Diamond valley, this year in the snow

This year the snow in our area was both wonderful and very tiring!   We sure do need the snow pack for our summer irrigation, and water for the communities.  At Tahoe, the skiing was amazing even in this economy there was a lot of business!  The snow pack was reported to be 159 % percent of normal!      I spent the last few  days painting this scene which is viewable from our driveway, ( the peak) and about a mile for the full view either direction from our little Dutch Valley ranch.  Its Woodfords  Canyon in the background which is on Hwy 88 going south to Calif. and thru Hope Valley after the canyon.   I have been told about local people in the late 1800's having some rather horrific accidents with horse and carriage , going thru the canyon during a flash flood and rainstorm in the summer!   Its the southern route getting to the Gold Fields and over the Sierra's to Calif, so there are many stories.   The little house sits in Diamond Valley and now is all alone.  In the early 1900's there were many little ranches and homes as homesteaders tried to make a living here.  None made it, except maybe Snowshoe Thompson, a local legend.  He was said to have carried the mail thru all weather to California using snowshoes, a plaque is alongside the hwy that goes across the valley. The history is almost as amazing as the mountains here!

This painting is small,  9 x 11 on a grey-blue piece of Canson Mitientes pastel paper.  I have been experimenting using India Ink as  an Underpainting for pastel work on this paper.   Here is my value painting in ink for this scene.

I enjoyed doing the underpainting as much as the color part with the pastels!   I think using a value plan-map is a good way to achieve your goal sometimes, and always try to do this in thumbnails sketches in my notebooks.  doing it on the actual work simplifies the whole process.  Stapleton Kearns says an underpainting is done to separate the problems of color form the problems of values.  I think he is right.     I have often used a value-map underpainting in shades of purple for a watercolor painting, if I wanted to be sure of getting a likeness as close as I could. A sort of Giselle type underpainting.   It is surprising show the purples seem to disappear into the work, helping while not being noticeable.   Just my painting thoughts for today.

Windy morning...Last pastel chicken for awhile!!

snack time

Finished this today, a fine thing to do on a very windy day.  I do admit I am a bit tired of chickens, tho.   I wanted to try again, using Canson Paper, moonstone in color.   This rooster is so very colorful!   His hens are quite a bit smaller, very tuff, and he takes good care of them, always showing them whats for dinner first.   I love listening to how they talk to one another while they hunt for things on the ground.  Soon there will be little chicks following them around!  That is, if spring ever comes.

winter is back! so......inside work!

What are you looking at????

Today was a windy day, although not to cold.  I had been thinking about getting back to the chickens I have been working on  so......   I stretched a sheet of Canson MiTientes pastel paper, in a medium color- - - - Sand - - -and put a smaller drawing of the rooster on it.  I had wanted to try a Gouache painting, and thought this was a good subject for that.    I decided a looser background would work best, that would allow me to put the rooster in more detail - -  -although not a lot of detail.     And I wanted to include his shadow,  and I really wanted to see how it would all look on the MiTientes paper.   I have done this once before and really enjoyed it.   Sometimes I just want to paint!!    Although pastel is truly my favorite medium.     I still plan to attend the watercolor workshop I mentioned in an earlier post.    AND  guess what????  I am going to a Bill Cone workshop in Sierra City, Ca  later this year.   I love his work--_he is amazing to say the very least!!!  His  "Pastel and natural light "   workshop promises to be a wonderful thing!!!    To see his work,   try  BillCone.blogspot.com  or google his name.

Winter shadows and sunlight

This was finished just today, inside from a few photo's I took last November, 2010-  Its  on the ranch on Foothill Road, as you go up the hillside.  We have the rabbit Brush which each year blooms pretty loudly!   In 'o9 it was blooming pretty wildly    when Lorenzo Chavez had his workshop in Hope Valley, and actually painted one day here at the ranch because it was so cold in Hope Valley that fall.    This time, tho, there was snow on the ground, and as the sun was going behind the mountain long shadows were forming.   Interesting color and design I thought- - -  -so I painted them for you!

This is 11 x 14 Sennelier Pastel Card, in a warm sand color- -  -using turpinoid for a underpainting.

