Another plein air from Moab - along Hwy 128

Road to Professor Creek - 9x18"
pastel on UArt #600 paper, toned with gray acrylic wash

Another Moab area plein air landscape - the last one I did during my week there.  It was done last Saturday afternoon, with the 4CPAP group.  One of our members, Carolyn, who lives in Moab, arranged a weekend paint-out that happened to coincide with PleinAir Moab.

I have waited a year to do this painting.  At last years' PleinAir Moab, I took a photo of this same view, in the afternoon light, and had thought I might do it as a studio piece, because I was completely captivated by the view - plus, there's The Road.   This location is about 20 miles east of the Hwy 191 junction with Hwy 128, in an area known as Professor Valley.  I discovered last year that this dirt road, which dead-ends after less than 3 miles, takes one to some incredibly scenic views of Professor Creek.  Incredibly, no one, especially painters, seems to know about this place (although Deb from our 4C group now does)!   As a plein air painter, there is much to be gained by taking the road less traveled...I will be back for more next year.

At any rate, I'm glad I waited to do this piece on location; photos just don't do any justice to what you see as you stand there, taking it all in.  Also, the storm that swamped the entire region on Friday provided a gift:  the snow on the La Sals, which is like icing on the cake.  And, the lingering clouds obscuring part of the mountain let me have some fun with edges again.  

I had been reviewing the photos I took last year prior to this year's trip, experimenting with various crops, to help me decide what locations to return to, and determined this worked beautifully as a 1:2 format.   It's on a non-standard size, something I'd not use for a plein air competition because it would require matting.  

Anyway, I got most of it finished in the two hour window I had available, and was finally able to finish it up today.  I actually had Wayne drop me off here while he went and explored nearby Castle Valley and further east along Hwy 128 past the Fisher Towers.  It probably made for a curious sight for drivers to see a painter standing there, essentially in the middle of nowhere, with no vehicle or form of transportation nearby.   

Painting in McElmo Canyon - plein air pastel

Behind Kelly Place - 16x12", plein air
SOLD
Pastel on black Strathmore

Today's 4CPAP paint-out was held at a charming Bed & Breakfast in McElmo Canyon - Kelly Place , which is about 12 miles west of Cortez.  I've seen the sign when we have driven along the highway, either on our way to Bluff, UT, or to hike in Sand Canyon, but have never been to the property before; it is tucked back off the highway about 1/2 mile.

It was definitely one of my favorite locations the group has painted this year, and I'd go back any time and paint there; in fact, Jerene, one of the owners, was  in finding painters willing to teach a class - I told her I'd be interested.  I've thought it would be fun to do a workshop for beginning pastelists or plein air painters, and this would be an ideal venue for that!

Anyway, it didn't take me long to decide on this particular location for my painting - a colorful sandstone cliff with desert scrub and a wash:  in other words, a subject right up my painting alley, so speak.

While I was painting, one of the guests drove by and asked if he could look over my shoulder.  That's never bothered me, and since I was almost finished, I was happy to take a break and chat with him.  It turns out he's purchased works from a pastel artist who lives in Boulder, UT, whose work I am familiar with, and has attended the Maynard Dixon Country plein air invitational in the past, so he's quite knowledgable about plein air painting and many of the top landscape painters.

And, he decided he liked my painting enough to buy it on the spot, which, needless to say, made my day.

I think it's a good sign, too, since I have gone ahead and registered for both the Escalante Canyons Art Festival, which is just over 3 weeks away, and PleinAir Moab (thanks for the nudge, Dan!), which follows closely on its heels a week later.

To say that I'm excited to get back to southern Utah and paint would be a bit of an understatement - it's almost all I've been thinking about for the past few weeks!

Painting along the Florida River - 4CPAP

Hidden River Garden - 12x16", plein air
pastel on Strathmore black paper
© S.Johnson 

From today's paint-out with the 4C group at Lemon Lake and the Florida River.

