El Álamo, tree study, pastel painting

I finally did a tree study to go along with Maggie's challenge and study.

El Álamo
8 x 10 inches, on the new R-tis-tx artist board, sanded surface with soft pastels.

I like this cottonwood much more than the previous ones. I put in the sky with several different colors of blue. Then the background bushes and ground. When I started the big tree, I focused on putting in the trunk and branches first. Then the dark foliage, working toward the light with several different greens and yellow. The trunks are very dark in the shade so used a dark reddish purple and dark blue. The lighter side is a mauve color as the tree bark looks pretty gray in the sun.

The cottonwood has very gnarly bark and many sky holes in them. They are pretty bright green so I had to consider where to put the darks. Because I was not doing this plein air like the other, I had time to study my reference photo. I still paint quickly, it is just the way I paint. I used acrylics to do the other, but I don't think that using pastels was easier, I just took my time.


Here is a black and white version to see the values.

This would take many hours with colored pencil. I am not patient for that. Maybe one of these days.

This is encouraging and I will do another tomorrow with a group of the trees again.

Let me know what you think, good or bad. I can take it. :) Thanks.

By the way, I read on some blog or wetcanvas that some artist takes photos of their paintings in full sunlight. (I can't remember who to give the artist credit .. maybe I will remember later) I usually take mine on sunny days but in the shade. I took the photo of this one in the sun. So much better than the one in the shade. I didn't have to adjust the color. I't going to retake the elephant tomorrow in the sun and see if I also get good results.

Scavenger Hunt 52, Sketches 1 and 2

We are off on a new Hunt on wetcanvas.com. Number 52, more than a year as they are 9 days long. Wow!

#1, cover of the most recent book you have read. Tony Hillerman's, Hunting Badger. The first book I have completed in ages. I spend so much time on the computer. About 30 minutes in my NY sketchbook with a Micron 005 in green. The photos always make the paper look blue, but it is white.



#2, crumpled paper. A page of the newspaper. Again about 30 minutes in the same sketchbook and same pen. The table is all off, I added that as an afterthought and the paper looks to be floating, which is why I added the table. It still looks to be floating. Magic paper!

There are always 26 items in the Hunts, plus challenges. I think the most I have done is about 16. So I have a goal to reach. Will I ever finish one? Not important, though. The idea is to sketch and I have been sketching more that I ever did before. That is very good.

More to follow, another day. :) I have to go paint a tree.

Elephant, Pastel Painting, Demo

You may have read here in my blog that this house we are renting in Silver City, New Mexico, has elephant knick-knacks everywhere. I decided to paint an elephant for the landlady. I found a great reference photo on wetcanvas.com by MonicaB. Many artists post photos to use as reference photos for painting on the site. Thanks, Monica. **Note , I heard from Monica Burnette, the photographer, she is also a painter, check out her web page. Nice work.

I printed out the photo and traced the outline of the elephant onto a piece of Pastelbord by Ampersand in the gray color. I traced it to save time and get the proportions right as I know zilch about elephants. I did not do an under painting as the board was already a color that would work well with the subject.

I then did a start with Nupastels to get an idea of color and feel of the elephant.



I developed it a little further, checking out the background and deciding how much detail I wanted there. The elephant has lots of "design" going on in its ears, so I thought a plainer diffused background would be good. I started to work with softer pastels in what ever brand. Color and value made the decision of which stick to use.

Then I got into the zone and forgot about taking more photos along the way. Sorry. When I paint in pastels I work all over the painting. What ever color I put on the main focal point, is included all over the painting.


I am pleased with this painting, I hope she likes it, too.

Taking a photo of this was difficult. The blue just jumps out and the original photo looks all blue purple and opposed to this corrected version with more reddish in it. This is pretty close on my monitor. I work on an iBook in the summer and I am sure the display is different from most desktop computers.

Monet, Pastel Journal Blog

One of my sketches from March, 2007
Not a Monet!

If you don't follow the blog of the Pastel Journal, but are a sketch artist, they have a link to a Monet show in Massachusetts. The Pastel Journal has a link there to the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute where there is an interactive page with Monet's sketchbooks. So nice to flip through them. You can also search by subject, dates, etc. Maybe we Scavenger Hunt artists aren't doing too poorly. :)

If a tree falls in the forest, etc....

Photo of Tree on the way to the Gila Cliff Dwellings.

Silence is golden.

Another Yucca, sketch

My sketch today, yuccas. I just like them and they are very prevalent here. Micron 005 pen in my watercolor sketchbook. I was going to color it, but decided I liked it the way it is. It is just about the same view I painted plein air the other day. They have lost their delicate blooms and have the seed pods that are green. They will dry to a brown color and become hard like a nut shell and open to look like bells.

Today Gene went on a pretty long bike ride. He is trying to get in shape for his birthday ride. He rides his age in miles. Year before last he rode 100 miles, no he is not ancient, he will be 66 this year. He says that if he rides over his age, he can put some in the bank for when he is too old to ride his age. Like at 80, will he be wanting to ride 80 miles? He has been behind in his total miles this year and feels a little out of shape. He did 36 miles today in the wind and much uphill so maybe he is near ready. Only a couple of weeks to go. I go along as his SAG (Service, Assistance, Gears) car, sort of. I drive past him and then wait for him at a designated spot, then he can decide to go further or quit. My wait can be for a few minutes or hours, depending on the ride.

