Newest works with a focus on watercolor and mostly sunflowers.

Most of these works have been completed within the last two months. My focus, primarily, was to get back into the watercolor medium and focus on floral images. Vibrant colors play a significant part in these as they are mainly intended to display as a group with an impact and color balance. Most of these works are in the medium size ranges. I try to keep to those sizes as the frames are less expensive. Of course, I could work a full size sheet (30×22 inches). For watercolor work, I wouldn't want to work on a bigger size. This is just a sample of the works. You can view my full gallery at http://kandakis.deviantart.com/gallery

Apres Hollidays

Well, its after the holidays for us. I still have a few loose ends on those Christmas Gift IOU's (only a couple). I have a large pastel drawing and an acrylic painting on bristol board that need to be framed. They fit nicely into a poster frame from Michael's or Aaron Brothers who are down at the end of my block here in town. I'm waiting for a sale, but if not, have coupon will shop for art supplies.

I have actually done a few more watercolors and uploaded them to my artsite at http://kandakis.DeviantArt.com/gallery. if you want to take a look.

My health seems to be improving with the use of doctor prescribed steroids for my autoimmune problems. I have been through a liver biopsy, ab scans, two different medications, soon to be going on a third. They have no idea what causes this. On inspection through a google search, this is getting to be common. Food for thought if you're a conspiracy theorist. I am more pragmatic in my beliefs.

So, being unstressed, hence painting and drawing is one of the solutions I have found to be an absolute necessity. I hope to produce more art this year and once in a while do something out of the box, just to experiment.  I've been doing a series of paintings in watercolor, sunflowers and horses. I have some race horses with jockeys in the final stretch, a couple of head or torso ones and a couple of side views and lots of sunflowers.

When life presents an opportunity, jump on it. An interesting side note to that thought is that I wanted to paint Curlin, the triple crown winner belonging to a winery owner in Healdsburg, CA but I dawdled on that one and the owner passed on a few years back. He also wanted a portrait done of his new dog. Life is too short to wait.

Here's his obit:
Jess Stonestreet Jackson, a pioneering architect of the ascendant American wine industry, and more recently famed as the owner of Horses of the Year Curlin and Rachel Alexandra, died Thursday at his Geyserville, California, home after a long and courageous battle with cancer. He was 81.

Spring cleaning also in the works, I like to get an early start. So get out my Keurig for a few cups and suit up for dusting and scrubbing and organizing and purging (ugh).  See you soon.

Fall and Early Winter 2013

Lots of artwork to share this month and I will be posting some of the interesting stuff I've been working on. My aim was to get away from acrylic painting for a while and concentrate on some of my other artistic talents. Pastels, watercolor and charcoal drawing as well as graphite. I'm in the middle of a pastel drawing of a family of elephants and have done or have in process several watercolors of sunflowers and other floral paintings both landscape and still life I will share with you, or you can view them at http://kandakis.DeviantArt.com/gallery. Normally, my supply keeps up with my ability to produce, but I believe I can do more.

I'm still trying to get organized with my supplies. As I get more, the supply bin gets obsolete and I have to rethink the organization. If I don't stay organized I can't enable the thought processes enough to concentrate on ideas and concepts for the next work. Having free shipping with my online account makes it easy to order a bunch or one thing at a time without being too expensive even though the art supply store is only one block away (its a long block); And, I really hate to wait in line during the holiday season.

This month I also want to pare down choices for color to the basic primary three, maybe an extended palette on those choices. Mixing colors is very important and you really don't need 50 colors to paint a painting, that's just clever advertising on the part of the art supply dealer telling you that you really need those (maybe newbies). After all, they're in the retail business. The problem with a limited palette, I find, is being able to create optical blacks and really rich dark colors. I don't use black by itself, and sometimes mix a transparent black to darken or mute a tone. It really creates a cool green if you mix with any yellow, so its convenient.

I learned this month that if you don't keep your work flat in front of you on the easel it can result in false interpretations of the subject. That explains a lot about my past drawings being out of proportion no matter how much I tried to fix them.

So, keeping those sable brushes handy...back to work, so much to do, so little time.

July and August 2013

I have done some florals  that I have posted on my deviantArt account here: kandakis.deviantart.com/gallery

Most of them are florals because we haven't been having much of a summer, most of the weather has been foggy, overcast and cool and they cheer me up, especially the red ones. I'm just starting to climb out of the funk. I have also revised some of my paintings that I wasn't fond of, just because I still have them around.

I would like to get back to doing oils, so I think with the weather improving I will take my pouchard box easel outside. If not to paint the landscape and surroundings but just to paint from photo. At least the odors of the "odorless paint thinner" will not permeate my abode.

Stay tuned...

Summer 2013. Work going well and I have managed to paint a few. I am concentrating on a white or lighter background with red flowers. Mostly poppies and tulips. I have sold the Absinthe painting with the green fairy. Hopefully we can create more in this kind of genre for sale.

I have met a few artists lately and gotten some sales tips. Most of them who are successful follow the art fair trail, not for me. Since I am a stationary artist, limited to shows in my own town or close by, I concentrate mostly on word of mouth and social networking. I do pass out my business cards when the opportunity presents itself. These artists are doing "Wine Country" and related themes, which I am so burnt out on. It doesn't really show talent to paint wine bottles all day and acres of vineyard, but I guess that's what the tourists want. I do like the black and white cow themes and have done lots of them myself, kinda cute, you know? SoCo is also famous for its apple orchards and chickens and redwoods. Maybe do some painting of those later.

Ordered some more paints from Amazon and got most of them yesterday. Waiting for more. I do love the transparent oxide colors as they give a wonderful effect when glazed over a more vivid color. Kind of like a Rembrandt glaze makes a painting look. With the textured paintings I am doing lately, it really gets a cool effect going on.

Early Summer Thoughts

It's past Mid-May and I haven't updated this blog in a long time (new job, tax time, yada, yada). I am working as a cashier at Target and it's pretty hectic. So much so that I really haven't settled into any routine where I can keep up with my art.

However, I have gotten new supplies, gels, gessoes, and some inspiration for a few new paintings but still in the planning stages as well as finding a few frames in the dumpster. I thought of doing Venice or Italian cityscapes and thought these would be appropriate for summer paintings. Also looking for a source (affordable) for some really good super smooth Arches watercolor paper that's excellent for drawings. What I like about drawings is that you can do them anywhere due to minimal supplies being needed. Not like lugging around an easel and paint and brushes to do landscape paintings. Weather is really nice outdoors lately, so maybe I will get out, at least to photograph some really good scenes.

Beware the Ides of March

Well, half of March is over. I have done a few paintings but I haven't been able to paint as much as I would like due to some other commitments. I would like to set a schedule for painting everyday, but its more difficult that I thought.

Of course, you can always find my stuff on Kandakis.deviantart.com/gallery, if you're interested I can quote you a really good price. The painting below is my latest. It's of Sedona, Arizona which is in the Grand Canyon area. I still have some detailing to do but its mostly finished. It is 16x20" painted in acrylics on stretched canvas, ready to hang as no frame is needed (painted sides).