I have been busy painting...really I have, but I just haven't been good about posting. This is something I promise myself I am going to be better at. The above painting was done plein air with Peter Huntoon, who is an inspiring plein air painter. He is equally adept in water colors and oils, and amazingly, approaches them with the same technique. I am so grateful that he was generous enough to spend an afternoon at this lovely spot painting with me. He gave me 2 tips, which aren't new but so good to relearn them. I seldom paint plein air but love doing it. It does overwhelm me though at first. I actually had to come back the next day to finish it up. The water was so calm and the light was so lovely. Peter reminded me to block in the big shapes like I am cutting them out of paper (great tip) and upon finishing it he said to soften the bright colors I had put in on the trees to the left of the island (which I did) because they drew too much attention from my focal point. It really helps to have a second pair of eyes looking at your work. I am heading to Cape Cod this week to practice plein air painting with two good buddies, so I am glad I had this warm-up. Please check out Peter's work by clicking on his name. He is the quintessential Vermont landscape painter. He has an auction for a painting once a week on his website/blog. I love how professional he is with everything he does.
I have been traveling for a couple of weeks. Now I am home and back to painting, so I warmed up with these little poppies. It is hard to jump back in with confidence, but that is what is necessary. I made a fun discovery when I got back. I had not scraped my palette before I left and was getting ready to do that. I cover my paints with little cups called "Paint Savers." A while ago I had glued pieces of felt to the inside of them and applied a drop of clove oil to keep the paints soft between sessions. When I took off the covers after about 2 1/2 weeks of them sitting, the paint was still fresh...not even glooey. It is important not to mix clove oil with the paint, or even get it on the paint brush, because it will not allow the paint to dry on the canvas or panels, but the fumes will keep the paint soft for at least 2 1/2 weeks...so that is cool! I don't expect to have any issues with the painting drying, but time will tell. Also it is important not to use silicone or a
glue gun to adhere them because the clove oil will basically melt the glue, but I used Elmer's wood glue and that worked fine.
Truth be told, I still love to swing. I would love to fly if I could, but swinging is an approximation I think. It is pretty special when you get your first swing. When I was little, a first swing was a board hung by ropes or a tire swing from a tree and then we would graduate to a rope swing over the creek. As a young adult I swung from a tree swing that was suspended from a huge tree over a gorge. That was clearly the most thrilling and the most dangerous and if it hadn't been for my own perceived peer pressure, I would never have done it. Anyway, this little one is clearly enjoying her first swing in spring.
This is Furnace Brook Farm barn in early spring with the hillside budding out in a soft magenta and the crabapple tree, not yet blooming. This is one of those quintessential Vermont landscapes. This farm has a very interesting history, which you can read about here.
This gerbera daisy was a gift for my recuperation. I have a great indoor spot for it and it just keeps on producing lovely blooms. I have been really struggling physically after my surgery and I finally feel like I am starting to gain strength. This painting reflects the joy I am feeling about that possibility. I feel so grateful to be able to paint, and to have the ability to see, feel, smell, breathe and soon, walk. It is so easy to take those things for granted. The greens in this image appear much more intense and uniform than they are in the painting, and the background is a variety of darks (not just black).
For the last four months I have been staring out at the bird feeders in my back yard. Most of that time there was snow covering much of it, but finally the snow has melted the pond has thawed and may migrating and hibernating creatures have returned and there is a hint of green. This is not exactly the details of my scene, but I was more interested in the patterns that were here than in capturing the details.
I am currently at a Susan Abbott workshop in Marshfield, VT, during an incredibly beautiful Vermont fall with lovely temps in the 60's and 70's. And then...winter comes (which I also love) but at the end of winter is mud season which they call spring in other parts of the country. Our spring is usually very short, but when those crocuses pop up (frequently through the snow) it gives hope for a very green season. Crocuses make me happy. They seem like an especially sweet gift. I hope it makes you feel that way too.
My family had a reunion in Colorado recently. We build in lots of time to do what we want, so groups of us head out to hike, rock climb, shop or visit museums or music venues. One morning we went hiking with one of my sisters and her husband. It was a beautiful, cool day in Estes Park. I am showing my initial sketch below and how I finished it above. I love the bands of color and the structural relationships.
I spent the past week in NC with my family. My mother is a painter and so it is always fun to paint with her. We painted several days, including once with her "painting group." I don't take my tools when I travel there, so I rely on her paints, canvases, brushes and set up. I took my ipad with images I wanted to paint but found that distracting. I need to spend some time with it figuring out how to delay the "sleep" mode and how to brighten the screen. I like painting on slick panels so canvas always throws me a bit. Acrylics are great, but they dry so fast, and my mom paints with colors she likes, which are different than what I am used to. The brushes...well, my mom does beautiful work, but she likes bristle brushes and she scrubs the paint into the canvas so her brushes are atrocious! She will admit this as well! Anyway, I did get this little piece done.
