Plein Air is Purely Plain Fun!

Sometimes, if you are really, really lucky, everything goes your way. On this day, our last in Colorado, the weather, the river, all was in perfect alignment. I don’t believe this day counts against my allotted number. Like a day fishing, this one just doesn’t count against me. It is just too perfect! Right beside a beautiful park and behind an amazing library, is this little cold mountain creek running into the Yampa River.

Definitely, this is the place for my final painting on this trip.

With a bit of raw umber, I sketch in the trees and the edge of the water.

Ultramarine blue, burnt umber and burnt sienna defines the hills and the river. I’m not trying to get technical, I just want some color and shapes in here. I don’t need the commercial buildings in the background, so will just paint undergrowth where the buildings are intruding.

Hikers walk by and want to visit. Fine with me! While I’m talking, I begin to add some rocks in the foreground. It’s still fairly loose, but I just need to get the main shapes in before I try the detail work.

This is way more fun than it ought to be! No bugs, no wind to dry my paints, just a beautiful day for doing what I’ve always longed to do.

Mixing some Cadmium Yellow Medium with the Ultramarine Blue and a bit of Hooker’s Green, I scrub some leaves and underbrush in, and try to add the shadows and some highlights on the water. I stop frequently to look at the water to see where the darks should be darker and the light values lighter.

It’s time to bring up the light on the rocks and add more foliage to the trees.

Adding Burnt Sienna and Raw Sienna to the water really adds life to the painting. I like the rock in the right foreground – it invites me to sit upon it (could I climb down the steep banks!).

By adding more yellow green to the foliage, deepening the shadows and adding more light to the rocks, I think I’m ready to call this one finished. Just another beautiful day in Paradise!

‘TAIN’T AS EASY AS IT LOOKS: Plein Air Painting 101

I think most artists dream of traveling, painting beside the ocean or a river, or anywhere outdoors in the beautiful natural surroundings. I am no exception. Leaving behind the worst summer of my memory in South Texas, we journey to the mountains of Northwest Colorado. After a day or two of rain (which I will never, ever complain about again), the day dawns bright and sunny in Steamboat Springs. The Yampa River beckons, and with my trusty security guard by my side, we venture out. No matter that my guard probably would take fifteen minutes to leave the car, should a bad guy try to carry me away, I feel very secure setting up my easel and sketching the beautiful scene I want to paint. All I really try to do is show placement: where is the river, the trees, the darkest shading? I might also be stalling, which is a favorite technique I use to avoid actually putting down paint. I’m not alone. Other artists have this little ritual, I’ve discovered.

Next, I’m looking for “local” color – are those rocks warm, or cold? Do I want ultramarine blue for the water, or should I try cerulean blue? I’m also trying to decide where are the darkest darks. For me, this is the scariest part of painting.

I really need those mountains in the background before I can situate myself in this painting. And the green river bank will help me place the water and shadows where I want them.

Now I can begin to block in the shadows and the rocks as I study them more closely. I literally hear a “plop” every now and then as a fish jumps up. I wish my son in law were standing out there fishing. I know he would love this!

With my palette knife, I drag burnt sienna, raw umber and white down to define the cliffs on the left. I make the water move by adding white, and mix some green with cad yellow medium and ultramarine blue and begin to add some foliage. I’m running out of time, but it seems important to bring in more foreground details, letting the water become more alive, and starting to put in some tree trunks. While too white, I need to get all the information in this painting I can. Besides, my body is telling me we need to wrap this up, and soon! Why did I drink three cups of coffee before heading out this morning?

Quickly I add the highway, and the center stripe, load up the paints and head for our condo. Later, when it starts to rain, I can finish the work in our dining room.

Rested and refreshed, I have time to clean up the tree trunks, darken the shadows, add more yellow to the trees. How long did this paint take me? Twenty years, two hours and a few minutes. Traveling to nature’s most beautiful places, taking the time to hear the water flow and thinking about nothing more important than the right shade of green, that’s why I do it. And I invite you to come along with me. It’s a good journey, no matter where the destination!

