMACULATA ART SHOW

2010-05-02T16:02:00.002-04:00

I dropped off my paintings yesterday for the Immaculata Art Show that begins May 7th with an evening reception and then the rest of the week through the following Sunday. Every day is free except the Friday evening reception. It is a great show if you have not seen it before. I have 4 large watercolors including this painting of The Stone Outbuilding in Chadd's Ford. Then there are 6 smaller paintings and 15 pieces in my portfolio. Let me know if you have any questions or need directions. You can go to their web site for further details. http://www.immaculata.edu/artshow

READY FOR IMMACULATA

2010-04-20T14:44:00.005-04:00

Well spring seems to have arrived here as you can see it in the trees and flowers all generating colors all over the landscape. This means the Immaculata Art Show will soon be here. It gives everyone a great chance to see what is new for the coming year. I have four new originals ready to be seen and for sale. I have decided that the economy has to be taken into account so have lowered prices for this show including my originals, both framed and matted as well as my prints.
So this original of Lafayette's Headquarters called "Ready for Spring" wants a new home....so come out and take a look.
I am experimenting with video and hope to produce a short watercolor video to show some of my techniques. Probably will get this done summer.

Antique Shop Near My Sons Home

2010-04-10T09:38:00.004-04:00

In one of my posts recently I showed you a photo I had taken in IL of an antique shop that will be the source of many paintings. This is one of the doorway to one of the buildings.
This is about 80% finished and hope to complete it next week. When it is finished , I will post the final painting. There were an unbelievable amount of neat antiques or buildings to paint at this location. More to come.

2010-04-10T09:22:00.006-04:00

Painting of My Barn

Here is the final painting of our barn that was originally called WoolPack Farm. It was a sheep farm. The original farm house was built in the mid 1800s and was torn down in 1978. This original barn burned down and this was the replacement. It was sold to someone in Bucks County who rebuilt it.
Part of the end wall and side wall is still standing and is part of our garden. I painted this when my children thought they would like to have a memory of the barn after spending 25 years growing up using it for storage, a place where our cats loved to hunt for mice, where my one daughter had her 16th birthday and where we kept an old tractor and wagon. It hangs in our family room.

2010-03-05T08:21:00.002-05:00

Here is step two, after I completed drawing as much as I wanted.
The next step will be to paint the fore ground , then the barn, then the fence and the small shed that our kids had played in for years...

Our Barn

2010-03-04T17:43:00.002-05:00

My children have been trying to me paint our barn for along time. So I had to do a demonstration at the Mid Atlantic ACSI Fine Arts Competition for art students so decided to paint the barn as an example. So here is the beginning of the painting. As you can see after I complete as much drawing as I feel is needed, I start to paint, leaving the pencil on the paper. This can easily be erased after you start painting. My next blog posting will show the finished painting.

Taking Time to Paint this Winter

2010-01-09T15:14:00.003-05:00

Well the hustle and bustle of the Christmas holidays are over. It is time to settle down to do more painting. I first selected several new landscapes to paint. I have to go through my photographs and select a number that catch my eye. The key to the next step is to select the correct angle to make the finished painting more interesting and create interest in the viewer's eye.

Here is a photo I took in IL when visiting an antique shop west of West Chicago, where our son lives. We wandered around the farm where we saw chickens and horses. Our granddaughter fed the horse an apple but stayed away from the chickens. This scene really caught my eye. It has already begun to turn into a painting. Let's hope it will be finished for the first spring show. The old door, the new green plants and the old fence all seemed to catch my eye.
I trust you had an enjoyable Christmas and look forward to 2010 ready to share with others the blessings we have all received this past year.

OPEN HOUSE AT ONE MAN SHOW at The Darlington Arts Center

2009-12-08T15:53:00.003-05:00

What began as a sunny morning turned gray and then as we drove to the open house, the rain turned to small snow flakes..that soon turned to larger snow flakes limiting attendance....so my OPEN HOUSE faced the elements of not the best weather. However we had a number of attendees, hot cider, a little James Taylor Christmas music, home made cookies by Ellen, cheese and wine and our friends Dan and Barbara who helped us celebrate.

Sales were good as almost everyone took home something besides a homemade cookie. The show is open until December 23rd. There are 20 framed originals, 5 limited edition reproductions and giclees and then two portfolios...one filed with reproductions and one with matted originals...........well some of them have been sold.

Hope you can stop by but if not, call me for my next show date in March

Plein Air painting session in early October

2009-11-05T17:43:00.003-05:00

This October I signed up to go painting at an old Mill in Paoli. It was a real experience. The weather was perfect, even if you were not painting. I have attached one of the photos I took that day. The painting was not finished on location as I had to leave early. They had the old wagon in just the right spot with the flags hanging out just for our painting
My first Plein Air painting, which was sold right away, is in a show at the Wayne Art Show from now until early December.

2009-09-29T19:38:00.002-04:00

I just returned from the Art on the Green show in Historic New Castle, DE. Weather was sunny and then overcast. Luckily, we had finished and packed up as the first raindrop hit our windshield.
We always enjoy our Art shows....talking to customers and visitors, talking to other artists, learning how to do a better job showing our work and listening to customers tell us about some of the paintings I have done and what they know about the building in my paintings.
I am starting to paint more and realize I am adding more depth to the pictures by using deeper values, adding more color and painting with more contrasts. I have two new paintings at teh printer. One of an old home in Sycamore Mills in Ridley Creek State Park where I walk and get exercise. So come to the Block Party in Ocean City and see if you recognize the newest print. Also remember , if you subscribe to my e-mail list, you will receive my special discount coupon.
Blessings Bruce

Finished Plein Air Painting

2009-08-04T13:23:00.002-04:00

Here is the final painting of "The Office" I completed when I started to paint outside. It has more detail and more vibrant colors. I will definitely do this again.

How I paint outdoors

2009-07-10T17:49:00.003-04:00

Here is where I was sitting for my first outdoor painting. I took a chair with side shelf to hold the paints. I rested the watercolor paper on my lap taped to a piece of foam core. It was light and easy to move around

It was a cloudy day but that worked out to our advantage as it,kept the shadow basically the same for most of the day

Here is a view of the building as I looked at it while I was painting. I found I
was able to get better matching of the colors with the stone in the wall and also more depth to the painting. I think that painting outdoors will bring some new depth and accurate color to my watercolors. Next week I will show the final painting.

Outdoor Painting - Plein Aire

2009-07-10T17:43:00.003-04:00

I just completed my newest painting by sitting outside to paint. I went to a historic home in Chester County and set up my chair and sat there for most of the day. I painted with my watercolors. Attached is a photograph of the building that was part of the home but is now an office. I was there along with about 25 other artist who were painting mostly with oil colors.

I will go into more detail next with my setup.

watercolor prints

2009-01-13T19:55:00.005-05:00

Breezy Day in Oxford, MD was taken from my calendar from a few years ago. It was one of my favorites as it caught the day perfectly. This store was located on a little dusty street that ended up at a one car ferry and an old Inn that is now a restaurant. I liked the building and the way I captured the sky. I hope you enjoy it. I still have copies of this that come matted for $ 25.00 or to buy a framed one come to one of my shows. To get on my e-mail list for my newsletter, send me an e-mail. bdp04@comcast.net. And remember to take some time to stop for a few minutes and reflect on what God has done for you.

Painting in progress

2009-01-13T19:36:00.004-05:00

This is a watercolor that is in progress. it is an old barn on Gradyville Road that has been there for many years. I am waiting to finish this to use it with a special frame with a Bible verse.