Plein air again, wonderful day spent outdoors

Mt. Raymond from the Alpine county Museum parking lot

This is the result of yesterdays Plein-air painting day  in Alpine County.   My painting friend from Dayton, ( whom I became friends from the Wetcanvas website)  drove over for a plein-air day.  It was  a great day of catching up, discussing art and artists, and painting!!    I used a wonderful grey 9 x 12 pastelmat, a great surface for anything.  I had gotten a full sheet, and cut for the both of us a 9 x 12.  Now I have to admit, My friend spent the time needed to do her thumbnails, and planning.   I did jump into  it, and was lucky that it turned out this well!!   I actually did a notan right on the pastelmat in a dark # 244 Nupastel, and painted over that.  I did have a bit of idea where I was going, and I hope it works for you the viewer as well.    It was very sunny, but breezy.  My 1/2 Jullian easel works so well , and today I used my new aluminum pastel-box, ( that was actually bought at a Big 5 store and held gun-cleaning supplies, is sturdy and lite to carry.)    It worked great, and was bungee-ed down to my eseal.

I  encourage all my followers to go to the Wet Canvas site to see all the art there, and also to learn and ask all the questions they want.  The information there is just amazing.   http://www.wetcanvas.com/ 

Just today,

Just finished this today, this morning - - - and am in the mode where you let it rest while you ponder if there are problems, and what they are.    I did plan this to be painted on black, while trying to use the black to show how rich his feathers are in the sun.     The candy corn idea came to me while making my thumbnails for the space in which black would occupy.     I used an all-media artboard, in black for this, but I painted it with acrylic black paint mixed with acrylic matt medium and pumice powder.   I was afraid the black of the board would fade with time, so painting it with the black acrylic paint might help that  (for lightfastness issues)       It also hepled the colors to glow much brighter than expected, and with shapping form.       I now have many drawings of this rooster in different poses, and am planning to use them for a watercolor workshop coming up in May.    Just could not resist trying them in pastel!!!!     The lady giving the watercolor class has a website , you can view her work at  http://www.jeanievodden.com/        She is a bit different and colorful.   It should be fun!

Snow days, and indoor work again.



Where's the Hay???



This year, winter began in November here, with snow storms and very low temperatures.  Then January comes along with nice warm days, and no moisture for 6 weeks!   The middle of February comes around and we have snow everywhere, cold days and nights and cranky cows!   New calves in the snow, and the feed truck is carrying several hundred pounds more of hay each day.

Mr. Big Stuff

Thankfully I do have time to draw, and work up some things from my own photos.  This rooster is a Mexican Fighting chicken, except he doesn't fight!   He has a whole harum of hens and is quite happy.  These chickens are so colorful, and fun to have around.  I took a lot of pic's of them on my son's patio, and have been drawing them and putting them in different arrangements.  I plan to do a lot more, both in watercolor and in pastel.  This one is large- - - - -I don't know why.  The next ones may not be.  Its on Canson paper, and is 25 x 19 or so.     It took a few days to do, I was trying to use an abstract shadow pattern,  more experimetation is needed!

February in my world

Today is  a grand day here in my world.  This is the front walk-way to the Dutch Valley house, where I live.  The next pic is my horses having their hay on a bed of snow.  After about 7 weeks of no weather this January, we have had snow every day now for 4 days, and I guess it may continue until Saturday eve. sometime.   Well, there will no shortage of snow scenes to paint!   Down at the ranch house on Foothill Road, where I now am, the scene is just beautiful.  This ranch is different than the Dutch Valley Ranch, just below the Mt's that Lake Tahoe sits on, at close to 8 Thousand ft. (the lake basin)  We are in the Carson Valley, well the edge of it, at about 5100 feet.  The Mt. makes it look very rustic, with the sprawling valley below us.  This is where Lorenzo Chavez came and painted one day, with his workshop in '09- - - Wow, that was cool!

