Winter landscape - river shoreline, pastel

Winding down the "winter landscape" series with another river scene (and a plein air)...

Winter Shoreline
12x16 inches - pastel on Strathmore
© 2012, S.Johnson

I had the realization a few days ago that I'm pretty much done with winter now, both the season and probably most of the paintings.  As enjoyable and successful as I think they've been, it's now time for me to move on to something new.

I checked my blog archives, and it was just around this time that I wrapped up my winter painting series last year - for the same reason.

Earlier this week, I also confirmed my suspicions that I'm probably not ever going to be a winter plein air painter:  the PAP4C, of which I am now officially a member, met on Wednesday to paint the Animas around town.  I was actually excited to get outside and try to get some painting done.  Temps in the mid-40's, with no wind.

The paint-outs usually start at 9AM, but it was in the low 20's then, so I waited until 11:00 to head out.  Things were fine at first - I selected a location just north of the library, which is where we met for the critique.   I was less than an hour into the painting when a slight breeze kicked up and some high thin clouds crossed the sun.  I have some thin gloves for painting during colder days, which I've used when the temps were in the mid-50's or so, and they were fine.  However, it didn't take long for the fingers of my right hand to get cold and start going numb; they are the weak link in my ability to be outdoors in low temperatures, particularly if I'm not moving.

At that point, I knew the session was over, as I couldn't concentrate any longer;  it felt like my right brain just turned off.  At the critique session, all whopping 6 of us who showed up were all complaining about the cold.

Anyway, in the spirit of "pictures, or it didn't happen", here's the painting as far as it got, after an hour of painting.  There is a flock of mallards that reside in the area, and if this doesn't end up in the trash, I may play around with adding some in there, just for kicks, because the composition is sort of boring:

Plein air interruptus
12x16 - black construction paper

Winter landscape - side creek, pastel

This afternoon's painting, switching to a portrait format, of a small creek, water reflections and shadows...

Along Lightner Creek
16x12 inches - pastel on Strathmore Artagain
© S.Johnson

Lightner Creek is a small drainage that enters the Animas River right near the Hwy 160 bridge passing through town.   This is near a small footbridge that leads to the local dog park in town, and the photo was shot the day after our winter storm 2 weeks ago.

These small streams that have the meandering edges against the snow - I just love them.   Aside from the interesting abstract shape of the stream itself, I liked the balance provided by the horizontal shadows and the vertical winter trees.

This painting came together so effortlessly it was almost eerie, and it was just plain fun to paint.   I realized that it's actually been a while since I've worked on the Artagain - probably almost 2 months - and it does handle better than both the cardstock and the el-cheapo construction paper (and much better than the Somerset Black Velvet!).

I've been busy-busy framing paintings for a guest artist exhibit I was invited to for the month of February.  I'll post more about that later, but I did this painting specifically to go in a silver plein air frame I have, to be on display downstairs when people walk into the building.  I'm hoping it will entice people to make a trip up the stairs to the gallery to see the rest of the paintings (and photos by the gallery owners)!

Winter landscape - an urban nocturne, pastel

And now for something really different:  a bunch of man-made things, after dark...

Snowfall After Sunset
14x11 inches, pastel on black construction paper
© S.Johnson

So, the other night, as I was working on my last post, I looked out of my window, and saw this.  It was just after sunset, and it was still snowing.  The streetlight was casting the most amazing light on the freshly fallen snow and the still-falling snow was catching the light of the street lamp in an almost dreamy glow.

For whatever reason, I found it amazing, and got out my camera to get some quick reference photos.  I've always liked the house across the street (it's two, actually) with its very cool design and double pointed roofs.

Okay, you can tell I don't paint buildings that often, and I usually find telephone poles and lines to be a bit of a visual blight on the landscape.  But, this was different.

I made a few adjustments to the composition, but the fire hydrant, well, it had to stay.  Not sure why, but it needs to be there.  What you won't see, OTOH, are any hidden initials on the house or little curly wisps of smoke coming from the chimneys, although you can tell the neighbor peeps are probably home.  If you have no idea what I'm talking about, it's probably just as well.

And, for giggles and grins, here's the reference photo I used.  Not to showcase how much my house is off from the photo, or how I botched the perspective of the road, but to show that yes, even a really horrible photo (I call these "crapshots") can be used for a painting, so don't be quick to toss out the blurry ones if they otherwise contain information you can use:

Winter landscape - aspen tree shadows, pastel - SOLD

Departing from the grass and river theme for this piece to bring you a painting featuring my favorite tree...