I painted there last year a couple of times, but this time, I wanted to go to a specific location we'd been to two years ago, at the far end of the Transfer Park campground.  In fact, I'd actually taken a photo of this location; the little group of Black-eyed Susans growing in this tiny wedge of earth amazed me, and I wanted to paint them.  I must have deleted the photo, and I obviously never got around to using it as a reference for a painting.

So, imagine my surprise and delight when I get down to the river and see that the flowers have, indeed, returned.

It was nice to paint something that plays to what I feel are my strong suits as a painter:  rocks and water.      And in this case, lots of rocks underwater.  Those were surprisingly easy, probably because I've been painting water all summer; the hardest part of the painting was - you guessed it:  the green foliage of the flowers.  Which probably makes no sense, but I just found it really difficult.

It was also nice to paint larger again and try a different format.  I mean, I love my squares and all, but sometimes, a 3:4 aspect is nice.   Last week, I went into our local art supply store to get some mats for photos, and saw they had my favorite Artagain in stock, so I am back in business with the 12x16"'s on location.

More clouds, and juried show news

Painting from yesterday afternoon from the deck off the master bedroom.

Cloud Line - 8x16",  plein air
pastel on 4-ply matboard with Golden pumice + black acrylic
© S.Johnson

I always find it fascinating when clouds form those diagonal bands across the sky, and this one kept that basic shape until I was nearly finished.  It's funny...as much as I've painted clouds, both from photos and from life, I always learn something valuable each time I paint them.   And, I still find them a challenge to paint.

On an unrelated note, I am a bit late in sharing this news on my blog, but I found out that I had four of six paintings I submitted accepted to the member's juried show for the Four Corners Plein Air Painters, held at the Gateway Museum in Farmington, NM.

This was a pretty tightly juried show, with over 180 submissions and only 62 pieces chosen.  The juror was Tom Lockhart, an accomplished landscape and plein air painter.

The reception was last Saturday night, and I was delighted and honored when my painting "Afternoon Along the Wash", was awarded second place:

Afternoon Along the Wash

The others accepted were:

Colorado Trail Shadows

Rio Grande Reflections

Gathering Storm Over Duffrey Mesa

I was glad I arrived in time to hear Tom's talk about his selection and jurying process, and the particular elements that appealed to him for those he selected for awards.  He spoke of the importance of good drawing skills, and that the paintings have a strong underlying design and pleasing balance of light and dark values.

I was also pleased to spend some time talking with him individually afterwards, and found him to be very personable and generous with sharing information and advice.   He told me he placed some emphasis on the entrants' overall body of work submitted, saying he has seen many instances [not specifically this show] where a painter would have one good painting out of several marginal pieces.

It was clear that he put a lot of thought into his selections, and based on the quality of the work in the show, his job wasn't an easy one.

Overall, this show and Mr. Lockhart's words helped validate my approach and dedication to my painting efforts, and reinforced much of what I spoke about in this post exactly three months ago.

Now, get out and paint!

Painting around Silverton, CO

We got back yesterday from our three-night trip to Silverton, which was centered around the 4CPAP paint-out on Tuesday.

In terms of painting, it was the most productive time I've had on any trip this year:  five paintings, four of which were completed.  I decided to take on some more challenging subjects that tested my ability to correctly (or not) handle two-point perspective, and an old truck - something detailed that I've never tried to paint on location.

Here they are, in the order painted.

From Monday evening, done at Molas Lake, which is near where we spent the first night:

Clearing Skies Over the Grenadiers - 12x12", plein air
pastel on black cardstock

 On Tuesday, in town.  If you want to paint old buildings and attractive buildings, there are probably few better places than Silverton.  There were fancier houses, for sure, but for some reason I was drawn to this modest red house with corrugated siding and roof.  And, the weathered facade of the historical building to its left.

West 13th Street, Silverton - 12x12", plein air
pastel on black cardstock

Despite spending a significant amount of time to make sure the perspective was accurate, guess what:  there are still areas that were off.  It was helpful to have people look at this during the critique session because errors, even small ones, are more apparent to fresh set of eyes.

