The horizon line and red buds

The horizon line is a tyrant that demands you find a way to manage its particular demands. How do you bridge the two completely different and unrelated elements (sky and land) in the landscape? How to deal with " the line?" Each situation is different and requires a new way of adapting.
I have been painting by the red buds since their arrival this spring. The silvery beauty of the naked trees contrast to the golden greens of the bud leaves...and then you add the pow! of the red buds and wowza!!!! Fun! I just can't stop.

it's about the GREENS

12x12 oil on wood panel

I continue to experiment with underpaintings, texture and color combinations. As I stray from the "real" and move towards the feeling of the glow I am coming upon fascinating (for me) effects of simultaneaous contrast.

This oil (top) was created from an uninspiring plein air pastel (above). I decided in the studio that the concept was about GREEN, that baby soft green only found in the first moments of Spring. The remaining pink petals would need to be ignored. It would also be about the sun through the GREENS.
Next I decided best how to show off those baby GREENS and that decided the underpainting. I must admit this one was fun so far.
The journey continues....till tomorrow.

soft pinks and red of Springtime

A Spring rainy morning is touched by soft reds and pinks. They show in the distance as more violet and in the foreground as an orange pink. Soft is the key word.(although a slight bit of exaggeration goes a long way to create the distance necessary) Ah! It is sooooo good to be back outside!

the dangers of cotton candy (life as a color junkie)

 9x12 pastel on BFK
Cotton candy is a dangerous thing in painting. The colors of Spring are as delciously sweet as cotton candy...you can only eat so much without feeling sick. Still, you want a bite of it.
The row of apple trees on the farm doomed for construction (result of ICC development) beckoned to me. A combination of the very slight haze of morning and  blossoms on the trees was like cotton candy. I tried only to take a nibble.

problems of a color junkie

  

7x7 pastel on BFK

The air was dense with particles, a beautiful Spring sunrise. Being the color junkie I can be, I had to think how I could make it palatable, not over done. Spring, while being the most wonderful season here, can be hard to paint..... sometimes it's just too beautiful! Cherry trees with their white and snowy pink blossoms are everywhere. Trees topped with red, pink and baby green buds abound. Bright canary yellow forsythia bushes spread their feathery branches.  Such beauty. I have always felt it's the artist's job to make the beauty.... right now we are unemployed, Spring has taken over.

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.:-)

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.

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!

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. :-)

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.

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.

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.

The Canal

about 9x13 pastel and watercolor on Uart paper
A light fog covered the canal this morning. Autumn and Spring are the fog times around here and I really look forward to these mornings. My goal was to capture the light and not go crazy with color. Fog helps with that; it's the great unifier. To me the most challenging part of plein air painting is creating color harmony. Granted nature has a exquisite color harmony on her own. Have you ever examined a single flower on its stem? Most are perfect complements. But when painting an entire landscape you need to choose.

May 6, 2008 Decisions

9x12, pastel and watercolor on wallis board
The parents escort their goslings across the path while zebra butterflies play/eat in the mud; it is full, beautiful spring by the river. Decisions- one way I look is into bright golden light that is so bright it bounces and turn the other way and it is quiet reflections on the water. Decisions, decisions. Life is good.

May 5, 2008 Cat Feet on the Housatonic

8x10 pastel and watercolor on wallis board
This weekend we drove up to Connecticut for my nephew's First Communion. I managed to paint on Sunday morning, but not to finish. Today I completed it in the studio.
Connecticut was still in "baby spring," three weeks behind us in DC. The Housatonic River was absolutely beautiful in the morning fog. I am a sucker for a good river...and fog.

April 28, 2008 Stillness in Violet

8x9, pastel and watercolor on marble board
Quiet and beautiful, that's the canal at "big pool."

April 26, 2008 River Farm

8x10, pastel and watercolor on wallis
River Farm was my destination today. It's way over on the other side of the city...thus hard to get to on weekday morning rush hour. (Imagine a painting rush hour?!?) The farm is one of George Washington's. Its view is from above the Potomac which makes it worth the drive.
The lovely Washington haze has begun to settle in for the summer. That, combined with the spring colors, wows me!

April 24, 2008 Muddy River

8x10 pastel and watercolor on wallis board
The river is very full of water and glorious red mud. The contrast of the mud to the baby greens is compelling.
Today I met a someone on the canal who was full of questions of how an artist makes decisions and why. While I can only speak for myself..... it's true I don't set out to duplicate nature, nor do I think I can make it "better." I simply try to make a painting that makes a feeling, a kind of peace in this crazy world. How about you other artists out there?

April 23, 2008 Big Sky and Spring Green

5.25x6 pastel and watercolor on wallis board
The field in Potomac is beginning to show its green. Everything is bursting out GREEN! Skies are changing.

April 21, 2008 Violet Reflections on Connecticut Avenue

7 1/2 x9 pastel and watercolor on wallis board
Standing on Connecticut Ave in the rain is a challenge, especially when you are using pastel and watercolor, both incompatible to rain. So I finally decided to take the picture and go back to the studio. Anyone out there have any outdoor rain tricks to share? I am really starting to like the watercolor underneath. What do you think?