Monday, February 3, 2014






Some of the tiny watercolor hearts that I painted in honor of January 31: Refresh Your Heart with Art day!
Nan Henke
Texas Hill Country Art
www.TexasHillCountryArt.etsy.com

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Clouds

Third time is a charm: I had to paint over two earlier versions of this 24x36 cloud painting (Where the Road Crosses the Creek.) I love looking at clouds while I drive, but I learned that they are much harder to paint than they look! Luckily it was acrylic and just gets more interesting as texture builds with the new layers... To see it in person, go to Intermezzo Gallery and Studios, it is two houses behind Bear Moon Bakery in Boerne (next to KIss The Cook).
Nan Henke
Texas Hill Country Art
www.TexasHillCountryArt.etsy.com

Monday, October 14, 2013

I get by, with a little help from my friends




We are back from our National Park vacation (insert laugh track here) and I reviewed the painting along with some notes from friends. It helps a lot to take some time away from an almost done painting.
Then I added some browns in the background (thanks Gail!) and some shadows on the rocks (Thanks Jan, although I have to admit that they went through another baked potato phase on the way to where they are now) and I posted a much larger photo (thanks go out to my brand new etsy friend, Lawrence.)
"Cypress Cascade" is done and I like it!
It will be centrally located in my upcoming (Friday Nov. 1) show opening at the Fredericksburg Art Guild, but you can stop in and visit it there any time during November.
Nan Henke
Texas Hill Country Art
www.TexasHillCountryArt.etsy.com

Saturday, September 28, 2013

Dots!

Dots!
Nan Henke
Texas Hill Country Art
www.TexasHillCountryArt.etsy.com

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Connecting parts of the painting...

Back to the top half of the painting: I have softened the roots of the nearest cypress and I like the way it looks, so I think I will do that to them all.  A few slim tree trunks in the background make it look less abstract and their reflections in the water connects the background to the still water.  My painting buddy says that I need more browns in the background and I think that I agree.
Nan Henke
Texas Hill Country Art
www.TexasHillCountryArt.etsy.com

Here is my plan: dots!

I started the rocks over completely and have added more colors in the water that runs over the steps and rushes on the right.  I'm much happier with the rocks.  I am layering and layering.
Foam is starting to become a focus at this point.  It is white, but it has a lot of tiny little shadows and reflections that pick up every color around it.  Here is my plan: dots, dots and more dots!
Nan Henke
Texas Hill Country Art
www.TexasHillCountryArt.etsy.com

Too much dark green!



I needed more darks in the rushing water on the right, so tried some very dark blue-green.  Too much!  I'm going to have to layer some light stuff on top so that only bits of that end up peeping thru.  Also, is it just me, or do the rocks look a little more like baked potatoes than hill country limestone?
Nan Henke
Texas Hill Country Art
www.TexasHillCountryArt.etsy.com