It’s not perfect, it’s not even worthy of mounting and framing, but it’s a memory captured, a moment in time, and I’m very happy with it.

 

I JUST WANT YOU TO HOLD ME

This summer has been a bummer, and no pun intended! From the loss of an old and dear friend in June to the unexpected death of a cherished four legged constant companion, with all kinds of bad news in between, I’ve begun to wonder if my lucky star has burnt out! Coming home from that last trip to the vet’s office the other day, I heard a song on the Christian radio station with these lyrics: “I just want You to hold me,” and I realized that’s what we all want at times. Not advice, not a lot of cheer-up hollow words, just that one faithful Friend who will come and hold us.

With tears still in my eyes, I went into my studio and sketched out an image:

Normally from this point, it’s pretty easy to add some clothes and skin tone and begin to see the painting emerge:

Yeah, I’m beginning to see the mood, a bit hazy, but it’s a start. Now what kind of background would portray the emotions? Hopelessness, despair, a pit? That’s it, deep down in the low places, can’t go any lower! You’ve been there, too, right?Well, maybe, but perhaps a bit more detail on the rocks.

Somehow the water doesn’t belong here, and the rocks are too warm. we need to put the figures back into a hollow in the rocks, take out the water and make this picture cooler.

This painting may not be finished. I’m not sure it ever will be, or even that I care – I think I accomplished the goal- showing through my art the feeling that there IS always Someone who cares – maybe those walls are still there, and the sun isn’t able to reach down this far, but that little person isn’t alone – and isn’t that what it’s all about?

ON THE ROCKS – Going To My Happy Place

It’s hotter than Holy Hell in South Texas today. And yesterday, and tomorrow. The only cure I have is to retreat to my happy place – somewhere on a beach where the waves are breaking on the rocks and the wind blows salt spray in my face. Come along with me and let’s forget this hot, dry sauna and relax on the beach a while.

I painted this on sheet of 11″ x 15″ Strathmore cold press, 140-lb watercolor paper. I used a #8 Filbert Brush, with a medium sized fan brush for the foam.

First, I sketched out the composition, using a soft pencil.

Next, I painted the sky with a mixture of Ultramarine Blue, Dioxazine Purple and Titanium White. While the paint is wet, using a clean damp brush, I formed cloud shapes, a horizon line and some beginning wave formations.

Mixing a little of this purple mixture with Burnt Sienna, I began to paint the rocks, trying to decide where will the lift come from. I think the left side will be where I place the light on these rocks, so I work more dark into the right side of my painting.;

Adding a little white to the mixture, I begin painting the left side of my rocks, and then scrape over them with the flat end of my paint tube to give them texture. Anything firm and flat will do the job.

Using white and burnt sienna, I begin painting in some sand in the foreground. I add a little of the lavender/sienna mixture to suggest another large rock in the right foreground.

With white and gloss medium, I swirl my brush to create a few more definite clouds, then I mix Hunter Green, white and blue to begin planning the wave action. Notice the “lazy x’s” giving a sense of movement in the background water, behind the foaming wave I am beginning to paint in the midground.

Notice I pulled a little of the blue mixture into the tide pool in the foreground of my painting. Also, see how the darker blue/green up against the white waves gives a feeling of depth. Placing the darkest values against the lightest gives more texture and depth to any surface. Let this dry thoroughly.

Working again on the rocks, I add raw sienna, some of the light purple mix and white, then scrape again to give my rocks more texture.

I added some small rocks in the shallow water, and softened the water in the background by adding white waves over the “lazy x’s”. I also realized the rocks ended too abruptly, so painting in a more gradual incline in the large rocks on the right.

With my white mixed with gloss medium, I used a fan brush to drag the foam over the breaking wave. I also suggested froth in the foreground and ripples in the tide pool, gently pulling the fan brush forward across the little rocks in the foreground. Mixing burnt sienna, green and purple, I deepened the shadows between the rocks, and also darkened the water directly in front of and under the large wave. Adding a little deep green/purple mix makes my wave actions more real, too.