Aspen Shadows - SOLD
12x12 - pastel on black cardstock
© S.Johnson

Shot from the passenger window during our snowshoeing trip to Haviland Lake on Thursday, I knew instantly had I had paint it:  awesomely cool shadows and it also leans towards abstraction.

I think this might be fun to try in oils, if I can manage to pry the pastels from my hands long enough, that is.

Anyway, it was a fun challenge.

Winter landscape - river boulders, pastel

A pile of rocks, dead grasses, shadows, and some ice...

Boulders and Shadows
12x12 - pastel on black cardstock
© S.Johnson

Taken a few days before we had our recent snow, this is a small inlet off the main river that, facing north, managed to hang on to a surprising amount of snow.

That serpentine shadow running across the ice and disappearing into the shadowed area?  Wayne didn't much care for it, but it is from an unseen tree, and it fascinated me, so I kept it.  This was a good painting to work with lost and found edges - something I find myself enjoying when I look at paintings.

And, there's black in this painting.  Many artists/instructors will say that one should avoid values 8-10 (with 0 = pure white and 10= pure black), but as with all things, there are exceptions.  Shadows within shadowed areas are black.  Judicious use of black also helps define the relative values of the rocks and gives them proper depth.

-------
Here are a few photos from some of my recent "duck hunts" down by the river.  I always say that if you're having a crummy day, just go watch some ducks.  You'll feel better.

Mallard pair
He has just finished a "yoga stretch" with his right foot.  How on earth they can handle standing and sleeping in water that is just a few degrees above freezing is beyond me, but they clearly enjoy cold winters.

Common Goldeneyes taking flight
These are very striking birds, but extremely wary; any approach towards the edge of the river and they take off

Balancing act
Okay, not a duck, but this Canada goose and its mate were both one-legging it on some exposed rocks close to shore

Squadron of Common Goldeneye - two males and several ladies
Taken from well above the river, this is the best in-water photo I could get of them.

Winter landscape series - River Path, pastel

After what seems like an eternity on my easel, I finally have something to show...

River Path
12x12 inches - pastel on black cardstock
© S.Johnson

I expected to finish this last Thursday.  Then, I decided I didn't like the original effort, done on light brown cardstock.  It was well into Thursday, and I was much further along when I decided to bail on this version than what you see in the photo, which was shot at the end of the first session.

I originally took the photo below intending to show it as an in-progress for the finished piece, just for kicks.  Working from memory for the second session, when I finally turned my laptop on to view the reference, the colors I had chosen for the grasses were off.  Wrong temperature, wrong value...just plain wrong.  Plus, I thought the whole thing just looked anemic on the lighter paper.

So, I started again on a piece of black cardstock, and worked from the original painting for the first part, vs. the photo, for the final version - similar to working from a plein air study, I guess.  The final version subsequently resembles the reference photo even less - a good thing.

I probably would have had it finished then on Saturday, but my sister came up to spend the weekend, and of course, nothing got done on it.  The storm that rolled through the region yesterday delayed her departure for a day due to dicey road and driving conditions, so after she left today, I sat down and motored through the rest of it.

So, here we are, 5 days later, and it's finally done!

The primary reason I wanted to have this ready to post on Thursday is so I could share the link to a blog post in a timely fashion by Antonia and Fabio DueAlberi  featuring their interview with me.  Antonia and Fabio are fellow Etsian shop owners, and that is how I came about meeting them online, and discovered their blog.  When they inquired if I would be interested in being featured on their blog, I happily agreed.

Please have a look at their blog, linked above, featuring their wonderful floral and botanical photography.  Their collaborative efforts produce beautiful and unique images that always make me ask:  "How did they do that?"  I certainly couldn't create photos like theirs, which makes me appreciate their work all the more.

Oh yes - here's the link to their interview last Thursday with me.  Thank you again, Antonia & Fabio, for your generosity and support of fellow artists here in the blogosphere!

Winter landscape - snow-lined creek - pastel

Returning to the high country winter-themed paintings...

Winter's Reflections
12x12 inches - pastel on black cardstock
© 2012, S.Johnson

Today's painting is based on a photo taken on my Xmas day snowshoeing trip.  The loop trail I was on crosses this small wooden footbridge and creek that drains from Haviland Lake.  I saw this small section off the trail a bit, with its reflections and other fun details, and plowed through 18" of powdery snow to procure the photo.

I was really drawn to the abstract shape the creek forms.  A few grasses here and there, some trees and the smooth, undulating lines of the snow covering the land - all very cool.  I also like the exposed rocks at the edge of the creek with their little "snow biscuits", as I call them.  I had to adjust them so they didn't look like Sno Balls© , which is not a good look for any self-respecting winter landscape.

