Two Views of the Same Subject

You have seen the stages through which "Behind the Barn", a watercolor painting based on a shed-like structure behind a barn at Perennial Pleasures in Hardwick, Vermont, passed on its way to becoming a finished painting.  You've also possibly understood that for me as an artist, a painting is never really complete - that I continue to see things I should have done as well as things I might have done.  

Now I begin again.  Oddly enough, "Behind the Barn" is a painting that was begun a year ago and then put aside, and the new work on which I have embarked isn't really new at all.  I painted this view a year or more ago, and the result was phenomenally horrible!  I flashed it in front of Sharon's eyes and then promptly hid it in my bag where it stayed until I could tear it up (I don't do that very often).  This time I plan to try it again and at least begin it right.

I started with a pencil value sketch:

This first one is clearly more detailed than the second - primarily because it was the first and got more time.  I should take a photo of the pencils I used one of which is rapidly becoming my favorite.  It's a flat piece of graphite that is maybe 3/8" - 1/2" inch broad and doesn't have a point.  Most of the above drawing was done with that pencil.  The weeds in the foreground and the lighter portions of the background were done with soft-lead pencils: 2B, 4B, 8B.

Then this is the second one.  The change in paper size was deliberate as this is the long and narrow painting I originally planned for this subject.  Now I like both sizes and will probably start by working on both.  The first one strikes me as a simple landscape of a house and barn in a lovely setting.  The second view to me is quite different.  In this one, I feel the immensity of the landscape and the loneliness of the farm.  

It's like reading two different versions of the Cinderella story.

Behind the Barn

Last night I missed writing an entry simply because I was busy with something else and lost track of time.  This is being written a bit later than I had intended (after our walk this morning I thought I'd sit down and write, but other requirements got in the way), but at least it is being written!  

Before we went on vacation, I wrote briefly about a painting I had returned to after a year's hiatus.  Indeed, it had been started in Vermont in 2014.  By working on it in Vermont again, I had the benefit of critique from E and brother D.  I'd paint for a while, then put it up on the mantel, and ask for opinions.  Those two are good!  They view things differently, but each one points out things that can be improved.  Sometimes, I had already thought the same thing, sometimes it'd never occurred to me.  Since they have far more experience than I and since they've both done really good work, I listen carefully what they have to say.  Then I think.  

Here is what I took to VT with me this year.  

Here it is again at an intermediate stage.  D suggested I intensify the values of roof and sky on the left to define each better.  E felt the right of the building was underdone (my words - not hers).  I thought everything needed work!

I worked on it more and took it home.  It sat on the piano until it was time to go to class, and every time I went by I knew it needed more tweaking.  Notice that by this time I was talking about tweaks not work.  Significant difference!  When I went to class, Sharon made suggestions - more definition in the background trees and shrubs, deepen shadows in the rocks, and more color on the red barn on the right.  This is the now finished "Behind the Barn".

Of course, as I look at it now, I think . . .  if I just . . .  Put down the brush and walk away, Noel!

Nature's Art

Yesterday this blog was all about my art so I think it is only fair (and probably more interesting) to focus on Nature's art today.  These photographs do a poor job of showing the magnificence of this scene, but I certainly tried very hard to capture the lowering sky, the eerie light on the hills, and the double rainbow hidden in those dark, brooding clouds. They will give you some idea of what we saw.

Several years ago when I was still working in oils only, I spent several months trying to paint a partial rainbow at the south end of the lake.  It was a very different scene as the day was brilliant which is likely why we could see only the part of the rainbow that was almost touching the mountain and none in the sky.

In the photograph above, the double nature of the rainbow is quite clear, and the clouds are scowling almost all around it.  Really stunning!

Oh, how I wish I had the ability to paint this one!  The rainbow, the pink clouds among the dark, the pink light on the cliff's face, the shadow on the mountain, the reflection in the lake, and then the lake itself . . . just glorious!

