The Saxton's River Art Group had their last plein air outing of the season, earlier this week. It was the only one I was able to attend. This one was held at the historic Scott Farm in Dummerston, VT.
This was my watercolor from the outing, painted all on-site. I found a lovely spot to paint out of the sun under a big tree with the steady sound of a running waterfall.
I added the two figures above as their had been a couple sitting on the picnic table earlier.
Landscape painting never gets old. At least for me it doesn't. I notice things about the landscape everyday in my travels. The light and shadows say so much about the time of year and characteristics of the land.
For this watercolor I tried a new painting block, one by Winsor & Newton. The paper has a different texture than I am used to but I feel good about this surface.
I like the foliage of the tree and the space within the leaves. It sort of has a life of it's own with well-defined edges. In addition, there was an interesting cloud which I was proud of, but it got buried behind the tree foliage
Painting more varied and diverse skies is something I have been working on. In the past I relied heavily on ultramarine blue with some combination of blue and perhaps would add some red to get a little gray.
However, this Summer I purchased a cerulean blue from Daniel Smith which is the best tube of this pigment I have ever used. Here I have blended from the horizon - brilliant orange/alizarin crimson and cerulean for a sky very different from what I would normally come up with. The sky sets the mood for the landscape setting so it is important to capture what it is you want to say.
The more I use The Master's Choice watercolor paper, the more I like it. In particular, I like this rough surface which has a lovely texture when the pigment has settled into all it's little hills and valleys.
This has been a challenging year to paint outside. With all the rain and forecast for rain it has been very uncertain whether painting outside would be successful.
Today, I got outside on this lovely day and did some watercolor painting. I had low expectations for what I would produce but was pleased with the experience and the result. I hadn't painted outside in months but found I was quite focused and not bothered much by all the distractions.
There is a well-used frisbee golf course in town at the local open space called Living Memorial Park. Many, many people paraded by me with frisbees but overall it was a great experience.
Every summer my wife and I make our journey to the Clark Art Museum in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It is a beautiful museum in a beautiful setting with a state of the art permanent collection.
The last few years after the museum closes for the day we have been climbing the hill above their campus by trail to take in the view. I like the pastoral landscape up on the hill with the clusters of mature trees, open grassland and rough contours. Usually I take some photographs as the landscape is so distinct and undeveloped.
This experience inspires me to paint watercolors of this setting. This watercolor above is drawn from that experience. Since this last visit I have tweaked my palette some. To represent the warm greens and yellows I have been combining aureolin with cerulean and cerulean in my sky over ultramarine blue.
On my recent trip to Portland, Maine I purchased a small watercolor block made by Rembrandt. I had never heard of this brand of paper but I really like how this surface receives pigment.
You can see in the photograph above how fresh the watercolor looks. This is the first time using this paper so I am optimistic about what I can do going forward.
The surface of the paper has a nice little weave to it. I purchased this in Maine at the Artist & Craftsman Supply Store. This is the best arts store I have ever been in.
A Summer of rain has made Vermont very green. It's like Spring in the Summer. Also, the various shades of green are so vivid and lush.
I painted this watercolor of a local trail because I have not seen it like this, at this time of year, if ever. It does make for a good scene though. These colors tweak my palette more along the cooler blues than I usually use at this time of year.
With this rain the animals seem to have returned, too. After a trip to Maine the skunks, woodchucks, squirrels and mice seem to have multiplied.
Last week my wife and I visited the Clark Art Museum in Williamstown, Ma. This is basically our annual pilgrimage to see some of our favorite paintings from their permanent collection as well as view new exhibitions.
Unlike most major museums the Clark Art Museum sits in a rural setting which makes the visit even more special. The buildings and campus were upgraded several years ago and now has walking trails and a greater environmental focus.
Since I am recovering from an eye infection and did not want to do a lot of reading, my wife and I took a tour let by a knowledgable docent and participated in a talk in their prints and drawing room. One of the drawings was a watercolor by Winslow Homer.
Fitz Henry Lane(1804 - 1865) was a leading marine painter of the mid - 19th Century. A great draftsman who could render a ship's portrayal in such detail with rigging as well as anyone in his day. Also, he was masterful at capturing the late day sun whether a ship was docked for the night or the setting sun cast across the harbor and distant landscape.
These are the qualities I think of when someone mentions the name - Fitz Henry Lane. Last week at the Portland Museum of Art, in Portland, Maine, one of his paintings on exhibit drew my attention. His painting: Annisquam Marshes, Near Gloucester Massachusetts, 1848(oil on canvas), has this warm glow of light toward the horizon with a river zig-zagging and meandering through the salt marches. This line of movement draws your eye deep into the picture.
I found this composition and Lane's mastery of color so captivating I studied it later in the week when I visited the museum a second time. Ironically, there are no ship's portrayed in this painting which was his trademark.
Recently, I spent some time in Portland, Maine, with my wife. On one of the hottest days we were there, we headed out to one of our favorite beaches. Sebago Lake, nearly an hour west of Portland is a good-sized lake with a beautiful, sandy, yet shady beach. It has a grove of tall pine trees lining the shoreline.
It was refreshing to swim and bob around in such clear water. The beach is so relaxing as there are no rocks or shells with sharps edges to be concerned about.
