Happy Veteran's Day!

 Thanks to all our Veterans that have served and are serving to keep us free!  God Bless America!

I've posted this photo before of our Vets.  David and Gene.

You can roam through my previous posts here:

https://jocastilloartblog.blogspot.com/search?q=veterans+day

And for art I found this YouTube video by Karen Margulis about sanded paper that doesn't need mounting when you do a wet under painting.  I am ordering some  today!  I have been disappointed with the UArt in that regard.  If you don't have time to watch the video, here is a link to the paper.  https://www.dickblick.com/products/brush-and-pencil-luxarchival-professional-sanded-art-papers/

 

I've followed Karen for years on wetcanvas and her blog and painting videos.  She is very generous and a good teacher.  I found Karen's video helpful in using a wet under painting and painting mountains and flowers.

Karen Margulis, "No More Mounted Paper"

https://youtu.be/m1HeUc4ohvk?si=KrDcAxVECEbb-jlO

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Puddles Pastel

The painting, Puddles, was accepted to the Austin Pastel Annual Juried Show, Celebrate Pastels.

Puddles
Pastel on Pastelbord, 12 x 12 inches
Framed to 18 x 18 inches in mahogany plein air frame under Optium museum grade acrylic glazing

 

February 7—March 31, 2022 

Austin Fine Art Gallery
(Austin Art and Frame)

2805 Bee Caves Rd, Suite 430, Austin TX 78746

PH: 512-306-1064

Gallery Hours are M-F 12-5 pm and Saturday 12-2 pm

Awards Ceremony: Saturday, February 5, 2022, 2:30—3:30pm, virtual, RSVP at austinpastelsociety.org

I hope you get to see the show in person.  It will be online after February 5.

***  **  ***  **  ***

This is our first time to use the museum acrylic.  It is about the same price as museum glass but seems to be much easier to work with.  It is lighter, has UV protection, more durable and less likely to be scratched.  Hobby Lobby does not carry this so had to order.  I ordered from Frame Destination 

https://www.framedestination.com/

They are a family owned business and very helpful and almost local in Garland, Texas.  They give discounts to art groups.  Something to think about.

Tomato or Red

When I saw  "tomato or red" on the list I knew I would have to get out the pastels.  I love painting red with pastels.  I saw this piece of paper, not a very good color for tomatoes, but handy and available.

For Scavenger Hunt 640  You can click to see the sketch larger.

Number 6, tomato (or red) - a little bowl of cherry tomatoes ... and, yes, I ate the models.

The rough side of MeTeintes paper has a heavy grid.  I usually use the smoother side.    The paper color showing through does not allow for detail and in this case does not add anything to the sketch.

Waste not, want not.  This piece of paper had another sketch on the other side.  I did play in the dust for a bit.  Just about a 30 minute sketch.  Now the paper will be tossed, not a friendly color to use over again.

The blue bowl has bluebonnets on the inside.  It was made by my artist friend, Lea Blue at Blue Donkey Pottery.  Her link is in the column on the right.  You can meet her at the Farmer's Market on Saturdays in Bastrop.  She is a most wonderful person, like a daughter to me, when I see her.  It hasn't been often lately and I miss her.

Keepsakes Pastel Sketch

Color called to me today.  I felt compelled to do a pastel sketch.  I wiped off a Pastelbord that had a roadrunner on it.  I left the background for the most part.  The light was from the opposite side so I turned it upside down.

Scavenger Hunt 634 had keg and miniature on the list.  I hunted and found this mug that looks like a keg, more or less.  It is big, holds a couple of cups.  The little blue pots are from Chile and the unpainted one is from Bolivia or Peru.  I really like the little blue ones.  There were three but we didn't find the third in the ashes. (You can search above left Bastrop Fire if you haven't heard about the fire before.)

Keepsakes

Pastel on Pastelbord

9 x 12 inches

For Scavenger Hunt 634  https://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/topic/scavenger-hunt-634-may-23-31/

Number 3, keg

Number 4, miniature

Wet canvas has gone to Word Press so a new learning curve for us artists.  See what you think.

