Day 693 "Late Light" gouache on ink

A friend was visiting from North Carolina this week.  I was invited to a small gathering of women on the porch of her host. We had a lovely time catching up on each other's lives.  It was a pleasure to sit in the company of these smart, interesting women in a beautiful setting.   While we visited, the sun got lower and lower in the sky behind the trees, and eventually set behind the river.  I wanted to recreate the feeling of the evening with the trees silhouetted against that vibrant sky.  I painted a rectangle of ink.  When it dried, I used gouache, almost without water, to paint the negative spaces between the branches.  I like the feel of the chunky gouache, and without thinning it, the paint builds upon itself to enhance the feel of the glow.  I chose each stroke very carefully in this extractive exercise, because my goal was not to reapply any of the black below.  I like the effect. I certainly conveys the feeling of the evening for me.
As always, thank you for looking.  I enjoy your comments as well.

Day 519 "End of Day" pastel on black ink

What an interesting weekend!  Yesterday morning provided a sunny gleam on top of the few inches of snow we received Friday night.  Then, clouds rolled in and the pre-snow heaviness was followed by rapid snow beginning around 10pm last night.  We wound up with about a foot of heavy snow greeting us this morning, and no school.  It was fun to shovel... great exercise and clean air.  This afternoon we did some errands, then drove home along the coast at dusk.  I saw this over my shoulder while looking east.  The sun was almost gone, and it lit the sky, pushing against the heavy, dark clouds that were moving out over the ocean to the east.  So many colors, so much beauty.  Great day with lots of outdoor time.  I even made a snow angel, because... otherwise I'll wait until next year, and I believe this is the first one I've ever made in March.  
This is my five hundred nineteenth daily drawing.  Thank you for your interest and your comments.  I appreciate every one.

Day 488 "Westward a la Klimt" acrylic 10 x 8

The Girls Just Wanna Paint theme for January was "paint like Klimt".  My initial thoughts of Klimt are the beautiful and romantic figures entwined by their posture and also entwined with Klimt's decorative swirls, pattern, and vibrant color harmonies.  But, in my Klimt research, I saw a number of paintings where Klimt used geometric repetition and color shifts for landscapes.  Very appealing.  Recently, I sat and watched the sunset over our North River.  It was, as it often is, glorious.  The sun was reflecting its last light up into the clouds where it bounced back and forth until it was almost fluorescent.   Breathtaking.  

The light was so fascinating, I thought it would be interesting to interpret a la Klimt.  You can see my ink and colored pencil interpretation of the scene in a prior blog post here.  I began by blocking in the scene in acrylic in very muted color with the values dropped down.  Then I used circles of color, in varied intensities to move up through the sky.  I made some of the circles very warm, then gradually mixed them as warm/cool, then all cool as they moved away from the sun.  I added rectangles in the river to show the reflected light.  
This is my four hundred eighty-eighth daily drawing.  Thank you for your continued interest.  You know I love your comments.  

Day 481 "Westward" and the beautiful North River

 We live by a beautiful river.  Its personality changes from day to day and season to season. I have painted it a number of times (you can see below), even once just using paper.  The marsh changes color over the months, bringing the promise of spring when the first green tips show on the grass.  Initially, the green is so subtle, you aren't quite sure you are seeing the evidence of spring.  Is it a shadow, a mirage, a shift in the sunlight through the clouds? Within a day, the new green fronds reveal themselves without any doubt.  Last week, we had sheets of ice on top of the marsh.  It is a daily wonder. Tonight we pulled in at sunset and saw the sun lighting up the river and the clouds above.  Stunning.  How blessed are we.  
This is my four hundred eighty-first daily drawing.  Thank you for looking.  

Day 314 "Quiet Harbor" 6 x 9 ink, marker, pencils

We are home from Mohegan Island, but still feeling the quiet and peace of mind.  It is hot and sticky here at home.  I long for the breeze and cool of Monhegan's climate.  So, here is a drawing of the harbor at dusk one quiet evening.  The boat in the foreground is from an Outward Bound type of outing, and sleeps a surprising number of people, sardine-style, under a tarp within its hull.  The harbor is lovely in the evening as the sun sets below Manana, and dark descends.  
This is my three hundred fourteenth daily drawing.  Thank you for your continued interest.  

