Woods of Petit Jean

 

The woods are so peaceful on Petit Jean Mountain, and I love spending a little time among the trees!  This path leads down to a fishing pond tucked way back in the trees, which we discovered today.  It will be a lovely place to sketch next time I get the chance.  We hiked the Cedar Creek Trail (with everyone) and the Cedar Creek Overlook (with Mom, too) today.  I saw SO MANY paintings along the creek. We're hiking the Cedar Falls Trail in the morning - and I know that will be a big treat! Painting number 4824 in 4824 days. 

Light through the Trees

This evening finds me capturing that magic hour light as it streams through the trees.  Not wanting to venture along the path without my bug repellant lotion on, I choose the west lawn just past where we hosted Michaela's baby shower today.  With most of the party clean up finished, I can settle into my paints for a little art therapy.  Love that quiet time in the countryside!  Painting number 2706 in 2706 days, and day 7 of 30 in the direct watercolor challenge.

Forest Path Inked

A little black Friday shopping (online) and a peaceful stroll in the countryside with my Preppy fountain pen rounded out this beautiful day.  This very economical pen was easy to fill with Diamine Macassar ink.  I first took the pen apart, soaked it in soapy water, then rinsed and dried the parts.  When dry, I simply reassembled, filling the barrel before screwing it together.  It was easily done and I was writing with it in minutes.   My favorite thing about this pen?  The emerald green nib!  1780 in 1780 days.

Into the Winter Sunset

I had a larger painting window than normal today, so I chose a wonderful 16x20 canvas.  My intentions were to paint something bold and very abstract, but as happens so often, the painting took on a life of it's own.  I blocked in with acrylics using a large brush.  I allowed this to dry while preparing for "game night". After most of my work was done, I started with my oils, using my softest brushes - and Bristlons and mostly Silverwhites.  I love the way the Silverwhites lay down strokes on top of my previous layer, without disturbing that wet paint.  Perfect for finish work.  I feel like this one is done and I'm going to let this one rest - someone is pulling up the lane right now!   Painting number 1464 in 1464 days :)

Oil over acrylic on panel, 16x20
purchase here

Autumn Ablaze

Autumn Ablaze
Watercolor batik on rice paper
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Have I mentioned that watercolor batik is completely unpredictable?  I can use the same methods, color, paper and brushes - yet each time, the results vary wildly!  This time, the thin rice paper absorbed the color more vibrantly, and later absorbed more of the watercolor flooding over the cooled and cracked wax.  Why?  Who knows?  The cracking was more effective because I popped this baby in the freezer to speed the cooling of the hot wax.  Many times, I have to really brush that watercolor over the cracked wax - over and over again, just to get it to accept a bit of that wonderful brown color.......but not this time.  After seeing it so readily absorb, I even backed off, blotting up a few especially heavy areas.  These batik pieces truly are unique - each one moves in it's own way, and there is absolutely no way I could get the same results again!  It is WONDERFUL to have new Pitt pens to sketch out with - I had not realized how dry some of my favs were getting - not until I pulled out a juicy, fresh one! Another creative day in exploring watercolor batik on rice paper - and painting number 1036 in 1036 days :)

Fall in the Forest

Fall in the Forest
Watercolor batik on washi rice paper, 8.5x6
purchase here

For some unknown reason, this washi rice paper (with all of the threads running through it) absorbed all kinds of the batik color after the waxing and cracking.  Mind you, it has never done this before, and it is always a battle to get this paper to bend to my will.....but not today!  In fact, it absorbed more color than I planned on, pushing it towards the abstract!  And yes, I have dropped in a little oil pastel to bring back a few lights for balance.  After all, I am blazing my own trail here and there are no rules!  Painting number 1031 in 1031 days :)

Electric Mountain Reflections

Electric Mountain Range
Oil on canvas, 10x8
purchase here

Tri-County had Melanie Nolker in for a palette knife workshop - and it was super fun!  With bold color choices, I struck out with my palette knife and abandoned my normal palette.  She provided paints, orange primed canvas and a single knife from which to complete this painting.  The underpainting is scraped on very lightly with colors to create an energy with the top layer of thick paint - so not what you want the top color to look like.  Over the top of this, a thick layer is spread on as if icing a cake.  Then, I punched up the colors, allowing the painting to have it's own bold voice! SO FUN and a little crazy! This is Day 19 of the 30 Day painting challenge and my 992nd painting in 992 days.

underpainting

Night Forest

Night Forest
Watercolor, hot wax on masa rice paper, 7.5x5.5

On this batik night landscape, when I got to the "wadding the waxed paper up in a ball step", I rolled that paper vertically instead of just any old way.  The result is batik creases that run up and down like the trees of the forest.  I first painted the light in the sky, adding some of that same color throughout before waxing.  I haven't done batiks for so long - it is fun to get back to them and explore them in different ways.  I will be SO busy in Door County - with little internet access - that I am trying to get ahead of the game.  Painting number  939 in 939 days.