So with my tongue hanging out in envy at Nature's work, I hope you will enjoy this pictures as much as I do!

Sketchbook Work

Talking about vacation, what we do, what I think about it, the beauty of our surroundings - all that I have discussed.  Tonight I'm going to show you the sketches I did while away.

First these three sketches are all a combination of ink and watercolor.  The sketch "pad" contains rough watercolor paper sewn into a book with a leather-encased hard-core cover.  It is a pleasure to work in, believe me.  Because the paper is so rough, it doesn't lend itself easily to media other than water-based ones.  Using a fountain-pen isn't simple, but fountain-pen ink moves with water in the same water the water-based paints do.  Initially, when I sketched the barn up on the hill near where we stay, the plan was to create a pen and ink drawing only.  However, once I "finished" the sketch and was looking at it, I wondered what would happen if I added color.  I knew I would have to be careful not to stray into inked area with the watercolor because the two would blend together into an inky mess.

Having had so much fun with the above sketch, I continued with the same technique on the next one.  This was done looking directly across the lake at the water's edge cottages, the mountains, and the gathering clouds.  This is a view I've never worked on before, and it was more interesting than I anticipated.  Starting this sketch, I thought it would be merely an exercise in dealing with clouds.  Out came the fountain pen again so I could lay in a dark base for the clouds and, with a wet brush, pull the ink up into a blended, puffy-looking cloud.  Did that work?  Well, it's a beginning.  Anyway, I also became intrigued with the muted colors in the hills and water as well as the cottages nestled among the trees.  Few distinct details in this one as I was more interested in impressions.  I called this one a "Scribble Sketch" as I wasn't thrilled with it.

Then the final one was drawn the next morning during a rainstorm.  The storms come in from the south over the gap.  As I started this sketch, the clouds and the rain had not yet arrived at the camp where we were (a point pretty much midway between the south and north ends of the lake).  It was almost the same technique as the first two, but I pushed the experiment by using a fountain-pen with a sepia cartridge as well as the black ink pen.  Sepia is the color you can see in the cliffs (details in black).  It was a learning-thing; I won't do that again.  The sepia is too distinct, too warm a color for a rainy day.  Live and learn.  Then I did some other "new for me" things.  I inked in rain streaks up in the clouds - liking that a bit, I did some in watercolors over the hills and into the lake.   Finally, I splattered some of the same watercolor over the bottom of the hills and into the lake.  Those splatters may not show up too well at this size because they're not easy to see full size!  Another lesson - splatters might need to be a darker color of paint.

I had a good time doing these sketches, but what makes it even better is that I think I learned from the painting and even more from writing about them.

What a Vacation can Mean and Do

The last few entries have focused on the lake, the wildlife, and the weather but have said nothing really about what we do when we are there.  Oh, I may have mentioned a little though not in any depth.  When it comes right down to it, what one does on vacation is more important than where one does it, to my way of thinking.  Those activities are what make vacations relaxing, enervating, or rejuvenating.  I can talk about what each person did, but my discussion about what I did is the only thing that is really valid since I cannot put myself inside another's skin or mind.

For me, the freedom to sit and read and/or stitch is an important part of vacations.  Now that I am retired and have the time - even at home - to do those two things, they are not quite as important on vacations as they were when I was up to my ears with lesson plans, paper correcting, or reading for classroom purposes. But they are still an important part of my time; I would feel lost without the crutches of books and needlework so they are an important time of vacation.

So what is it that makes vacations now different from what they once were?  In thinking about this question, I realize that is the concentrated time to pursue a passion.  When away from home, the phone is no longer important.  There are no washer/dryers buzzing for attention.  Mailmen are not coming to the door, there are no appointments to be kept, preparations for meetings can be ignored, and spousal commitments are relaxed.  AND there is no television (OK, there is a TV, but no one even thinks about turning it on).  Even mealtimes are shared.