Adding Alizaron Crimson, Blue, Purple and Hunters Green warms up my painting and make a believable image. I think I’ll put my bare feet in the water and cool down. Enjoy!

ON THE ROCKS – Going To My Happy Place

ON THE ROCKS – Going To My Happy Place.

THE TEMPEST IS RAGING, or Pardon me, Madam, Your Mood is Showing!

Have you ever had one of those days? You know the ones I mean, when everything goes wrong and you would go back to bed and pull the covers over your head, only that option is not offered to you? I can now laugh about it, but a few weeks ago, I felt nothing but “Put upon” or as we said in the old days, very adapted! To make a long story short, I was hurt physically, emotionally and financially, and was not a happy camper.

Still, I had a lesson to prepare, so sat myself down to paint a calm, soothing seascape. First, I painted a warm tonal background, using leftover beige paint from a prior session.

Next, using Ultramarine Blue, Cadmium Red Light and Titanium White, I painted in a background, sky and water. I added a bit of blue to make the horizon line.

To that mixture, I added more red and blue to make a darker color for the rocks.

Using loose strokes, I painted in some rocks.

Mixing in a little cadium yellow, I made the sand color. I blended it up into the water to create some tidepools.

Returning to the water, I made a green with the blue and yellow and muted with red to establish where the waves will break. I paint loose lazy x’s in the water, bringing some broken color into the shallow water, too.

I began painting a lump in the middle, thinking the main wave would begin to break just before the water hits the beach.

Mixing white and yellow with the existing wave color, I paint an oval, where the light will begin to shine through.

By putting a darker line across the top, and dragging white shapes down over the wave, I begin to see action in the water. Next, begin filling in the rest of the water behind the wave with big lazy x’s, then gently dab in some white for interest.

By mixing white, yellow and red, I make a peach color for clouds and to show light through the largest wave.

With a very wet brush, I begin to wash in the clouds and rain. I darken my rocks with the red/blue blend I made earlier.

I add some dark green to the base of my breaking waves, and darken the water in the background to add contrast. (And probably because my mood has not brightened at all!).

I add some pebbles in the foreground, a bit of lighter gray to the large rocks, and a bit more yellow to make the stormclouds look angry. Then, for good measure, I drag some of the wet cloud paint down into the water. Now, I think, my painting is matching my mood, and yep! I feel better.

Stormy Weather – in more ways than one!

You’re heading west on a hot August day, REALLY grateful for that a/c and wondering how those first travelers ever made it through this God-forsaken land. It’s late in the afternoon, and you’re already tasting those frozen margaritas in El Paso and hoping you have enough gas to get there. Suddenly on the horizon you see them – those clouds heavy with the promise of rain, and you can’t wait to feel the first drops on your windshield.

Today, we’ll try to capture that moment.

Only two colors, ultramarine blue and raw sienna, mixed with a little white, to block in the sky and the land.

Add a little Alizaron Crimson to blue sky mix and rough in a winding road. Remember that either an “S” or “Z” shape is a good pull on the viewer’s eye. With Titanium White, rough in your clouds and then imagine some mountains in the distance. With a lot of water and only a little paint, drag some of the purple mix from the clouds to the ground in the left – that’s where the showers are moving in.

Dip your brush in the raw sienna and dot a little texture into the foreground for interest.

With a lot of water and a little white, add to clouds. Remember clouds are many layers, and they are mostly water, so don’t be afraid to get it really wet! Using your purple mix, drag more suggestions of rain falling.

With Hooker’s Green, or your own blend of yellow and blue, add some sagebrush. Build your road, suggesting ruts where the years of traffic have worn through the surface.

Add interest by placing a rock formation at the side of the road.

 With Cadmium Red Light, Cadmium Yellow Medium and a little Raw Sienna, warm the foreground. Add a little detail to the cactus, making some of the green darker with blue, and some lighter with yellow.

