window gazing and dreaming......

You guessed it!   Cold and windy days here again.   It is getting green outdoors, but that wind won't settle down.   We have been re-building corrals in order to brand some calves, and ship.   Yet its to windy even for that!  At least for me.   So I spent several day on this cat.  He is a Maine Coon Cat,  I believe, and he lives in Norway.   A member of WetCanvas put his picture on about a year or so ago, and I thought it was a wonderful picture.  I am not so good with a camera!   And I finally gave it a try.   I used Sennelier pastel card , in sand color from the support.   I really must stop painting cats!  Well, when the wind settles down, it will be back to the plein-air!

May 16th struggles, Plein-air outing

Today I was back out in the meadow that we lease to try and capture the trees and the light of the morning.  I walked around a bit, looking at all the wonderful elements of nature out there, and the colors.   Trees are inspiring to me, and so difficult to get across the feeling I would like to get in them  With my dogs, and all my stuff, I set out to try once again!This area seemed to show the largeness of the trees shooting up into the sky without to much other clutter to arrange.  These also had sun hitting from the right sides, and shadows on the ground, so maybe , just maybe I could do something with this.  Been told on W.C. website that they aren't as dark where they reach the sky as I have been making them, even when in silhouette.  I have also been reading my John Carlson's landscape painting and admit I don't always understand what I think I understand.  Best way to handle this to get out there and paint!This were I set myself, still thinking to keep it simple, ( KISS)---Means.....keep it simple, stupid!---I began, after doing a notan in my sketchbook, then a simple pastel underpainting washed with alcohol.  Both dogs kept watch, feeling very bored I am sure.  When dry, taking only moments, I began with the local color---9 x 12 white wallis---next time canson!

Hope you can see this!   Anyhow, not the best---but still trying!

A watercolor sky---for practise

Skies have been on my mind a lot lately----In Nevada, we do get some great May skies!  Some may be thunder clouds, and some may be just gentle moisture filled skies that have a lot of light coming thru.  Cloud shadows across the valleys can be amazing, and really show a great sence of depth and distance.  It really is a large world out there!   Also, we had another cool couple of days giving us rain and snow, we had more than 2 inches late in the evening on May 10th, that was still there the next day.  It was really wet, and very good for all the feilds that are trying to grow now.   So, caught indoors  I painted this sky.   A watercolor, just a bit smaller than a 1/2 sheet of 200 Sauders Waterford paper, a really nice paper.

Oil finish, and May 2nd. Plein-air

I worked this afternoon, on finishing my Oil painting.  I was not too sure how to do it, and I was alone. That's not so good sometimes!  But I tried.  I have been reading all I can find about this stuff, so I thought I could at least finish it!  But as I worked, I found many more questions than I had answers.   Using the same palette of colors, this is where I stopped.  Not exactly what I had in mind----but I am sure it will come with more work, thinking, and trying.

Earlier this morning, I was at the Dutch Valley ranch, where we live.  We spend so much time at the Home ranch, on Foothill Road in the Carson Valley, that I do miss being here.   The summer greens will be so hard to handle that I am trying to get a jump on that by starting with the spring green shades----it has been so cold here it really seems like spring is behind!  It was sunny today,  so out I went.   This spot is only maybe 100ft. from my kitchen door.     So this is where I started from.   I was here about 2 hours, and I used a moonstone colored Canson Paper that was mounted on matboard.  I drew in my composition with the # 244 Nupastel and washed it with alcohol.  It dries very quickly, and the paper stays flat as it is mounted to the mat board.    Then I went in with the local colors, and tried to get a fresh look.

How do you think it worked out?    There, as usual,  is so much more to consider than meets the eye when you begin!!    I was surprised that the willows still haven't gotten their greens yet, but as I said, its been cold here, and very windy.  Today was nice and sunny, yet I froze toward the ends of my efforts!!!!    Still--Plein Air is the most fun of all.

This one is big, much more than normal.   Its 10  x 14-----I will be going back to the smaller sizes, but I like to go big once in a while.  I will do this again in this location----I am not sure the compostion is as good as it could be.  Remember, Its all Work!!!  but fun.