Westlake Beach

Westlake Beach   5x10

Yesterday in Austin was one of those amazing late fall days with near perfect conditions for painting outdoors. The "made to order" day was also, appropriately, the end of year party for Plein Air Austin painters group. The turnout was great and it was really something to see the lakeside park and marina covered with fall color and dozens of artists all out painting ! What a fun group. I have really enjoyed being a part of this diverse and talented group of artists since joining at the beginning of the year. As is typical  on these plein air paintouts, it all went by too fast. Before I knew it, I had spent over an hour taking reference photographs, so I finally set  up to paint and focused on a fairly simple composition in the late afternoon sun. The watercolor study above is of a poplar tree near a wood trellis on the banks of the marina that  took about 45 minutes to complete.

Still Life 11.23.10

Still Life 11.23.10   5x10

This piece is similar to the small still life paintings I was doing about ten years ago. It is really from an illustration technique of lifting pigment from a non absorbent surface. I first learned to do this using gouache on paper prepared with gesso. The brushed gesso left a texture to the paper surface that is visible through the pigment. This painting however is on Strathmore  140 lb cold press paper, which seems to have a slight coating to the surface that allows the lifting of the color similar to what I described. It lends a mottling to the washes that are, not flat areas of color, but have a variation when applying the pigment with the color defining the edges. It works well for creating these reflections.

Still Life 11.22.10

Still Life 11.22.10   5x10

One of the subject matters that has been missing to date are still life compositions. I  have wanted to start working again with this subject for a while. We have a collection of small  colored glass bottles & here I have place these two with one of our recently cleaned and varnished copper mugs.  This small painting is on a piece 90 lb. watercolor paper. It is a blend of wet on wet painting with flat washes of color. This particular paper does not allow for lifting the pigment, rather it is absorbent and holds the color by staining of the pigment into the paper.

Upper McKinney Falls Study

Upper McKinney Falls Study  5x10"

This watercolor study is based upon one of the photographs taken recently at McKinney Falls State Park. I sketched out the composition from viewing the photo on a large monitor in the studio. It had been several days later after drawing the initial composition  before I was able to start painting  on this piece. Instead of working from the photographs for color reference, I painted from memory. I recalled a basic palette and kept this study relatively simple by starting with four colors; Payne's gray, hookers green medium, burnt sienna, and  quinacridone gold. Some shadows have violet t hues, as well as areas of the limestone rocks.Ultramarine and cerulean blue were used in the foreground water.

Lower McKinney Falls

Lower McKinney Falls   5x10

With the fall color starting to develop to the extent  it does this time of year in Austin, it was high time to get back outdoors. We spent a late afternoon recently at McKinney Falls State Park on the edge of Austin. It was a warm and cloudless early November day perfect for taking lots of reference photographs of this beautiful state park. This painting depicts a setting with views of the Lower Falls from the Beach Area where Onion Creek has carved out a wonderful spot for swimming although there were only day hikers at the time.

Waterlily ten five ten

Waterlily ten five ten  5x10

Using the date as name seems like a quick way to get the point. Painted on 10.05.10 I had sketched this studio work on one of the five by  ten inch sheets of watercolor paper which I had prepared for this series. Several are mounted on cardboard ready to go. This one had been in the studio for a few days now, so long in fact, that after several deadlines that I am not sure if the composition was from the Taniguchi Garden or from Mayfield Park. I painted this in a more controlled manner than I intended and it seems to have a quality that reminds me of some Japanese woodcut prints I have seen. It also has a feel similar to prints by Arthur Dow. I like this technique as a way to continue with a specific approach  to watercolor painting almost as a meditation in layers of colored washes. It is similar to the approach for the architectural renderings. The next one should be far more loose if for nothing else than for the fun of it.

On The Blanco

On The Blanco  5x10

Sunday was truly a picture perfect day, ideal for taking a day trip with the family to go just west of Blanco, Texas and see the large Dinosaur tracks in the banks of the Blanco river. As awesome as these are, I think playing in the crystal clear water of one of the natural spillways was a favorite for all the kids. I had never been to this spot where these amazing tracks are embedded into the limestone just above the waterline. It is a beautiful part of the Texas hill country. This small studio work is a watercolor on paper painted today  from a photograph looking east back towards the low water crossing near the footprints. The cloudless sky is reflected in the river with deep shadows defining the banks.

