June at Hope Valley-

 Today  I was up early.  Its supposed to be about 98 today, with afternoon Thunder showers coming over Lake Tahoe.  We live just below the lake, and I wanted to go up to Hope Valley today so I thought I better go early as I could.  Fed my Calf, who seemed to enjoy the early milk , loaded the dogs and took off.   Its so beautiful here, and the greens are really  apparent now!!  Hard to figure how to control them.  I have been reading , of course, and found some older pastel journals that have some great articles in them.  I could see how much painting with Albert Handell had influenced Richard McKinley's work in the early 2000's----amazing---and read his thoughts as he took this journey to where he is now.   I will really miss a great clinic this September!!!  But I will paint any way.  Today , While I enjoyed where I was and will go back---I don't feel I got my self around the scene the way I wanted.  First off, I choose to paint a far mountain that was being hit by the morning sun coming up in the East.   Not many shadows, but still, I tried.

                                                        

This is where I was looking----Next time I will chose a more up close scene.  I did use a viewfinder, but held it too close to my eye to get the large scene.  Better selection next time!!  There is just so much you are overwhelmed!!This is my painting.  I really tried to simplify the foreground, and also to show the farther mountain to be cooler, but still hit by light.  And the foreground mt.  is warmer   and is not showing the true colors in the digital photo!!  That's so frustrating!   I don't understand how to adjust and get the correct color when this happens.   At least I was out there , and home by 10  am!!!  Hauled some hay, feed some horses, and now for my lunch!   It was fun, but I need to do more, much more, and much better planning!!! The dogs had a great time , chasing squirrels,   and trying to swim in the river---Which is very HIGH  by the way!!  NOT SO HIGH last june when I painted the dog playing in the water, trying to fish!!    He was having so much fun.

Woodfords canyon from the meadow--plein~air

Woodfords canyon

Today I was up early again, and headed for the meadow we lease .  I walked down thru it, with the dogs, just looking around.   I thought I saw a composition I could maybe do......so I went and got  my things and set up with the river running behind me, under a nice tree.  Very cool, and very beautiful.  I did a small thumbnail.....but I must not have given it a great deal of thought still.   I did only one, and we are told by the pros to do always at least 3!!!  Take heed, folks, they know what they are talking about! I worked for about 3 hours, and today used Canson paper in a grey tone, sorta med-dark.  I was just thinking, ( well , not hard enough)..... When I was three, I went back to the house , and found an old Pastel Journal from 2003.   There are two articles in there that really are worth the ink and paper they were printed on!!!  One is by Margot Schulzke, and the other , of course, by Richard McKinley. I propped up my effort  across the room, and began reading.

Margot 's article was titled  "Simplify, Simplify, Simplify"    and brother that's a mouthful.   I thought I did.  Of course I did not.   I did get my large shapes, 5 of them.  But when I worked on this,  I added more and more.  Also, I sure could of thought of "Composition" a lot more.

I should of figured out what was essential for me, about this scene-----and began editing.  I should of thought about a lead-in,  an area of interest, and the value plan.......As Richard McKinley says  "  Putting Everything you see into your painting is like trying to write using every word in your vocabulary"   I do this  all the time and it never works!     These two articles are so well written, and they were right in front of me at a time I really needed to re-read them!!!   The out doors is so BIG.  So much out there, and I need to slow down!       But I do have  a plan now----and I will be out there, in this location until I get what it is I want!   Plus a lot of what I don't want I have a feeling,  But oh well.......that's what learning is about.  

Last of this winters Snow!

Raymond Peak from Airport

This morning , after feeding my 2 calves their bottles I again loaded up the 4 dogs and drove out to look for a great spot to Plein-air.  I had noticed a lot of good spots to explore while driving yesterday.  After stopping a huge dog fight on the front seat of my car, we headed for the Markleeville airport.  Its a quiet place, no buidings, no planes, no body!!  But great trees, and color and a good view of two of our best mountains.  This is one of them, but I do admit my drawing is off a bit.  I was happy just to be doing a snowy topped mountain, but agast at all the other stuff!  I tried to make a compostion that would lead your eye up to the peaks, and snow, yet help you to also linger and explore the other area's.   This was about 2 hours, on Wallis Beligum Mist mounted to foamcor,   9 x 12.   I like the grey color of this paper, sanded at 400grit.  There was no wind this am, very quiet except for one car who came by to talk.   The elderly couple were camping in their airstream and noticed me.  When I answered his question about the choosen medium, he then told me of a Master Pastelist he once knew.  And judging by all he knew about him, they must of been friends.  I will now look up a pastelist by the name of Herman Margulies and see what I can learn. 

Plein-air again!

Indain Creek  Resivoir lake

Today I was determined to get back into a groove and go out in the AM to plein-air.  I love my Heilman Box, and my 1/2 french easal and want to use them!     I feed now 2 baby bummer calves at about 7 am, then loaded my little car with the dogs,  (4)-- and headed to the camp ground at Indain Creek  Resevoir.   It was a sparkly sunny morning, just wonderful.   I found an area where no one was, and tho I could hear and see people this fine Father's Day morning,   we were alone.   People in small boats on the lake, and did look interesting---but maybe next time.    I decided on the far end of the beach and lake and hope I did it justice!!   The violets and greens and sages and oranges were so pretty-----along with that blue sky color the lake was reflecting, with the sun sparkel!!       This picture, tho, is not the correct porportions and I am not sure why!

New project

I haven't been on my blog for awhile, but I have had art projects coming along.  I have been drawing, and planning.  Its easier for me , on some projects in studio work, to do a full drawing working out the values and getting the drawing as good as I can.  Also , the composition and the size I think it needs to be.  Then, when the problems are worked out, I can use my own drawing, traced onto whatever support  I want and it is my  own artwork.  I mostly always use my own photos, if its not plein-air work, although I did use an artists' from Denmark Photo when doing Lucas---She knows about this, and its not for show or sale, I just wanted to try it.  Getting a good photo of such a close up face isn't easy and you must also learn good photography.   So, when trying artwork there is a lot to learn!

  Also, the Carson Valley Days is this weekend, along with an Art show.  I took 2 things down to it, but this is not a juried show , just for sales.  I did this just to see how my things looked next to the other mostly local artists in the area, and to visit with them,  I actually went to the reception. This is something I rarely do, as I  hardly go to town!  It was nice and I saw a lot of good work!  Some from Ladies I know, and they are improving and enjoying the journey as am I.

     This is today's project.  I need to learn how to use my Digital to take good pictures of graphite drawings as this isn't accurate.  The paper is pure white, soft, Veleta by Legions paper.   It large, also, and completely my own drawing.  No use  of  any sort of projector, or anything like that.   I did use a simple grid of triangles to locate things in the interior of the drawing, and to get the large shape.
                 I plan to do this in pastel soon, and trying to decide what support to use, and if I want an underpainting.  I like the UArt, and also Canson papers----So I will just think on this.

This is also a recent pastel, from the Dutch Valley ranch we have.  I was taken by the clouds and shadows here this day.   So this is some of what I have been doing in between the cattle and company  and all.  I also have more ideas for artwork!!  So little time for it all, and its cold here again!! With wind.  But things are looking up.