And its storming again today, too!

I have been working on this snow-y fog scene from photo's taken about 2 weeks ago.  We had snow, but also heavy fog coming down the mountain behind the ranch house on Foothill.  I shot a few pictures, then ran inside to start a fire, but keep thinking how could I actually paint the fog effects, and have them look believable?    I choose a 18 x 24 inch Amber-sand pastelbord in grey and drew out the composition and then slowly worked on this.  At one point, I placed a photo of it on Wet Canvas and asked for feedback.  Many good artists did come online and offer suggestions to help solve the issues I was having.  I really appreciated the feedback and tried to use many of the suggestions.   My main problem seemed to be values, and in this type of painting, where you have to work with close-values it can be diffeicult.  But this is where it is now, and I will leave it on the easel for awhile and see if anything jumps out at me to fix.

I believe Quits are art, too

This beautiful quil was made by sister,  Ardy Schacht, who lives in Yerington, Nevada.  She works so hard on these, and putting together the patterns and the colors are an art form all its own.  This is a sampler quilt, which means it has a sample of various blocks instead of a pattern using one block.   It has a very home-spun feel to it.  I just love it!!   Here is a picture of Simba checking it out.

He seems to think its swell, but he isn't laying on it for a very  long time, if ever!  Now I feel I need to work hard and make a quilt, also.  So many projects, and idea's and so little time!

finnished----for now

Well,  Now its all done----unless I decide to change something!   I will let this sit awhile, on a bookcase or someplace where it catches my eye as I go about my daily routines, just to see if anything stands out for changing.   I found out its true that if you place Nupastles in your freezer for a short while, then sharpen them with a hand pencil sharpener you can create a wonderful point for detail---if you need it.   I also learned that Nupastel is really GOOD on the Suede Mat Board surface, coming of as smooth as butter.    If I were a more detail person, this would really be good info!!!!   I wonder if I am?   There is still so much to learn, not just about pastels, but also Art, and finding your niche or style.  So far, I seem to love it all. 

Value, Contrast, and color---on Suede Matboard

I have been wanting to do something different than landscape, and since the weather has finally decided to do something itself I stayed in and practised my drawing.  I love to draw with just pencil - - -but do get in a hurry and don't make wonderful finished pictures this way - - --I love color to much!!!   It seems I can't wait to put them into color so this is a value map and helps get the color so much easier.   I decided to use a different type of surface which does not allow for underpainting.  This is suede matboard, in a reddish brown violet color.  I used a white Seral paper to get my drawing onto the board.

I then began to block in with colors and values.

It did seem to take a while for me to feel comfortable and get going on this.  Judging the colors on this color of support was not easy it seems.  Maybe as it was close to the colors in the cat itself.     And here is the little nosey cat watching to see what is going on!

I thought I would let things  simmer day a day or so, and think about how to get where I wanted to be a little.   How much in dtail, how about the darkness in the background---??

Plein -air this mid-morning

Using a new board by Canson,(  New to me)  in the twlight tone,  I planned to try this spot in plein-air today.  Its the mountain stream that always runs down the mountain, and its one of my favorite places because of the big tree.   My thought was to try and improve on my forground work, and while you can't paint every grass, you need to try at at least show the feeling of it - -- the light hitting it maybe - - - -  I struggled, but feel I did take away someting to learn from.   This paper is mounted, but they put the textured side out to paint on - - -I have grown use to painting on the smooth side and this took  some getting use to.    I bought a lot of it, so I will have to practise a lot more!!!!  Its going to be an early spring - -and maybe a hot summer so I need to get going!!!

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!

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!!!

Done for now - -

I  will stop here with my oil painting - - - - I finished by myself, and maybe there will be changes to make.  For now, I will let it dry  in site, while I think it over - - - -how I could do this better - - and many things about oils - - -they are different for sure.   Its magic when I watch Ray put down a brush stroke on one  of his paintings.  And last year, in June, I watched Charles Muench paint a beautiful small plein-air of a blue house here locally.   It was just beautiful work.    You have to applaud those who have gone all the way, doing all the work and studying in Oils all  they possibly can and then finding the time to PAINT, and paint steady so they can grow in their art.  Amazing dedication, and a true love for art.    I do enjoy art, but seem to go a  lot slower!   I will be out will my pastels, plein-air again soon.  I spotted a great painting that needs to happen just today as I was on my bike!!!    I do enjoy plein-air!!

Another morning painting on my own.......

Can  you tell I have been painting on this again?  sometime the underpainting of Burnt Sienna looks like the painting itself.    Today I was brave enough to have another go at it, studying it carefully for a place to begin I tried to continue.  After having Ray;s wonderful help, and seeing that I had so much to correct last time I was a lot more hesitant.  I do understand that this is my first studio painting in Oil, and that it will be a huge learning curve even to be able to mix my paint - - - -but I don't think I really understood the actual feel of working on this with no answers except to try this and that, in a way!  Ray has been wonderful in his help, and the way he helps.  He lets me do my thing---study that, then find ways to correct it.  That way I can really see what I am doing or thinking wrong.   I really appreicate his help.