Pastels give me the feeling of painting and drawing.  To draw with the edges of a pastel stick is much like my regular sketching.  Then turn the pastel on it's side and make big strokes and paint away.  I like the tactile part of getting my hands in the pastel dust. 

I never wore gloves until this last year.  I always used liquid gloves, lotion, to protect my hands but they would still get dry and pastel under the fingernails.  Washed my hands often.  I started using vinyl gloves you get in the pharmacy.  They fit well and do not interfere with the feel of the pastels.  I wipe them off like my hands and use them several times.  My hands perspire some but for some reason I don't feel that until I take them off.  Much easier on my hands and I'm sure I absorb less of the minerals in pastels.  Pastels are much safer as are oil paints than the "old days".  They were made with cobalt and cadmium in the past.

I worked on this for about an hour so I'm classifying it as a sketch and not a finished painting.  It will be on my website for sale.

You will have to check back again to see what's next. ¡Hasta luego!

Donut Shape

The list for Scavenger Hunt 628
http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1479592
is all about shapes.  I finished sketching the cylinder, blob and round.  Today my pick is donut.  Gene has several neck pillows and this one caught my eye.  It is almost donut shape.

Number 4, donut - Gene's pillow

And here is a latte to go with your donut and cookie blobs from yesterday.

Latte in Blue

Pastel, 5 x 7 inches

Next time we go for groceries or to pick up lunch I will have to stop by the Coffee Dog or Maxine's for a latte.

We have been trying to eat carry out as much as we can.  We have been to 602 on Main Brewery, Schlotsky's, Subway, Bastrop Roadhouse, Bassano's and Little Caesars.  Some a couple of times.  Hopefully we can get to a restaurant to sit and enjoy one of these days.

Pastel Sketch Cactus Blooms

The Southwest and Western Art Forum on wetcanvas.com has a monthly challenge.  It is hosted by one of the artists. The artist puts up several photos for the others to sketch from for a month.  The Forum has great artists in many varieties of work, including sculpture, painting, carving, etc.

I'm hosting for August.  http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1431793
Come on over and join in!  At least go have a look at the paintings/sketches and the photos I put up.

I chose to do my first challenge of the cactus blooms.  I cropped and edited a bit.  You are free to do that.  It is fun to see the different artists and their ideas from the same photos.

Cactus Blooms Sketch
7 x 5 inches on Pastelbord
Pastels
About 30 minutes.....

It is from this photo:

My second blog for today.... hmmm.

Color Red and Something Blue Pastel Sketch

I hope that playing in the pastels and sketching will make me get up and paint.  Who knows?

The sketch is on a recycled piece of Colourfix paper so a muddy background.  It is just a sketch so not wasting precious pastels on the back.  You can see a couple of blobs on the left center.  Maybe a nose of the owl or legs of the red pepper a few sketches back.  There have been at least six sketches on that paper and maybe more.  I used whatever pastels were in the tray of my easel plus a black as I recall.  This took about thirty minutes including wipe off time.  I didn't wet it as I might have because I didn't want to wait to start.  You know, when in the mood.......

Scavenger Hunt 487 http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1423179
Number 3, Color Red
Number 4, Something blue

You recall me talking about not painting, maybe that is all I talk about.  Anyway, I said I might be retiring by default.  I get a copy of the e-mail that is sent when I post a blog.  It has many ads on it and is not great to look at, but at least you get notified if you sign up to get my posts by e-mail.  This one made me smile with the ad it had ... maybe I am being told something!

For those of you that have signed up for these e-mails I apologize for all the ads!  This may be one of the better ones.  Rolling my eyes!

Pastel Sketch Check Up

After my in home critic (you know who) said that the cup was floating in my sketch from yesterday, I gave it a check up.  The cup sort of seemed to sit on the edge of the cup.  Late last night I went in and made the cup longer and slightly changed the plate.  It seems to sit better on the little plate.  I didn't want to put to much time in the sketch as it will be a wipe off so that I can use that piece of paper yet again.  

You can see how a small change can affect a painting or drawing.

Original sketch with the cup floating.

The same sketch where I just lowered the bottom of the cup.  It does sit better on the plate.

