Great Falls, VA -- another day

Along this stream above Great Falls, yellow leaves were everywhere.  In my quest to break out of some patterns I'd gotten too comfortable with, I painted on a vertical canvas and put the emphasis on the color yellow.  I have more work -- maybe a lot of work -- to go on this and I'm hoping to get back into it later this week.

Great Falls, Va -- Above the falls

The reflection of the log in the water first caught my eye -- the colors on this very chilly fall morning were what rooted me to this spot.  Several ducks floated in and out of this little channel above Great Falls and I added a few to the scene.

My goal, based on looking at my recent work, was to paint without a horizon line.  No vistas. Look at something close to me.  I was only partly successful -- I ended up putting the water's edge not so far from where I've been placing my horizon line.

Kayak at Swain's Lock, reason for an art blog

It was a really cold morning to paint!

One great reason to blog art is painfully evident by the work I've been doing at Swain's Lock.  It's a place with the Potomac river, the C&O Canal, woods, long vistas..... and apparently, one very static horizon line.  This is not something I'd been thinking about, but here it is, right in front of me -- a horizon set 2/3 of the way up the rectangle.  

Time for a fresh approach.

Swain's Lock, Again

Returning to Swain's Lock, I finished the painting started on Monday, adding red and trying to emphasize the distance in the painting.  It was a brighter day and I worked in more pure color to make the painting less gray.    I also had an old canvas of a painting I'd worked on near the spot where we were painting today, so I did a quick painting of the river with just a pair of  trees in the foreground.

Swain's Lock, Missing Red

I had about an hour and fifteen minutes to paint today and no time to adjust the colors on my palette.  So when I was asked "what color is missing?" I immediately answered "red."  I need to go back later this week and see where the red fits in.

This painting started with a black and white underpainting, which I slapped onto the board in about 20 minutes.  The morning was very gray,  a bit misty, even.  On the moments when the sun broke through, I had a completely different take on the scene.  

Bethesda in Black & White.. and Color

Yesterday I added color to the Black & White painting from 2 weeks ago and started another black & white painting.  I found the addition of color to the first one forced me to keep deep grays that I usually wouldn't have in my work.  I liked the result, which is why I started on the second painting in black & white.  The woman squatting with her dog was there for all of 2 minutes; her friend, seated on the planter edge next to her probably sat down for less than a minute.  I waited, painted other quick sketches of others on the trail, but no one sat down to give me a chance to refine the posture of the person seated on the ledge.  I'll be going back -- maybe bring my own model! -- to see if I can finish the underpainting and then put some color in another day.

In progress -- another day at the Women's Farm Market

Having decided that this work was going exactly nowhere, I painted over it... it's now underneath the 11/9 painting of the Waters House. 

Women's Farm Market in Bethesda

A gorgeous morning to paint -- the array of mums and fall cabbage plants in front of the market entrance made a very colorful painting.  A good antidote to the black & white exercise on Monday.

Bethesda in Black & White

Back in a class with the group at Glen Echo, our assignment was to do a value study.  While I am resistant to assignments -- I paint to get away from people telling me what to do! -- I know that it's good for me.

I positioned myself at the intersection of the Capital Crescent Trail and the back of the parking lot.  My view, up the trail toward Bethesda, included the car dealership on the left and a row of crepe myrtles.  Employees at the car dealership kept sneaking through the fence to see what I and fellow painters were doing.

Mark Your Calendar

I've just signed on for an exhibit of my work at the Ratner Museum (ratnermuseum.com)... for June 2012.   The reception will be June 3, 2012 from 1 to 3:30 pm.

I don't want to hear any excuses if you can't come -- this is plenty of advance notice!

In showing my work to the curator, I think she liked this painting, done last year and sold.