I have a lot in the saddle area to do, and his rope to finnish, and most likly a lot of corrections - -  -but this is where I am today.

Another morning in Oil paint

Well, today I began painting again----=my last day on this I had begun to feel that I did not have some of it drawn right, which made the body of the mare feel too cramped in - - -so I did send an S O S  out to my friend who is so very good teaching painting in Oils, as well as painting pretty amazing himself.   Ray Freeman came back out to help me figure out where I went wrong.   Yes, it was in the drawing mostly.   Measure---Measure- -  -measure!!!    we must learn to measure, and compare relationships.  I had drawn this imagine using a grid method, which works - - -but I do need to pay  more attention to spatial relationships and to learn to use this method more effectively.   As a result, I needed to lose those hind legs - - -- I had wanted to retain a little of them, feeling it would look odd without them - - -but hey - -  -you really don't feel that way when the corrections were made.    I also was struggling with my background-----So, after Ray left, I thought about it again---and this is where I am now.    I may yet change it.   In taking the photo today I see I cut the dogs legs off-----I will do better next photo as her legs are still there!    I also did a small dog this week in Pastel.   He belongs to my elder 1/2 brother, and is very cute.  Am still working on this background, too.

But here he is - - -I may add some softer violets and a bit of yellow to this background.   Hope you are all painting!!

corrections!!

This is the second  layer on this painting, with value and color corrections!   I spend the first days on my own as I painted  and decided I needed some help from a very good oil painter that I know, who does a lot of western-type scenes as well.  So I called him, and he came over to see what he could do to help.   Its Ray Freeman, and he is not only a wonderful artist - - he is a very patient teacher, and very invested in the whole effort.  We go Plein-air painting together sometimes, and I have painted on site in oils with him - - but not very well.   He also does pastels.   So, with his help, we worked this over and brought those values closer in some areas, and he talked a lot about mixing warm and cool  value for each color mix we had going.  We talked about color harmony, and he really gave me a lot to think about.   I haven't touched it since he was by, but I have plenty to work out on my own!   Oil color is the same in therory, but you do need to learn the properties of each color,  and mixing with the white and black is a lot different.  I am not using black per se' in this painting, tho.

finally, a new post!

Today I want to quickly post my newest efforts in Oil.  I have my poor camera back, so I took a few pictures today to show you what I have been up to this month.   Its been cold, sunny each day, and no storms, but cold.  So I began an oil painting to do indoors so I can learn to paint in oils, and mix colors easily.     This is one I have already done in Pastel, so I am a bit familiar with it.  This time, I wanted an abstract background, but showing light and shadow.   So far I have this.

Painting the dog was fun, and seemed to flow for me----the rest, not so much!  Sure am wondering where I am going with this!  I did choose a limited palette, to make mixing easier.  I left this for about 2 days, then tried again today with the horses head and got this far.

                                           

This picture seems to have gotten a lot of shine reflected back into my camera--I did shut off  the flash.  I am painting in my home by the bay window that faces to the North.  Really nice to be at home, but I have to say----Plein-air painting is still my favorite!!!     So, as I paint more I will post and let you know how this experience is going for me!

Have wonderful Holidays everyone!

I am sorry to say I have broken my camera again!  So, until it returns to me fixed, I won't be able to post any pictures.  One nice thing that arrived today by mail was my copy of the new Plein-air magazine.  Its really worth the subscription and I hope you also seen it.

So, until I am again camera ready---I bid you adieu.
And Hope all of you have wonderful Holidays, keep painting and see you in 2012!!!!   It shouldn't be long, its at Nikion now

Weather is getting challenging a bit, so.....

Our long and beautiful fall weather has been  just wonderful this year, but alas all good things do end.   Now the wind is blowing a gale, trees are bending and the feeling of true fall is everywhere as leaves blow wildly around to get caught in fences and water troughs.     I have been thinking of the holidays, and tried to learn a new quilting technique that was fun, fast, and ended up well even  for me!!   This  one is a table runnner, but I can go on and make full sized quilts using this idea, also pillow covers, placemats, and other decorations  all fast and easy.  I am giving this To my fellas sister this year and hope she likes it.  The flower is a poinsettia, here it is closer.

In the past, I have enjoyed making quilts, but really didn't do them well.  Now I want to learn to do them much better - - - but would rather do my pastels!!!  So this will be  a challenge.   Here are a couple of older ones I did in the 80's.

This "Cat" one is a wall hanging that I never hung!!  

and this is another table runner for the holidays I also never used!  I must rectify this!      Anyhow, for this next spring I am planning a full sized quilt in violets and yellow and hope I actually make it.   There is thankfully so much to do!    Hope all of you are having a great fall, and into the holidays we go!

