Thursday, April 30, 2009

Olana Glow 4

8x21 pastel on watercolor/Uart paper

Here's to taking my own advice. The foreground needed to be darker...maybe even more, but I think I have run out of "tooth." It's better, but certainly not perfect. It does have distance, but not the beauty I saw in my mind's eye. Sometimes you just have to go on:-) On to my next lady-in-waiting.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Olana Glow

Here is the next step. I left it as a larger jpeg so that the grey/ golden steps could be seen. It's almost done. I think.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Magical Particles

9x12 pastel on watercolor -uart paper

New body of water. The pollen is once again doing magical things on the lake's surface.
And of course, early morning is the time the light really struts its stuff. Look at the way the surface of the water changes when the pollen particles reflect or absorb light. I am allergic to the stuff (who isn't?)....but it's really pretty!

Monday, April 27, 2009

Warmth and Distance /Painting in progress

painting in progress
underpainting

How do you create distance yet retain the warmth of the very late afternoon/early evening? The simple answer is greying down your colors.. But there is more....Look at Sanford Gifford. His greys and light are magnificent.

Yes..today is beautiful outside(90 and sunny even at 6 am it was 70). It's almost sacrilegious that I am inside. The fact is this painting called me to begin.....immediately. More on this one later.

Sunday, April 26, 2009

History/the Hudson River School Painters

Frederic Church's home at Olana
View from Thomas Cole's porch
Kaaterskill Falls Painted by many HRS painters
Kaaterskill Clove -also a favorite place for the HRS painters

I have ALWAYS admired the Hudson River School, especially Frederic Church, Sanford Gifford (my fave-he is in this category although more of a luminist), and Asher Durand (check out his letters). They had the first artist colony in Palenville. It served as a base for their painting in Kaaterskill Clove and Falls (above.)
The two best parts of the trip-seeing Frederic Church's view and feeling his presence inside his house. It has all the original furnishings and paint that Church bought /ordered for his home.

I highly recommend visiting Olana..it's breath taking in so many ways.
Check out this link- http://www.history.vt.edu/Barrow/Hist3144/readings/hudsonriver/index.html

Saturday, April 25, 2009

View from Olana


about 7x21 pastel on watercolor-Uart paper
I am visiting Olana, the home of Frederic Church. He was part of the Hudson River School, pupil of Thomas Cole. I have long loved his and Sanford Gifford's work. Today it was amazing to walk in the footsteps of these great artists.
His house designed as a sort of middle eastern oasis is exactly as he left it-same furniture, paint and all! I was able to stand in his studio and feel the great man's presence as I looked at his living landscape outside his window.
When the clock struck 6pm I knew it was time to paint. The winds were blowing so hard that I not only had to hold down my easel but my water kept blowing all over everything-over and over. Then my painting took flight -that's when I cried "uncle" and finally dismantled the easel. The painting was finished on the ground.
I photographed it in the fading light of evening so it is and awful jpeg. You can't even see the sky colors. I will photograph again tomorrow morning and repost. The repost is above.Now you can see the sky... a little.

Friday, April 24, 2009

Light around the Corner

11 x14 pastel on watercolor-Uart paper

The Potomac River is so full it's overflowing. The gorge at Great Falls is remarkably different. Usually big rocks are present in the water and at times you can even wade across. Now it is rushing with water and the young trees on the side are submerged. I love the way the sun peeks around the corner and touches the land selectively.
Boy..I just saw how this looks on the blog and honest it looks better in person.:-)

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Sun Rising over the Maryland Skyline

9x9 pastel on watercolor -Uart paper
If you don't have color harmony the piece won't work. It is as simple as that....but hard to do. Choosing where you want the viewer to look and how you want the viewer to travel through the painting is also essential. Place your strongest color contrast there. In this painting I wanted to make certain that the viewer looks up rather than linger on the reeds in front. In order to do that I made the colors close in value yet varying in temperature.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

glutton for punishment

8x10 oil underpainting on canvas birch panel
One saying I remember hearing from my Mom was"Loriann, you're a glutton for punishment." I think it meant I never gave up, even when she felt I should have. This is a way to say I am back to glazing.
This is an underpainting of the field I love. It was done from memory. After all I have painted it enough. It's funny this is the third time I have painted it in the last 4 days and each time a path to the sea keeps becoming more and more prominent. Hmmmmmmm.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Emerald Light

12 x12 pastel on watercolor on Uart paper

Mid-afternoon, down at Great Falls park the light through the trees appears emerald colored. It's all different now.