Anyhow, no painting to show you today, but I do have one on my easel.  Its quite large, and I have run into a problem of resolving and connecting the shadows,(darks), and making them go back in space the way I envision it to be.   I have done drawings, notes, sketches and I think it will  work out- - - - - - - - - just need time to work on it and get it finished.  Its a full sheet of Canson,  I think it will be OK.    If not, my time has not been wasted, as I will have learned from this- - -  -and will continue on with this sort of thing, finding the answers as I go.    I have found a great new ( to me)  blog to follow and learn from - - - http://www.marlabaggettastudio.com/     Take a look at her work.   I hope to stay at home in Dutch Valley Saturday, tomorrow and work.  For today, I will study about some value patterns, and composition ideas that interest me, and cook, and feed my animals, and pack in wood.   Fun, Fun , Fun! 

New drawing---making plans

 Colder Feburary days have me indoors trying to work out some drawings and plans for an upcoming 3 day watercolor workshop brought to our area by the Markleeville Gallary.  The watercolorist is a lady from Auburn Ca,  Jeanie Vodden.   I need to get some drawings onto the streched watercolor paper and be prepared to paint, according to the flier.  Anyhow, this helps me plan for new pastel paintings as well.   Using a grid, I have tried to size up a photo of 4 calves from one of our branding days.  They are still youngsters, not weaned but marked!   It is difficult to do drawings from photo's and get the placing right, and perspective but it can be done and better with practise.  This took quite awhile, and the pencil strokes are not like they would be if this was to be a graphite drawing as the end result---rather this is for size and shape , then the finnish work can be in whatever medium you chose- - -or more than one!  You could even trace the shaps , and do again in graphite for a finnished work if I chose.  I do this for animal paintings, and not so much this way for a landscape---althought sometimes I do----but mostly do notan's and thumbnails for plein-air or landscapes.   I also did this way, an old photo of my old cat sitting in a chair in the sunshine.  Turned out well, so  now I have 2 new ones to consider for this watercolor workshop.

    Have also been enjoying browsing websites and blogs latley.   Bill Cone's blog is a must for all you artists out there!   Also  http://www.raybrownart.com/   is one to see.    Here is my drawing for today.

I have plans for the background, and I think I will raise them higher on the paper, with a lot of foreground space- - - just thoughts- - but now they are isolated from the photo, I am free to design whatever!  That is liberating for me.

Finnished Tiger

Today I let my painting just sit as I did some house work- - - each time I walked by, I thought of ways to finnish it.   How to put in the whiskers, and how many?  How detailed did I want the background?   Which pastles wouid work?  I used my red plastic to look thru and judge the values, tricky as most of this cat in in the orange- - -red family of colors, but it did help.  I also have a blue one, so going back and forth seemed to help.     I do think the values are OK- - - but maybe will try other things next time I do a face up close.  This is where I stopped.

My Tiger exercise!

If you remember, in December, about the 7th I guess, I posted a drawing of a tiger that I wanted to try.  I got the reference photo from WC, thanks, and I know I will never actually see a tiger.  I do see Mountain lions and bobcats, so I will have to learn to get their pictures !   I bet that's hard!   First I did an enlarged drawing in pencil to get it the size I needed, and also to understand the values- - -  and value pattern.  This tiger is lying quietly on the forest floor, sorta dreaming- - - that's what drew me to it.  I love to sit in sunlite and dream!   Anyhow, I used a grey-green suede mat board, and one thing I want to say about that surface is there is definitely less to no dust!   Great, as I was indoors.

This is the first shot I took with my camera.  First, I traced my drawing onto tracing paper----then using the white saral paper, I traced the tracing onto the suede mat board.   Then I re-drew most of it with black pastel and also charcoal pencil.  When it seemed really close to the drawing, I began laying in the first color, trying to get most of that blocked in darker than it would be for the finish.

Now, this is where I am trying to get the base value's down, not the detail.  You see a lot of the green-grey color of the support here as I am still trying to get it all covered with something!This is where I stopped for that day.  After about 3 hours, and I felt I was'n't making good choices.  I was using my new set of Richeson's half sticks I bought for plein-air.  Boy, they are so soft, and very nice.  Also some Nupastel, and Sennelier.   Nupastel is priceless on this suede, it goes on as soft as anything.  Great for the finish, I think.  We'll see.

