Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Off to Greener Pastures

Painted these sheep form a sketch I did this spring. I tried a more realistic appearance of the sheep but used color on very wet paper. This allowed mixing color on the paper. It stayed wet a long time allowing me to go back over areas that needed it. It is best to use transparent paints. It was a fun session on a cold morning in the studio.

Thursday, December 15, 2016

The Summer Fog

This image of the Golden Gate that I have been playing with is haunting me. I tried several sketches and decided to put some fog under the bridge. It is simplified and has verticles large and small. The curves of the fog add conflict. I like the composition and hopefully it tells a story. I used to live on the Bay and watched the fog come in under the bridge. It was always a spectacle.

Friday, December 9, 2016

Migrant Haven

This is a whimsical painting of flying carpets headed into San Francisco. I love painting the Golden Gate and have used fog, sailboats and even the light house under the bridge. I felt like something different and had a dream last night of being on a flying carpet. I was in line with many others migrating somewhere. We were following like ducks in a line. Maybe the inspiration came from going on painting outings with birders.

Thursday, December 8, 2016

Winter Plein Air Painting

We kent to the creek in the morning of a cold damp day with no sun. Anyone who has tried painting in the cold is familiar with the problem. Watercolor stays wet and fingers get very cold. I am standing by my easel dancing around trying to keep warm. The only thing that seems enhanced with these conditions is the painting of small branches. Your hands are cold and tremulous and this is good. The painting looks cold to me but that may be something I carried back to our show and tell in a nice warm restaurant. I am tempted to work on it but then, I would lose the spontaneity of cold painting.