For me, this week of vacation allows me to sit and enjoy conversation with husband, sister-in-law, and brother.  Conversation!  How often do any of us have the time to enjoy a half hour of discussion with family and friends?  It hardly ever happens any more.  That exchange of ideas and that sharing of laughter with loved ones is very important to me.

For me, this week of vacation allows all of us to go off into various corners of the same room to paint or draw.  Every now and then, someone will make a comment or pose a question or ask for a critique, and we all feel free to throw out an idea, or possible answer, or put down the paintbrush or charcoal or pencil to gather and critique a work in progress.  There is total trust that even if the critique is not what we want to hear, it is both honest and thoughtful.

For me, this week of vacation means that my husband feels free to go off and follow his hobby in an area where he can succeed in finding what he is looking for.  It is knowing that the search for him, is as important as the "Eureka!" moment.  I know he is enjoying the search and is looking forward to sharing what he has - or has not found - with the rest of us.  I know that this is as relaxing and enjoyable to him as my pursuits are to me.  That adds to my pleasure.

Finally, this week of vacation means that I return home refreshed and recharged even if I have nothing to show for it.  I have spent my time walking, swimming, drinking in beauty, painting, reading, and reveling in the company of people important to me.

And I have the time, once home, to reflect and realize what I have experienced and what wealth that experience represents for me.  Can one be luckier than this?

Rainy Day at the Lake

Early one morning, I glanced out at the raft in the lake and saw an unusual looking bird, but I couldn't identify it without binoculars even though it was quite a large bird.  This is what I saw.  It is a gull which isn't unusual, but we have never seen this particular type of gull at this lake before.  It is a black-backed gull, the largest of the gulls.  Quite a specimen, isn't it?   Maybe it set the tone for some striking photographic opportunities later in the day.

After our walk that morning, the day got darker and darker, and we got to watch it rolling in from the south end of the lake. 

You can't see the mountain that is often visible in the gap between these two.

In the above picture, I wanted to capture the mass of clouds that dwarf the mountains, and then in the one below, I wanted to see how the clouds lie among the folds of the cliffs.  And can you see that tiny blue triangle in the sky?

No matter what the weather is at the lake, it's always worth observing!

The Need for Duplicate Photographs

We have returned from our yearly vacation at our favorite lake.  It was, as usual, a wonderful and relaxing time.  I know I have shared photographs from this site before, but there is something special about this place that, despite our best intentions not to repeat taking pictures of the same sights, we continue to snap away.  Bear with me as I share with you the beauty that keeps us going back every year to refresh and revel in these sublime surroundings.

These are from our first morning when the lake was still calm (if you click on the photo, you can see a larger view and scroll through all photos posted today):

This is a closer look at one of the mountains at the lake.  As you can tell, it was taken at the same time in the morning - note the clouds . . .

Later the light shows the details on the mountains, and the wind has raised waves on the surface of the water.

As with the first set of two, this closer look is taken at the same time.  I take this kind of series so I have both a wide view giving an overall impression while the close-up gives details that can be included  in a painting.  Look especially at the cliff face and the water.  Understanding what causes the impressions in the first shot by looking at the second helps me make sense of what is indistinct in the first.

 Still a closer look at the cliff.  Here I can see the shadows as well as the specifics of the rock and overgrowing greenery.  And those clouds!  Oh my.  As I continue to share these scenes, you may want to keep an eye on the clouds - which are quite tricky to paint by themselves.  What makes them even more tricky, I think, is that they appear to be going on the diagonal - from lower right to upper left.  It's the way the wind blows, I suppose, but in a painting, would it make sense to the viewer?

See in this next picture what I mean about the path the clouds take?

Then just for fun, here is an evening picture of a family of mergansers swimming close enough to the camp where we stay that you can see not only the buoy in the background but also the railing of the deck from which I took this picture.  And of course, the lovely violet reflection on the water and the chevron shapes made in the water as the ducks pass.  Challenging to paint, don't you think?