Green Forest Batik

Green Forest Batik
Watercolor, hot wax on masa rice paper, 7.5x5.5
purchase here

This is totally an experiment!  Still using the hot wax as a resist - it was very challenging to negatively paint those trees in wax - which is clear!  I couldn't see where I put it, so what I have is pushing towards the abstract!  Next time, I will at least paint a few dominant trees in the foreground before waxing.  I started the underpainting by catching the light in the sky, and then worked forward from there. I like the crazy dimension and otherworldly feel in this one!  This is painting number 930 in 930 days.

Roots Entwined

Roots Entwined
Kangaroo Lake
Oil on panel, 6x8

Walking along water's edge, near Sunset Shores on Kangaroo Lake, the stillness was comforting.  I don't know what it is about the woods that is so alluring.  Since I was little, I have always loved exploring through the layers of trees and hidden paths.  I would search for treasures in the fallen leaves, filling my pockets as I walked.  The morning light peered through, throwing shadows on the woodland floor.  The woods are so dense up in Wisconsin, there is almost no undergrowth beneath them.  As a result, they look so well manicured.  I am working with impressionistic strokes today, letting the memory of this place guide my brush.  Perhaps I will dedicate the whole month to paintings of Door County - since I am well on my way!  This is painting number 215 in 215 days.

Early Morning Light

Early Morning Light
Oil over acrylic on panel, 14x11

The early morning light was spectacular this morning, in between the rains!  I started this one with an acrylic underpainting in golden tones.  The acrylic really makes a resistant coat for the oils, one that doesn't soak up the paint.  My brushstrokes hold their shape better, and I am leaving more paint off my brush.  So far, I like the way I can manipulate the oils with this kind of base.  Our baseball game was rained out tonight, so I am posting early for a change!  This is painting number 165 in 165 days.  I just put the finishing touches on a graphite portrait, too.  Today has been a good day!

Together in the Woods

Together in the Woods
oil on panel, 11x14
Overland Park Arboretum

I painted the garden landscape two days ago from under these trees.  Wearing my hat to prevent bloom debris from landing in my hair,  I also had to guard my palette at every strong breeze to keep the little bloom strands from landing in my paints.  I love the way these trees stand tall on the mound of earth.  It has called to me each time I have passed by in search of a painting location.  So, today was the day.  I had a limited window to work with, dodging rain and the kid's activities.  I had already composed this one in my head, and the strokes were applied quick and loose, in case of a sudden rain.  I think you can tell that I applied the grass last - and super fast!  Maybe I'll try a whole painting in this loose style, maybe a 30 minute paint..........!  This is the 145th painting in 145 days, and now I am back to my errands!

A Tangle of Roots

A Tangle of Roots
Oil on panel, 8x10
George Owen Nature Park

While at the George Owen Nature Park judging an event, I walked the Butterfly Path to find this lovely landscape.  There is something so peaceful about the sprawling of roots from a tree at water's edge.  The creek is very low right now, exposing so much of the roots of this tree.  Most of the dirt has been washed away beneath it, and still it thrives.  The panel I used for this is heavily textured, lending itself well to a dense forest scene.  Sometimes I apply more texture with reckless abandon, and others I leave almost sparse of strokes.  Then, when faced with a composition, I simply choose what feels the most appropriate to me.  So much of art is intuitive.  I am posting early for me today as I have a sunset paint tonight at the Overland Park Arboretum.  This is the kick-off for the STEMS event - 2 weeks of painting at their venues.  Looking forward to what the gardens have to offer, as well as my old stomping grounds of downtown Overland Park.  This is painting number 135 in 135 days - and I always have to check yesterday's blog to see where I am at on the count!

Autumn Aspens

Autumn Aspens
Oil over acrylic on canvas, 18x24

I seldom paint on canvas.  The the way the woven texture grabs the paint is so different than wood.  The canvas soaks up the paint far more than a birch panel does, even when primed.  I love the way I can push the paint around a wood panel.  I had started this one on canvas, so today I return to working on canvas.  I had the underpainting done in acrylic, leaving me free to apply the oils at will - making changes as the painting progressed.  Any reference or sketch is only a template for the painting, a jumping off point.  As the painting grows, it often takes on a life of it's own - leading me to where it wants to go.  The hue and key of this painting is far different than where it began, softer and more peaceful than it's underpainting.  Oils are king for this kind of change, the transparency of acrylics make it very hard to come back from bold.  I have been working rather large the last few days, and I just got some beautiful new larger frames.  There is nothing more motivating than gorgeous frames awaiting their paintings!  This one makes 86 paintings in 86 days.

Path Through the Snow

Path Through the Snow
Oil on panel, 8x6

Day 6 of the painting challenge - and boy am I glad I had time to paint 2 one day last week!  With a tightly packed schedule today - there has been no time for my oils!  Not far from home, this little path is really a dried up creek bed - now filled in with snow.   The day was overcast, a little moody, and the wind was kicking up.  Painting from my car, I quickly blocked this one in.  I am using another new color - venetian red in the Maimeri oils.  I think this image shows the red as being stronger than it truly is - and I will try to get a new image when I have the time.  The paint was smooth and ultra creamy.  This was a fast paint, so I may go back and make a few adjustments.......A tip I picked up from another plein air "car" painter in Maine - gorilla tape is great for attaching your panel to the steering wheel.  She says it is good from 0 - 90 degrees, but under 10 below - it doesn't stick to anything!