Last of the fall colors - - which were plenty this year!!!

Both mornings this weekend, I drove up to Hope Valley on hwy 88 in Ca. to see the changing leaves on the Aspen Trees.  This year it was a mild fall, with one early cold night and little storm -  - -then a long Indian Summer with the Fall leaves lasting with brilliant color thru it all.    People were everywhere, taking pictures I guess for their own projects - -  -maybe cards, maybe calendars - -who knows?  But they were out in droves with some the biggest cameras' I have ever seen.   I found a quiet spot at about *  A. M.  Where I spent the morning trying to compose a painting.  With so much brilliant color, and light I found I had a very hard time.   Just changing to mostly Yellows and golds proved difficult in showing 3 Planes for a landscape painting.   I need to be much more simple in my designs and think it thru first.  I did do some thumbnail sketches, and did spend at least an hour on a small painting,   It still needs work, and thought.   I then took pictures to play with during the cold winter months.  I will show you a few of these.   Maybe one day you will find yourself on Hwy 88, going thru Hope Valley in the fall!!

And the last one I will add is my effort for this A. M.---Its rather poor - - -but I do have time to try and improve on these fall trees.   It may be  a long winter, who knows?

This last one is my work - - -which needs some thought and improvement as far as compostion  goes.  It is still a lot of work to plan a simple comp - - sometimes you can find a natural comp, and thats wonderful if it says what you what it to  say.  If not, then you must be able to use the elements of design to get it painted in a way that feels right to you.  So, back to the drawing board!!   Still, it was  a lovely  way to spend sevearl hours!!

My Dayton Friend comes to paint in Carson Valley

This is Carole, painting away beside our hay stack which is a long row and you can see its shadow---it gave us some great shade, and protection from the wind last Sunday as we painted.    I was out to her area of Nevada  a few weeks ago, Dayton, so this time she came this way.   I really enjoyed seeing her part of the country and want  to go back again.  She was very interstested in painting the blooming rabbit brush while on this day I was more concerened with the distant mountains that are north of us, and toward Carson City.   They are plenty high, and have quite a bit of drama.  Maybe not as much as the Tetons, but plenty!   Glenna Hartman ( bless her), painted a very nice scene a few years ago, along this same range of mountains , just before Genoa, Nev.  that is just beautiful.  Todays try was on Canson, twilight in color, which is a great shade of purple that really is fun to use. Its 9 x 11, and the pastel does not fill the tooth, I could do more , but I think I will leave it simple.

It has the feeling of wide open spaces!  Those are getting few and far between , even in my world.  Have to enjoy them as we can.

Hope you are all out there painting!

Plein-air with a Friend in Dayton , Nev

This is a recent plein-air done along the river near Dayton, Nevada just a few days ago.  I and a good friend who also loves plein-air painting, Carole, went out one morning to see what we could capture.  It was a wonderful morning, warm, bright, and very interesting light.  We walked only a short distance and came to the bank of the West Carson River, with was flowing lazily along since it is now September.  We had a lot of good water this year, a first in many years and boy do we appreciate that!  All I saw was so interesting a beautiful, the shadows on the very big sandy dessert-y mountains were wonderful, and the huge cottonwood trees along the river were so big, cool, and had very interesting shapes.   I began my first painting just to get a feel of the place, and get my mind to settle and look!  That is so hard when you are in a new place, everything just yells at you for attention!   I finally in the late a. m., early afternoon, painted this one.   I was looking across the river to the opposite banks to these trees and the distant mt.  The colors were gentle but beautiful, with some shadow left.   I used a surface I made myself on watercolor paper.  And I did a sketch, then a value drawing right on my surface and used water soluble pencil, washed with water for the values.  Then watercolor, then pastel-----sounds like it was very laborious, but it was not and went rather fast.  I wanted to catch the color of the light of the day----   It was fun, and can't wait to go again.

Evening Plein - air work. . . catching those shadows and last light.

My recent plein-air, done last evening between 4:30 pm and 6 pm-----trying to catch those shadows as they come reaching down the mountainside every day, when the sun drops lower in the sky.   I was standing out in front of the ranch on Foothill road, with the cows, just watching and waiting.     The sun began to bounce off the roof of the neighbors old barn, and then off the farther trees to the north, and I had to look hard and fast as the light began to change fast before me.  It was fun, I have done this before but I think a little better this time.  I used 14 x 16  La Carte Sennilier pastel card, and washed in the shadows with Turps---When dry, I finished with pastel , trying to get the color of the light I was seeing.    I will try again on evening as it is a nice view, and fun to do.   
              I was told today of another artist website to check out, as he is a wonderful artist and his work  is just amazing.   so look for   http://www.markhaworth.com/   and enjoy his amazing work.

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!