Sunday, May 31, 2009

Color of Stillness

9x9 pastel and watercolor on Uart paper
May into June is one of the most exciting times on the river. Little puffs of low fog-type moisture absorb light and make beautiful atmosphere. The color by some people might be described as white, but as all artists know, when one looks closely you can see the way the land,
river bottom, and sky make their wishes known through that white. To make it appear lighter - place a dark near it.
The river is so high it is closed to boaters (above Great Falls), therefore the usual rocks are not present. And it is even quieter...sorry boaters.

Saturday, May 30, 2009

Dawn's Light Ushers in a Brand New Day



17.5 x21 pastel and watercolor on Uart paper
The painting spoke to me and then I knew what to do. Funny how that works.

Friday, May 29, 2009

Deer at Sunset


9x9 pastel and watercolor on Uart paper

This is the small, but finished version of the deer on my favorite field. Most of my energy went into developing the light through the trees. I could make out the deer in the distance but so quietly. (Can you see them?) One focal point, a place to linger.. To make it stronger I needed to edit and simplify everything else for maximum effect. The feeling of quiet reflection...... .

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Noblesse Oblige Award


A big thank you to Jala Pfaff for bestowing the "noblesse oblige" award upon me. Please visit her site and be amazed by her range of work. From abstract pastels to painterly oils that rival Sargent's brushwork, Jala can do it all. Wow, I feel honored to receive this honor from her. I am not quite sure I can really live up to what it means. ...although I can try. Here is a description of the attributes this award recognizes:
1.The blogger manifests exemplary attitude, respecting the nuances of different cultures and beliefs.
2. The blog inspires, strives to encourage and offer solutions.
3. There is a clear purpose at the blog and it is one that fosters a better understanding of social science, politics, economics, the arts, culture, science or belief.
4. The blog is refreshing and creative.
5. The bloggers promotes friendship and positive thinking.

Blogger who receive this will need to perform the following steps:
1. Create a post with a mention and a link to the blogger who presented the award to you.
2. Display the award conditions.
3. Write a short post about what your blog has thus far achieved.
4. The blogger must present the award to blogs in concurrence with the award conditions.
5. The blogger can display the award at any location on their blog.

I am passing this honor to Niels Henriksen-My Camera World and Casey Klahn-The Colorist. Please check out their sites to see why they too will receive the award. I must admit there are many worthy sites which make it difficult to choose.
Maybe tomorrow I will write about what my blog has achieved so far. I need to think about this.:-)

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

underpainting for deer grazing painting



I was walking through the field at dusk.The deer were grazing, unafraid of my presence. The land was theirs and there was nothing to fear. The light glowed through the trees creating a feeling of pure mystery. Here is the pencil sketch I made. Upon returning home I created the watercolor underpainting. Right now I am preparing a big marble dust board. I am eager to begin fresh tomorrow morning. First I will finish the study, then underpaint the board.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Golden Fog (almost finished)


about 24x 30 pastel and watercolor on Uart paper
Earlier in May I posted the watercolor underpainting for this one. Now after a couple of weeks of work I am close to completion......That means it is time to let it sit and think and not do. Reactions will come later.

Monday, May 25, 2009

Blues at the Crest

9x9 pastel and watercolor on Uart paper

Why do I paint fields? Why don't I paint those houses that sit right over there? The answer is simple. Fields allow me to make the structure...houses demand that I follow their lines. Did you ever think about why you chose the subject matter you choose?

Saturday, May 23, 2009

River Life

about 5x6 pastel and watercolor on Uart paper
I can't stay away...and yes there are greens in this painting...just not predominate.
This week I was visiting the gallery to see all my new pieces being framed and hung for the show. I noticed a few things that I often forget to think about and just do more automatically in the successful pieces (hopefully). Let me share them with you.

First, Even if the whole painting is "not finished" you need one place of finish to make it look complete. This painting is a good example. It did not look good until I "finished" the tree clump in the foreground. Still the finish does not prevent you from traveling back the the juicy colors in the distance.

Second, value. Remember the old saying...I think it went something like 70/30, major values. For instance, in this painting the light values are 70% and the darks 30%. Clumping the values to create bigger shapes is VERY important.

And last......drama!

Friday, May 22, 2009

Lone Tree

about 8 x10 pastel and watercolor on wallis board
I keep thinking I would like to do a series of skies. This is a peak of one of the new ones Matthew has framed for me. You can see it at the gallery.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Horses and Hills

about 8x10 pastel and watercolor on Uart
I made it out to one of my favorite fields in Potomac only to find they too had been busy with mowers! It was shaved BALD! Notice the earth colors showing through the grass.
I felt this one was a success because of its color harmony and my ability to carry on and be flexible even though it wasn't the scene I had been preparing for in my mind. (I find that can be a challenge) My commitment to painting green carries on. Check this link to see the same field with buttercups and overcast.