Night two was spent at the Mineral Creek campground, about 8 miles west of town.  It's also where the trail to Ice Lakes begins.  The area right around the campground is scenic, but not for painting purposes.  But, following the dirt road west brings you to this open view:

Last Light Along the Road to Rico - 12x12", plein air
pastel on black cardstock

This was one of those many times my pastels just weren't cutting it, in terms of value and temperature needed.  That conifer-covered slope to the left?  The top part is in sun, while the meadowy slope on the right was in shade.   It was the best I could do with what I've got to work with.

Wednesday morning, we headed back into Silverton so Wayne could work and I decided to try and paint one of these fabulous old trucks that I'd seen Sharon painting on Tuesday.  Her painting, in oils, turned out great, and I was inspired to try it myself.

Not finished, but I wanted to share it anyway.  And, I got photos of the rest of the trucks, and I'm thinking they will be great to paint in the studio this winter.

Retired Workhorse - 8x16"
pastel on board with Golden pumice ground + black acrylic

For night three, we headed east of town to an area known as Cunningham Gulch.  It's popular with everyone:  hikers, equestrians, trail runners and those who prefer to use gasoline-powered vehicles.

We hiked up the trail towards Highland Mary Lakes, which are above timberline and not something we were enthusiastic about doing with the threat of a monsoon storm, but it was a great hike anyway.  I brought my tripod and ND filter, and got some good waterfall photos.

After we got back, I decided this view a few meters down from our campsite warranted a painting:

Cunningham Gulch - 12x12", plein air
pastel on black cardstock

Silverton is so named for all the mining that took place in the area.  Some of the orange areas along the side of the mountain are from mine tailings.  The mountain itself presented an interesting challenge to paint, to balance detail with the need to simplify things.

These paintings, along with a few others that are finished, nearly finished and not posted, brings my total to 60 so far!  So, I'm well on my way to my 100-painting goal for this year.

---------
Photos from the trip:

Rare pink version of the Colorado columbine

Two of the old trucks in town

Falls #1 - Cunningham Creek, along the trail to Highland Mary Lakes

Falls #2 - Cunningham Creek

Gathering of Coronis Fritillaries

Final falls on Cunningham creek, just below timberline

View of Cunningham Gulch from the creek near the trail

4CPAP at Blue Lake Ranch - pastel landscape

Didn't have time to post this yesterday as I'd originally planned.

Columbine Field and the Old Gate - 12x12"
pastel on black cardstock
plein air

This was one of those days where I wasn't sure I could pull off a finished, let alone somewhat successful [successful: something I don't have thoughts of immediately tossing] painting.  Despite those initial thoughts, and becoming bored with it on location, I managed to wrangle it into something I was satisfied with back in my studio.

The painting location - Blue Lake Ranch - is an incredibly scenic property located near Hesperus, CO, about 18 miles west of Durango.  The 4C group has painted there for years, I believe, and is where the semi-annual member meeting is held.

Anyway, having never been there before, I literally walked around for an hour before finally deciding on this location.  The options to paint were endless...and overwhelming, to an extent!  The La Plata river, small ponds, the attractive yellow B&B house, the various flower gardens, and an iris farm were all options.  The problem, for me, was that I was already on a bit of a "green burn-out", and the entire landscape was green.  I've mentioned this before, probably several times, but as much as I love summertime here in CO, it is the most challenging season for me to paint because I just don't enjoy painting all those foliage greens, at least in pastel.  So, I was a bit dismayed that I wasn't finding anything appealing to paint in such a beautiful area.

Then, someone opened the gate to the flower fields, and these rows of blue columbine were right there, in all their CO state flower glory.  There was red earth, dramatic shadows, and a really neat old wooden gate.  Painting subject issue solved.

This was one of those paintings that I was mindful of the often-heard advice to take ownership of the scene (and, subsequently, the painting), and ask what elements can be kicked to the curb.  In this case, it was a row of huge shrubby trees, similar to the one near the gate.  They crowded the view, and detracted from the composition.  Eliminating them allowed me to add those distal cottonwoods and that network of shadows in the middle ground cast from trees unseen to the right, and play up the foreground shadow detail on the grass and dirt.

