My Continuing Love Affair with Water

 

Artists have been drawn to images of water, with its aesthetic and evocative qualities since the early cave man drawings.  There is a soothing quality to water…and evidenced based studies have shown that images of water create a calming, restful environment in healthcare settings.     

 

I was drawn to this composition  because of the strong blue  sky  reflection in this closed in waterway near my home in Eureka.   The winter brush and spent wildflowers had an amazing depth of color to play with.   This is one of the paintings that will be featured in my upcoming show at Art Brokers in Sausalito.   I will post additional images from the show in upcoming days.

I’ve wondered why I rarely paint seascapes since I’ve lived on the Pacific coast for the past 7 years.   I think I should make that be one of my challenges…

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Substrates Part II

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One of my favorite new surfaces to work on is UART sanded pastel paper. Similar to Ersta, which was not ph neutral and therefore not a suitable choice, the UART has a great sanded surface that holds pastel well.  Unlike Sennelier LaCarte, which is great for slowly building glazes of color, the UART creates a painterly surface.  Many layers can be developed with thick applications.  It is a completely different way of working than with the LaCarte and I love the abillity to chance course.  Especially since I have started working in oils again since last year, working with the UARt really opens up a new experience in painting in pastel.  These paintings are from a series I am developing from a trip to Ashland Oregon in November.  The light on the river running through Lithia park made for a plethora of great views to explore.

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BLOG DAY AFTERNOON

This is my first day of my first blog…ever.  I still have to play with all these tags and tools and settings and links and yadayadayada but for now I simply blog.

Today is a great day.  My daughter is no longer in finals so I don’t have to pick her up at 12:45 from her high school like all last week, thus breaking up my work day.  Today I played with figuring this bloggie thing out and managed to get some treadmill time in too.  I had a piece in mind to start on in the studio so I headed out there and got a great start on a new piece.

The pastel I’m showing you here is from last week.  I’ve been drawn to the architectural qualities of campers and trucks.  Why you ask?  Something about the randomness of vehicles in front yards of the rural landscape I wander here in Humboldt County.  There’s a stillness and a sense of melancholy about these scenes.  I created this small 9×12 image from a trip up Highway 36. “Camper”

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