In Canada, he would ride the trails they have converted from narrow gauge railroad tracks. I would leave him off at one end and go to the other, maybe 50 miles away, and wait for him. Whiling away the time is no problem for me. Usually I paint plein air. When my wait time is shorter, as today, about an hour, I sketch. Of course on shorter spurts, like on his birthday ride, I usually do crosswords and sketch. I don't want to get to far away on these long highway rides so only have 30 - 45 minutes at a time.

In Canada there were a couple of times that our ideas got crossed up. Once in Nova Scotia, he was going cross country on a trail and he told me to just go to his final destination, a small town. I told him that I would probably stop about half way and paint somewhere near the trail and he could stop by and I would follow him later. Well, I stopped at a nice place where the trail crossed the highway and sketched the ocean/bay, read, napped, etc. It got later and later and rained. I decided we had missed each other and he was going to be at the end in the small town, wet and tired of waiting. As it happened, the map of the trail was wrong. Much further than he thought. He came dragging to the halfway point and just as he came onto the highway, he saw the tail lights of the van going UP the mountain. Aargh. When I got to the appointed place, I was pretty worried ... no Gene! We both tried calling, but "no service". I couldn't go back as the train trail was some distance from the road, and I might miss him. In the meantime, Gene decided to finish on the highway in case I came back. Much harder ride, up and down the mountains and in the rain and traffic. It was getting dark and I was about to go report him missing so that I could go back to look for him, when he came pedaling in. Very wet and tired. Oh why didn't I wait five more minutes. That became the new rule .. anytime I think I have waited too long, wait 5, no make it 15, more minutes.

Today he left to ride towards Deming. I was going to leave in about 1 1/2 hours, catch him and decide where to go from there. I left earlier, deciding that I can get engrossed in the computer and forget to leave on time. I knew I could pass him and stop and sketch down the road. I did catch him just past Hurley. He said to go on to the turn off to the City of Rocks and he would decide from there what to do. (He is riding a loaner bicycle as his is being worked on. He has over 20,000 miles on his bicycle.) I did that and sketched for about 40 minutes. He showed up, a little tired as he was facing a headwind. He said he would start back and to give him about 20 minutes and pick him up. He then, would have ridden for about 3 hours. I got out a crossword puzzle and set to work. About 30 minutes later I realized I had gone past the time and took off. He was wondering if the pickup wouldn't start or what. He rode an extra 20 minutes or so. About 36.6 miles. But we loaded up and came on back to the house. And so the saga goes ... We usually have an adventure, no matter what we do or how we plan. Ain't life interesting?

Rose

My Rose sketch from August 2, 2007

This post is not about a flower, however, it is about Rose Welty's post today, Soaking It In. She visited the Kimbell in Ft. Worth. Sounds like a great day. Lucky her.

That made me think about the visits to the Kimbell that I have been on. I think it is four times, now. Great exhibits. One of the permanent collection that I love is by Claude Monet. Not his lilly pads or gardens but La Pointe de la Hève at Low Tide 1865, Oil on canvas, 35-1/2 x 59-1/4 in. (90.2 x 150.5 cm), Acquired in 1968. The last time I was there was with Gene and I took him to see this painting and it was not being exhibited, I guess they rotate them. I was so disappointed. When you see it up close it is nice, but stand back and wow! the light is amazing. This is not a great photo, but you can get an idea. If you get a chance, check it out. Maybe it is on display again. It made a big impression on me.

I was amazed at how wonderful the old masters paintings look in real life. If you ever have a chance and have not been to see an exhibit, you should do so. Growing up in our podunk town of Magdalena (should I say that?), we had no museums to visit. After I was grown, probably even married, were my first visits to art shows and museums. I was so deprived. I have visited the National Gallery of Art in Washington a few times now and have just enjoyed it so much. On one of my visits they had just opened the Alexander Calder exhibit area. I have never been too interested in abstract art, but always look. Some things do catch my eye. There was one of his hanging wire sculptures of a horse or horses. It was lit in a spectacular way that the shadows on the wall were exceptional. I just looked at the virtual tour of the area on the NGA page and couldn't see it. Maybe it is on loan or something. :(

Another sculpture that intrigued me is in San Antonio, outside, at the McNay Art Museum. When you get to the page, click on "Outdoor Sculpture" and see the kinetic sculpture by George Rickey. Those squares just sit still, then the slightest, very slightest, breeze lifts them and they turn and appear to glide over the water, never turning in the same pattern it seems. The reflections and movements are beautiful. I could sit and watch it for hours. Maybe I will see another one of his someday. Some people are so clever and smart.

The art venues in cities are so wonderful. So you guys that haven't been to a "real" museum, get your act together and go. You will be impressed, too!

Scavenger Hunt 51 Sketch and more

I am trying, and I emphasize trying, to minimize and manage my time on the computer. The post with photos from the excursion to Gila Cliff Dwellings will have to wait. Some of the other artist bloggers are setting a day for each interest or media .. I will think on that.