Day 262 "Scituate Harbor Dusk Block In" 9 x 12 oil

 I have begun converting some of my daily drawings to oil paintings.  You can see my reference drawing here to the left, and read its blog post here.  It is an interesting exercise, using only the daily drawing as reference, and thinking about how to convert those renderings into an oil painting.  Before I begin, there is some thought about how to begin the process.  In this case, I covered the entire board with a neutral ground, about value 4 on a 1-5 scale.  Then I carefully wiped out all the lights using a clean brush, clean towel and my solvent of choice, which is Gamsol. This is my two hundred sixty-second daily drawing, and only the second not using ink in some way.  I will post the finished painting on my blog later.
Thank you for your continued interest. 

Day 210 "7:54 PM" 8 x 9 ink, watercolor pencil, and marker

What a beautiful spring day! We got a lot of things done, then zipped over to the Scituate Lighthouse to watch the sunset and the sea.  The water was a beautiful purple under the darkening sky and clouds to the east while the western glow grew more rich.  My eye was caught by the light coming through the window of the house at the water's edge.  There are so many colors in the darks, I want to create an oil painting from this drawing. 
This is my two hundred tenth daily drawing.  Thank you for you interest. 
 

Day 174 "Skyline by the Bay" 5 x 9 mixed

 I was in San Francisco a few months ago for a very quick visit.  I stopped along the bay late in the afternoon, looked over my shoulder to this lovely illuminated skyline.  It was magical.  This is my hundred seventy-fourth daily drawing.  Thank you for continuing to look at the world through my eyes. 

Day 146 "Sky LIght" 8 x 9 mixed

A few weeks ago we flew down to Florida to spend an extended weekend with good friends.  I caught this beautiful dusk out the plane window on the way down.  I love the powerful clouds against the modern shapes of buildings and planes.  A quick sketch of what might make a good painting one day.  
This is my hundred forty-sixth daily drawing.  Thank you for joining in with my observations of daily life.  

Day 98 "NIght in the Garden" mixed 6 x 12

It has been so beautiful and cold these last few days.  The Boston Public Garden looks icy blue as the sun is setting.  The quiet dusk is alluring.  
This is my ninety-eighth daily drawing.  I drew with ink, overlayed with gray markers in different values, added some colored pencil to deepen and vary the darks, then added some pastel over the top to enhance the lights. I like the effect though may go at it again with a little different approach, perhaps painting in all the darks with ink, then lifting their value with some pastel and pencil.  We shall see.  Thank you for looking.  

"Last Light" 9 x 6 mixed 83rd #dailydrawing

A sketch of the warm last glow of light by the Scituate Lighthouse one night last summer.  Every evening nature cooperates, people gather to watch the sunset across the harbor from the lighthouse.  I loved the silhouettes against the warm sky.  
This is my 83rd daily drawing.  Thank you for your continued interest.

"Dusk - Route 3" pen and marker

Loved this image of sunset in the side mirror.  Interesting angles and depth. I may make a painting of this one.  It's a fascinating puzzle, which I like.
This is my sixty-fourth daily drawing.  Thanks for your attention.

"Harbor Evening" 6 x 9 mixed

There is a special, quiet time by Monhegan's harbor as the sun sinks below Manana.  Birds start settling down, people drift back to their houses, and the dark begins to descend quickly.  It's a lovely time of day, and as I climb back up to the house we rent, the last glimpse of light disappears and the sky glows.  Ahhhh.  
This is my fiftieth daily drawing.  Thank you for looking.

"Monumental Evening" oil 10 x 20

I lived in Washington DC during most of my twenties.  I loved the city, and have been back for a number of visits since then.  Recently, my daughter and I took a week-long road trip, spending a couple of days in DC.  The city is even more beautiful than I remembered.  We had beautiful weather, dry, bright, and sparkling.  One evening, NC Wyeth-like clouds formed behind the monuments as the sun set over the Potomac.  What a lovely day. 
The Girls Just Wanna Paint theme for June was "value".  Regardless of the political turmoil roiling about our nation's capitol, the city is active, vibrant, multicultural, and a reminder that each of us has something to contribute to the value of our nation.  See the rest of the Girls Just Wanna Paint interpretations of "value" here.

"Monhegan Sketch Book" July 29 and a sunny selfie

Today I sat on the rocks above Swim Beach in the sun and added watercolor to some sketches from yesterday. I'll finish up tomorrow, but it was a joy to paint and listen to the hubbub on the crowded beach this hot July afternoon.

 The beach was filled with many children, and families with the singsong accents of our country's south.  Children on paddle boards, in small kayaks, on floats.  The water is COLD, but there seems to be an inverse proportionality to age and tolerance for cold water, as in, the younger you are, the higher your tolerance.  Toddlers toddle in, single digit-aged children head in with a little hesitation, then have to be ordered out eventually by adults witnessing their shivering bodies and blue-tinged lips; pre-teens have to contend with peer pressure so they hit the water a little more slowly, then simultaneously, with a lot of squealing.. and up the line.  Adults that I have witnessed are more likely to try but turn away; or just not try at all. 