The only thing missing from this watercolor are people. However, it was not a crowded scene as one might expect. Often there are children from summer camps who get bussed out from the Portland area but not on the day we visited.
This week I came upon that book and it is titled: Norman Rockwell:Drawings 1911-1976 by Stephanie Haboush Plunkett and Jesse Kowalski. Not only is it well written but it has many, many of his drawings of figures and models in his classic compositions for his commissioned works.
I just love his pencil drawings. His figures are so masterfully composed, I could look at the pages all day long. I am hoping to improve my figure drawing by practicing with some of his figures in my sketchbook.
Pen and ink with watercolor makes a dramatic statement. It adds a very illustrative quality to the finished appearance. Or at least the way I typically use pen and ink.
This watercolor was done many years ago during a time when I was also into colored inks. The colors are clearly defined just as the ink is.
This is another example of how diverse watercolor can be utilized. You can layer washes or blend pigments or as in this case paint by numbers pretty much.
Watercolor studies are so important in developing your composition. In addition, simply recording a scene with direct painting is real valuable. I routinely do both of these practices.
However, I make other studies which consist of experimenting with color mixtures. There is an endless quantity of color swatches to explore. Ultimately, I turn these color swatches into landscape paintings.
Learning as many color combinations as I can creates a whole data bank to draw upon. Often times, subtle changes in color can make a major difference in your painting.
These four landscapes began as color studies which evolved rapidly as a way to experiment in how to use them in my paintings.
Plein air painting is a great experience if you are willing to paint outside. However, painting outside for me this season has been a real challenge. Between poor air quality, rain and allergies like I have never experienced, it has been downright difficult to paint outside.
In addition, with a constantly changing schedule, it has been difficult to establish a routine. Hopefully, late summer and fall will be a different story.
This watercolor was painted at a boat landing along the Connecticut River. There is a freshness of approach in color and expression that I like in this picture.
Painting the landscape is the most rewarding. Tweaking the landscape to make it a stronger composition is even better.
Lately, I have been experimenting with quinacridone red and viridian as a mixture which can be seen in the foreground. Also, it is seen in the background in the woodland edge. It may look similar to a 'red brick' color. However, it is a lively color I intend on using in the future.
I have veered away from using payne's gray on it's own. It seems best when mixed with other pigments. So, I have turned to other pigmentations for most of my shadows. Here you can see I have applied the red and green combination.
It is very satisfying to try new colors and experiment with new techniques and brushes.
It always feels great to do some drawing. If I haven't drawn for a few days I feel like something is missing from my life.
With such a strange Summer due to poor air quality, a nasty prolonged allergy season and rainy periods it doesn't seem like July. After all these are the longest days of the year.
However, drawing captures some aspect of the Summer which I can refer back to. Also, it is a great meditative activity.
Vermont truly has a green landscape. Maybe not so much in the winter but definitely during the summer months. This watercolor actually depicts a spring scene during one of the drier seasons I can recall.
During a local garden tour I took a photograph of this scene because it was so verdant and calming. I knew I had to paint this at some point. I think I was drawn to the sky as much as the landscape.
This was painted on a watercolor block of 'The Masters Choice'. This paper has a rough surface which I have really come to embrace.
Several weeks ago my palette of a decade(seen below) separated from the top and simply gave out. This sized palette was great as it did not take up much space and was relatively portable. However, without a cover the pigments can spill and it became a challenge to transport.
Several years ago I bought a second palette of the same dimensions and configurations which I thought I would use for painting portraits. So this one has been pressed into service. With a new palette it provides an opportunity to arrange ones's colors differently, or limit your palette or add new colors. Nevertheless, I have been agonizing over which changes I should make and then break in the new palette.
Normally, one is advised to put cool colors on one side and warm colors on the other side. So, I have stuck wth this tradition and added some of the umber and ochers in the strip above the mixing well.
While thinking about all this, I am propelled to paint larger with larger brushes which require a palette with larger paint wells. I included a larger brush in the photograph above which one can see does not fit easily into the smaller wells of this palette.
These decisions seem so important to me. Others may not see it this way. However, how you locate your pigments is critically important. When mixing pigments there are certain color combinations you rely upon to rapidly develop your painting. These color relationships evoke temperature and memories of past associations so it worth thinking this through.
It is always rewarding to draw or paint in my sketchbook. I really have no hesitation so the pen or brush starts flowing once I open it up. Plus, it is great to refer back to, as I experiment with numerous color combinations and thumbnail sketches.
Developing sketches on the human form are essential for me as my images become more and more fluid. In addition, I find it important to adjust my painting approach depending on which paper os surface I am using. Thin papers I am more likely to paint wet on dry while heavier surfaces I aim for more of a wet on wet approach, if it seems right.
Regardless, once I put pen or brush to paper, the creativity just oozes out. I increasingly want to paint with a larger brush on a bigger scale.
Discovering new color combinations is always inspiring. It simply changes my relationship to the landscape and transforms how I see the paper.
This blue-gray pigmentation is the result of combining quinacridone violet with phthalocyanine green. The cool, yellow in the foreground is hansa yellow which seemed like a fit to drop into the foreground.
This blue-gray pigmentation seemed alive when it was wet and full of energy as I worked the edges of the wash. As lively as it is it seemed like a background color, nonetheless.
I write the names of these color combinations on my swatches so I can refer to them when necessary. It is sort of a vocabulary I can draw upon.
