Tuesday, September 30, 2008

September 30, 2008 Metamorphosis of a painting

pastel layer 3
pastel layer 4

Welcome to all my new subscribers, I am honored to share my blog with you and my ol' faithfuls.
Now you can easily see the struggles and changes a painting undergoes. I am working to create color vibrations - portray a feeling while still having a believable painting.
With vibrations there are a few things you need to consider....value, intensity and temperature. The value and intensity need to be the same but the temperature must be different. Sometimes I feel like a juggler when I paint. It's not unusual to drop a ball or two, but I try to manage thinking about it all.
Any comments loyal viewers?

Monday, September 29, 2008

September 29, 2008 The Guard's Treasure

9x12, pastel and watercolor on wallis board $150. plus tax and shipping
I needed to internalize the feeling of the reservoir, so that is where I painted this morning. This one is dedicated to the guard who cares for the place and allows me to paint there. He is my newest subscriber. Welcome! You are a lucky man to be able to look at this view all day!
Now, back into the studio for me. I will work toward resolve with the bigger reservoir painting.

Sunday, September 28, 2008

September 28, 2008 Metamorphosis of a painting

Seems like I have been gone forever! Sorry about that..I just needed to square away the car issue. It really was obsessing me. After tons of deliberation I am buying a brand new (never thought I would do this) Honda Fit. It fits all my painting stuff and gets amazing gas mileage, which as a plein air painter I need. Back to the SUV canyon I guess, but money in the bank. Best of all I ordered a violet one!! My favorite color.
Now as for art it feels great to be back focusing on my work. Here is my newest studio piece in its second layer of pastel. I am striving to get that airy feel...light coming through fog. More tomorrow!

Monday, September 22, 2008

September 22, 2008 Metamorphosis of a painting



stages -from small paper sketch, B&W value study and color underpainting
When working from the studio time is the real asset. You can take as much as you want and nothing changes. This work was done from the reservoir small painting I did last Friday, Sept.19th. I have decided to continue the analogous theme of green, blue- green to blue- purple. The underpainting is in the complement red family with some of the discord color-purple.
Now I get to go to pastel!
No car today...so no plein air. :-(

Sunday, September 21, 2008

September 21, 2008 Around the Path

5.25x12 pastel on wallis
I went back to big bend on this beautiful morning.
This week I will need to focus on replacing my car. Therefore, I may not post regularly. Oh, by the way, the arsonist that torched my car, 11 other cars and two schools was arrested last week.

Friday, September 19, 2008

September 19, 2008 The Midas Touch

6.25x7 pastel and watercolor on wallis $100. plus tax and shipping
Temperatures continue to drop and the trees are beginning to show more and more gold. Today I was at the reservoir...it's a beautiful place. The water and light change every 5 minutes. I guess that means many options to choose from.....After choosing I then try to stick with the signature light of the day.
Thank you to the two kind guards who have made it possible for me to paint at the reservoir. :-)

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

September 18, 2008 Orange Glow

7x7 Pastel and watercolor on wallis 100. plus tax and ship
Everyday is different on the river. Today I needed to rescue a hurt duck before beginning to paint. It was funny because then later I had a number of animals just standing or floating nearby the area I was standing. One heron, two ducks, three turtles and one horny lizard.

September 17, 2008 Goldenrod Light

7x7 pastel and watercolor on wallis board $100. plus sip and tax
The Audubon Center is a beautiful place...way up there on the hill. The fields face east and the back of the house and trees glow from the western sun. At this point the field is filled with goldenrod. Cool.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

September 16, 2008, Shadow Blues by Angler's Inn

9x11, pastel and watercolor on wallis $150. plus ship and tax
This is a familiar scene near Angler's Inn, the place where kayakers put in their boats. I paint here often...but today, due to a hurt foot, I decided to paint in the studio. While I miss being outside with my inspiration, the studio allows me the time to go inside my head, remember the feeling and play with ideas. I guess I could have named this one "Complements Rule."

