Back on task

I've finally gotten back to my dad's painting project. I took down the foamcore house model from where I had stored it (wanted to keep it away from the kids' hands), set up a white background, and am working on positioning my easel with a lamp attached to it to simulate bright sunlight.

Still wondering how to simulate the large pine tree to the side of the house.

But at least I'm thinking about the project again.

Enough with 'New Ideas'

I think it's time to say "enough" with this test painting. I had lost interest in it a couple of weeks ago, and then I had my young visitors, so I hadn't returned to it.

Most of the updates concern the foreground: the high weeds around the buildings and the pasture in front.

I didn't do anything with the secondary building to the far left. I think it was a compositional mistake to include it, or at least it was a mistake to let its roof be so dominant and so light.

I played with using white crayon after painting the first yellows for the high weeds to help retain that color and created a more ragged edge for the plants once I brought the reds and mixed blacks of the barn's sides and shadows down against the plant's tops. It wasn't all that successful a technique. I think I would have to use a clearer wax resist to try it again. The white crayon dulled the yellow too much, I think.

Another young painter

Continuing the theme of young painters, I hosted another budding artist over the weekend. Kadie, my 4-year-old niece, worked on an abstract, with an overriding need to cover every inch of white paper with paint. She had an explanation for all the painting's elements, but I admit, she lost me after a bit.

She also completed a crayon portrait, which at times alternated to a landscape, depending on what story she wanted to illustrate. Eyes became ocean, hair shifted to grass.

Isn't art the greatest means to ultimate creativity? Make it whatever you want, as long as it fulfills you as its creator. Paint with a child for a while, and your perception of art will change.

Portrait of the Artist as a Young, Young Man

Today I am proud to display the work of my nephew Zack, who came to stay with me for a few days over the weekend. When he visits, he likes to use my studio (which is only natural since it doubles as my spare bedroom) and paint with Aunt Kristen.

As a six-year-old, Zack is all about color and more color. If it's bright and bold, he likes it. I could use some of his confidence when painting, I think.

He noticed the unfinished barn painting I discussed in my last post propped up along my desk, and decided he wanted to complete a version of the same scene. Amazingly, like me, he decided he was dissatisfied with the foliage in the background, and omitted that part of the scene. So his version has a very airy feel.


As for the rainbow . . . well, on that piece we explored a range of ideas. He was disappointed that his paints only included red, blue, yellow and green (as well as black and white), but I explained that his paints were more than sufficient if he wanted to make a rainbow.

So we employed a few techniques, including painting wet- into-wet, as well as glazing, to create the spectrum of Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue and Violet (we skipped Indigo). We also used those techniques to create the cheery sun in the upper left corner.

The young artist proudly presented the fruits of his labor to his mother yesterday morning. And I look forward to my next painting session with him.

New ideas

I'm trying out some of the ideas from Lynn Ferris' workshop, specifically the idea of mixing colors on the paper rather than on the palette.

I did a fast sketch of this scene on a piece of 140# cold press Arches, stretched over a board. Then I plunged in -- and immediately hated how it was turning out.

But I keep plugging along on this. I have no plans for it -- it's purely an experimental exercise, but it's slowly growing on me.

What I'm most unhappy with is the background foliage. It feels like a flat, green mass, with very little sense of depth.

But what I'm most pleased about are the blacks, the shadows within the building. I'm worked hard with using the complements together there, mixed on the paper. (They're permanent Alizarin Crimson and Pthalo Green, by the way).

So an interesting experiment so far. I'll see how it comes out.

Lynn Ferris Watercolor Workshop

I haven't been painting much, as is evident by the dearth of posts I've made lately. So it was wonderful to have an amazing artist conduct a workshop so close by this weekend.

The Lost River Artisans Cooperative in Lost River, W.Va., hosted Lynn Ferris (painting in the photo above) of Berkeley Springs, W.Va., for a two-day workshop, June 13-14. Lynn has garnered several awards from regional artist groups, as well as a feature article in a national magazine. She spends part of her time in West Virginia, and then heads to Florida each winter where she participates in several well-known art festivals.

I'm amazed at artists who make their craft a way of life -- and the means by which they live. But to hear her talk about life as a working artist, the vision isn't entirely made of roses.

When Lynn prepares to paint, it is work. It's her job.

Thankfully, she says, its a job she really, really enjoys, but she admits that the knowledge that she's earning her keep with each stroke of her brush is ever present. "It's how I pay my mortgage," she says.

In fact, she acknowledges some envy of those who can paint without the burden of financial worries. Time is a critical element for her, given her show schedule, teaching duties, and day-to-day business needs, so when she has carved out painting time, it has to count.

It was an eye-opening conversation for me. I grumble and worry about finding time to paint because of my job. Here's someone who paints for a living, but who still has so many of the same wishes. We both want to paint just to paint. But we are limited in finding that time.

So in a sense, I received two sets of lessons over the weekend: one involving brush, pigment and paper, and another about life.

As for those tangible painting lessons, let me recount what Lynn emphasized.

She uses a limited palette, relying most heavily on a triad of colors: Phthalo Blue, Alizarin Crimson, and Cadmium Yellow. She also uses a great deal of Phthalo Green. All but Cad Yellow are transparent, so why the opaque pigment, I wondered?

It's all about the color, Lynn explains. It's an "honest" yellow, that's consistent from brand to brand, helpful in teaching her classes, but it's also the right tone for her work. And she uses it thinly, so it functions in a transparent way.

With this limited palette, she took us through a series of exercises, intended to stress mixing colors on the paper, and the advantages of glazing. She also conducted a demonstration and lesson on negative-space painting that really has the potential to simplify ideas for me.