Taniguchi Garden Study

Taniguchi Garden Study   5 x 10

Picking up where I had left off, this is a watercolor study from the same paintout session at the Zilker Botanical Garden last month. It is the first plein air watercolor I have done since back in the spring. The intent now is to begin each of the sessions with a loose watercolor sketch then move to the more formal acrylic or oil painting. This is the first effort using those steps. The acrylic painting Yukimi Lantern was produced after this one later that same morning. I think Stephanie seems to like this one best and wants to have it in her office.The Yukimi Lantern and Zedler Mill paintings have been selected to be included in a upcoming group exhibition by Plein Air Austin at the Bass Concert Hall in Austin. I am very pleased to be able to participate with such excellent artists and I am looking forward to seeing how well the rest of the group's work is received.

Tree Rope

Tree Rope  6 x 12

This painting, for me, brings to mind many of the things I love about summertime in  central Texas. A beautiful natural spot to paint outdoors, a cool swimming hole created by clear spring water, and the majestic scale of the large cypress trees along the water's edge. Fortunately, there are several such places near Austin. When you are lucky enough to live nearby & find the time to go and explore such a place, once you do, you know it is something special. And what swimming hole would be complete without a tree rope to jump in on ?

When I started the 5 x 10 series, I knew it was an easy size to create on watercolor paper. For the opaque paintings on canvas though, it is another matter. My research of the mainstream art suppliers concludes that there is no such animal. However, this 6 x 12 inch canvas board is a size I like and I simply created an inset to define the 5 x 10 area. I have worked this way with sketches and watercolors. It is a way of matting the image and lends itself to an informal work by having the edges of the painting show the loose initial painting and the inside area be the finished work. I think it works well with this size for the Plein Air paintings. For an exact 5 x 10 inch painting, I may need to cut masonite boards to size. These however, may be nice options.

IN THE BEGINNING

"Let's begin" ...

This is the way, I've read, in which a certain famous film director starts when shooting a take. He doesn't say "action", which is what is considered to be typical, but rather he says "Let's begin." It makes me wonder what God might have said in the beginning. You know, at the "Big Bang", the ultimate one take action scene. Might he have said ...(quiet on the set,)  ..."ACTION !" 

Hmmm,...perhaps HE might have said, simply, ..."Let's begin". 

Well, this is not a movie and it certainly is not an act of God, but is it an act of faith, and after months of research and evaluation of whether or not and how to and what if's, I have started this project; a blog. More precisely a blog about my artwork and the process by which it is made. It is an entirely new direction for me, but I am inspired by what I believe to be the most direct way to engage my work with the widest possible audience. My goal is to make the best art possible on a intimate scale and to create and present the content in a way that is worthy of your attention. So, with that,....let's begin.

This watercolor is one that I produced just after my fiftieth birthday in April. It is an imaginary scene depicting what was at the time, perhaps the most colorful springtime I have ever seen in central Texas since moving here some fifteen years ago. It has no title other than the date; 04.21.10 and it measures just under 5 inches wide by approx. 10 inches high. It is a 2 to 1 ratio totaling 50 square inches. It is a prototype for this project. To me that is perfect for this point in my life at 50 years old. A new beginning.

Five by Ten or 5 x 10. It was the theme of a small gathering for my fiftieth birthday and it seems perfect to use as a project painting size. I am going to produce as many of these five by ten paintings as possible until the 18th of April, 2011. I will post these new paintings here where you may see them and comment on them and also contact me to purchase them should you wish. The final details will be worked out, but the importance for me is to begin producing the work. I have plenty of subject matter and materials to use. Not all of the paintings will be in watercolor. But, I often find scraps of watercolor paper remaining from the architectural renderings I produce for Studio B. I find them and simply start to paint for the sake of painting and many times it is of the sky with clouds. A scene for the day, if you will. A visual diary of the days weather perhaps, or even just a sky with minimum landscape. I have dozens of these paintings I have produced over the past four or five years. I am drawn to how watercolor can capture and depict the sky & clouds with the simplest of means using pigment and water. It is the most appropriate medium for creating the cloud vapors against a clear blue sky using water as the common element between the two. It is something that is simple and yet magical while never being quite the same way twice.

There it is then. That may well be the mission statement here; To create something magical and never be exactly the same way twice.