Robie Benve Art

Tuscan Landscape, Watercolor, 9" x 12" Here comes another of the Tuscany Hills watercolors. When I use acrylics I'm much bolder with colors because I know I can paint over if I don't like it, but with watercolors I'm quite conservative and almost shy when loading the brush. They also dry lighter than they look when wet, so the result is a pale palette, but I like it. :)

Tuscan Hills, Watercolor, 9" x 12" I've been attending a watercolor group that meets every Tuesday, and I was pretty much the only one working with acrylics. Seeing the wonderful things that the others were creating with watercolors, really inspired me to try some on my own. I had several pictures saved in my computer from Google street view in Tuscany, and here is the painting of the second of those. I really enjoy experimenting with watercolors. :)

Cypress Shadows, Watercolor, 9"x12" One day I was in Google Street View, looking around the Italian Tuscan countryside, and I found so many great views. Besides making me a little homesick, it also inspired me to paint them, so I saved several images in a folder. This painting is from one of those photos, I don't remember exactly where it was, but surely in the neighborhoods of San Gimignano. I was inspired to start painting this particular view by the Daily Paint Work challenge of the week: The Shadow Challenge. It has been fan to play with watercolors again, I think I want to do another one. Hopefully soon. :) "Constant development is the law of life,  and a man who always tries to maintain his dogmas  in order to appear consistent  drives himself into a false position."     - Mohandas K. Gandhi

Drawing of roses, ink pen and colored pencils Another drawing from my sketchbook venture . This time the inspiration are the lovely roses posted by Evhe in her blog A Nos Pinceaux . I found her painting challenge photos most inspiring, recently.  Also, tonight I went to the local Dublin Area Art League (DAAL) meeting and Spring Awakenings Show reception. While I'm quite new to the DAAL, they welcomed me in such a friendly and caring way, that made me very comfortable, and I even got the chance to entered two paintings in the spring art show. Below is a photo of me next to my Daffodils .  I have two paintings in the DAAL Spring Art Show; my first "official" show. :)

Geraniums Paper collage, 18cm x 25 cm I signed up for the local Sketchbook Venture. They gave me a blank sketchbook, with thin pages, and I am supposed to fill it with images and words, following a theme of my choice.  All sketchbooks entering the venture will be displayed at an exhibit, and then kept available at the local library.  "Cool! " I thought, but now I'm intimidated and I proceed very slowly, maybe too slowly, since there is a deadline.  One thing is doing sketches for your own sake, completely unrelated to each other, and knowing nobody will ever see them, another thing is sketching for a public projects, and following a theme. Well, I haven't even settled on a theme yet, but I started filling few pages, so far only with flower subjects. This geranium collage filled one of the pages, and I really had fun ripping out magazine and making it. I also made a drawing of the same geraniums. I'm trying to work quickly on my sketches,