When we paint, we sometimes stay with it too long and keep looking at something and our eye corrects it in our minds.  We see what we expect to see.  Some ways to give your paintings a check up:

• Go away from the painting for some time.  Turn it to the wall or just don't look at it.  Let it "steep".
• Come back and quickly turn it upside down and look at it.
• Take a snapshot and look at it in black and white, you can see your lights and darks.
• Many things show up just in the snapshot
• Look at it in a mirror.
• Look at it in a low light to check your contrasts, light and darks.

Hunt 481 Pastel Sketch

My studio is a mess after the holidays.  We use my table for wrapping and doing any other work so we don't have to bend over.  It is a great place.  I cleared enough room for some sketching with my pastels.

Before I started, I got out some corn meal.  I put each group of loose pastels in a bowl with the corn meal, scooted them around with my fingers.  Then drained the mixture through a colander into another bowl.  Presto,  clean pastels in the colander and put them back in their holder.  I did not take time to clean the holding bins but at least I can see what colors I have.

I wanted to sketch with my pastels while I had a bit of time.  I used the same old paper from the corner sketch a few days ago.  Wiped it off and wet it.  I just left the stains for the background.  I worked about 40 minutes.  Not a painting, but used the pastels.

For Scavenger Hunt 481  http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1419758
Number 9, cup
Number 10, plate
Number 11, dish - butter dish
Number 12, knife
Number 13, cutting board (challenge with food)

Don't know if you can tell that it is cloudy and damp out my window.  Temp in the high 50s today, but cold with the dampness.  We have had about an inch of rain here at the house in the last three days.

Now maybe I will clean off the top of my real desk.  That would help my disposition, right?  No telling what I will find there.  I even thought my tri-pod might have been there under papers.  Ha.

Out and About Again - Pastel Abstract

Another outing with pastel artists yesterday.  Enid Wood www.enidwood.com gave a class for branching out in color with abstracts.  It was good to be with six other artists.  The time flies and we had a good time.  I met two new to me artists.

The day started off weird.  I went to pack my bag which already had my plein air easel top and pastels.  Nice.  I put in some small pastel paper in pads and looked for my ATC, art trading cards.  I could not find them.  I stuck in a pastel board, 5 x 7 that I had been playing with the Pan Pastels on.  The idea was to work in miniature sizes.

Where was my water spray bottle??  No where to be found,  I had seen it recently so I know it is here someplace.  I put in Jennie's spray bottle she left here for a substitute.

The tripod part of the easel was next.  Where was it?  It weighs about 6 pounds I would imagine and is about 16 inches long and 4 inches in diameter when folded.  It doesn't just fit in a drawer or behind a piece of paper.  Not anywhere in the corners or closet in my studio.  In the closet with the spare jackets and old French easel?  No.  Hall closet?  No.  Our closet in the bedroom? No.  Garage with the folding chairs and things from our trip?  No.  Shoot, I must have left it in Silver City but Mitzy would have called.  Maybe the hotel in Big Bend?  I hadn't used it so weird to have left it someplace on the way home.

Finally took the easel part out of the bag and put in a couple boxes of pastels and was off to paint in Smithville ... without an easel.  I could have taken my old watercolor easel, but I was not happy by then and it was getting late ....

The first part of the class was to abstract the shadows of our subject.  Enid brought some clementines and put them on an orange napkin.  My favorite color, right?  Not even!   I worked on the Pastelbord and put a tape across to make it into two miniatures.  They look weird together.

You can see the space down the center where I had the tape.

Abstract shadows in dark and light, any colors.

Using 3 main values.  Added the very dark for shape and to sit the clementines on the cloth.  Sprayed a bit of water for texture when all was done.

I divided a piece of pastel mat into fourths. and did them in order so as to not get my hand on a finished one.  The other board I turned upside down to do each half.

The first two are just colors I like together, again trying for value changes more than color.  I had no reference, just strokes and color.  The third, blue and brown is trees by our lake.  Again, varying strokes and values.  I put the smaller version of the lake so you see more how it really looks.  What looks pinkish here was really a more beige of the paper.  This was my favorite, probably because it is from something real.  ???

