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.   

Monsoon sky - pastel, plein air

Colors of Earth and Sky - 12x12", plein air
pastel on sanded black cardstock
 © S.Johnson

This was just plain fun to paint.  Near the river and looking south with a peek of the Purple Cliffs.

Utah intermission, local plein air, and show updates

Despite the several day silence here, I've actually been busy...painting!  I had intended to do the Utah trip in a continuous series of posts, but instead of putting the finishing touches on those paintings, I've just been doing new ones (and not always getting those finished on location, either).

I did finish the painting from yesterday's 4CPAP, and I'll post that tomorrow, along with pictures from the day, and hopefully sit down and finish up the pieces from the Utah trip in a timely fashion.

Here is this afternoon's quickie painting, done at Santa Rita park.  We did a 6 mile hike up Animas City Mtn. this morning, so I decided I would definitely sit to paint.   The Animas, unfortunately running about 1/4 of its normal flow for this time of year, is a beautiful green, so I will be painting it on a regular basis.  I brought my stadium chair and sat in the shade of one of the huge cottonwoods on the river bank.  Several rafting groups went by, along with many kayakers, which I always enjoy watching.  Then, on the far shore of the river, right along the edge shown in the painting, two families of Canada geese and their goslings went by.  What a great way to spend an early summer afternoon while painting a rock with water splashing around it.

River Boulder & Whitewater #1 - 8.5x11"
plein air
pastel on sapphire blue cardstock

Other news that has been accumulating that I wanted to share is that at the reception last Friday for the 4CPAP's National Parks show, held at San Juan College in Farmington, two of my paintings won awards!

The Chaco triptych  "A Window Through Time", shared the honor of winning the Artist's Choice award with Fran Mayfield.  Only 4C members could vote on this, and it was really impossible to pick a single favorite painting out of the 50+ paintings I'm guessing where there; I probably spent 15 minutes making my choice.  We left before the awards were announced, so I found out via email the next day.  This peer-based award really means a lot to me, because it does validate my efforts and dedication to my plein air work.

And, additional awards were given by NPS rangers, one for each of the three parks represented in the show.  My colorist painting "Walls and Shadows", won the Best of Show for Aztec Ruins National Monument.  It's really still hard for me to believe, particularly given the quality of work at the show.  

Finally, I got a call today that the one painting I entered in this year's annual member's juried show at DAC was accepted:  "Winter's Reflections".  It was one of my favorite studio pieces created this year, and I wanted to enter it in at least one juried show, and maybe a pastel-only show at some point.

I dropped the painting off towards the end of the day, after yesterday's paint-out, and along with another 4C member who was there at the same time, we got to take a look at submissions.  I have noticed that the overall quality of work at this show keeps increasing with each show, it seems, and there were a HUGE number of entries - probably close to 200, I'd guess.  I'm going to help hang the show tomorrow, so I will find out how many were entered vs. selected.  Regardless, it was clearly an honor to have a painting selected for the show.

Reception for the show is this Friday, which happens also to be my birthday.  My sister will be in town, and our friends Sarah and Todd from Bayfield are coming in, so a merry time is sure to be had!

Plein Air with 4CPAP - Puebloan ruins in Aztec, NM

Yesterday was a great day to get out and plein air paint; it's starting to feel like spring...

I'm glad I decided to attend the paint-out with our group yesterday, which was held at the Aztec Ruins National Monument, in Aztec, NM.  The temperatures were supposed to be in the high 50's-low 60's, and with no wind.

Walls and Shadows - plein air
16x12 inches - pastel on Strathmore Artagain
© 2012, S.Johnson

The morning's painting - my colorist version.  After walking around for about 10 min, this view grabbed my eye.  I loved the lead-in and composition.  I also decided that, because the local colors are still a bit dreary, that I would draw inspiration from the Chaco/ancient architecture series I did about a year ago, and have fun with color.

My first attempt was chaotic, shall we say.  Values were good, but the color harmony?  Not so much...so, even though I'd spent probably 1 1/2 hrs. on it and was almost finished, I wiped it down.  The ghosted image remained, so I didn't have to re-draw all the lines.  I sat down, pulled out the two "base" colors for the ruins, and finished it up.  At the critique session, everyone really liked it, which was nice to hear, because at times like this, I often write it off.  Suggestions were made for things to tweak on it, which I did, as well as a few things I felt it needed.

Now, I'm pretty happy with it.

