Nine days in the Mid West...and Home Sweet Home

I'm home after an intense road trip through the mid west, the purpose of which was adding 7 new states to my Fifty State Plein Air Painting Project. I visited a few museums, too. You can read all about the fun and frustrations of a solo sojourn in scorching heat and see the paintings by clicking the link. I am still adding finishing touches in the studio so all 7 states will be posted by this time next week. Only 8 states left to paint in!

I returned to my Life Drawing class at River Gallery School of Art and a challenging pose and set-up above; willow charcoal on a buff printmaking paper of unknown name. 20 x 16

Then off to Sketch Group the next afternoon. This is the second year in a row we have sketched during afternoon rehearsals of the renown Marlboro Chamber Music Festival. While we are working out the dynamics of hand positions and composition and head tilts the quintet is debating and questioning the composers intent and how best to express the music through their instruments and sensitivities of interpretations. It is without a doubt one of my favorite sketch occasions. Apparently anyone is welcome at rehearsals, even if you just want to take a beautifully accompanied nap. In my graphite pencil sketch below the clarinet player had not yet appeared.

This blog is all about me and my tangents, but I am interested to hear your reactions, responses and what is happening in your life. Have you thought about forming a sketch group in your town? It is free and fun...just need a pencil and paper and maybe money for coffee. Ours started with two sketchers who became two friends and invited others. Now we are four to six regulars and other occasional drop-ins.

I welcome comments and emails.

64 Miles, The Ashuelot River

Two of my plein air paintings have been accepted into this juried art exhibit highlighting the twisty length of this scenic and lively New Hampshire river. I posted the first painting earlier in the spring when I made it. This one was painted at the Atlantic Paper Mill ruins. (am I right about that location name? tell me.) It is called A Colourful Past. 

I'll be back exploring and painting this river in the months and seasons to come. Regular readers of this blog know that I like to find the unusual views and unsung spots. I'll leave the covered bridges for other artists to love, while I try to avoid poison ivy, searching out my own unique picture and learning a little local history.

This exhibit is on view all summer from July 19 until September 30, at the

Historical Society of Cheshire County, 246 Main St. Keene, New Hampshire.  603.352.1895 ext 5

Feeling Hot? Get cool...

Visit the cool art exhibit at The Brooks Library on main street in Brattleboro, Vermont - now through end of August. Three of the Tuesday Painters (Charlotte Fischer, Deedee Jones and I) have put up a show of oils and pastels. The cooling effect is provided by lavender, waterfalls, shady glens, pools and snow. Dive right in and sign our guest book so we know you were there. 

PS: The Brooks Library is air conditioned.

Where the Trail Meets the Road

SOLD

Dummerston, VT - Where West River Trail joins Quarry Road there is a nice high view of the water and mountains to the north. I hoped to get a Close of Day kind of painting. I usually aim to stay in the slow lane, but catching the last moments of daylight is no place for hesitation. I arrived at the scene at 7pm...made two trips to the car and was set up ready to paint by 7:14. No, nothing would make me skip my thumbnail sketch, but I only did one and it took about 5 minutes. I went with that. I painted as fast as I could for one hour and quit. I was home by 8:30. It is 12 x 12 and after some minor adjustments in the studio, will be for sale this summer. And I will try the same spot again another evening and also check out what it looks like at the Crack of Dawn, too.

Sketch Group Visits the Petting Farm

Yesterday was a great day...not just because it finally stopped raining. Friday morning Tai Chi class always puts me in a happy mood, then in the afternoon our sketch group drew farm animals....but not all of them. I completely did not have time to draw any bovines. I'm going back soon for the Scottish Highland calves, cow and huge ox and for the  young steers, assorted sheep, goats, llama and chickens. I tried to get a good drawing of 4 miniature donkeys, but I think I was smitten by CUTE and was unable to function. Next time I will stay all day. (Next time I will not sit on a hay bale in stretch pants to draw the donkeys...hard to concentrate.)

These are quick charcoal sketches made at Brattleboro, Vermont  Retreat Petting Farm. What a great place....and not just for kids. The animals have it pretty good and were chosen, not just for their good looks, but are friendly. Visitors are encouraged to feed hay to certain animals. They like this and are quite obliging.

Yes, animals move a lot. Get over it. Do your best to observe and remember...this is a skill that can be developed through practice. Look for actions that will be repeated over and over. If the rabbit is chased out of his box by the gang of four year olds, the rabbit will return asap. If mama pig has just been given a huge pile of grain, she will stand right there until it is gone, lest her piglets should steal a kernel from her. Not every page of your sketchbook needs to be pretty...many will have fragments of feet, tails, ears and noses...unpaid models who fled.

I wanted to bring that little black and white piggy home....at least I have my sketch. Squeeeeeeeeaaaal! snort.

My years of sketching at The Harford, PA County Fair paid off yesterday.

Our sketch group welcomes fellow drawers.

Water Power!

My friend and I painted along the Ashuelot River in south western New Hampshire yesterday morning. We chose neighboring towns; Westminster and Hinsdale...(our chatter didn't annoy each other...just innocent passers-by). My 14 x 18 pastel Homes Along Ashuelot River was done in about two hours of intense work with another hour of work and looking in the studio today. It is finished, mostly.

The Ashuelot River is beautiful, varied, freshly stocked with fish (I saw state of NH doing that) and of great economic, cultural and historical interest. Grist mills, saw mills, paper mills, fabric mills, electricity generation-today and yesterday. I will check out my presumption, but these homes probably housed workers at the huge brick shabby industrial complex across the river. ??? Sometimes an artistic decision on my part arouses my curiosity and I will have to figure out what was manufactured there and when.

We are both going back tomorrow for another chance to spend a day on the Ashuelot, hopefully with dry feet.

Welcome Hill

Today is my first time painting out of the studio this year. My new knee is now working much better than the old one and I was really eager to be out plein air painting. What a lovely day to join two friends and zip over to New Hampshire, to a road called Welcome Hill. It is 3 miles from my home and I'll be going back before the daffodils, magnolias and bloodroot are all gone. Some one did a lot of planting quite some time ago by the looks of the trees and then made us all feel welcome to enjoy them. There are two benches to overlook the "wild" woodland gardens. SOLD

This is a poor ipad photo taken by me as I brought my painting in off the easel. sorry. Better one to follow. After painting this 16 x16 I was too lazy to use a real camera.