At the moment, none of these are calling to me as a painting I need to do, but one never knows.  Even though I have hundreds of these views, taken year after year, I never know when a particular one may turn out to be the one that inspires me.

Returning to an Unfinished VT Painting

Still hot but a much better day!  After a relatively early walk and breakfast, it was time to go off to my studio class.  It had taken me considerable effort last night (probably befuddled by headache and humidity) to choose what I would paint, and by the time I got to class, I was all right with my decision.  Much like my decision about quilting (complete one unfinished project before working on a new one), I chose to work on the painting I started last year in Vermont.  Est and I both worked on this subject en plein air, but she finished hers ( I think)  and I hid mine from sight.

Here's where it stands now:

There is still a lot to do, but it's on its way, and I plan to take it to VT with me to work on there.

After class I went down to a quilt store (I know - you're probably thinking, "Oh no, not again!), but I needed some thread for my wool work and two pieces of fabric if I could find the right color.  I chose the thread, bought some red wool, and found one of the two fabrics before wending my way home.

Once back here again, I figured it was a good time to work on the Block of the Month for the Guild.  And here are the two I made as samples after finishing all the cutting:

One more thing to check off.

As I said, it was a good day!

Cool Wishful Thinking

Very hot and humid today, and I have to admit I'm feeling headachy and out of sorts so tonight's entry will be short.

Annandale-on-Hudson near Montgomery Place

This is where I would have liked to have been today.  If I close my eyes, I can imagine splashing around in the shallows over on the right in the shady section.

I wish you could join me in my day dream!

An Exercise in Futility

Friday was a very busy day for ME and me (I've wanted to write a sentence that included that "ME and me" for some time - well, one has to find humor where one can).  Our first stop was at a local quilt shop where ME picked up her quilt.  It was beautiful before being quilted, but afterward it is stunning!  I am hoping that ME really means it when she says that she's keeping this one.  She has a tendency to make for everyone else except herself; that's noble, but she should have a quilt for her own bed.

While she was doing her business, I was getting myself in trouble with fabric (what a surprise).  Of course, there was no intention of buying anything except a few fat quarters when I walked in.  But oh my, what I saw had to come home with me!  Then we both signed up for next year's trip to Syracuse to see the 2016 American Quilt Society (AQS).  

Finally we stopped at another quilt shop so I could leave my Carpenter's Star wall hanging for quilting.  

Now you realize that the above is sort of a exercise in futility for both you and me. I can't show you the quilt ME made that is so special because I don't have one.  I can't tell you why the fabric I bought is so special because what I plan to do with it is a surprise.  You can scroll back through my entries to find one that shows the Carpenter's Star, but that would take too much time and if I were you, I wouldn't do it.  

But for me, at least I can record when I took the wall hanging to be quilted!

Hooking - a New Passion

Wednesday I was lucky enough to be able to attend a hooking class with a dear friend who is an avid "hooker".  Oh, in case you haven't picked up the meaning yet, I use the terms "hooker", "hooking", and other forms of the root word "hook" to mean the art of rug hooking.  And while I'm dealing with vocabulary, I may as well clarify the meaning of "rug".  For hookers, a rug may be something used to cover a section of flooring, but it could also mean a coaster for use under a mug, a wall hanging, a table mat, a chair pad - well, you get the picture.

SMcG got me into hooking, and forever after, I will blame her while thanking her for this past time.  She is the soul of generosity (I pick the best friends) and started me out by giving or lending me everything I needed as well as told me where to get the best tools and frame.  Believe it or not, she also let me put stitches in one of her projects.  Now that's being generous!!! I purchased a pre-printed linen (the base of the rug), and SMcG brought her wool cutter to a retreat we both were attending and let me cut the strips for my project.  And then she told me about a class she planned to take and asked if I'd like to go.  I jumped at the chance.