This is today's work.  Still have to think about how to bring in the background forest floor and leaves, with the sunlite going thru at an angle across his eyes.  There is no detail, or whiskers or eye hairs , and still working on his ears, too.  and nose.  Its interesting seeing it on the laptop screen- - - -  I can see sorta where its going.   Well, when I do more I will be back!!! I am also painting my son's house!!  I am as far as the bedroom and kitchen now, already have done the bath.    He is away for 2 months at the Pacific Coast Horseshoeing school in Plymouth, Ca.   And is loving every day of it!!  I am so glad - - - -getting a good shoer anymore is so hard.   I will have plenty for him to do when he gets home!   Still, I am glad his house is small!    Later folks!

Great way to start a New Year!

How else, but with a plein-air day!!   Carole from Dayton, Nevada drove out on one of her off fridays, and we had a ball.  The sun was shinning, and warm making taking photos great also.  We did both, and in our photo session it was neat to see how digital photography really picks up the colors in the snow--especially the colors in the shadows!     In the pm  we did our plein-air stuff, trying to recall all the infor about compostion we possibley could!  We stood on wood over the snow so cold feet woudln't be on our minds, and with the sun in the southern sky, moving rapidly it seemed, we had about 1 1/2 hours to catch the shadows on the mountain here behind the ranch.  To bad a big buck didn't step out at the right time!  We both used Uart paper,  9 x 12---Here is Carole working hard.

She is also standing on a bit of bathmat on her plywood.  It worked well, and she had a nice painting when finnished.   I posted both of ours on the W. C. website.  Here is my work for the day.

The foreground sagebrush doesn't show to well here, but it was not supposed to be as noticable anyhow--just wanted to say there were vareigated shades of green, purple and blue in that brush.    It was a fun day and can't wait to do more. 

Also wanted to say that my art is on a blog site called  http://www.dailypaintersofnevada.blogspot.com/   as well. I hope you have time to view works there, its a nice site to be on.

Finally!---Some new thoughts to post!

Happy New year all!    I finally have both the time and the thoughts to make a posting over.  With the rush of the Holidays , all the cooking and family and friends, weather and all those animals to care for, its almost impossible to find time even just to think!  I had begun a pastel, just before Christmas, in the planning stage and was searching for a way to paint it, when this webinar thing came available, so I spent a lot of time watching, listening and thinking over that. My painting just waited, then I went ahead and did a value drawing right on the board I planned to use.  Its a 8 ply-Matt board that is archival, I really like it, but this time I may have put too much grit on it in the preparation for pastel.  Still trying to find just the right tooth and feel. I do have marble dust as well, and for some things, its a bit better to use.  This one has almost pure pumice and PVA glue, very gritty!  I wanted to paint a lot fall , just before winter scene and found one right along the West Carson River on a very sunny day.  All the brush was bare, as were the young Cotton woods, the sky reflecting in the water, and sun hitting the rocks.   So, after getting the value drawing done with a #244 Nupastel, which is purple, then washing the darks in, I began just a little each night for several weeks!   Not how I wanted to do it, but with all the company---the cooking and work, well I do feel I learned a bit over this one!   But its not what I wanted, just an idea.

I feel that the Nupastel #244 must have a lot of black in it, as that is what mainly remains after washing over it --sometimes that's good, these trees do have that, but I may go over again with lighter colors on the bark.  I tried to get a reasonable amount of depth in this----all in all, it really makes me think---and I will try again one day.

Johannes Vloothuis webinar was both interesting, fun, and very informative.  'also, yesterday he did on his Justine TV account, a demo in Pastel that all of us could watch.  It was on at 12 noon our Mt. time, and folks from all over were watching.  Even Charlie(Colorix) off of WC, who lives in Sweden!  He had it fixed so we could also chat as we watched with one another which was a load of fun.  Although our thoughts should of been on his teachings!  I do feel we paid attention, tho.   His work was on Canson Mi Tientes, and a winter snow scene that finished well.    It was very interesting.  He wants to teach this way, his site http://www.cyberartlearning.com/ is the place to go for more information.  Also, Wetcanvas has a huge thread in the landscape forum thats is well worth checking out, about the webinar and his future plans for teaching.

