Wednesday All-Day Paint Out

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I feel like I've been let out of jail..spring has sprung and I spent the whole day painting along the dirt roads of Susquehanna County. These are my two paintings. Mary Ann Williams & Joanne Benson were great painting company. We were all in high spirits. Every day should be this productive and fun!

Spring Green and Another Willow Tree are each about 10" x 10" square.

Southern Arizona

My daughter and I have just returned form a rather relaxing and thoroughly delightful week in the sun; birding, sketching, oohing and ahhhing over wildflowers, wandering under the blue skies and sun.

Saw the Tucson Plein Air Painters annual members show at The Desert Museum. Absolutely top notch paintings...some real prizewinners...with surprisingly scant sales. Not sure if that is a reflection on the economy or the fact that the Desert Museum is not really a sales venue...it is a wonderful education facility; zoology, ecology and horticulture. It seems to draw me in on each trip to Tucson...I can't resist seeing cougars, rattlers and that adorable little elf owl close-up. The highlight this time was the "Raptor Free Flight" in which a trained-to-return Harris Hawk family flew literally inches over our heads to land on their handlers' gloved hands...and then returned to their soaring. That was exciting, enlightening and oh-so beautiful.

This is a page from my sketchbook done in the garden at Indian Hill B&B...a record of a meditative hour or so, pen and inking for the pure pleasure of it.

Shadows in the Garden

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This painting is still on the easel...almost done. It's 3am, a 12 x 16, pastel painting, inspired by the view out my bedroom window one bright moonlit night last week.

The stars and clouds are the brightest/lightest values in this nocturne. I included some mysterious shapes that I am often scrutinizing without my glasses in the wee hours. I'm hoping to catch a glimpse of a wild creature...and see what in my garden it is eating.

This is what my night sky used to look like; stars all the way down to the land. Now, sadly, all of my horizons have the glow of not-so distant lights. It is an intrusion I do not welcome. And it is unnecessary. Outdoor lighting can be designed to point the light only where we need it...on the ground. Proper lighting provides better security and better working illumination than the glare emitted from improper lighting. You can find out much more about this by going to International Dark Sky Association.

This painting is done on Colourfix Plein Air Painting Board from Art Spectrum; Aubergine color. These acid free papers and boards are made in Australia with a nice pumice finish. I have used a restrained palette of mainly grey, white, brown, blue and mauve in several different brands of soft pastels; Diane Townsend Soft, Schminke, Sennelier, Unison. It will be framed under glass and offered for sale in the future here in the studio or on the website.

From Various Bridges

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This is Secret Place, one in a series of paintings done from bridges. This is actually inspired by some photographs I took and a plein air painting done from a local bridge last October. It is in the current exhibit of my paintings at the Butternut Gallery, mentioned below.

When I am driving over a bridge, my head spins right and left to check out the view and then simultaneously look to see if there is a place to set up the easel or at least to park and take photos. In my very rural county I can often slow to a dead stop in the middle of the bridge to check out these conditions. Finding a favorable bridge is a real goldmine to me. Here in Pennsylvania, trees obscure everything, but they don't grow on bridges and for that I am thankful.

Spending a few hours painting on a two lane bridge where there may be four other vehicles passing me all afternoon is why I tolerate living in this remote (and somewhat backward) corner of Penns' Woods. Being on a bridge often means being above or near the tree tops and really gives a unique view of surroundings.

I am really chomping at the bit for some spring-like weather to drag the easel outside. In 2006 Susquehanna county suffered devastating floods; people lost everything including their land in some cases. It was declared a National Disaster Area and FEMA was here for months, but finally we have many new improved, wider and taller bridges over our myriad small creeks and streams. I plan to put them to good use starting with the first day above 45 degrees! So nice of the government to provide space at the edges for me and my easel!

First Sold Painting at the Exhibit

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On Frozen Pond was the first painting of mine to be sold yesterday at the opening reception of Recent Landscapes and Wishful Thinking at The Butternut Gallery. It is a small (image 10 x 10inch) tonalist* painting. The folks who purchased it spent a long time whispering to each other, walking back and forth in front of the gallery wall. It was a well-considered purchase. A joy for me, as they have several of my paintings all ready.

It will remain as part of the exhibit through April 19th and then it will go to a very good and appreciative home.

*"Tonalism is somewhat elusive and hard to define precisely. It means subtlety, first of all -- subtle shifts in tone and color." by William Zimmer, NYTimes, 1999

Recent Landscapes and Wishful Thinking

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Yesterday I delivered 13 new paintings to The Butternut Gallery for a exhibition called Recent Landscapes and Wishful Thinking. February 22 through April 19 at 42 Church Street, Montrose, PA. Hours 11-5 Thursday, Friday, & Saturday. 570-278-4011

I thoroughly enjoyed preparing for this group show; what turned out to be an eclectic group of pastels and two watercolors. I did not think much about sticking to a theme or genre; I painted just what I wanted. It really was a joy to have that freedom and at the same time be held to a deadline and the structure of a show. Absent was the angst of a solo show.

Shown is Acidanthera; one of the wishful thinking aspects of this winter show. These fragrant gladioli are favorites in my late summer garden. Their scent is musky and I love their structure. This pastel painting image size is 14 x 10 inches and sells for $400 framed under glass in rustic gold wood.

Just about 24 hours after delivering the work to the 2nd floor gallery on an icy morning here in NE PA, I slipped on my own freshly mopped mudroom floor and incurred an open dislocation of my left pinky finger. One of the joys of small town living is that I got to spend an hour with an old friend, Renee, the ER nurse, who I have known since childhood. Her expertise and good humor is comforting to all unfortunate patients and provides a chance to catch up on neighborhood news and children....supposed to be resting the hand now...hope to see you at The Butternut...I'll be the (hopefully the only) one with the bandage. The orthopedic surgeon said I was brave...he refrained from commenting on my co-ordination.

I'm sure it had nothing to do with the unlucky number of paintings....right?

Why Plein Air?

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Because that's where one learns to see...really see. Knowing what lurks in the shadows, what color the leaves reflect, even what the local sounds and smells are makes convincing paintings. Plein air painting for me informs all my other work. What I have learned looking at a mountain range in Arizona helps me paint my own Endless Mountains back in my Pennsylvania studio. Struggling against bright glare to see the waves rolling into the beach in Costa Rica teaches me something about the Susquehanna river. Just dragging an easel out your studio door for a quick warm-up painting will do so much for your skills. Plein air work teaches you to select for subject and compose to your canvas or paper borders. It teaches you to move along, speed it up and keep the energy flowing.

Plein air is the background, the homework for painting from other sources. I see many painters, wasting precious time, using photos when they should be out in the field observing. Once they've done that they may be ready to paint from photos and their own imagination.

Besides it's the most fun you can have and still call it work.