It was a wonderful class, I learned a lot, and had a great time with women who welcomed me warmly.  Here's the teacher's finished example of the piece we all were working on:

This is the color kit I selected for my owl, but I will probably change the background and will definitely make some other small changes to make it my own.  But isn't the design wonderful?

Thanks for adding another passion to my list, SMcG!

The Grounds at Montgomery Place

Here is another entry on Montgomery Place.  In the first one, I focused on the magnificent views out over the Hudson River.  Tonight I'll show you some views from within the gardens starting with the lily pond in the Rough Garden.  It's hardly fair because that is one of my favorites place in any garden that has such a feature.  They are often found in a quiet part of the landscape where there is both sun and shade.  Both qualities I enjoy when outside.  They also have beautiful flowers, frogs, and dragonflies; all of those are favorites, too.

Here is one clump of lily pads surrounding one water lily.

This is another flower with a different admirer.

From the lily pond, we wandered farther afield and found another lovely area. This building we found in the Formal Garden.  It reminded me of the buildings we found in English gardens.  Very picturesque, don't you think?

Finally for today, I'll close with a tree.  The trees alone are reason to visit this estate.  I am convinced that these trees (are there are many like this one) would not be there if this estate had not been in the safekeeping of a single family, the Livingstons, since 1802 until 1986 when it was donated to Historic Hudson Valley.  Trees like this would have been cut down long ago.

This a splendid locust!

It's not over until . . . it's over!

Maybe I could learn not to say, "It's finished"?  Almost every time I say that I am proven wrong.  Last night E told me that she wasn't thrilled with the blue building, and she explained why.  I looked at my painting, and  .  .  .  she was RIGHT!!!  And there I was patting myself on my back for having actually thought my way through this painting instead of merely painting instinctively.  

Nothing more was done last night as I was smart enough to know I was too tired to tackle it at a late hour (never a good move for me anyway).  Today I told Sharon what E had said and also that I agreed with her.  Sharon then started to tell me what she thought, but I asked her to let me tell her what I thought I needed to do (because I need to learn to self-critique and solve my own problems for those times when I have neither E nor Sharon around).  I did explain what I thought I should do, and she agreed, but then said, "And what else?"  

Oh my!

I had no answer so she pointed out several other small details that should be worked on, and rats, I agreed with her, too!

Phooey.

Here's yesterday's photo:

Here's today's:

Now what do you think, E?  Is it finished?

Yesterday I mentioned the weekend and how wonderful we found it.  What I didn't go into was our trip to meet up with D's sisters, N and A.  The designated location for us to meet was at Montgomery Place in Annandale-on-Hudson.  As it explains in the brochure we picked up, Montgomery Place "includes over 400 acres tended and shaped by one family for nearly 200 years".  Our guide through the house also told us that when the house was purchased, the family donated all the contents.  What a tremendous gift!

I haven't seen all of the Hudson River mansions and estates, but of those I have seen Montgomery Place has the most beautiful setting and views.  Those views (again I encourage you to click on the photo to see a larger image and to be able to scroll from one to another) include a grand sweep of lawn framed by huge, old trees, a pond, the Hudson River, and the Catskills.  Here is one from the side porch (definitely not what it was called by the family:

By the way, that porch was very large and comfortable.  One could imagine it as it was used - as an extension of the home - another room without walls in which people congregated.

This next picture is taken from the main steps down from the house to the lawn and gives a more complete and formal view beautifully framed by the trees on either side.

As you walk farther down the gentle hill towards the pond, the view shifts again to something a bit more intimate:

T

And then more intimate still:

I will show you still more photographs as we go through the week, and by the time you've seen what I have to show, I think you will agree that Montgomery Place deserves to be at or near the top of your "must see" list.

Painting Complete. . . ?

