about 8 a.m. today, until 10ish o'clock

This is the last barn that is here on this ranch, built in about 1850's, and was a stagestop/livery stable for seaveral years until the 1860's came around and my fella's great-great grandfather bought the place.  Yes, he is a 4th generation ranch owner still trying to raise beef cattle, and put up hay to feed those cattle.     I did the painting from the west side of the barn as the sun was coming up in the east - - -the sun was very bright this am. and I was really watching how it touches the tops of the trees, even tho they were againist the sun they were very light at the tops.  I had to move fast as the light was really changing as the sun climbed higher and higher.    I did not think I would enjoy this subject, it must of been me thinking it would be to difficult----but I think it went OK.     Its 11 x 14, on Uart mounted to foamcor, which is a great surface to use.  I did a value drawing right on the paper, washed that with turpionid, and when dry I tried to captured all the color I was seeing.   I was surprized at how much fun I had, as I don't do buildings so much. glad I have done this one as it is so old and so personable to me.

Plein-air - - newest work on a beautiful bright morning

I have been out a few times recently but did not make a very good painting on any of those times,    I did a little better on this attempt but still feel a bit out of step with painting.  My thoughts just aren't there, or maybe they are a bit too much!!!    "Do what you have always done, and you will get what youv'e always got"  is a quote that I think of  often, but can't recall who was the first to say it.     With that thought in mind,  I decided to work on this one a bit differenly that I may have.     I used a piece of white  Colorfix paper cut to 8  x  12, and after doing my pencil drawing in my sketchbook to find a comp, and the l/d pattern,  I then drew onto my support with orange for the light areas, and red for the dark - -  -then washed it with a brush and water to create a value painting in red and orange.   Should of taken a photo at that time, but I walked around a bit while it dried and then went into the painting with the colors of the day, as I was seeing them.  As the sun went over me, of course, there was more blue in the water, and I knew it was time to stop.  I had worked on this for only 1 1/2 hours, but I was tired and ready to go home.   There were beautiful things to paint all around me however, and I should of stayed out there and continued.   I feel to guilty when I am gone to long, painting  although I really don't do much else!!!  At lest this year I haven't.   Anyhow, until next time.    Oh!   heres a very good web-site you might like.  I study this painters comp's because he has such good ones, and is a plein-air painter.    http://www.paulkratterartist.com/    Enjoy!

Final summary of Bill Cone workshop. . . . . . .

Still thinking about this  very incredible week, and its hard not to want to share it all with you.  As we know, I do have a lot of words to share!    This picture is just another one I have of the buttes in evening time, taken from the boat loading area.    Tuesday began early with 7 o'clock breakfast, making our lunches ourselves, then a discussion of where to go.  Bill wanted to talk about " Atmosphere"  and getting those effects into your work.   We car-avaned down a few miles into the valley floor, (Sierra Valley) to better see these effects thru  distance.  Looking into the sun's light, and placing mountains in its path, we could see how they " Blue" with distance, become both cooler and lighter as they regress back from the viewer, into the picture plane.  Painting this with the correct value's and color was this morning's job.

We were in the small town of Sattley,  and set up right along side of the road.  Many of us painted about the same scene as it lay out before us, with just a little different angle depending on where you set up.   Bill painted, then went from easel to easal to see how we each had done, and he offered the right comments to each of us.   Mine went OK only  - and he helped  me "complete" my view so to speak.    I have to show you one of the others work for this exercise, - - -Diane Olivier, who is an artist from San Francisco really painted a "Fresh" piece.  Using a white Lenox paper, she captured this area very well.  The white paper did leave small specks of white showing thru which made this work sparkle.  Most of us used the Twilight Canson with bits of that showing thru which made it more muted, and in some cases, helped with the atmosphere we were capturing.  I thought Diane's' work to be very eye-catching and bold.

bridge over North fork of the Yuba river,

The group, after a steep hike down to the Yuba River.  It was roaring, but beautiful.  This was the only part of the whole trip that caused me concern, and that was because my gear was STILL  to difficult for me to pack.  It was steep, with dirt that made you slip and my poor 1/2 french easel was a bit large for me to handle with my back pack and all.   Some of the others had a difficult time as well, and painted from the bridge.  Some of the rest, including Bill, went a bit lower, and was right by the water.  I tried that and didn't do very well at all and left my easal up above on the trail.   This is what Bill accomplished in a very short time:

Beautiful, and a good lesson for me as I was very close to him.   He looks for that light, that touches everything and makes it "Wake up"  In this one, the sun's ray's were beginning to come up the canyon that the water falls down, lighting this little pool along the edge of the river.  He painted fast, but pretty accurately.   I tried a scene of the falling water, gave up and hiked back up the trail.   I felt out of my comfort zone, which is what this was about for me - - -I really need to look at, and paint more water.   While up on that upper trail, I came across this!

