Springing 2012

Looks like spring is finally on it's way. It was snowing last weekend when I spent a few days in Maine. But, here in CT, we are enjoying a few warm afternoons. A plein air painting friend and I found this barn along the side of the road that was having a new roof put on and an addition on the back. Several guys were carrying ladders around or climbing on the roof. While my friend (an oil painter) enjoyed painting the red barn to my right, I (a watercolorist) thoroughly enjoyed painting the white barns in front of me. As I look at the painting now, I am disappointed that the proportions of the barn in my painting are not accurate, but the subject was irresistible! When I went back the next day, the new roof was on, so I will return in a week or so when the forsythia may be in bloom.

Life Drawing

My house is being worked on today. Lots of hammering, etc. So, I was very pleased to learn a local art association was this morning offering an open studio life class. It's an event I often attended years ago. The model's poses vary in length . . . usually four different poses held for a very short time, two 20 minute poses, and a final long pose. I never know whether I'm going to draw or paint, but I always can count on the practice being well needed by me. Today was another great example of how wonderful life class can be. The four short poses gave me an opportunity to remind myself that drawing what isn't there (negative space) is as important as drawing what is there. The two twenty minute poses reminded me to be brave, experiment, let the watercolor paint do its own thing. The painting shown here is a twenty minute pose on a paper similar to hot press. And, the final long pose reminded me how easily I mess things up by overworking. Too dark, too fast. My glazes went messy and I thought too much about making the subject perfect. And lastly, after the studio class, several of us sat around and shared art talk over bagged lunches. I'm home now and looking at a painting I should finish today. The paint is lacking life and spontaneity, but the drawing has a spontaneous quality. So, I'm thinking I need to make the same painting in 20 minutes and stop myself. Lay down the paint once and let it be. Maybe try a different surface. Be brave. And put open studio on the calendar in an effort to attend at least twice a month.

It's a New Year!

My big plan for the end of 2011 was to wrap up several projects and start 2012 with a cleaner studio and fewer things on my calendar that take me away from painting. The plan fell apart when we had two bouts of unusually bad weather in CT and then, of course, the holidays which consume some time but are wonderful family events. So today I return to the plan. A week or so ago, I cleaned out a considerable number of digital photos and tossed them away, recovering about 2G of space on my computer. I could easily toss another 2G, but just yesterday I received an e-mail from someone asking me to paint a small piece from his photo (but will reference a photo or fifty that I took years ago). Computers are great! In about a half hour I was able to give him a positive reply and now have a small project to focus my attention on. Among other things accomplished at the beginning of this new year, I have cleaned and burned paintings that were never going to be completed. These watercolors were nice enough for me to keep for reference, but not nice enough that I wanted anyone to see them, and were a storage problem. I have another batch ready to go . . . almost. And, I tossed another giant bag of stuff I picked up at trade shows. Best of all, I went out in the cold twice and painted. The colors were wonderful although muted. It was difficult to settle into a subject, because the more I looked, the more became interesting! I settled on a BIG red, red barn with white trim for the center of interest, patches of green green grass, tree groups tinges with yellow ochre and russets, and periwinkly mauve distant hills. A bit cliche, but always good practice.

CT Plein Air Painters at Weir Farm National Site

Spent a lovely fall day at the Weir Farm National Historic Site. The CT Plein Air Painters gathered on Sunday and Monday for a group activity. The trees in that area of CT seem a bit more colorful than where I live, but maybe it's an illusion that goes with the wonderful weather. I think about 7 artists from our group showed up on Monday, and I was told a few more attended on Sunday.

I immediately found several places in the park that I would like to paint. None of the places were far from a bathroom or water. And the Ranger was nice enough to open the beautifully restored barn so we could gather for lunch or a rest. I settled for a scene in a back field. The peach tree was a blazing red/magenta color, and the early morning light and shadows were terrific and gave the scene a sense of mystery? I was standing in the shade when I started, and about two hours later, I was standing in the sun. It was hot. I was happy to take a water break and change into a short-sleeved shirt. Bugs were not a problem. I am ready for a new umbrella that offers some UV protection.

Plenty of places to paint or sketch . . . stunning rock walls, apple trees, red buildings, and manicured gardens, as well as many natural areas that artists Alden Weir and his friends painted.

Many thanks to the Ranger who gave us a lovely tour of the property and studios. One of the paintings she showed us depicted one of the other sites I chose to paint. I will go back another day or two or three. And, quite possibly, the CT Plein Air Painters will return for a paintout next year on this same weekend.

http://www.nps.gov/wefa/index.htm

Watercolor Journaling

So far, this fall has not been visually beautiful! Not in CT. Nevertheless, the warm temperatures make it especially attractive to be outside. I just returned from a week of outdoor painting in and around Baxter State Park in Maine. This was a planned week with several wonderful artist-friends and we met some wonderful non-artist folks. Many told us how much they wished they could do this "painting outside thing"! So, a workshop is being offered, designed to help anyone get started. It will be fun and the weather looks sunny!

Enjoying a Sunny Day!

Over the last couple of weeks, Mother Nature delivered extraordinary amounts of rain into the CT area. We thought Hurricane Irene had tested us, then along came yesterday's storm and all the flash flooding that followed it. But, the days just after Irene, and this day just after the BIG rain were nearly perfect sunny days. Perfect for watercolor painting outside. Here is a good start, I think, in Harrybrook Park (just before the hurricane). Their volunteers have worked very hard to make the more-than-just-roses garden beautiful. I was surprised to learn how many people visit the park during the day. The paved walking area is perfect for a little exercise, and this little garden is perfectly delightful! When the puddles recede, I will go back and finish.

Looking for New Subjects . . . and Keeping an Eye on the Audience!

For most of my life, I have enjoyed the wilder, least developed areas of the great state of Maine. Early mornings anywhere are great opportunities for finding new subjects and enjoying the invigorating morning atmosphere. Often nature provides a spectacular show during these early morning hours. This morning was no exception . . . except I also was the show!

After loading up my little boat with my plein air painting equipment, gathering up a life jacket, cushion, then snack and water, I zoomed my little boat across the lake to a quiet spot. Expecting to see a fisherman as a subject, I sat and waited. The little puffs of wind turned the boat and kept me working to keep my eye on the area where I thought a fisherman would appear. The water was lapping the boat, the boat was swaying, the wind was puffing, the light early fog was lifting to reveal gorgeous sunshine, and the birds were tweeting . . . . "real" tweeting! (It is worth a smile.) Then, they stopped tweeting.

Competition. Even the osprey around the lake take notice when this guy arrives. We think he has given up his youthful feathers from previous years. as he's sporting a head of beautiful white feathers. He's a big bird. We've seen three osprey fight back when this eagle scouts too close to their nests.

When the boat drifted close, I took this photo with a little point-and-shoot camera. When the boat drifted too close, the eagle gave me a warning. I didn't find him too scary, but he did warn me. I have seen a bird like this attack a blue heron mid-air. So, while he was watching me, I was watching him. Using binoculars, it was very clear he was keeping an eye on everything around him, probably looking for breakfast. So, I started the motor and did some looking of my own. Further down the lake, a float plane was moored inside a cove more protected from the wind. For the record . . . plein air subjects . . . ar-r-rg! Got a good start and the plane took off!