Aside from the fact that some of the "white" pastels (which I think are Senns...very soft) had issues adhering to the paper, this painting came together quickly.   Those are fun times in the studio.

Speaking of snowshoeing - here are a few photos taken from our Dec 30 trip to Spud Lake.  Fellow pastelist and PAP4C member Jan and her husband are avid snowshoers and she told me about this trail which is sort of hidden:

Along the trail

Winter grass still life

Aspen leaf with snowmelt drops

Aspen hillside

Pano shot of Spud Lake and the West Needles

Winter landscape - Starting the new year off

First off, a Happy New Year to everyone!  I am a little slow out of the blocks, painting-wise, for 2012, but hopefully, this painting will break my low output for the past month.

I'm not generally prone to making resolutions for the new year, as that sounds a bit too formative and absolute.  So, I tend to think more of goals I'd like to try and achieve throughout the year, based on the direction(s) I'd like to see my art go, and areas that I feel could stand improvement (well, that would be everything, actually).  I have some ideas orbiting around in my head, and one of my goals is to actually make those a reality instead of a mere idea.  We'll see.

In the meantime, here is today's painting.   Another one of those "ordinary" scenes, with snow, blue shadows and yep - dead grasses.  Bonus:  getting to paint ice on the stream.

Shoreline Shadows
12x12 - pastel on black cardstock
© 2012, S.Johnson

I have more of these winter river scenes planned from photos taken last week, and they are dying to get out of my head and onto some paper.

However, due to the amazing weather we've been having lately, a trip is planned tomorrow...and I am hoping a plein air painting will be forthcoming.

Winter landscape - A still life, of sorts

Intersection
11x14 inches
pastel on acid-free construction paper

I'm not sure precisely all the reasons I'm drawn to such ordinary scenes like this one, but I am.  This is also the type of thing that I would love to have painted on location, but given that this was in about 15" of snow and at least 1/2 mile down the road to Haviland Lake, which was closed to vehicle traffic, that wasn't happening.  Perhaps one of these days, I'll snowshoe in to paint on location, but not for this.

The reference photo for this was taken on Christmas day, while I was out snowshoeing.  It was a bright, sunny day with no wind.  Just perfect.  The low angle of the sun at this time of the year and mid-afternoon light of winter produces the most amazing shadows.

Here are a few other photos from the day, which was a loop including roads and a trail:

Beautiful crystals of ice form on a small creek along the trail

Creek reflections

Cattails along the edge of Haviland Lake

Sweeping tree shadows across the frozen lake

This Red Squirrel [Tamiasciurus hudsonicus] was extremely put out by my presence.    He is giving me the stink eye from high up in a Ponderosa pine 25 feet away - hilarious!

Winter landscape - An urban landscape, deconstructed

December Morning 
12x12 inches - pastel on acid-free construction paper
© 2011, S.Johnson

Something quite different for me - a landscape with not one, but multiple elements of human presence...including some humans!

Based on a photo taken the same day and not far from the same location as the painting from the last post, this one of three gals walking along the Animas River Trail (ART).  Even as I took this quick snapshot, I knew immediately that: 1) I had to paint it; 2) it would crop perfectly to a square format.

When analyzing the photo for any compositional changes I wanted to make, I actually decided I liked just about everything (save for an off-leash dog...definitely out!), and that they were all important to the design and meaning of the painting.  It got me thinking about the importance of not blindly following a photographic reference, and asking oneself:  "is adding or keeping this element really necessary, and does it improve the painting?"

- the trail:  this multi-use paved urban trail is one of the many things that makes Durango special.  It is the source of great enjoyment and recreational value for its residents.  The path itself is the lead-in to the painting, and the non-linear curves keep the viewer from racing through.

- the figures:  the focal point.  They also symbolize the importance and popularity of this trail to its residents by their presence.  Odd number = better compositionally.   I was mindful to keep the intervals between them varied.  They were also by far the most challenging thing to paint!

- the lamppost:  adjacent to the figures, it balances them, and adds another vertical element to the painting.  Its presence symbolizes safety and comfort.

- the evergreen trees:  breaks up the purple-red-grays of the winter trees surrounding it, and helps to keep the viewer from leaving the painting by stopping the pathway, and hopefully, helps guide the viewer's eyes up to the...

- snow-covered rooftops of the neighborhood houses:  add a broken horizontal element to the painting and tie in with the snow on the sides of the path.

- the chamisa:  even with its faded flowers, this shrub is attractive.  It helps break up the rust-colored grasses and it sweeps in towards the painting.