For the Scavenger Hunt #51, Number 12, Brick or Rock wall. I decided to just sketch both. It is a nice morning and I sat on my little stool in the shade and sketched across the street. The house is very old and being refurbished. They have put in some sort of metal supports where the wall is giving way. I wonder about that. They have been working on it since we have been here. The sketch is in the NY Sketchbook with a Micron 005 pen in about 30 minutes. I can never tell time when I am engrossed in something so time is an estimate.

I sketch with a pen most of the time and do not erase. As I have said before, I hope to "see" better and put down a sure stroke and leave it. This should really help in painting. When you put down too many brush strokes or pastel strokes and mix colors, the paint/color begins to mix and make gray or mud. Fewer strokes should make bright and fresher paintings. It is especially true in plein air when you have the time restraints of fleeting light and moving objects. For the most part, the practice is helping. I sketch faster and feel that my composition space and perspective are improving. Sometimes though, I just plow ahead and the results show it! I'm pleased with todays sketch.

It is interesting as well, that each artist has a different touch. I will mention a few of the regulars here. Will try to mention some of the others as we go along. The group changes as the artists find their niche on wetcanvas.com or go on to other things. Joan Tavolott uses few lines and adds color to finish her great sketches. Paul Astle (PABS) sketches with few firm lines, very, very neat and tidy, but very expressive. EP (eyepaint) is new to sketching and is loose and carefree in her sketches, trying many different media. Jeanne Grant is really improving in her sketching and drawing. Very dedicated and the work is paying off. It is inspiring and fun to "meet" these artists and gain information and proficiency along the way.

I have sketched and doodled for years, but never pushing myself to improve. I met Sue Modrak in 1994 or 1995 at a six day workshop in Montana presented by Jack Hines and Jessica Zemsky. (This is just a blurb about them, you can Google them to see what great artists and teachers) They, as instructors, emphasized the importance of sketching. They had a life form drawing session every day. Sue has given me a new sketchbook every time we get together, encouraging me to get with it. :) She sketches all the time, waiting in line anywhere or if she sees something she likes in a store. She always sketches it instead of taking a photo. I am amazed at her accuracy and fluency in her sketches. This post shows Sue last summer and one of her sketches.

And here we are with the obligatory glass of wine after a day out of plein air. You see we went to the Gila Cliff Dwellings so a couple of photos there on that post above. Then last summer, I discovered the Scavenger Hunts and they have added an extra 'push' to keep me sketching.

Sue will be with us again in September. We will be in Las Cruces then. Our get together is always a blur of sketching, painting, gallery hopping and fun. We try to fit a years worth of art into about 5 days. We start early in the morning and go until dark! Hope you will join us here.

By the way, this has taken my computer time for the day, Ha.

Happy Left Handers Day!

Larry, Oil 11 x 14
He is a lefty!

August 13, Monday, is International Left Handers Day. We know a few left handed people, but the one nearest and dearest to our hearts is son, Larry. Happy Left Handers Day, Larry!

Papi Jim is left handed, too. Larry is named after him, so perhaps that is why he is left handed. :) Roger, my brother-in-law, is ambidextrous, so we will count him, too.

You righties may never think about the difficulties encountered when you are left handed. The most obvious to me is writing. I wondered why lefties hold a pencil so strangely. Duh, it is to be able to see what they are writing, their hand covers it up otherwise. Using scissors is difficult and many, many more things.

Cameras are right handed, too. Check out Larry's great photos!

When Larry started playing golf in Bolivia, we didn't have any left handed clubs. The pro said that when you play right handed it helps to have strength in your left arm, so if Larry didn't feel awkward, he should go ahead and try playing right handed. He still does, and plays very, very well.

Way back when, we bought him some spiral notebooks that were bound on the opposite side of the page, it helped out when doing schoolwork that had to be turned in in the notebooks.

Larry, we hope you have a good Left Handers Day! And, also the rest of the Lefties out there!

Watercolor sketch and maybe Roger!

I was looking at the blog by Katherine Tyrrell about the CPSA (Colored Pencil Society of America) 15th Annual International Exhibition. I slipped over to check it out and clicked on one that was Western in theme. I saw Shootn' the Breeze by Toni James. She is from Vail, Arizona , and I was showing it to Gene. "Wow, that looks like Roger," he says. For those of you that know him, what do you think?

I sent Ms. James an e-mail requesting the identity of the model and she replied that Roger was not on the list. He did some movie and commercial spots, so we still think it might be. We are checking with him. :) That would be fun if it was.

I will let you know.

Here is #11 for Scavenger Hunt #51, something silver. I couldn't find anything except silverware in this house that was silver, but these little metal cups are silver colored. About 1 1/2 inches tall. Don't know what they are for. Hmmmm.


Sketched lightly with a Micron 05 pen in my watercolor sketchbook I bought at James Brandess Studios and Galley in Saugatuck, Michigan. Colored with watercolors for the challenge. The book is about 8 x 12 inches. It is nifty, too, purple with a waterdcolor painting on the front. I will try to rember to get a snapshot of it. Sue bought one, too.