"And Long To Know", Transparent Watercolor, framed W30xH24. Coming home one afternoon I drove past this farm and the dark shadows under the barn caught my eye. Quickly I turned around to photograph my subject. When I was painting this watercolor I remembered it was late afternoon so I gave the sky four or five washes of my favorite red and then let some of the color continue to flow below the horizon line. While painting, I longed to know whose farm this was originally.
"And Long To Know", Transparent Watercolor, framed W30xH24. Coming home one afternoon I drove past this farm and the dark shadows under the barn caught my eye. Quickly I turned around to photograph my subject. When I was painting this watercolor I remembered it was late afternoon so I gave the sky four or five washes of my favorite red and then let some of the color continue to flow below the horizon line. While painting, I longed to know whose farm this was originally.
"Caladium Garden", Gouache, framed W20xH14. An artist friend and I sat in the Toledo Botanical Garden painting one afternoon. Next to one of the walkways was this wonderful planting of variegated caladium. I drew in a few shapes of the leaves, but this painting just seamed to flow and soon the paper was filled with red and pink heart shaped leaves.
"Bandstand Lakeside", Transparent Watercolor, framed W24xH20. Lakeside, Ohio has special meaning to me from the years when I attended Church Camp with my friends. I always enjoyed being at Lakeside to swim in Lake Erie, attend the classes, the evening programs and just hang out. As a artist, I now enjoy Lakeside in July during the Plein Air Paint-Out during Wooden Boat Show Weekend. My artist friends and I from Toledo Art Club sit outside capturing the sights of this small summertime community. During this painting session there was a regatta on Lake Erie that started from the Lakeside Pier. I was able to watch the small sailboats race back and forth. while I was painting.
"Columbian House With Flag", Framed W24xH20. Waterville, Ohio was a stop on the Miami and Erie Canal during the Canal Era in Ohio. This wonderful old wooden structure with three levels was built to accommodate travelers when they Went from Toledo south to Cincinnati, OH or west to Ft. Wayne, IN. Up until a few years ago there was a luncheon room in the lower level. The old wooden clapboards usually need paint, the windows need to be washed and the curtains are falling apart but this old building is such a delight to paint.
"Chubby's Diner ", Framed W30xH24. We were driving to a wedding in Maine and it was lunch time. We pulled off the interstate and found this delightful place to eat. The owner and one other person were inside so we had time to talk. I couldn't wait to get back outside to take photos of this great subject. The next time we went to see relatives in Maine we once again stopped for lunch and nothing had changed at the diner.
"Chickens And Barns", framed W16xH13. Along the south river road of the Maumee River east of Napoleon, Ohio is a small farm with several old buildings that look like chicken coops or chicken barns. The buildings have been sitting empty for many years looking un-kept and lonely. As the sun was setting on a cold winter day I was driving along looking for a new watercolor subject and came upon this cluster of sheds.
"Green Woods Barn", Framed W18xH24. I painted several watercolors on rice paper to experiment with the texture and absorbency of the paper. Rice paper is very delicate but takes color easily and was fun to use. This is one of many barns photos I have taken while driving around Ohio. I used a limited palette and let the paint flow after wetting the paper.
"East Harbor Lagoon", Transparent Watercolor, framed W24xH20. One summer I spent a month camping on the Marblehead, Ohio Peninsula. Every day I would take my painting equipment to look for a spot to paint outdoors. The summer was a hot one. Usually I sat with a big straw hat under the shade of a tall cottonwood tree as tourists would drive, bicycle or walk past me. Once in a while a breeze would blow off Lake Erie as I sat watching the herons and other water birds fly in to try their luck.
"Field of Lace", Transparent Watercolor, framed W18xH15. With a group of friends we rented a cottage near Cheboygan to paint and enjoy the Michigan back woods. Every day we packed all our outdoor paint gear into two vehicles and off we went looking for a place to set-up and paint scenery. We challenged ourselves every day to produce two paintings from the morning and afternoon sessions. What fun! And, what great work we accomplished during our week. This painting has wild carrot along with clover and other Michigan wild flowers.
"Crooked River Light", Gouache, framed W8x H10. A few years in a row we were going to Florida in the winter to camp and enjoy the warm weather. I always took my camera and my paints just in case I found a really great subject. This light is in the Panhandle of Florida not far from Carrabelle. Extra strength has been added to the structure on the outside to withstand the hurricanes that frequent this part of the state. We were just driving along U.S. Hwy 98 and there it is standing tall and proud.
"Fishing Docks Carrabelle", Gouache, W16xH12. There are lots of boats in the small town of Carrabelle in the Florida Panhandle. The boats go out into the Gulf of Mexico to fish and bring back their daily catch. This part of Florida is not as developed as the rest of the state. We could walk along the shore, on the docks to take photos and just look at all the boats that were tied up. Of course the weather was just beautiful.
"Golden Gate", Gouache, framed W8xH10. One of my children lives in California and every few years we are able to drive out to see our family. It is so exciting to drive up to San Francisco and go across this bridge and look back at the city. This is one of a series of really small watercolors on colored paper. I kept the subjects simple and used the color of the paper in the painting. It is always good to set a challenge and try to complete that task.
"International Dump", Transparent Watercolor, Framed W18xH15. We were camping on the Marblehead Peninsula along Lake Erie. The weather was hot and rainy. We put down the awning so I could sit under it with my outdoor paint equipment. This old but charming truck was parked 25 feet from our campsite. I just could not believe how much fun this truck was to draw and paint. It became alive as the day went on so I finished this painting in a few hours. The next morning when I went out the door or our camper and the truck was gone.
"At Miss Jill's Garden", Transparent Watercolor, Framed W18 x H15. Usually I don't paint figures because I am more interested in the challenge of landscape or architecture. But there we were during our week at Shaginapi Lake sitting in a beautiful flower garden. My friend was sitting so still I decided to try to capture her as she concentrated on her painting of flowers.
"Landscape with Milk Pod", unframed W30xH22. This is one of my older watercolors. I really like to work on abstract paintings and when I start them I do several, just because. I had picked some milk pod weed to put in a fall arrangement and decided that I would enlarge the pod and just make something out of it on paper. I did several of these paintings.
"Mill at Gallion, OH", Gouache, Framed W8xH10. This is another really small watercolor painted on colored paper. This fine corrugated steel structure is abandoned. But what a great subject for a painting. It just jumps out as you are driving along the road.
All paintings are under copywrite to Norma Thomas-Herr.
In Links, click the gallery button for info of gallery that represent Norma Thomas-Herr Watercolor Paintings.