Thank you everyone for your support.

Monday, April 20, 2009

Words Fall Through Me


17 x22 pastel and oil on marble dust board

Life has a way of throwing curveballs. I guess the process of learning to catch them is what it is about. Losing Elly has made me rethink what was once taken for granted. This applies to my work. This painting I began long ago, but never could complete to my satisfaction. I saw the answers in my dreams the other night. After I finished yesterday's painting I immersed myself in this one, trying hard to find my way to the nebulous (yet ethereal) light I wanted to create. I think I am done (for now.)

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Loss of Greatness



9 x12 pastel and watercolor on marble dust board
I can't believe it. A dear friend and neighbor died this morning. She was the most positive and uplifting person I have ever known. She always had something good to say even when she was enduring pain in her body. Her three biggest loves were all people, all animals and the beach. This painting was painted in honor of Elly Gates, a magnificent soul. She will be missed by many. I can't believe she's gone.

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Field 3

9 x12 pastel on watercolor on marble dust board

This morning I went down to the river with a new type of paper to type...all I can say is yuck. I worked and worked till there was no use. At least it is nice outside.
So instead I will post a painting I did in the field last summer which I have been working on in the studio. I think it's done.
Welcome to all my new subscribers and thank you to everyone who stops by and checks out my work! This week has been busy...if I have not responded to your comment I will tomorrow. :-)

Friday, April 17, 2009

Lemon Light

9x10 pastel on watercolor, Uart paper
I no longer need to hide beside my car for warmth! Yay!!! Spring is here. Today I went down to Great Falls Park to my favorite painting spot near big pool. The focus was temperature of color and the goal was unity with temperature changes....I know I can go "hog wild" with my colors so I am constantly making choices to keep harmony.
The morning light has such a cool lemony flavor with warm shadows.

On another happy note....You can now find my work in the John Matthew Moore Gallery in Chevy Chase, MD. Matthew is great guy and an artist. He saw my work in the hands of one of my collector's (thank you Diane) and sought me out! Double yay!

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Springtime Fog

9x12 pastel on watercolor, Uart paper

Fog is so exciting. One important thing to keep in mind is that because fog reduces the values to a very small range one must be VERY attentive to temperature. The play back and forth is what makes the painting.

Click on this one...I left the jpeg bigger than usual so that you can see the temperature play. :-)

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Down into the Canyon

9x9 pastel on Uart paper
It was almost sunset and freezing when I began this one. When I left the scene it was very unfinished. The Rio Grande. I worked with it sporadically since I returned. It meant digging into my memory and trying to pull out that golden light and deep shadow.
Hmmmmmm...back to spring in DC.

Monday, April 13, 2009

Violet Surface and Gold Twinkles

9x9 pastel and watercolor on Uart paper $100.

Pollen, and lots of it, is a fact of life in DC at this time of year. It covers our car and makes us sneeze. One beautiful thing it does is make a coating on water surfaces. These dust like particles refract or absorb light, depending. This morning the reservoir's surface was brand new because of pollen.

Saturday, April 11, 2009

The Hill beside the Church

4x7 pastel and watercolor on Uart
Today was sort of odd, mostly overcast, but yet I swear the light was gold.
I did this one yesterday because I am leaving now to visit relatives in Pennsylvania. We are celebrating my nephew's first birthday. I hate missing a day of painting...it makes me feel so unbalanced! Habit is a very good thing.

Friday, April 10, 2009

Awards and Thank Yous XXXOOOO


Recently I have been honored with two awards. First the "I Love your Art Blog" award from Casey and Painting with Passion from Dale . Thank you Casey and Dale. The blogosphere has created this wonderful, supportive community where we notice each other with comments and awards. It's a nice place.
Now, awards come with duties to keep the love going. I must nominate 7 others who share this passion and 7 other passions and then 7 peeps I love and 7 blogs I love. Phew! I think I will do a combo. Therefore I will name 7 blogs I love because they share this passion of creating. I will try to find new ones that I have not tagged before.
Karen Margulis
Susan Downing White
Gretchen Kelly
Eden Compton
Karla Nolan