At this point I will share a common mistake. I goofed! I got so carried away with the texture of the land that my painting lost its focus – the rainclouds are just a blur in the distance! Time to step away, have a cup of tea and look at this painting from a distance. Yup, it’s time to edit out a bit. Don’t be afraid to paint over – the lesson here is that sometimes we lose our focus and need to find it again.

I like the colors, I love the textures, but when I stand back and think about it, I know it isn’t going to work. Something has to go.

Leaving just enough texture in the ground cover to add interest, the ravine was painted out. Now the road leads the eye to the rain clouds, the cactus in the foreground is balanced with the large rock on the left, but the storm on the horizon is the focal point. This painting is finished. We’ll paint a ravine another day!

JUST BE STILL

Today’s image is a study for my next class in San Antonio. I set for myself the goal of painting a still life. It’s amazing how resistant I was to finding a subject, sitting myself down and getting started. In fact, for the past 24 hours I’ve done everything possible to avoid this assignment. Finally this morning, I gathered some items and decided to launch out. First, I wanted to capture the folds in a drape. If my students learn nothing more than that, it will be a meaningful class. Hopefully, we’ll get to the point where they are comfortable painting glass – that will be my secondary goal. After that, we’ll just see where it goes.

First, we paint a soft beige background, using Cadmium Red Light, Cadmium Yellow Medium, a trace of Ultramarine Blue, and Titanium White. Let it dry thoroughly while you drink another cup of coffee. Or something.

Next, with a very small amount of paint and lots of water on your brush, sketch in the main shapes you plan to put in the painting. If you don’t like where you placed them, erase with a damp brush. Play with the arrangement until you are satisfied you have things where you want them. Don’t forget you want the viewers eye to return to the center of interest, so don’t point things outward. Notice the tubes of paint point to the water jar, and even the brushes bring your eyes back to the center.

Mix a little of all your paints together to make a gray, then add Titanium White to lighten the mixture. Study the drapery and look for your darkest shapes. Paint them into your background. This is the most time consuming part. Here is where you ignore the phone, the cat and your computer and really concentrate. Here is also where the cat walks right across your palette paper and you have to stop and mop the carpet. Trust me, this does happen, frequently!

Paint first coat of pure red, yellow and blue labels in tubes. Note white at bottom of each label. Begin painting light gray on jar, paying attention to where the rim goes behind or in front of the brush handles.

Take your time and study shadows around the paint tubes and the drapery. Do you see some light shapes where you might apply white shapes? Notice there are usually three surfaces around a fold: the deepest darkest in the “ditch,” the lightest on top where the light is shining across it, and a mid color in between. Play with these shadows. If you get too dark, let it dry and paint over it. Part of the beauty of drapery is all the combinations of shadows and light.

Mix a bit of red and yellow to make orange, then add a bit of blue to change it to beige. Add enough white to give a warm brown tone and paint in the brush handles. Note shadows cast by the handles of the brush? They are not straight! If the cloth is wrinkled, the shadows also are crooked. Play with those shadows until they resemble what you see. Remember, learning to see is a major part of learning to paint. Observe, observe, and then look again!

At the bottom of the brushes, the ferrules are silver – you can make yours look that way by painting them gray and then adding white highlights when they dry.

Continue working around and inside the jar, adding shadows and highlights as you see them. When labels on tubes are dry, add letters and scribbles to approximate printing on labels. If price tags are still on brushes, put a bit of white and some gray scribbles to represent bar codes and give them a realistic touch. Study bottom of jar and placement of cloth around it. Remember brushes under water will not have sharp edges, so blur them with some gray paint mixture.

Go back around the drapery, adding more or less shadows as you see them. Let the cat in again. Then let the cat out again. This gives you time to contemplate and critique your work.

If needed, touch up any places you missed, sign your name, pat yourself on the back and go take a nap. You earned it!

