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Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Little dirt road of memeories---Pastel


Just finnished this today,  its a road about a mile from the house and its where I have both road, and walked alot.  Its nice in the Spring, even tho its mostly sagebrush and pinon pines.   October tho, you can pick those nuts for a wonderful treat!!    This is on Pastelcard by Senniler - -and is 11 x 15, with a turpinod underpainting of sunlight and shadows.   Great Fun!

Friday, February 17, 2012

Pastel 18 x 20 on very agressive surface


I  Had made a homemade surface last fall for winter-time indoor work.  You know, on those days when you aren't up to really creating, you can experiment with products for making surfaces to paint on.  I used a heavy archival piece of foamcor, measured out my size, then taped the edges.  I thin brushed acrylic gesso inside the taped off shape, let that dry, and gave it a second coat.   Then I mixed  some gesso , water, and dry pumice together and painted that on with a foam roller.  I let that dry, and spent all winter contemplating what to use it for!!   It did turn out to be highly sanded, so to speak.   This week I decided to try a full scene of this years fall color looking up Hope valley, west to east.   First I gave it a watercolor underpainting----I think I should of gone darker at this stage.    Then I began my first blocking in with the harder pastels.

It was about 3 hours of getting the block in done - - -I think I was having trouble with getting the blues and greens in to make the forest recede.  The sky was painted in with yellow which I think worked.   The time I was trying to paint was 11 am to about 1 pm - - -the light is very cool at this time, but since it was late fall, the sun was far into the south.   I am not sure of this very rough surface.   Some times I do like it, but not sure today.

This is where I stopped - - - I will need to think about it to see if for me its really done.     And now to think up another project!!!