Monday, September 15, 2008

September 15, 2008 Waiting for the Light

11.5x8 pastel and watercolor on mounted wallis
This particular section of the Potomac intrigues me. Because the walls of rock are so tall, they block out the early morning rays and create rich shadow and a beautiful hole of light. I love the challenge of that particular light combined with the depth and breathe of the landscape....especially when painting magnitude on a small surface.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

September 14, 2008 The Heat of Late Summer

9x12, pastel on mounted wallis
The reservoir had never called me to paint till today. All my usual routes to the river were blocked due to the Nation's Triathlon and the Park Marathon. So rather than drive more, I stopped at the reservoir.
Today's record breaking heat and humidity made for a beautiful, moody atmosphere. Maybe I found an additional, favorite place to paint.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

September 13, 2008 Fleeting Golden Moment

9x12 pastel and watercolor on mounted wallis paper $100.
This was a speed painting. It rained as I walked to the river and then suddenly it cleared. Still, I could hear thunder in the distance. The sky was lemon and gold and the glow was violet. Quickly I painted, fanned the board dry and moved my pastels gingerly over the slightly wet surface. To capture the essence of the moment was my only goal.
I think I will use this in the studio to create a bigger painting.

Friday, September 12, 2008

September 12, 2008 Moody Invitation

11x14, pastel on board, $300.
I absolutely love when the river is moody like this. It's one of those places you can paint over and over, always finding a new perspective.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

September 11, 2008 Overcast Glaze

7.5x 15.5 pastel on board
Overcast day on the river, normally it tends to be quiet and calm..... But, today while I painted the river became swamped by helicopters and motor board (normally, they are never allowed.)
These are all signs of a rescue in progress. I found out later that everything is ok and it turned out to be a false alarm. The river is so full and turbulent right now.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

September 9, 2008 The Bend Before the Rapids

8x8 pastel on art spectrum board
This was actually a painting I did yesterday. Today's painting is a pooper, un-postable. Life threw me a twist and I am a little out of sorts. An arsonist has been igniting cars in my quiet little neighborhood and he chose mine. I fear it is not repairable. Whaaa! I am thankful no one was hurt and that I had taken my paintings from the car the night before. I guess you never know.

Monday, September 8, 2008

September 8, 2008, Beauty Queen

7x11, pastel on wallis board $150. plus ship and tax
If the river could enter a beauty contest today is the day she would win. September and October are two of the most gorgeous months. The temperatures start to play games and create amazing colors. Weeeeehooooo!

Sunday, September 7, 2008

September 7, 2008, Rock Creek, After the Hurricane

7x8, pastel on board, $100. plus shipping and tax
Yesterday we had the remnants of hurricane hanna, which means everything is covered in a couple of inches of mud. The rivers and creeks overflowed their banks. To paint this one I stood in 2 inches of soft mud. It's amazing how immediately after the storm the sun came out and made it all better.
Greens, hard stuff.

Friday, September 5, 2008

September 5, 2008 Hot Afternoon on the River

8x11.5 pastel an watercolor on wallis, 200. plus shipping and tax
Light does amazing things...mostly indescribable. It seems like the haze of the river seems to play games with complementary colors- the greens have red glows and the purples-well touches of yellow/gold.
On Wednesday, fellow blogger and artist Karen asked about the differences between a much loved pastel paper, wallis, and the surface I usually make. I did this one on wallis to help me answer the question.
1. Wallis takes paint differently, smoother, it's easier to get intense color.
2. My surface has more surface. That means when I paint watercolor or oil as the first layer it seeps in to the bottom layer (it also takes more paint to be intense.) Then when it is dry I have the textured surface to play with and the pastel can rise above the paint and create a vibration. Cool, eh? It also allows me to play with the accidents or plan the texture when I marble dust it.
3. Last note, wallis paper, as of recent times, has become a bit unreliable. It sometimes gets a orange peel -like effect and can repel the watercolor, both undesirable effects (to me.)

Thursday, September 4, 2008

September 4, 2008 The Light Beckons

9x6.5, pastel on board, $100. plus shipping
Just one look at this scene in Rock Creek National Park and it was impossible not to stop and paint. Light can be such a powerful thing.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

September 3, 2008 Private Beach

9x12, pastel and watercolor on board, $200.
This is another scene from the rocky beaches near Mather Gorge. The tranquil water has the most beautiful reflections with the rich colors of late summer. Only a few Canadian geese shared this view with me. Lucky me.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

September 2, 2008 The Sentinel of the River

9x 12 (i think) pastel on board, $200.
This new view of the river called to me as I walked down the path near Angler's Inn. I like the way you can feel the shade on this hot day...but still you want to walk to the other side and visit the beautiful Potomac.
This old tree has seen decades worth of happenings...if only it could speak.

Monday, September 1, 2008

September 1, 2008 Streamin'

7x7, pastel on board
The light was just beautiful as it streamed through the canopy and bounced off the stream. Beautiful and elusive. So much remains unfinished as I struggled to get that wonderful feeling. I guess I will have to go back to this location and try again.