The side-effect, however, was that the middle ground tree I did include ended up being...right in the center of the composition, which I happened to not notice until I looked at this photo of it.  Darn - I hate it when that happens!   As painters, we are akin to jugglers, and there are so many different balls to keep in the air at the same time that it's inevitable that one or more get dropped from time to time.

I mentioned that I wasn't sure I'd actually finish this painting, and after about 1 1/2 hrs., I'd had enough, and was distracted by all the neat things I wanted to take photos of, so I packed it up with about 10% left, and later that evening after a mental break from it, I sat down and finished it off.

Enough about the painting - here are some photos from the day:

Karl, working on his second painting of the day

Western Tiger Swallowtail on blue flag iris

Wanda working on her watercolor

Marilyn also painting the columbines

Kathy at work

Helen's almost-finished painting of the red poppies

Sharon forgot her pochade box, but she didn't let that deter her, and did her painting on the ground.
My back hurts just looking at this photo!

Rhonda painting at the pond

Chaco Canyon plein air, day #2

A full day of painting on Saturday...

Single Family Home - 12x12 inches, pastel on brown cardstock

After waking to a perfect, sunny morning, and having some much-needed coffee, I headed over to the informal "base of operations" campsite where Rhonda and another 4C member were staying.  Helen and Jerri came over, and said they were going to paint the modest little ruin in our campsite, so I decided to join them; after all, it's 50 meters from my campsite!

What I really liked about it was the contrast of the ruin structure, its subtle shadow and stone detail (including shadows along those open edges), and the contrast against the darker alcove in which it was located.  Painting that alcove - with its variety of reflected light, ever-shifting surface planes and intriguing desert varnish facade - proved by far the most difficult aspect of this painting.  Nonetheless, I got it done in maybe 1 1/2 hours, and it was a good warm-up for the day.

After eating an early lunch, I got my next painting surface ready.  For whatever reason, while driving around Friday, I got an idea to try something I've never done before, studio or elsewhere:  a triptych.  Don't ask me why this idea came to me on this trip, but I now had this compulsion to at least try it.

I did originally plan to try a large painting - 16x20 - on this trip, so I had the paper already taped to a 18x24" foamboard panel.  Off it came, and in its place went a 12x12 and two 12x6 pieces on either side.   Heck, the largest painting size I've done on location was 12x16, so this was new territory for me as well.

Perhaps channeling our first trip to Chaco about 1 1/2 years ago, I stopped at the first ruins along the drive - Hungo Pavi.  I'd taken a photo, not of the ruin, but of the canyon wall behind the ruin, and thought that might make a good painting.  Wasn't thrilling me as a triptych, though.

As I walked around the ruin, I came across something that also had grabbed my attention (and a photo, it turns out, of the same window!)  during the first trip:  a small window through which the opposite side of Chaco canyon was visible.  It suddenly occurred to me that I just stumbled upon a triptych subject!  I also realized that even if the side panels didn't work out, the center 12x12 could probably stand on its own.  And, my thought at the time I decided to do this was:  "this will either be pretty neat, totally different from anything I've ever painted or seen done, or just plain weird!"

I spent 3 hours on it, and got it about 75% finished, surprisingly.  Periodic gusts of wind made it a challenge to paint, but luckily, there was never any risk of anything actually blowing over (or away).  Our group critique was at 3PM at the visitor's center, so I hauled it, and the above painting, along for the critique, not sure what to expect from the group.

Sort of surprisingly, everyone really liked it, and the concept.  The group is having a show at the end of the month, in Farmington, for paintings done at Mesa Verde, Aztec and Chaco.  So, I will definitely enter this one.

Here it is, on location, at the end of the second painting session yesterday (Sunday), after I'd finished "bricking and mortaring" it in:

Amazing masonry of Hungo Pavi
(note black trash bag used as a ground cover:  a requirement by the Park to paint there)

It's not completely finished; I need to go and do some final finessing to the rocks and mortar areas.  When you are looking at Chacoan architecture, it's not just about the impressive size and scope of the Great Houses, but about the skill of the masons.   These buildings are over 900 years old.  I wanted to recognize the masonry detail in my painting.