So now I plan to start my tiger soon, do some plein-air and more drawing in the studio.    Happy New year to all,   and make your plans Happen!!!

Webinar by Johannes Vloothuis

I know its been awhile since I have posted a painting!  I do plan to get back to it really soon!   Its snowing today, and will all week we are told- - - Then I will get out and try some snow paintings!   Christmas is next week and I have been doing a lot of baking and candy making----next its house cleaning, and getting ready for family.   I have ordered a new set of 120 Unison Pastels, 1/2 sticks for my self!!!    I couldn't afford a set of the full sticks, and Unison is one of the better pastels made.  I still like them all, for different reasons, they are all beautiful.
                   WetCanvas has been participating in a unique thing in the Landscape forums.  Artist Johannes Vloothuis from Hamilton, Ontario Canada has been holding a Webinar thru the web-site-Gottomeeting.com , its been Fabulous!    You go on WC, go to the Landscape forum and look for the thread in Talk.   You sign up, and watch each day at 2 pm----Its like being right there with him!  He lectures on landscape painting and how to use the principles and elements of art----shows examples, shows work done by professionals and even critiques art work by us normal people!   He did one of mine a few nights ago, right on the webinar, a small plein-air I did this past spring.   All in all, its a brilliant thing he is doing, and it will end Dec. 22nd.    For now it is free,  which is great.  but when F & W Media picks him up, and they will- - - most likely we will pay a small fee.  Really, at this point, don't know how it will work out.
 A very Merry Christmas to all!

drawing and thinking thru these days between Holidays

With lots of ideas swerling thru my head, and such wonderful bright light these days I have been very hard put to take any one idea thru to the end!    We have had snow, wind and rain so far, along with some minor earth quakes this year.  I have been hiking in the brush and seeing huge deer---bucks with good antler spreads and very large does.   What is hard to believe is the green grass that was under the snow that melted this week!    Thats good for the cattle, but a surprize for me.

  I worked on this drawing this week, its from a photo from the W.C. library .  I will never see an actual tiger so much thanks to the photographer.  My goal was to practise sizing up images with out ever useing any mechanical means----and to practise my eye to hand cordination, get the values,  and learn better strokes with pencil.   Besides, I like to draw anyhow.   I may do this with pastel, maybe on suede mat board----or maybe in watercolor.   Still thinking about that!        I would like to learn how to photograph things better that are in pencil with my digital, tho.

November thoughts

  November has been a slower month for me with my art.   We have had many storms, and wind.  Now its snowing again, but softly this time.  Still thinking about skies, and mainly how to show vastness----quietness---and Maybe flatness at times.   I had created a surface to try, using illustration  board, and grit pumice with white gesso.   Its very gritty,  to me it was very interesting in appearance, and I had to try it.   After painting the whole of it with pink graduated watercolor, darker to lighter  I tried this skyscape.  Its a field in the center of the valley, with the river running behind it in those trees, and one cottonwood tree in the field.   I will try this in a different format I am thinking.  I do like the pink for the underpainting for bright skies.  Underpaintings are one thing I am exploring  right now while the weather stops me from Plein-air work.

New interests for now...

I have been pasteling, but not to rapidly.  Its colder now, daytime highs are at about 50 at our elevation, and in the 40's in Hope Valley or higher.  We have gathered 2 bunches of cattle, and sent one truck to sale.   We have a lot more to go, but no one seems to worried about things.   Thanksgiving is coming, and we have had 1 inch of snow here on the valley floor already, melted fast, but still, that means going up and over Carson Pass on Hwy 88 won't be simple if more storms come in, and I want to go to Sutter creek for Thanksgiving!  We'll see.   In the meanwhile, I have sewn a baby quilt for a young lady who is having her first.  She is out of college, and working at the Equine Clinic locally. She really is very accomplished, and can A. I.  horses or cattle. She is doing just what she wants, and now her first child.  This is my gift to her.