It's been a lovely weekend; our weather has been spectacular.  They've been the kind of summer days one reads about, sees in movies, and remember from one's improbable summer memories. I will be writing more about what we've been up to and showing photographs from our good times, but tonight I'm going to show you the "Kensington Mews" in what I believe its finished form (or a least almost finished - I did add/change a bit after I took this picture - things like darken shadows and so forth):

When I go to class on Tuesday, I will ask Sharon for her opinion, but in my mind this painting can go to the framer.  She may have some tweaks that she feels would make this a better painting, but I think she'll agree that I've done all I can do.

Now the question is, "What are my thoughts about this painting?"  I started it for two reasons: I like the colors, and it represents a portion of our trip to England.  Oops, make that three reasons because it also represents a challenge for me.  Unlike the "Stourhead Stables" which had softer edges to the building and a very watercolor style of background, in "Kensington Mews" the perspective is crucial to the success of the painting, the buildings are modern with definite hard edges, and the background consists of sky only.

Another technique I wished to explore was to paint in such a deliberate manner that the viewer would be pulled in to the focal point of this work because of the specific way I manipulated the scene.  That is why I rearranged the building colors to have the strongest, warmest colors and contrasts where I wanted it.  It also why the buildings on the left and right fade away into nothingness, have little detail, and cooler colors.  It is also why the focal point has the only real proofs of human habitation, and therefore would be of more interest to the viewer.

Or so I thought.  Did I succeed?  Only you can tell me.

A Day at the Track

Our week is rounding out nicely with today spent at the Saratoga Race Track as guests of friends.  We went with them last year , also, and had a good time so accepting another chance to enjoy this summer "must do" was a a pleasure. 

 Last year I bet once and lost which put me two dollars in the hole.  This year I felt more brave and decided to allow myself to lose ten dollars but to try some different options.  The first race in which  I placed a bet, I chose by the jockey - one who has had a successful career.  He may be doing well, but the horse wasn't and was scratched.  Well, that means I didn't win, but I also didn't lose.  That two dollars went on the next race where I bet on two horses in a quinella (the horses come in first and second but in no exact order).  I lost.  So the following race, I put my money on one horse but as a win, place, or show - same horse but three ways to win.  That costs a bit more so when I lost, I lost $6.  That meant I was down to my last two betting dollars. When I decided on my final horse and started to the betting windows, I glanced up at one of the monitors and saw that horse, like the one in the first race, had scratched.  If that wasn't a sign, I don't know what was.  The two dollars went back in my wallet.

Maybe next year.

Maxfield Parrish Exhibit

If you have not already made your way to the Fennimore Art Museum in Cooperstown, NY, to see "Maxfield Parrish: Art of Light and Illusion", you need to get there as soon as possible.  The exhibit of over 40 pieces of his work will close on September 7, 2015.  D and I went down today to attend a gallery talk on this artist's work and returned home full of wonder.

You need to understand that I fell in love with Parrish's work when as a little girl I was given the edition of Tales of the Arabian Nights which he illustrated.  Over time I learned of his commercial work (posters and advertisements for things like Edison & Mazda Lamps, magazines covers, book illustrations, and more) and eventually saw some of his "pure" art work (a landscape painted to hang on a wall instead of being used as a poster or illustration was considered "serious" art).  When Parrish was painting pictures for books or for advertisements, illustrators were not considered real artists.  They made art that was commercial - in short, they got paid for their work.  There was a reason for their paintings; they did not paint in the hopes they might be admitted into a museum show.  Eventually, Parrish did win acceptance in art circles due to his landscapes . . . his incredible abilities over a lifetime had a lot to do with it.

I wish my brother D (aka BD) and E had been with us.  I thought of the way BD works as being very much like the way Parrish worked.  They are both determined to get every thing right.  Light and shadows, lines of perspective, the minute details, all need to be accurate.  Both are perfectionists.  Both do work that takes one's breath away and makes one think, "How did they do that?"  I, on the other hand, tend to walk by one of my framed pieces and say to myself, "Oops, there should a shadow there!"  And the next time I walk by the same painting I see some other problem.   I think D would have enjoyed meeting a like-minded artist during the gallery talk.   

