Spring begins today in one something in the afternoon. It's easy to see how the colors are changing. Warm oranges and pinks show tiny buds on trees. The tree barks are warming with slight amounts of green. (nice contrast) When I arrived at the lake it was filled with fisherman, first time since summer. The kingfishers were talking in the trees. Oh, this time of year is glorious!!!!!
Heads up for anyone in the DC area and surrounding states. I just learned that Wolf Kahn will he at Glen Echo's Yellow barn to give a lecture May 21. The price is steep. $70.00, but well worth it. Here's a link. If you come in town, let me know. I bought my ticket already.
10 comments:
You've got spring; we've got just under 2 feet of snow, and it's 12 degrees outside. Your pastel helps; it's warm and soft and springy.
Next subject. WOLF KAHN!!! I'm so glad you're going to the lecture . Too bad you miss the workshop. That would be worth every penny of $450. Kack-kack. 70 isn't bad for the lecture. Though probably not, I hope it includes Q&A. In either case, I can't wait for your full report!
Every time I get the word on a WK workshop, it says SOLD OWT in big bright letters. Thanks for that. I think I'll go look over the neighbors' fence at a t-bone steak on the grill next, and suffer...
This is one of the most amazing pastels I've seen you make, Loriann. The color choices match the mood of early spring, and the mood is sublime - you really rose to the occasion (as usual).
I LOVE this one. It is very soft, very harmonious, subtle yet rich. Brava!
Can't wait to hear your WK report.
wow!
i agree with sam, casey and jala.
you're eye for color still causes me to
wonder ... how'd she do that?
(lefty) ... pb
Hi Sam! Sorry I would share Spring if I could. I am sure it will come your way soon. It looks like your ranch has it.
From what I have read WK usually does and good-natured Q and A. Full report will follow. Can't wait!
Hi Casey,
Thank you about his pastel! The day was so inspiring!
I will report out about the WK lecture. Sorry you can't be here.
Hi Jala and thank you! We will all have to wait till May. I heard that he is funny and of course full of great thoughts.
Hi PB or should I say my south paw friend,
I have two eyes for color...heehee. How are you feeling? How is that shoulder? Are you sleeping?
b
Wold Kahn lecture sounds great. I just finished looking at/reading his book and can't stop thinking about it. I really want to go...
wait, what happened to my first comment? I was just saying that the painting is transcendent and it seems not a single stroke can be taken away. Amazing balance.
Loriann,
Yet another deeply rewarding painting-you keep hitting them out of the ballpark.I do not what commentary -how to improve- that I can add. You are close to or have arrived at a point in your work where you have your own pictorial language. You are an example of how working each day leads to ones art moving ahead. I look forward to reading what you will post about the Wolf Kahn lecture. I am sure that you have the book, Wolf Kahn Pastels. That book is truly amazing.
Today I returned to the the field. It is a wonderful time of year as winter gives way to spring. The muted quiet palette of winter, the various grays of the tree trunks will soon be transformed by new foliage. The sky though is still a cold blue temperature wise. My usual method of operation is to work with Derwent Sketch pencils on a Strathmore 9x12 spiral bound pad. That is all that I need along with a sharpner, kneaded eraser and my Safari folding chair. I highly recommend that product -makes it easier to work outdoors.
I also paint outdoors but I find that working with a minimal amount of materials makes it easier to move about. Sometimes I use colored pencils and on occasion oil pastels. Maybe this year I will try a combination of watercolor and either soft or oil pastel. I think that if I use soft pastel a quick spray of fixative will prevent them from becoming messed up. The use of fixative could be considered heresy by some pastel artists.
I have a catalog from an exhibition of paintings by Karl Schrag who was in my opinion a really good painter. There is a quote in the catalog that has stayed with me ever since I first read it- "What we
carry away from an experience often lives in our memories more intensely and more eloquently than that which we actually see" Working with just a pad and pencils I can analyze and record the landscape.I am not concerned about recreating an exact duplication of a scene. I am concerned though with getting to the essence of the landscape, the evocation of a presence seen and felt .
Loriann if you are going to paint outdoors with oils may I suggest the following-Handy Porter boxes by Guerrilla Painter available through their web site or Dick Blick. They are offered in the usual sizes, 8x 10 etc and made out of sturdy cardboard. If you need an inexpensive carrying case to bring your canvases in from the field I recommend them.
Packed 3 each they should last for a while. I would also suggest either the water soluble oils or the Atelier Interactive or Golden Open acrylics for your underpainting outdoors. There is nothing wrong with traditional oils but why mess with solvents & rags outdoors?
Beautiful painting Loriann you have captured the early spring day by the lake so well.
Hi Nika,
I can't wait for the Wolf Kahn lecture. I will share so it will be like you are there.
Thank you so much about the painting. Is there a comment missing?
Hi NJ,
Thank you so much for your very thoughtful words. You are right..we are what we carry away from the scene..it's essence. That is the goal. I still feel that my constant vitamins feed my information store in my head,that way when I work in the studio I have so much to draw from. Writing about the scene, carrying it in my memory is key too. I am not sure if I will use oils outdoors. Pastels work so well for what I want to do.
Duplication of the scene is never the goal in landscape, we create. Once again thanks for your words, they sat in my head a long time, savoring them, before having a chance to reply. Cheers!
Hi Caroline, Thank you ! I love that little lake!
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