I'll post a photo later when I've touched up the remaining areas and have it framed.  The framing is a whole separate issue that I've spent a good deal of time thinking about.  I've come up with a solution that I hope looks good.

hanging out during Sunday's painting operations

...

Unfortunately, my camera really didn't make much of an appearance during this trip, save for the first day and this shot.   When you are in the mindset of painting, snapping some photos just doesn't have the same appeal.

After the critique session, I went back to the camp, heated up leftovers for dinner, and then decided to head out and paint some more - this time, to Pueblo Del Arroyo, which as the name describes, is a ruin that is right near Chaco wash.  Four other 4C people were painting there when I arrived, so clearly, it was The Place To Be on late Saturday afternoon.

Picture Window - 12x9 inches, pastel on brown cardstock

This just appealed to me because it was really about sitting and observing the masonry detail again, since the entire wall was in the shade.  Noting, for example, how the very top has a variety of rock types, many dark, some very light.  The main section has little mortar, which is suggested by a few dark, thin lines.   The edge of the window was formed with thin, even sections of rock, and the outer edge formed an hourglass-type curve.  Then, the single layer of darker rock, protruding slightly.  The bottom layer of homogenous stone with mortar.  And, the small paired openings to a lower room.

For this painting, I was mindful to create interesting negative spaces and irregular intervals:  symmetry is not what we want here!  The paired openings, window and top of the ruin create a triangle, as do all 3 sections of sky.

After this painting, I was really too tired to try a nocturne a few hours later, although one intrepid member (Deb) did.  The rest of us sat around a blazing campfire, talking of things art and not, and enjoying the extra full, extra bright moon rising over the canyon walls.

I've already decided that if and when another 4CPAP to Chaco Canyon is arranged next year, I'll be back.

A weekend of plein air painting at Chaco Canyon

A trip with the 4CPAP at Chaco Culture National Historical Park, New Mexico...

Fajada Butte - 6x12 inches, pastel on brown cardstock

Friday morning, I packed up my pastels, painting and tent camping gear, and hit the road south to rendezvous with some members of the Four Corners Plein Air Painters.  It's about a 2-hr. drive from Durango, with the last 20-odd miles on a dirt road that criss-crosses through a patchwork of of BLM parcels and Navajo Nation land before reaching the park.

After securing a campsite and checking in at the visitor's center around 12:30 p.m., I took the loop drive through the park to re-aquaint myself with the areas and get ideas for painting.  The combination of a poor night's sleep and strong gusting wind made both standing and and attempting a larger painting a no-go.

I have been drawn to Fajada ("banded", and pronounced "Fa-HA-dah") Butte the other times I've been to Chaco, and decided it would make a good subject for a small 1:2 format painting.  The top of this butte, which was sacred to the Chacoan people, is the location of the famous "Sun Dagger" astronomical petroglyph spiral

The perfect location for painting...

 From this view to the west in full afternoon sun, this painting was about the colors of the land and the butte itself.  As you can see, there wasn't a cloud in the sky, but something needed to break up that large span of sky and help balance the composition.

...both shade and windbreak

After finishing this painting, I was feeling a bit energized, so I drove back to the Visitor's Center and picked up a backcountry permit to hike out to Wijiji (Navajo for "black Greaswood"), an outlier ruin I've not seen before.  The trailhead was conveniently located less than a quarter of a mile from the campground.

Since it was an easy 3 mile round-trip hike, I carried my chair and the small folding table along with my daypack of pastel boxes (I added a new box for this trip, which you can see in the above photo).  I must say that these little panoramas are very satisfying to create, and I'm finding that the light and dark brown cardstock worked out well for these landscape paintings.

Wijiji Wall - 6x12 inches, pastel on brown cardstock

On the hike back, I saw two photographers setting up for the full moon to rise over Chaco wash, and decided to head back to Fajada Butte to get some full moon photos of my own.