Maybe I will lend him the book I bought when I finish with it.   What do you think, BD?

Quick Mews Update

Here it is after today's work.  It's coming along, and if I keep in mind the fact that it isn't finished, colors will be adjusted, messy bits fiddled with (and I hope corrected), I can live with it.

By the way, ME (as the only one who responded with a suggestion for the tricycle color), the decision is blue.

Mews Again - or is it Still?

The most notable thing that happened is that painting supplies were taken out and actually used.  Of course, I thought that would happen yesterday after returning home, but that was definitely not realistic.  I wonder if that was the reason that impelled me to buckle down to work today.  There is a small part of me that feels I have to do something that it on my list - even if not that day or even week.  The only time I let myself off the hook is if the task is officially cancelled or postponed for good reasons.

Okay, I'm off topic already, and I've just started!

Here's the painting as of July 28th:

Here it is now:

 

An admission first - sometime ago I learned of a helpful "tool" about which I was very skeptical - so skeptical I never tried it.  Today I tested it and then actually used it.  Are you ready?  Mr Clean's Magic Eraser (the original one) is the tool.  The sky in the July painting was cerulean blue (my go-to sky color in oils but my least favorite in watercolor), and it was used because I thought I would use that blue on the building at the far left.  I really didn't like it.  At all!  So I cut a small square of the white eraser, wet it, squeezed out excess water, and easily removed all cerulean blue from the sky. Wow, that eraser is a life saver!  

From there I worked on the surface of the walls of the buildings and then started on the first layer of some of the details.  Here's where I need to make note of a bad habit that I must work on changing.  I get so involved with one section of a painting that I focus all my effort on just that area.  I should work on the entire surface at the same time.  That is -  I should be working all over the surface to keep things in balance.  

One major problem: what color should I paint the tricycle?

Successful Weekend

What a lovely weekend it was.  The weather was really perfect, and we spent the time celebrating a major birthday of a friend.  He had decided to orchestrate his own party (a wise move if one can pull it off and he did), and it was perfect.  The best part was seeing him surrounded by his children, his grandchildren, and his friends.  It meant a house full of laughter and talk and more laughter, and running through and around it all was the sound of children running, playing, chattering, and screeching with glee.  Now that was a birthday!

While we were at his home, I took quite a few photos that I hope will help me with the oil painting I have underway.

In all of these pictures, I was looking at how the setting sun lit the tree tops.

And the atmospheric perspective (simply put - the way atmosphere changes the colors and outlines of distant features) in this one is easy to see.

 Sometimes, no matter how thorough you think you are, you don't get all the reference photos you need the first time.  Now with these additional pictures showing summer hillsides in late afternoon, it will be easier to paint the scene I'm working on.

A very successful weekend, indeed!

More on Sunflowers

Just a quick note today as I am off tomorrow to a quilt show (remember, I did miss the Vermont show so I have to make for it) and have to be up very early.

 

This is the sunflower photo I posted earlier. If you remember, I had said I thought it would work better in oils than in watercolor.  Then to my delight I discovered water-based oil paints so the possibility of getting to such a painting in the near is future more likely.  That made me look at the sunflowers photo again thinking about how I would paint them.  And look at what I found!

The back of the sunflower is amazing!

It's quite sculptural, isn't it?  And, no, I don't plan to paint it at least not in the near future.  But it might be interesting to draw.  All those lights and shadows?

New Brushes, Masking Applicators, and Painting

Painting Day, hurrah!  Even though it was a hot day, I was delighted to be out and on my way to painting this morning.  I felt ready; Monday evening, I made sure I had my bag packed with the necessary supplies and put it in the car.  I even checked several times to be sure I had the final sketch of the Mews, the tracing of it, the graphite paper (all "just in case"), the water color block with the transferred drawing on it, my color guide for the buildings - in short, I double checked everything.  No way did I want to find myself missing a crucial piece once at the studio.

