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.

Deep Pool Shadow Study I & II

Deep Pool Shadow Study I & II  5 x 5

At McKinney Falls State Park near the Lower Falls where Williamson Creek and Onion Creek converge, is an area of interesting rock formations. Just below the bluffline of terraced limestone, you can peer into a labyrinth of stone pools that are deep and mysteriously dark. The entire formation is currently only a few feet from the surface, but the bright sunlight, when at low angles, casts these intensely dark shadows into the clear water. When we first saw them, our daughter of course wanted to know "what's in there?", "how deep is it?" and "how far does it go?" All good questions that could only be answered by fully exploring with scuba diving gear. As for the image above, I was inspired by the contrast of shade and shadow but also to the formations that were worn smooth yet created sharp hard edges that are anthropomorphic with a resemblance to animal bones. I did these studio watercolor studies to work with an abstract quality of the compositions and variation of hues in the colors.

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.

Summer Field

Summer Field   8 x 8

This painting is based upon the some of the farmland photographs I recently took, but is not of a specific place. I just wanted to capture the sense of  openness in the rural Central Texas landscape with the quality of light  and colors from a hot summer day. The painting has initial layers of acrylic on a canvas board with oil paint for the blended tones and final touches. This entire area of Texas is currently setting records for triple-digit temperatures and the clouds painted here are really just wishful thinking on my part; just hoping for some much needed rain.

Near Kingsbury

Near Kingsbury   6 x 12

After spending all morning at Zedler Mill last Saturday, I drove west on I-10 toward Seguin, Texas. Turning off onto FM 1104, I took the opportunity to photograph some of the vistas along the road. This farmland view is one I found of interest for the sunlight was hitting a patch of ground about a half-mile away and the foreground was entirely in shade from the clouds. I have been wanting to paint scenes with this kind of  light quality, so here the first attempt. This is not a plein air piece, but was painted back in the Studio, or in what my sister and her fellow artist friends call, "plain air-conditioning"! It was a fun painting to do and not too tight although, it does use the inset technique in a slightly more formal manner. I worked completely opaque with acrylic paint in complementary colors to start with and then finished it with oils. I'm not sure exactly how long this one took to paint as I was working on this and three other small pieces at the same time.