The weather was just so amazing and warm in the afternoon that I decided to make the most of it and do another quick painting.  During the critique session, Stephen - the host for the paint-out - was telling us about a unique feature in the Aztec ruins (which, like Chaco, Mesa Verde and Hovenweep - are Anasazi):  layers of green rock in the masonry of some of the walls [though not in the walls were I painted].  He had incorporated that element into his painting, and the idea struck me as so cool that I decided to do my second painting with that in mind:

The Green Line - plein air
12x12 inches - pastel on black cardstock
© 2012, S.Johnson

For this, I went with more or less local colors - earthy neutrals.  I'm really into the the abstract forms these ruins and their shadows form.  I kept the two wood beams and the small window at the bottom, but left out the contemporary added drainage gutter, despite the fact it added a really neat shadow.

Why did these ancient masons decide to add the layers of green rock into their structures?  Of course, no one really knows, but I'd say probably "because they could".   Because it is a way of adding decoration and their own individuality to their community.  The rock apparently had to be brought in from a distance, so perhaps there's some spiritual significance as well.  Either way, it's a neat thing and I'm sure they would be thrilled that people are noticing it 900 years later.

Some photos from the lunch/critique:

Fran and her painting

Karl showing one of his paintings

Deb's painting.  She added clouds as per critique suggestions in the afternoon.  

Sunsets Across the Land - Quartet Miniseries in pastel

Sunset #1 - Acapulco
3x9 inches
pastel on reclaimed Colourfix

Sunset #2 - Across the Poquonock River, CT
SOLD

Sunset #3 - Bluff, UT

Sunset #4 - West of Tucson

A return to these 1:3 ratio small pastels that I've enjoyed doing, with some landscape-format sunsets for this series.  Nothing like some bright, over-the-top reds and oranges or warm pinks and muted corals to help with a creative slump, right?


Four sunset moments from four very different locations.  There are plenty of art critics that believe sunset paintings are a cliche (did I mention this in the last post?  I believe I may have) and border on kitsch, especially those with the sun in a setting position.  


Sunset paintings are one of my guilty pleasures, kitsch or not.  


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And, here are a few recent photos of sunsets taken from our deck:

April 11 - Altostratus

Kelvin-Helmholtz cloud - April 11

April 5 - Altocumulus

April 4 - Altostratus

Watch Hill, RI - miniseries quartet

tags:  original pastel painting - new england landscape - beach - lighthouse - original art - oceanscape 

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I had to split this next miniseries, now switched to a 1:3 horizontal format, into two days.   It's a radical change in landscape subject:  coastal New England, specifically Watch Hill, RI.  Watch Hill is a quaint little coastal village that is also classified as a National Historical District.  It was one of my favorite places to go when we lived in Mystic, and why I ventured to paint it.  I wrote a post about it back in June, with photos taken during one of our trips there.

Napatree Beach Path

3x9 inches

pastel on reclaimed Colourfix

Available for purchase

Napatree Point is a small barrier beach that extends west from Watch Hill, separating Block Island Sound and the Atlantic from Little Narragansett Bay.  For some reason, I've always been drawn to beach paths, especially when the ocean lies out of view, like here.  

Shoreline Patrol

3x9 inches

Available for purchase

Gulls.  Noisy, messy and opportunists of any unattended food, they are nonetheless an omnipresent feature of beaches everywhere.   I find myself amused by them.   The original photo was nothing to write home about, but this crop eliminated extraneous detail and turned it into an abstract-like design.  I think this is only the second time I've ever attempted to paint an ocean shoreline (the first attempt went directly into the trash), which is probably pretty clear from this painting!

Beach Rose Fence

3x9 inches

Available for purchase

Beach rose (Rosa rugosa) is found throughout the shoreline areas of coastal New England.  Walking along the beach, I saw them covering the outside of this picket fence and thought it was so attractive and representative of the quaint nature of this charming village.  The challenge here was to avoid cloning of the roses (in terms of size, shape and position) and to think in right-brained terms of everything as groups of abstract shapes, overriding the left-brain's attempt to depict them as individual roses, leaves, and formed shadows.   It's about creating an impression for the viewer.

Watch Hill Lighthouse

3x9 inches

Available for purchase

I'll be honest here...I usually detest lighthouse paintings.  They conjure up images of kitsch and saccharine, Kincade-esque paintings found in touristy gift shops.  The fact that this is composed of a group of buildings vs. the usual cylindrical lighthouse is what brokered the deal to photograph and then paint it.   The lone gull was in the reference photo, and I decided to keep it.   At least I resisted the urge to add a rose trellis up the lighthouse, eh?

All of these were done on reclaimed Colourfix paper.  If I thought that painting on pristine Colourfix was  unpleasant, painting on this was tedious.  That I was even able to get any small shape to look like its intended form (the gull and lighthouse buildings), let alone at this small size, still surprises me.  

After this, it's back to my comfort zone in the southwestern landscape for a while.

Engineer Mtn - quartet miniseries

Tags:  Durango, Colorado - original artwork - landscape painting - Engineer Mountain - soft pastel.