After I had greeted my friends at the studio but before I was able to begin unpacking my bag, Sharon smiled at all of us and said the magic words, "The brushes have arrived!"  We all eagerly clustered around and received our precious brushes, and then we reluctantly put them aside.  Since they are shipped from England where they are hand-made, they have a sort of "sealant" on the brush hairs and have to be specially cleaned before using.

For me, that didn't really matter because I had to apply my masking fluid.  I had started when Sharon said, "Oh, I'm glad you're doing that today because I want to show everyone what I ordered specifically for the application of masking fluid."  She held up two "brushes" that had silicone tips at both ends.  One "brush" had white silicone and the other had eraser pink silicone.  It turns out that one was hard and one was soft.  Each brush had a chisel tip on one end and a pointed tip at the other.  Then she asked if I'd like to try them, and I nearly fell over myself in my eagerness.  

My grubby, cheaply-made-for-children's-use brush was put aside, and I started experimenting with those mask applicators.  Oh my, I fell in love!  When you look at the drawing/beginning painting below, look at the narrow lines, and some of the tiny details that have a yellowish-white stuff on them.  You can see why I was thrilled to have a tool that made applying (and removing) that sticky, gloppy mask material!  Indeed, I liked the applicator so much I went to our local art supply store and bought something like it though not exact.  I'll have to experiment with that one next time.

Here's what I accomplished today after applying the masking fluid.

Oh, I should also mention that I had to spend almost half-an-hour using a kneaded eraser to lighten my transfer lines.  I'm always so afraid I won't be able to see the lines that I press too hard, and they come out too dark.  I also use a pen that has run out of ink as my tracing tool, and means that my lines are both too dark and too thick!  Sharon suggested I switch to an HB pencil with a good point to use for the tracing.  After spending all that time "lifting" my transfer lines and spending a day with sore thumbs from pressing the eraser down again and again, you can be sure I'll try that next time!

Although not much actual painting was done today, at least I got a good start laying down the initial colors.  

Mews First and Then Sunflowers?

Monday is a busy weekday for me, and it was again today.  The laundry was done, errands run, and gardens watered.  However, because of the heat, it all seemed to take longer, or at least I know I moved more slowly because the watercolor painting I had planned to work on wasn't. At least the drawing was transferred which does take more time than I think it should, but once that was done, I just didn't have the energy to go forward with it.

These sunflowers were bought while choosing vegetables at a local stand.  The picture was taken because I thought I might want to paint them instead of the Mews painting I prepared for today.  Now, looking at the photo, I'm not so sure; I'm seeing it more as an oil painting.  Well, at any rate I won't be doing anything with it until the current London scene is finished.  Then we'll see.

Experiment turns Scary

 Sometimes experiments can be scary.  A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about an oil painting I had begun.  My idea was to create an under painting of the subjects' complementary colors.  For example, the under painting of a green leaf would be red, an orange flower would be blue, and a purple butterfly would be yellow.  The reason for doing this, I reasoned, is that when I paint over that base of complements with my palette knife, any missed spots, any swipes of the knife that skips, will show its complement.  That juxtaposition of colors will be like seeing sparks. If it works!

So okay, what's the scary part?  This is:

Orange and shades of red indicate that so far I have a painting that will be all green and blue, and that means landscape.  Please tell me you can see that, at least!  But then there are those white areas like the spotty oval-ish bit up towards the middle/top of the painting, the long stretch across the middle, and the oval area at the lower left.  Simple reason for those blank areas - the paint surrounding them was wet, and I really don't want the paint to mix.  Those spots were left until the paint around them is dry.  

All that being said, I think you can understand why I call this a scary experiment.  Right now it looks like something for Halloween!