Today's high point was watching a pair of toddler girls on the beach.  They were both naked, and loved the water and sand and excitement of their older siblings' activity.   At one point, the two girls looked twenty yards up the beach and saw an inflated raft. They toddled across the wet sand with great purpose, each grabbed part of the raft's rope and they dragged it down to the water. (Did I mention they were on the young side of 2 years old, and it was an adult-sized inflatable raft?)  Toddlers are not known for cooperative play, and these two weren't speaking in sentences yet.  I didn't hear them utter a word.  They formed their plan while exchanging a conspiratorial glance, and off they went.  It wasn't their boat, and it was a new beach to them.  These two girls may be future world leaders.  Very impressive.  


I added a "selfie" here from our rented house, late afternoon.  The sunset was glorious, and cast a golden glow into the living room.  

Thanks for looking; thanks for reading.    

"Majestic" two ways...

I inherited a lot of art supplies when Mom passed away 9 years ago.  Mom was a prolific painter, accomplished in oils, watercolor, and pastel. I have been using her brushes, oil paints, easels, paint panels, sketchbooks, pencils, charcoal, taboret, and a library filled with art books.  However, I have never used her pastels, though I have inherited a lifetime's supply, and loads of pastel paper in a variety of shades.  So, I brought two small sets of pastels to Monhegan for the week, and began to explore today.  I reproduced a small watercolor in pastel, laying in darks first and using some alcohol to set them.. then layering on top.  It was fascinating, and a brain bender, and good grief, I have a lot to learn so please excuse my heavy-handed start... I am intrigued!!!  

Stay posted for some more experiments here on my blog... this week.

Thanks for looking!!!  

"Along the Waterfront" watercolor & ink 8 x 11

Continuing my reminiscence of summer during this long, snowy winter.  On hot evenings,  here on the east coast, as the day winds down, the sun can be shining brightly on the distant houses, boats, objects, either sneaking under the day's clouds, or while leaving you in shadow depending on the topography.  My daughter started calling it "your favorite lighting situation" when she was in kindergarten out on a long peninsula where we could see the sun highlighting the houses across the water.  On a sultry evening, it's nice to walk along the quiet harbor hoping for a comforting breeze or two off the water. The February theme for my painting group was "comfort".  I chose this memory of summer as my interpretation of the theme.   See the rest of our paintings  here. 

Thank you for looking, and keep your eye on the sun.

"Majestic" watercolor and ink 7 x 5

Once in a while, during my daily comings and goings, I'll turn and catch my breath as nature wows with its grand majesty... the kind of wow that leaves you gobsmacked, stopped in your tracks, jaw dropping... glad to be alive. Such was the case one night this past autumn as I left a nearby parking lot.  I tried to catch it in today's sketch.   I love those moments, and never want to be so preoccupied, so busy, so rushed, distracted, intent on my destination, that I don't pause, rejoice, sometimes say a quiet prayer of thanks, and just enjoy.

Thank you for looking.  Keep your head up!

Sky - Mixed Media

"Sky" was my entry in North River Art Society's Outside the Box exhibit/auction this summer.  All entries were anonymous, until today when the bidding ended, and the names were revealed... so I can finally post my entry.  The stencil letters came out of a small antique box inside a bigger box of things from my mother's studio.  "Sky" was drawn in ink, then I used watercolor pencils, then applied water, and used the pencils in the wet areas again. I like the combination of textures resulting. 

As always, thanks for looking.

Monhegan Sketchbook - Harbor 4:30 PM watercolor and ink

 Later in the afternoon, shadows begin stretch down the east side of Manana, growing and overtaking the light until only a few spots of light remain, and are then extinguished.  Now that I think of it, sort of  a preview to the sunset's rhythm a couple of hours later.  I like being reminded how quickly we are rotating on this Earth.

Here is a recent page from my sketchbook.  I began applying watercolor in those remaining patches of light.  Interesting how dark they look in the top image, when seen against the white page, compared to how light they read below when surrounded by dark. 

We visited the island this summer over the 4th of July week, and again, the last week of July.  There is a huge difference in the light and shadow pattern along Manana in just those three weeks. 

This year, I brought home a clear thought about taking the time in my "regular life" to observe the magnificence of our world as I do when on Monhegan.

As always, thanks for looking.  Your comments make my day.