On the drive back, I saw a most unexpected sight:

I met up with the rest of the 4C group that was staying overnight shortly before they headed off to listen to the astronomy presentation and nighttime sky viewing through telescopes located at the park.  

In light of the full moon, one of the objectives of the coordinator for this trip, Rhonda, was to try nocturne paintings for those interested.  I did bring a headlamp, but was too tired to try and paint.  

But, before I headed to my tent to try (unsuccessfully, I might add) to get some sleep, I experimented with moonlight photography:

Light painting of the small ruin at the campground
33 seconds @ f/5.0, with a few quick passes on the ruin from a mini Maglite, which is known as "light painting"

60-second exposure @ f/5.0
Interesting to see how much the stars "move" in such a short period of time

Because there are more paintings to share, including one that is a complete departure for me on many levels, I'll save the rest for another post.

Plein Air along the Animas River in Durango - pastel, 16x12

Our trip to Cedar Mesa was absolutely fantastic, and I have paintings and photos to share from that trip.  I've decided to split that into a few contiguous posts just to keep each a manageable size and hopefully not disinterest more readers than I maybe already have...

So, in the meantime, here is yesterday's painting done with the 4CPAP group right here in town:

The Purple Cliffs - 16x12 inches
 pastel on acid-free construction paper

Durango is surrounded by a series of tilted, eroded ridges, known as hogbacks, including this one, known by locals as the "Purple Cliffs".  And purple they are - colorful shales of what I believe is the Morrison formation.   I've been wanting to paint them for probably as long as I've been living here, so I was happy to finally be able to do that.  The cottonwoods are now leafing out in force, and in that beautiful shade of pale green that I enjoy painting.  Also, green + purple = winning combination.

This is the view from the terminus of the Animas River Trail, although I ended up standing on a slope next to the trail to paint.

I got this 90% finished on location, but when the wind started kicking up around noon, blowing my hat off and forcing me to hold the easel while I painted, that's when I usually decide it's time to pack it in.

The two challenges were trying to make the very muddy Animas look not so...unappealing.  The warm temperatures we've been having accelerate mountain snowmelt, and the river is at a seasonal high, and much siltier than normal.  Also, I'm not sure the foreground cliff reads very well; it is in fact probably 20' above the river and not at the shoreline.  Ditto the middle "island", which I decided to keep because it had neat things going on and helped to break up the otherwise solid mass of the river.

At any rate, I'll certainly be back to paint the purple cliffs again, and will at least have a better idea how to handle these issues.  Painting the same location repeatedly is a common practice amongst landscape painters, both past and present, and this subject in particular makes me appreciate why.

Early Spring in Bayfield, CO - plein air, pastel

Yesterday's paint-out with the 4CPAP group at LaPlatte lake...

Early Spring Reflections - plein air
12x12 inches  - pastel on black cardstock
© 2012, S.Johnson

It is finally starting to feel like spring here in the Durango area:  temps are up in the 60's, grasses are starting to green up, and it just feels great to be outside.  The Four Corners group met at LaPlatte lake in nearby Bayfield to paint.

Last year at this location, I painted a small stream that ran by the lake.  This is a wider creek that also runs through the property, about 30 feet from that stream.  I was drawn to the reflections from the various groups of trees, all devoid of foliage still, as well as the shore of the creek itself.

On location

The hardest part was dealing with the various layers of middle ground trees with the receding layers of cottonwoods - at the critique, folks had good suggestions for improving the painting, so I reworked it a bit.  Looks better, and I always find it interesting (and a tad frustrating) how things can just "get away" from you while painting, and it's not until you think you're finished, and view the painting on its easel 20 feet away, that those issues become glaring, and you wonder exactly how that happened during the process.

Anyway, here are a few "action" photos of other members painting:

Helen, painting the same creek on the other side of the fence

Stephen, painting a different section of the same creek

Debra, on the other side of the property, also painting the creek

Mary, painting near a corral of friendly horses, just out of view

Tomorrow, I'm going out with the informal Friday plein air group, to a new location (for me) on Florida Mesa.  Plein air season has begun in earnest!