Daybreak through Buttercups

about 8x10
This was yesterday's work. I thought I would finish it before posting....but...consider it a work in progress. I had to teach a full day and social commitments so my schedule yesterday was nuts! Therefore I only managed to squeeze in this small painting. I dislike being time scrunched! I would always rather be painting. Honest.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Ribbons of Grass


about 8x9 pastel on watercolor on Uart paper
The sky sets the tone for the whole painting, even when the horizon is placed so high on the picture plane. The color you choose has to relate to the colors of the entire painting. Your sky matters. That is why I will place it in first and constantly adjust it and the land till they work together like a song. The color you choose for a distant sky has to be warm enough to have depth, cool enough to feel airy. Balance.
This is part of my green series even though the colors of the long grasses tended to leave the green and visit the gold. After our long period of rain the sun is now out. Unfortunately the mowers are too. Almost every space of long grass has been mowed and groomed. Me, I prefer it wild..long grasses blowing in the breeze..... a challenge to find in a city. This little unsold lot reminds me of Truro, Cape Cod, a place I remember well from my childhood.

Monday, May 18, 2009

Walk into the Woods

This is also from my buttercup/green series. It is my favorite so far. I must say I missed blogging when I was on a forced "vacation" but it made me realize that I spend way TOOOOOO much time on this computer. Time I would rather spend painting. Now that I am back I will be thinking about how i will deal with this...later. Back to work.

With Grace (buttercups in fog)

Here is the next from the green series, done on my non-blog/fix the computer time.

Green Hills

The start of the green series. I am back blogging...now for more.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

underpainting for golden fog


For the past two days I have patiently (can you believe that??) worked on this watercolor underpainting. Time spent waiting for each layer to dry before adding another layer of color. My goal was to have color, in particular golden yellow, to be my light. If I am to place lighter color on top it must twinkle off something beautiful.
This afternoon I ship off my computer to Apple for maintenance and repair. Therefore I won't be blogging till it returns.
Toodles !

Sunday, May 10, 2009

study/Lake Frank

Trying to make the correct light key with a controlled palette, that was today's only goal. The winds were whipping and the clouds kept changing the light- sunny/ cloudy. I tried hard not to chase.
Happy Mother's Day!

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Formidable, Yet Silent

28x42 pastel on oil paint on Marble dust board

I finally finished it! Mountains changed, glow added and river strengthened. I thoroughly enjoyed the last few days painting this one. The time when it just flows through you because you know what to do.

Friday, May 8, 2009

Reveal (study)

about 8x10
What a glorious early summer day it is! The rain stopped, everything is green,wet and saturated with COLOR!!!!! I jumped out of bed when I looked outside...there was no fog at my house but the air felt ripe for the amazing stuff. I knew...the RIVER!
It seems that the color of the trees, which is a golder green than it will be in summer, makes for a beautiful gold light. Yum!
Certainly a hard day to go back to the studio...but I need to work on the biggie.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Songs of Chocolate and Springtime

about 8 x12 pastel on watercolor/Uart paper

As per Karen's advice, I had the chocolate and the plein air. When it stopped raining for a short time I zipped out to the reservoir. It's all brand new!!!! To celebrate I underpainted this one with lots of magenta and purple. Fun.

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

small changes Shenandoah

Next...with small changes. I am thinking about removing the middle distant mountains to make way for the river. Hope it is dry tomorrow I am craving plein air painting...almost as much as chocolate.

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Work in Progress:Oh Shenandoah

28x42 pastel and oil on marble dust board
This one has been in the works for more than a year. It has gone through a few metamorphoses and will probably go through more. I wonder if it is too still for a big piece...does it need some notation of life? Still working...
Now it has stopped raining so I am out to the field for some plein air.

Monday, May 4, 2009

Iridescence Through the Rain


15x15 pastel and acrylic on marble dust board

On Saturday I went to my friend's memorial service. It was a rainy, quiet, very sad day. On the way home I stopped at a regional park I had never been to before. I walked through the woods and arrived at this beautiful space. For the last two days I have been trying to paint the emotions through that beautiful place. I have to stop now since I have filled the tooth on the board. I had topped the marble dust with iridescent gold and that filled the tooth a little too much.

Friday, May 1, 2009

Interlocking Points

9 x9 pastel on watercolor
This rainy morning I headed out to Brighton Dam when it was still dark. The dam has a small azalea park and beautiful water scenes. the weather was perfect: I love it best when the values are close (overcast skies and fog.) Of course it wasn't the azaleas that drew my attention, instead it was the water. After completing this one I pushed myself to turn down the path and try the flowers too. Of course I am not satisfied with that one. But this one, I like. There is something about water that I love and distance.