In  the red box, is the rattles.  It coiled, and was ready to strike.  I tried the zom on my new camera, and then got away from there!   For the rest of the afternoon, I and Patty Kellner, took a drive to one of the neighboring towns to look around, then went back to Lower Sardine and painted - - then back to camp.  The falls really wasn't all that easy of a place to paint from, but Bill sure did a great job!

This above painting is a sample of Bill's  small pieces that he does when he is studying a place - -maybe for the first time, or an idea, or theme--from life,  just a study and very good practise in looking at the subject and the light and how you might get it painted.   Each of these he has done were just spectacular, small interesting light filled pieces.  He takes out a 9 x 11 sheet of paper mostly, then if its to be a study, just uses a section of it - -and again for another study.   Good advise.

One afternoon was spent at another beautiful lake,  Salmon Lake.   The people who enjoyed swimming, did for awhile, and others just found a good place to paint from.  It was beautiful, and as the day passed, I sat on a rock next to another lady, then Bill joined us in the shade, and we all, including Dado painted this rock which was hit by light and sitting in the lake.   Surprising on how close all the painting were, until it came to depicting the top of the water which was also hit by light, but rippling in the breeze.  You naturally want to try and paint each rippling edge you see, one side in blue from the sky, and one side dark like the water - - - very confusing.   I knew others were stopped at this point as well as I - -and  I did remember to 'squint" my eyes as I looked at this - - -and darn, problem solved!!   As you squint your eyes, the light all blended together as a colorful gradient coming down the lake toward you and gave you the solution of how to paint that.    This is exactly what Bill did, and his gradient was beautiful - -as was DaDo's who also included in his a tree that was perfect  on the left-hand side of his work.   This was a great lesson, and learning curve.





 The last day came surprisingly fast, and I was not ready for that but all good things do end.  We placed all our paintings on the side of the dinning hall for a final critique  with Bill  how was always fair and helpful.    

Here he is, just looking at all the paintings - - -each of us had done at least 7 to 8 - - -I also did , but won't post those!   I have them along with my notes in a tracing paper pad to refer back to from time to time.      I also want  to post the works done by a young artist from Toronto, Ontario Canada who came all the way down here to paint with and see Bill's work and to see him work.   Dalibor Dejanovic  will be I am sure, a up coming new artist and will do very well in his career.  I was very glad to see his work and to meet him.

     

Look at these closely and enjoy them.   They are really nice pieces.   He will have  a great future - - -and he also works in animation, but in Canada.  Sounds like a great field to be in for sure.   Well, this concludes my artful week with Bill Cone.   I am so pleased that I got to go and enjoy and try to learn form this instructor who will also become a big name in Fine Art , in pastels when he choose to loose his day job and be an artist full time.    He did tell us he will be perhaps in a gallery in Colorado, Abend Gallery, and I think this a good move for him.   That gallery has other really good artists and names with it.   I do wish him well , and a great future as Fine Artist ahead!!!!

My overview of the Bill Cone Workshop in the Sierra's

I can not believe the week long workshop is over.  It was just wonderful, and we kept very busy from the first day clear up to the last day.  We camped at the Sierra  Nevada Field Campus which is very near Sierra City, Ca, and on the Yuba Mt. elevation is about 5600, and 6,700 at the pass.  Days were very nice, and the evenings cooled down pleasantly. There was a dinning room which had college girls doing the cooking for all, 14 in Bill's "Pastel and the Natural Light " group as well as a group studying spiders!!  Everyone seems quite educated and serious about their chosen interests.  Bill arrives with wine and cheese, and we all talked and got to know one another a bit before dinner, after dinner we all went to Lower Sardine Lake, which is about 20 min. from the Field campus.   A bunch of  the students, and Bill, got busy painting.  I was just soaking it all in, it was wonderful!!!

               Above is how the lake looks in real life, with the last of the sun's rays hitting is as it went down (the sun)      And here is Bill's first painting of the workshop.  To me it was like watching magic as he painted the light - - -and let that define the forms he was looking at.   I knew I was in for a lot to learn from this amazing artist!!    I really felt out of my comfort zone----then I thought,  "What comfort zone?"   I am still a bit new to this medium anyhow, so really, I just need to watch, listen, and learn!!  Then go and paint more.

This was a demo Bill did for us  at the camp that first morning, before we went any where--He was talking about the light and values to show that light.                                             

     After this first night, the next morning arrived with breakfast at 7 sharp!   How nice just to get up, and get ready to learn about painting the light en plein-air?  We got our things together after breakfast, and drove a short distance to a meadow which had a good view of the Sierra Buttes in daylight, being hit by the sun from the east.  We all  painted here in the a.m, with Bill coming to each easel and offering his help.  It was wonderful.

Here is Carolyn Thompson, who shared a tent with me the week we were there.  She worked hard and did quite a few nice paintings during the week

And here is a shot of the Buettes themselves in this light.. 

I think I will stop here, I have so much more to share and say.   It was a very busy week, with some wonderful people so I can't leave to much out!!  I still am thinking about each little faccet , and love day-dreaming about it - - -- but now must go fix supper!!   so more at my next post.

(Carolyn is over here)