I made it small, the infant size, because its been years and years since I have made one.  Feeling pretty good about that, I also made Taffeta shades for the old home on Foothill!!  Good grief!    Sewing is fun, but not as much fun as drawing or painting.  I will get back into that soon.  I just feel a bit out of step for now, but the light in this cooler air has been amazing----watching the shadows each afternoon come down the mt. behind here , well, If I could paint it I would show you! The mountain is at about 7000 plus, with Lake Tahoe up at the top somewhere, and the tahoe valley at south shore.  Its a good place to live!   Hope you are all painting, and thanks for the comments about the show.

Carson Valleys Art Association Scholarship show

I haven't been posting on my blog for a little while--and I have been worried about that---but never fear, Its because I have been thinking!  About  Clouds!  And that takes me awhile, I love the sky and want to be able to paint a convincing one----and the sky changes, and can be so many different things but at least it gives me something to think about, and hopefully I will try them, one by one.

Meanwhile, The Alpine Artists Tour was held last month, and this year I did not join.  I felt I was not ready, and also have a very dark garage in which to show my work.  Last year was fun, and maybe I will do it again, but improvements need to be made first and my art needs to grow!

This weekend is the CVAAs scholarship Show.  Its to encourage a young highschool person to study the arts, and the scholarship, along with a nice public show that is judged, and ribbons and even $$ is given!  Its small by most standards, I guess, but the club does a first class job, I always enjoy it.  I used to want to be able to put work in this show, and since 2004, I have.  Its great.  The reception was last night, and we went. There were close to 200 entries, mostly in Watercolor I think, and quite a few people were pursuing the works.  What fun!  They did have catagories for each media, and some phtography which was wonderful work.   My watercolor instructer had a nice painting of a palemenio pony I liked.  Lots of landscape, and another watercolerist known for her old rusty machinery had some fine works there.    The pastel section didn't have to many paintings, I am sad to say.   I had 2 in ,  and won 1st place and 3rd place---and the 3rd place entry sold!!!   I almost passed out, I was so surprized.   It is a large one, titled "Paying the help"   I will show you here.

And the landscape was 1st place.  Its 11 x 14, and I was surprized at that, too! 

I was told the executive director of Douglas County Chamber of commerce or something like that , bought it and will hang it in his office!   Of cource, I will get his name, and all that info and send a thank-you card for making such a purchase of my art, and hope he enjoys it for a long while!   And yes, this is my first sale of a framed piece of art from a show!!  I sure was surprized, like being on cloud 9!!      (from where maybe I can paint a sky!)

A Day spent out plein-air with a friend!

A couple of weekends ago , my plein-air friend from Dayton, Nevada drove out and together we went to Hope Valley to try and paint some of the fall color.  We try to do this each year, and as we are just learning plein-air, it has been challenging indeed!!!  Hope Valley, Calif. is a short drive from the ranch, and is at about 5500 in elevation. Very popular now with the photographers, and upper class vacationers mostly from the bay area who come to Tahoe and various places in the Sierra's.   This is where Richard Mckinley held a workshop in September, and Lorenzo Chavez last summer. A really great local water colorist, Lady Jill Mueller has also held many workshops here in the valley, as well as the college from Tahoe.  So you see, it is a rather "Destination" sorta place at this time of year.

            What we did, was pack all out stuff, and take it out to the middle of the valley where we could let our dogs be free.  They are border collies, and really won't leave our sides, but do love being out there.  It was so beautiful!!  Everywhere you turned was a new painting----if you could settle down and paint it!!  We took many  pictures, and Carole had a new camera to play with so that was fun, too.   She settled right down, and spent about 3 hours on her painting , which really turned out well.   Here she is!!

Now,  I had  a more difficult time settling.  I  did 3 starts, from 3 different places using 3 different papers.   So much information!!  And I really didn't do well, so I just tried to take it all in, so to speak.  ( maybe to much caffeine!)   anyhow ----I did do one from my memories and the photo's we took.   Choosing the right support is sometimes hard with pastel, to get the right finish you want.     I finally choose a dark aubergine colourfix plein-air board, 11 x 14----and worked on this off and on for maybe a week.    Now I have many more ideas to try------composition is always key, and at time is very difficult.   Anyhow, my effort is here.