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Watercolors force me think in reverse from the way I have to think when painting in oils. I have to paint negative space and work light to dark, which is really an incredibly good exercise in visual thinking.

Even though I failed in my objective of communicating the beauty of those glowing mosses, I feel the painting still contains some of the magic and mystery of nature. I do intend to try some more paintings on gold gesso.

Another misty sunset in the mountains. I used Grumbacher Copal Medium in this and really didn't like the effect this time. (It was fine when I was painting the red tulip, go figure.) But this time, every brushstroke seemed to lift the paint underneath.

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While I was painting, one of my friends took my picture. Yes, I am using an umbrella in the shade! It really helped, too. There was dappled light coming through the tree above.

Another scene from Shenandoah National Park... Getting to the falls was quite a hike, but it was downhill all the way. Getting back was another story. This was as much of the falls as I could see, because there was so much brush in front of me, I couldn't see the bottom. As you can see, there wasn't a lot of water.

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I can't believe how hard this was to paint. I had to wipe it off and start over three times! And I'm still not totally happy with it. I just keep telling myself, "It's only a daily painting, it's only a daily painting, it's only... "

Maybe I'm being too perfectionistic, but the very slight changes in the value and temperature of the colors, plus all the soft blending made a huge difference in the aerial perspective. The so-called "rules" of aerial perspective, (that colors get lighter and bluer and less intense as seen from a greater distance), seem to have been written on a sunny day with a blue sky. Here, at dusk, there was so much red in the light, there was a lot of purple in the distance. Actually, the color of those background mountains, which appears blue-violet here, had so much red it, it looked pink on the palette.

The sun seemed to be floating on a layer of purple mist. I put a little thalo turquoise in the sun, so it would vibrate against the reds.

I spent last weekend at Shenandoah National Park. Beautiful! The flowers in this painting are black-eyed-Susans.

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I have been invited to take part in an exhibit, Carnegie Painted, hosted by 3rd Street Gallery in Carnegie, Pa. So, I went to Carnegie with Monica, an artist friend, to see what the town looked like. It was one of those misty mornings, and the sun was just starting to burn off the haze. I liked the silvery light shining off the rooftops.

Having grown up in the mountains, I know there is a comforting feeling of being nestled in among the hills, almost like being wrapped in a soft blanket. Their undulations protect you from the extremes of wind, snow, and sun. I lived for awhile on the plains, and it felt exposed, raw, but also expansive, and the sky was huge!

I really tried with this photograph, but can't get the colors to match the painting... Hope it doesn't look too bad on your monitor.

Heavens! I look like I am totally concentrating on it, which I guess I was...

I was reading that an artist should tell her viewers where the scene in a painting is located, but darn, I don't know where I was here... (Somewhere in Tucker Co., WV) And what's more, I didn't mind not knowing, because I do know that if I go a little further, there will be something I can identify on a map. And the people are friendly.
I sort of got carried away on this one, and put in more detail than usual, but all that detail was just so nice!

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Another autumn scene while I wait for spring to arrive...

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Here is the Cheat River again. I paint it a lot. Autumn is the most colorful time of year, and I like to make the most of it by getting a lot of photos. I also kayaked here. The water was so shallow, I could see every grain of sand on the bottom. There are dangerous rapids just downstream. (I don't do rapids.)
I like this one. The evening light had a lot of orange in it. I toned the canvas orange, and was still adding it to almost every color.

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I saw this lovely lady while driving down Route 50 with a friend.

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back from Valley Head. It was beautiful! We stayed in a wonderful B & B owned by Grey Darden and Don Morfitt, and painted every day. There was snow, like the scene below. Believe it or not, this is a color photograI'm back from Valley Head. It was beautiful! We stayed in a wonderful B & B owned by Grey Darden and Don Morfitt, and painted every day. There was snow, like the scene below. Believe it or not, this is a color photograph.

Sun so bright it hurts your eyes! Strong contrast. Sparkle on the melting snow. Here is one of our fast disappearing rural scenes.

This was an almost completely light and dark gray scene. (No white, too overcast). To keep it from being too cold, I toned the ground a light orange. With blues and purples applied on top of the orange, it takes on an almost luminescent quality. Really neat!

This is the first of my daily paintings. I just returned from a Carol Marine workshop which inspired me to create and post small works. If you are an artist, and considering doing daily paintings, I highly recommend Carol's workshops! Of course, some days, if I am working on a large painting, I'll post that too.
This painting was done from a photograph I took in Grafton, WV, on a wonderful autumn morning when a brillant sun was burning off the mist.

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It's hard to believe this is the last day of painting in France. We were driven to the harbor of Valence. The boat docks were such a chaotic scene, with boats everywhere, that I turned around, and in the other direction was an interesting cliff.
It had an outcropping at the top, and we were all wondering if this was a castle or a natural formation. The color matched the color of the rock cliff perfectly, which of course it would if it were built from the rock on site. It did turn out to be a castle, as I learned later. 13th century. Actually, it's a famous landmark in this area.

In painting this scene, I began by wrapping a rag (yes, real cloth, not a paper towel) around my finger and dipping it into mineral spirits. Then I dipped it into the pile of burnt sienna on my palette, and smeared a light coating onto the panel to tone it somewhat evenly. After that, using the same rag, I built up the darker areas by applying more burnt sienna. Paint could be removed or lightned by wiping with a clean corner of the rag. This is a very fast and easy way to start, and it's easy to see the dark/light pattern. After that, of course, I painted over it with the actual colors, but I like to leave some of the underpainting showing, because it unifies and gives some sparkle to the work.