Distance: What I know and what I do and the contrast

11 x14 oil- very unfinished -very frustrating

There are so many things I KNOW about creating grand space.
Ah, the many ways to create distance. Let me name the ways:
1. color, 2. temperature, 3. value, 4. mass size, 5. stroke size, 6. texture, 7. atmospheric perspective 8. design elements. There are probably more...these are in the front of my mind.
The problem is WHAT I KNOW AND WHAT I DO are TWO VERY DIFFERENT THINGS. I have glazed and glazed finally I felt I wanted more juice. Out came the palette knife. (Yes Brian and Jala ...it's back.) Oh, dear........ I guess I will let it dry a little and go on to another.
So now I am exposed as I struggle once again.:-)

Thoughts:
I have been absorbed in research about the Hudson River Painters and the Luminists. They KNOW distance. Sanford Gifford's (one of my faves) favorite device was to view from up high while thickening the air to the limits of its ability to hold moisture and light. This veil of haze heightened the sense of depth. ( the desert of New Mexico has little moisture...but I can stretch it)
Bierstadt's favorite way is size. Not only were the foreground shapes massive, but the entire canvas was an massive vertical. (vs. Gifford's elongated horizontals.)

As for my meager painting, at this point I am viewing from above and have used mass size to suggest space. I have premixed some colors and intuitively added others. I am very conscious of temperature of my colors and the size of stroke and mass. I realize I WANT delicious colors. Subtlety is not really me.

Thursday, April 9, 2009

A Brand New Day

9x9 pastel and watercolor on Uart paper $100.
This morning I thought that the reservoir could not be more beautiful than it is today....... but then again I always think that. Spring and sunrise mix together to form a pink, golden surprise.
Now back to the studio to glaze.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

The Field - Sunset in April

about 5x5 pastel on Uart paper
When the son of George Inness describes his father he says,"Out of doors he was quiet, rational and absorbed. I have seen him in the same spot everyday for a week or more studying carefully and minutely the contours of trees and the compositions of the clouds and grass. He seldom painted from nature He would study for days and then go at a canvas with the most dynamic energy."
The point is to notice. To absorb all that you see and then it becomes part of you. No cameras, no sketchbooks. I have done many memory type paintings, before, when I have forgotten my camera. Now it will be an intention. 3 memory paintings a week...small. and yes, lots of sitting and watching.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Oil Underpainting for Rio Grande

11x14 oil on gesso panel
In order to create depth I first needed to do it in the underpainting. I used the foreground hill to move up and carry the viewer to the mesa and over the the horizon and down again. Since I normally paint the masses then dig out the form it was hard for me to put so much detail in an underpainting. But what I have learned at this point is you can't add when you glaze or else you cover your glazes.
Now it has to dry completely before glazing. Here's where the patience comes in.:-)

New Mexico Lives on in the Studio

Ah.... memories. I am back in the studio equipped with a plan. While my New Mexico visions are sharp I will work up a studio piece from the Rio Grande. So here is a picture of me, bundled up in layers and fingerless gloves painting the canyon.
My main question: when composing this "grand space" scene, how do I deepen the space? Many painters have placed land, trees, people, etc. in the very foreground or in the case of Thomas Moran or Albert Bierstadt creating (with color) distinct levels of space and atmosphere. Not only will my choice effect the creation of space but also the place where a viewer is involved.
Hmmmmmmmm.

Monday, April 6, 2009

Harmony with Violet and Peach

9 x9 pastel and watercolor on Uart paper $100.

When I was away in New Mexico mother nature changed everything. It is SPRING! So, of course, I went to the reservoir at daybreak. The sky was an awesome melon color because there was a thunderstorm coming. How lucky can I be? I had fun with the incredible color before me....but still trying not to break harmony. Click on this one....I left it as a larger jpeg so you too could enjoy all the subtle nuances.
Plein air painting is one of those things. You never know what will happen. I must say I LOVE painting at the reservoir for many reasons. Beauty is number one. Number two is since it is a government owned and guarded property it is the one place I am completely safe. As a female plein air painter that is always an issue, right ladies? (Is it an issue for guys?) Well a big thank you to my friends the guards who will freely question anyone who stops and hangs near my painting location. You guys are the greatest! They are always there for me.