Keep on Keepin’ On

When you begin a painting, you generally will have a vague idea of where you are going. You may, if you are lucky, have a purpose. In this case, I needed an image for a class I’m teaching, and I wanted something bright and lively, easy for a beginning student, and definitely eye-catching. Beyond that, I hadn’t a clue.

So, I looked for photos of sunflowers. I remembered several things: (1) The center lays deep within the flower, tiny seeds not ripe enough to plant, but definitely growing and waiting. (2) The outer ring is full of seed pods. Pulling them out will yield some seeds you can throw to the winds and wait for Mother Nature to take them where She will. (3) The petals themselves are layered, over and over, in rings, so that you can seldom ascertain where one row ends and another begins. Sort of life the cycles of our lives.

So, I began. First, the underpainting in blue. Of course, it will look great with the yellow-gold flower to follow.

Next, begin putting yellow petals, around and around, overlapping and trying not to make the shapes all the same. Remember, no two snowflakes (or sunflowers) are alike!

Adding first petals

Next, using a mixture of cad yellow medium and cad right light, add more petals.

Adding brighter oranges to the petals

Take your time and work around and around, adding more shades of yellow and more petals. Be careful that each shape is individual and that you don’t get the same strokes on every petal. That’s an easy trap to fall into!

Adding seeds

Now the fun begins! Using burnt sienna full strength, load your brush and holding it upright, begin dotting paint around and around, over and over, heavily laying bits of paint, but reserving the space in the center for a different texture and color.

Heading for the center

Add yellow and cad red light to your brown mixture, and paint centers of the flowers with a smoother motion. You want to feel a difference in the textures of the seed pods.

Finishing up

Go back over your burnt sienna outer circle with dots of orange mix, adding dabs of undiluted burnt sienna where petals join outer circle. Using Cad Yellow Light, add a few more petals to increase three dimensional effect.

Now for some leaves:

OH HAPPY DAY

Using Hooker’s Green, add suggestions of leaves, shading with a bit of yellow mixed with the green. Sign and sell this painting. You are done!

Or maybe you want to play with a red hot background. Be my guest, and get creative!

Going a little crazy

I call this OH HOT HAPPY DAY!

Where Do Those Ideas Come From?

One of the challenges an artist faces is: “What to paint?” If you are in a beautiful place and like to do landscapes, that is not normally a problem. If you are working on a series, you generally have a plan. More often than not, thought, the artist finds himself looking at a canvas and thinking: “What in the world am I doing here? I showed up to paint and have no idea where I’m going today!” Then, sometimes, things just begin to fall in to place.

I like to start my day by reading a chapter in the Bible and meditating a while. As I came to a story in the Old Testament, I began to chuckle. God really does have a sense of humor. The story of Jacob and Esau, beginning around Genesis 25:21, is full of family squabbles, parental favoritism, treachery, devious characters, love and finally passion. I don’t ordinarily do paintings influenced by the Scriptures, but this one reached out and grabbed me.

I went out to my studio and sketched a rough outline of Jacob, his two wives, their handmaidens, whom he reluctantly agreed to lay with, and a field of sheep to show his status in life. I thought originally I would call this painting “Poor Jacob,” because he was pressured by his wives to have children by their maidservants. Jealousy lay at the root of this part of the story, as each wife wanted to claim the most children.

This was to be a very lighthearteded painting, representing a story I had enjoyed and had begun to understand as a history lesson.

As I added colors and fleshed out the characters, the painting became very busy – too much so.

Jacob suddenly became overwhelmed by sheep, children, wives and maidservants, all wanting something from him. Not that he didn’t deserve it!

Be eliminating all the unnecessary elements, and changing body positions, I think I arrived at what was important – the pregnant women, carrying what would become the twelve tribes of Israel, and the very great love Jacob had for his Rachel. How many men would work fourteen years to finally win the woman he truly loved? I think the painting finally begins to reflect the story. His feet resemble tree roots – you figure out why. I think this will remain one of my favorite paintings. “RACHEL MY LOVE” is the title I’ve selected.