Crussol Castle - 8" x 10" - oil

Changing the subject a bit, do you remember the picture of me painting, in the blog post from the day in Romans? I was wearing a hat with a large brim. Well, some of the other artists put me with the hat in their paintings! Here is a pastel sketch by Martine Aussenard-Buffat, from France.


Here I am in a watercolor by Susan Johnston, of Dover, DE, USA.


Later in the afternoon, we returned to the art center in Tain l'Hermitage and hung our paintings for the final exhibition. The final exhibit was packed with people! There was much wine and chocolate, and so many people you could hardly see the artwork. Then we sat, if we could find a chair, while the organizers of the event and town officials gave speeches in French, with an English translation after each. Well, folks, I have to admit, a long speech was going on in French, and I was sort of glazed-over... when all of a sudden, they played the Star-Spangled Banner! and everyone in the room stood! Of course, it was the 4th of July!  I think all the Americans got teary-eyed!


Flags of the countries represented.

Next year the event comes to the USA!

Here I am, painting in Romans.









It was another hot day, with humidity hanging in the morning air. But I love misty landscapes... the nostalgia... the sense of expectation, the feeling that something is about to happen... So, here was the scene:


There is almost no color. I like the way there is light coming through the arches on the left, and darkness is behind the arches on the right, and the left arch appears darker than the right. I know the scene doesn't look like much, but this is about making art, not reproducing the scene in front of me.

As I worked, the mist was burning off, and more sparkle appeared in the water. Here is the final painting:

Bridge at Romans  8" x 10"  oil

After lunch, it was so hot, I wanted to be in the shade. So, I joined another artist, and we went to the park. There, I sat on the ground, and made this little watercolor.

Cool Waters  7" x 10"  watercolor

All in all, not too bad a day. Afterward, I should mention, we went back to the art center in Tain l"Hermitage and ate some fantastic French food, with a lot of wine and chocolate! Thank you, Valrhona Chocolate, for your generous contribution!

Church towers above the town in Vion

Talk about medieval-looking towns!
Okay, I liked the play of light and shadow, and the texture of the ancient walls, and the way the church sort of looms in the background and you really don't notice it at first.
So, I set up my easel, in an alley, and it was so hot and bright, I used the umbrella too. However, the paint was becoming tacky before I could get it on the panel. Later we learned that the temperature reached 104 that day.
In the afternoon, we were treated to a tour inside the church. I have posted more views of Vion on Flickr.
Then, later we put our paintings up for an exhibit and reception with the mayor. Then dinner at a restaurant, with much laughing and drinking! (I think we were all a little dehydrated from the heat!).

Tain l'Hermitage is a small town of about 6000 people, in southern France. One travel website said "the only reason to stay here is to drink wine and eat chocolate" (Obviously, the person who wrote that wasn't an artist.)
On this morning, 38 artists, from the UK, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, and the USA, as well as France, were turned loose in the town, looking for painting sites. We each wore a nametag showing the flag of our country. It was Journees de Peinture 2008. Click this link if you are interested in the history of this group.
Knowing I wouldn't have much time until the light changed, I went toward the river, looking for a simple, uncluttered view that could be painted quickly. Across the river was Tournon-sur-Rhone, a town of almost medieval appearance. On the hill, behind the buildings, was a 16th century tower, and there were vineyards around it. I liked the checkerboard pattern of the buildings, and the lively colors. So, I set-up my easel on the riverbank, and went to work.
Back a few days ago, when I was packing, I thought I might have problems with the paint not being dry by the time I had to being the paintings home, so I packed alkyd based oils. Well, the temperature was in the 90's, and my paint was drying on the palette before I could get it onto the panel! Nonetheless, I did manage to complete this painting.

Tournon-sur-Rhone  8" x 10"  oil

I love to paint outdoors, plein air, when I can, though sometimes I do paint from photographs in the studio. If I do use photographs, I like to also have a study, done on the spot, to use as well. 

This is a study from my latest outdoor painting session. It was evening. See how long the shadows are? The light was warm, and as I painted, I was mixing the colors I saw in the landscape very well. I could stand back from the painting, compare it with the actual scene, and the colors matched.



I did take some pictures of the scene as well. This is what the camera saw:

Where did all that blue come from? The white balance was on "auto." The "cloudy" setting might have been more accurate, but I like the color my eyes saw better. Incidentally, those marshmallow-looking things in the photograph are hay bales wrapped in plastic.

Puddle Placement

Here is the unfinished painting, mentioned in the previous post, that I think could benefit from some lights in the foreground.


Now, I’ve added some lights using white tape:


It’s neat the way you can use these lights to lead the eye, and rearrange them till you like the composition. I just have to remember:

1. Mass the shapes, don’t have them scattered and spotty
2. Have them different sizes and shapes
3. Avoid equal distances between the shapes, like this example of poor placement--

Equal spacing is not interesting.

 

Here is the final arrangement:

After I remove the tape I’ll use this photo as an approximate guide for the puddles.

Spring has arrived here in West Virginia, and with it, of course, the apple blossoms and the baby calves. The grass is so utterly green it's almost fluorescent. This is my latest painting, from a friend's farm. Actually, the momma cow was nearby. I just didn't include her in the painting. A small painting like this one, can only handle so much content.

Paintings with lots of green like this one, remind me some of the work of Thomas Dewing, except he seemed to prefer painting pretty young women in those green fields!