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Morning Glow on Sandia's Seeds

9x9 pastel and watercolor on Uart paper
Yesterday, before I left New Mexico I did this one in the juniper field looking up to the foot hills of Sandia Mountain. I love the way the Junipers look like polka dots or in the case, seeds. It's funny I wasn't certain I would post this one...but here it is. Sometimes I get frustrated with myself because I seem to always revert to "my ways" even though I am trying to stretch in other ways. I guess it is like an elastic...stretch and spring back, stretch again....you get the picture. I guess I have to trust that is how it works:-)

Saturday, April 4, 2009

Polka Dots on Sandia Mountain


9x9 pastel on watercolor underpainting
This is Sandia Mountain which is right in back of the house. I painted it as the sun was setting and the colors were moving fast. The goal was distance and time of day. Those junipers are tricky. Now I am off to the airport...back to DC.

Friday, April 3, 2009

View from Wes and Marilynn's living Room


9x12 pastel and watercolor on Uart

I decided that my time would not be complete without attempting to paint the marvelous view from my host's lovely home. I made my plan. Early morning, just as the light creeps over the mountain would be best. So yesterday I studied and sketched, then set up my easel (last night) for this morning's work. It was even harder to create the grand space in this one since there was no shape definer like the river.
Today is my last day here. So I have decided to go to hike up Tent Rocks (again) and then go gallery and museum hopping in Santa Fe. Till tomorrow!!!!!

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Rio Grande in the Late Afternoon

9 x 12 pastel and watercolor on Uart paper
I was obsessed with this view so I returned to the Rio Grande. Two differences; this one was painted in the late afternoon and I looked in the opposite direction.
I tried really hard to make the grand space but this time I was less restricted with my color palette, although I was very tuned into the color temperature dance. My true joy is working with simultaneous contrast (Thank you Richard) and the vibration it makes. I am using my pastels differently-more like glazes...oh so lightly they touch the surface of the paper.
I LOVE this view! I wish I could paint it day after day.
I will blog more later when I am not on the side of the road:-)

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

The Grand Rio Grande

9 x12 pastel and watercolor on Uart paper
This one is my favorite of all the New Mexico paintings so far. It's funny because when I saw it I was jarred by its beauty and scared to death just to try to create the impression of the grandness before me on this small piece of paper . The light was high (one o'clock in the afternoon), but I didn't want to wait for hours to get just the right light. So I decided to take on the challenge. Because of the light conditions I had to really search and heighten the value changes in order to make the grand space I wanted.
I used the same method : a value/temperature underpainting, then pastel to make the color of light and atmosphere. I think this one will go back to the studio and become a biggie.

Blogger friends, I have not ignored you and of course I will respond to your comments it's just that my internet service is sooooooo bad that it breaks down over and over again. I will try...
XO Loriann

The Divide

9x12 pastel and watercolor on Uart paper
This is again the Chama River. This time I am looking to the left from the bend (in the last painting). While I painted this early this morning the winds were blowing fiercely. Within an hour the snow was coming down horizontally. So I finished up quickly and somehow my car drove me to the hot springs in Ojo Caliente, where I happily watched the snow from inside my hot spring. Ahh....
My focus on this painting was again grand space. The method was the same. First I created a value/temperature underpainting then used color to create space. Since the light was very low I heightened the foreground the provide the needed space.

I Got the Bends

9x9 pastel and watercolor on Uart paper $100.
I just drove and ended up going many beautiful places. First, I realized that while the red rocks are stunning, it is the river which "floats my gondola" (as my brother Peter would say.) So I chased rivers. This is the Chama near Ghost Ranch. I love the way I could look from above and see a grand view. Just look at that bend will you!!!!
Here I concentrated first one a value/temperature underpainting and then using color to create the grand space.

Juniper in Full Light

9x9 pastel and watercolor on Uart paper $100.
I have been missing for a couple days, only because I had no reliable internet. I am here in New Mexico. A big thank you to Wes and Marilynn for graciously allowing me to stay in their beautiful home. First let me say I thought New Mexico would be warm at this time of year.....but noooooooo, it is far from that. One moment it is sunny and 55 and the next there is a huge dust storm with tumbleweeds aiming for me like a bulleye and the next minute its is snowing horizonatly. So much for warm! I arrived late Monday (through snow and backed up planes at Denver) and began right to work. the light is fantastic here!