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Living in Durango, I had to do a series of Engineer(s).  Engineer Peak is one of those iconic landmarks of the area that everyone knows.  I've taken so many pictures of it from various hikes and Hwy 550 that I had no trouble choosing 8 images to work with (four will be in landscape format later).

I've mentioned before that Engineer looks great from all sides, at all times, in all seasons.  My hope is that these paintings give a glimpse into why Engineer is such an enduring (and endearing) fixture for the Durango area.

Engineer #1 - summer flowers

9x3 inches

black Colorfix

Taken along a section of the Crater Lake trail during our summer '09 visit, we were treated to both alpine wildflowers and a monsoon storm.

Engineer #2 - from the Colorado Trail

9x3 inches

This doesn't read like I wanted, but this is a view from the Colorado Trail looking across a valley and the slanted strata of the slopes that make up the area.  Aspen (some in fall color) and fir/spruce form almost orderly lines along the slope.  

Engineer #3 - Late Fall

9x3

A late fall image, also taken from the Crater Lake trail, but a few miles higher and south.   The trail was covered with golden grasses with scattered spruce and fir.  

Engineer #4 - Winter 

9x3 inches

Taken this winter on one of our snowshoeing trips, this is the view from near Andrews Lake (also the location of the Crater Lake trailhead).  

Views of Colorado - miniseries quartet

tags:  Colorado landscape painting - impressionist landscape - original pastel painting - barns - southwestern landscape - skies - Telluride, CO - creek painting - forest meadow

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This next quartet is an assortment of views of southwestern Colorado, based on photos from our summer '09 trip.  I've now seen all these same locations since we moved here, and they are just as appealing as they were when we were visiting.

Hwy 184 Barn

9x3 inches 

pastel on white Colourfix 

Hwy 184 is a scenic two-lane road that connects the small towns of Mancos and Dolores.  This barn is one of my favorite sites along the drive.  

Fenceline

9x3 inches

This old fence, located along the Hermosa Creek valley, separates private rangeland from BLM and national forest land.  Surrounding hills and mountains are covered with spruce, fir and aspen

Hermosa Creek

9x3 inches

This scenic creek is popular with fly fishermen, and a nearby trail is used by hikers and mountain bikers.

Telluride Shadows

9x3 inches

The old mining town of Telluride, located in this small valley, is seen from the highway leading into town from the west.  Monsoon clouds cast shadows over the nearby slopes and mountains.  

[this photo was taken inside and is not as yellow as the image shows...I wasn't able to adjust the temperature any cooler].

New miniseries - Sunset Strip Quartet

tags:  original pastel painting - landscape painting - sunset - original art for sale - impressionist landscape - southwestern landscape - cumulus clouds

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Here is something completely different, and just the thing I've been looking for to break up the traditional landscapes I've been doing lately.  I was inspired by my blogger friend Jala's recent series of small pastel abstracts she calls "Strata".  They are mostly narrow vertical-format pieces of pure color.  I love them!  


I spent part of last night experimenting with a 1:3 aspect ratio crop with photos in my various folders on my computer, and realized I had just come up with a fun new idea.


I'm calling them "Miniseries", and it's a double-entendre of sorts, as it refers both to the size and the number.  My plan or goal is to do a quartet of paintings for each theme.


[Note:  Blogger seems to have some text formatting issues...the edited page says that the text is the same size and the same font but the "preview" page shows smaller font size for some text...not sure what to do about that]


First quartet:  Sunset Strips

Road Reflections 9x3 inches
pastel on white Colourfix
Available for purchase

I have this ever-expanding collection of sunset photos I've taken in various locations.  Some are good as stand-alone photos, some are good for reference material only and most fall somewhere in between.  Somehow, cropping them to this unexpected portrait format adds some level of uncertainty - an abbreviated glimpse into the landscape, but with enough information to tell a story...a short story.

Connecticut Cumulus
Available for purchase

These also seemed like a good way to use up the remaining pieces of Colorfix paper I have; each piece makes a quartet of paintings. For #1 and #4, I used an alcohol wash underpainting, which is really the best way to use this paper, I've found.  For #2 and #3, it was just finger blending to get rid of the white surface, with additional scumbling.

Sunset Virga
Available for purchase

In addition, these small paintings are a great way to experiment with palettes for future full-sized paintings.  In addition to these "strip" paintings, I've also done some in landscape format, which I have been referring to as "bands".  

Saguaro Silhouette
SOLD

These were fun to do, even on the marginal surface, and I could see them becoming a regular part of my pastel repertoire.  I already have several more quartets lined up, of all different themes.  Thus far, it's only landscapes, but I can see this application for still life and even portraits.