The second day led up a capstone lesson on using all the previous exercises to define a structure's form with dramatic shadows. Her shadow technique is the critical reason for my interest in her work. Her shadows are so eye-catching and full of flowing colors. In this photo you can see Lynn applying her go-to pigments in a wet-into-wet style.



Here she is drying the first layer with a hairdryer. Subsequent glazed layers, applied in a similar way, create depth within the shadows. No boring grays and neutrals here. It's an amazing transformation from stilted geometry to brilliant, emotional passages of color.

It was a great workshop, with plenty ideas for me to chew on.

To see more of Lynn's paintings, visit her Web site: www.lynnferris.com.

Lynn's latest work, a series of figurative paintings, some of which have won significant awards, is on display now at the Monongalia Arts Center, Morgantown, W.Va., through the end of June. For more, see http://monarts.bizland.com.

The artisans' cooperative is planning more classes through the summer, including photography, chair caning, stained glass, natural fiber dyeing, and eclectic birdhouses. For more on the classes, see www.lostrivercraft.com.

Vacation sketches

I gave my sketching kit a workout last week as my husband and I took a wonderful trip to Holly River State Park for a weeklong vacation.

Holly River is in an isolated area of central West Virginia, and it is our favorite of West Virginia's many wonderful state parks and forests. There are only 10 cabins, clustered in an amazing grove of old-growth hemlocks, and the soothing sounds of water rushing through Laurel Fork, down the hill about 20 yards, sends me peacefully to sleep each night.

We easily fell into a routine. After a morning of hiking, we would wash up and then venture out in late afternoon to find a comfortable swing or bench. I would then sketch or paint, while my husband read. Evenings consisted of lazy strolls through the park grounds, card games or a jigsaw puzzle.

I completed four sketches. A view of our cabin is at the top of this post.

Below is a view of the park office. All of the buildings at Holly River, most of which were built by the CCC boys during the Depression, are made of log or smooth river stone, or a combination of those materials.


My sketching kit performed admirably, and after the first sketch, I was able to adjust to the challenges of rendering linear perspective. Since I've fallen into the pattern of working from photographs, I find myself using the print's edges to develop vanishing points when drawing. For plein air work, that visual reference is gone. These sketches are a little off, but generally accurate, and I was pleased to make the adjustment.

For more about Holly River State Park, visit their Web site, www.hollyriver.com

Mixed media

I've been doing a few miniatures as part of a project with my friend Mary VanMeter, owner of Water Street Gallery in Petersburg, W.Va. Mary's not into the internet or e-mail, preferring a solid correspondence as a way to stay in touch. So we've been sending notes to one another this spring, each containing a miniature original.

The last two I've completed have used watercolor and colored pencil. I did not save an image of the first mixed media attempt (Mary has it now), but here's the second one, which I'll pop into the mail tomorrow.

Once upon a time, I was very proficient with colored pencil, which suits my neat-freak, controlled style. But it fits me too well...

Watercolor allows me the opportunity to be bolder and less controlled. Happy accidents are just magical, and water and pigment provide those wonderful surprises in abundance.

This little piece, which is the size of a trading card (2.5" x 3.5") requires me to simplify shapes.

I've done a few small pieces which are quite detailed, but I think this miniature exercise should expand my techniques, rather than shrink my existing style. So I've been trying out new ideas in the series. The simplification of shape and the addition of another medium are just two of the ideas I've explored.

I'll continue to make some other attempts in this vein. I'm trying to make myself think in terms of woodblock prints, with sharp edges, simple shapes, and stark contrasts. I think contrast is what this piece still needs.

Sketching kit

I've put together a little sketching kit that's easy to transport and uses some interesting brushes that carry their own water supply.

Sketching works better for me if I start with a pen drawing of a subject. I'm using Pigma Micron pens with black waterproof ink. I use three nib sizes to create some interest in the drawing with the thicker and thinner lines.

Then I wash over the drawing with my watercolors. The final paintings have the look of book illustrations, but I enjoy the process and the final result. They feel very fresh.

For my travel-size kit, I'm using a postcard-sized watercolor block with Canson Montval paper. I also have a 4H pencil for initial drawing, the three Pigma pens, and a kneaded eraser.

The traveling brushes are moderately priced. These are made by Royal Langnickel, but I've seen other manufacturers offer them as well. The handle of the brush is a clear plastic tube. The plastic is somewhat flexible. Water goes into the handle, and then you squeeze the tube at a point near the brush tip (which screws onto the brush handle). Water then comes through the brush hairs.

It takes a little getting used to it, but, for this kind of light wash treatment over the pen drawing, it works well, and it's great to not worry about balancing a separate water container on my knee.

The brushes came in a package with three brush sizes.

You can see the entire kit, plus a paper towel and my travel-size watercolor palette, in the photo below.

House model complete

It's rough, and I guess it looks somewhat comical, but this model does provide me with the information I need to move forward with this project.

My cutting tools did not provide the control I needed to make really clean cuts, so there are plenty of rough edges in the foamcore, as you can see. And I know my front steps and window frames are twisted as well.

But I can't explain how much fun it is to direct a strong light at the model and then move it around. I love watching the shadows that help define the shape of the structure move and twist with the changes in the light's angle and strength. I also enjoy examining how some edges are sharp and well-defined, while others are soft and fade away.

These are the elements that really draw me into painting: the interplay of light and shadow. The relationships are endlessly fascinating.

I believe the general dimensions of the house are correct, aside from the porch depth being a little too deep. I also have to take into account that the house really was situated on a slight slope, so that changes some of the proportions when I start drawing. The front corners of the porch are also angled in real life, but to simplify the model construction, I did not replicate that shape.