The fourth was going to be an abstract of Enid's bag on the floor.  It was purple but I didn't have 4 values in the right colors so made it blue with the 4 values.  It came out more realistic so I'm using it for Scavenger Hunt 481.  http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?p=21005559

Number 2, on the floor

I won't become an abstract artist anytime soon, but just playing with color is not all bad, especially because pastel is fast and I like color!

Oh, and I found my tripod part of the easel this morning.  I put it in a bag that an old folding table for camping had been in, reusing the bag.  Why didn't I think of that yesterday even when I went and looked with the chairs?  It was with the folding chairs in the garage. Yay!!

Colorado Mountain High, Photos, Sketches, Pastel Plein Air

We traveled from Walden to Colorado Springs and have been hanging out here for a while.  Moving back to New Mexico tomorrow.  We will be staying in a favorite spot for a few days with no phone, internet or TV.  Can you believe it?  We went there to celebrate my birthday in September when we left Angel Fire.  This year we will celebrate my birthday early and Gene's birthday a bit early, too.

I thought I'd better post my sketches and painting and be up to date.  Sketches are for Scavenger Hunt 462.  http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1410719

Number 15, seasonal - camper trailer
Number 16, glass- the ball on the wind catcher and leaves on the mobile

Number 17, plastic - pan
Number 18, man made - birdhouse
Number 19, entry - gate
Number 20 - paper lantern

Number 21, hard - stepping stones with inlaid scraps of pottery
Number 22, gift - cookies from our landlady in Colorado Springs and a tomato from her garden.  We got cucumbers, squash, strawberries, raspberries, too.
Number 23, textured - wicker chair
Number 24, mineral - iron rust on the wall/fence sculpture

Gene and Aviee counting.  She kept telling him he didn't know how to count.

Walden to Colorado Springs, beautiful mountains, rain and sky.  The runaway truck ramp was scary.  Some tourist had stopped there to take a photo or change drivers.  What if a truck had problems??  A car in the path to stop.  Yikes....  I was so shocked I didn't take a photo. 

 The remains of Stapleton International Airport in Denver where I worked.

The house we lived in in Denver, Colorado.

 The neat patio at our rental in Colorado Springs.

Gene's sister Virginia came to sky dive with Gene.  They did that near Canyon City on Thursday.

 The divers loading up.

 In the air.

Landed.

 Back on solid ground!

Last night, Friday, we surprised our good friends, Byrd and Street.  (byrdandstreet.com) They were performing at Kinfolks in Manitou Springs, Colorado.

Not a bad photo in the dark on my phone.  The show was super.  Nice folks.
 

This morning Virginia and I went to the Garden of the Gods again to walk.  I did my short mile, Virginia walked about 5 miles while I painted.  We had a great time, such a beautiful place.

 Scenes from Garden of the Gods.

 My painting,  9 x 12 pastels, the color is off, it is early morning and a bit more rosey.

Hey, I painted!  That was fun and such a beautiful morning.  It was about 60 degrees while we were there.

We will be out of pocket.  I will check in when we get internet again. 

Hotel Sketching

We started our "on our own" vacation yesterday.  We left our friend, Sue, and headed north.  

We had had chicken wings in Frankenmuth for lunch, so did not have dinner.  If you know me, you know I don't eat chicken normally.  The wings at the Bavarian Inn were excellent a few days before so had them again.  Wow!  More chicken in a couple of days than in the past 5 years.  

We didn't go far.  We made it to Alpena on the eastern shoe, Lake Huron.  Beautiful day.  Old style motel.  We walked across the street, sat on a bench overlooking the lake and had a cup of wine.

Then we finished the wine at the room.  Gene fixed a short in our cooler and I sketched for Hunt 459.

http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1409196

I sketched in the travel journal with a Micron 02.  

Number 1, outdoor bench or seat.  

My set up when painting with Sue.

Sue painting with her oil paints.  

We had a great time.  We went to a life form drawing class, too.  It was fun to meet some other artists and do some quick drawings.  The model was a lanky fellow and my sketches were a bit like old man gloom, so didn't save them.  Ha.

The painting marathon with Sue is always good for us.  We have been doing this since 1994 or so.  Good friends.  We will get together in Texas next time if all goes as planned.