Try covering up each of the elements with your thumb and see if you think the painting would work as well without it/them.  I don't personally feel it does, but others might feel differently.  Either way, I think it's a useful thing to apply to your own reference photos, and even during the painting process.   I actually do the same thing when I'm painting on location.

My goal and challenge with this painting was to make it look as though there is not much detail...but, yet, it required being detailed in some areas.  Does that make any sense?  Little dashes of color here and there to suggest shapes and planes.  Thin dark lines to suggest underlying tree structure.

I don't analyze my all of my paintings or references so carefully, but I thought sharing my thoughts behind this one might be of some interest to other artists; it's also the sort of thing I really enjoy reading on other art blogs.

Winter landscape - A new studio piece...finally!

First Season's Snow
14x18 inches - pastel on Somerset Black Velvet paper with Golden pumice ground
© 2011, S.Johnson

After what seems like an eternity, I'm back.  I've actually not been gone per se - just out of touch with much of everything, for lack of a better explanation.  Actually, my attentions and creative energy have just been diverted to things not art, and probably of no interest to most readers.  So, I didn't bother to share them here.

This piece was done from a photo taken 11 days ago and actually started on the same day.  It's not even that I struggled with it, because I didn't; I actually had it almost half finished after the first session, and had fully expected to finish it the next day...but, that just didn't happen.

December is always a weird month for me, and my least favorite.  While most people are enjoying the build-up to the holidays and such, I have an overwhelming desire to head off to a remote backcountry cabin, armed with nothing but art supplies, food and books, and emerge again on Jan 2.  Then, life finally returns to normal and the days are getting longer.

But, the upside of Dec is that it usually provides the first decent snow of the season, both in town and up in the mountains, which begins snowshoeing season.

For me, a day out snowshoeing is the antidote to the noisy, frenetic and spend-spend-spend mentality of the Dec holiday season, which bothers my sensibilities on various levels.  The absolute stillness of the land covered in snow calms the mind and allows one to truly live in the moment.

The landscape takes on a Zen-like quality of simplicity...

 Things ordinary become extraordinary...

Water, transformed, for a moment in time...

Sometimes, the snow offers a most curious transformation...

And views otherwise never seen are seen...

Winter Shroud

Winter Shroud

11x14 inches

pastel on 140# w/c paper with Golden pumice ground

A companion piece, if you will, to the last painting.  I realized that I had this photo in my collection, and was drawn to it for the same reasons - golden grasses and dark, dramatic skies.  This is taken from the same location, but the view is to the southeast now, with the wind to our backs.  In the distance, San Jose peak - another small range just south of the border, receives a smattering of snow.

This reminded me that winter storms were a common theme to my photography and paintings last year while in southern AZ.   Two of the paintings can be seen here and here.  

The paper for this gave me some fits with blending; I am guessing it didn't contain a thick enough layer of the pumice ground to allow for the layering I needed, particularly at the top.  It also made trying to accurately depict a mountain partially shrouded in cloud and snow even more difficult.  

Now, I'm off to contemplate the next subject to paint.  I have so many ideas bouncing through my head and often when that happens, it takes longer to figure out what to actually focus on.

---

Monday's sunset:

27mm

65mm

Winter Along the Forgotten Road

Winter Along the Forgotten Road

11x14 inches 

 pastel on 140# w/c paper with Golden pumice ground

When I pulled together the reference photos for the Impressions of Winter series, I'd almost forgotten about this one.  It's easy to forget that winter isn't only about snow-blanketed land and frozen streams, but that it casts its influence across the desert regions to the south as well.

This painting is based on a photo I took last February - Feb 28, in fact - during my stay in Bisbee.  A winter storm blew through the region, dropping temperatures down into the low 30's, and produced fierce wind gusts.  I would frequently head out on photo shoots on such stormy days, assuming road conditions were acceptable.  On this day, I drove out towards the Huachuca Mtns., circling south towards the Coronado Nat. Monument.  

This region is a semi-desert grassland and lower areas are surrounded by Chihuahuan desert.  Scrub oak and manzanita are found throughout, and then there are these amazing spreads of grass that turn to pale yellow-gold in the winter - I find these to be absolutely beautiful.  It's increasingly difficult to find an area of this grassland that isn't broken up by housing developments now, but I found one.  Essentially untouched, save for a small fence and fading double-track road, leading straight to Mexico...which is probably less than 1/2 mile away.

The sweeping view of the Sierra Madre Occidentals within this basin and range province is obliterated by the storm and falling snow and rain falling to the south.  Behind me to the north, the Huachucas were getting a dusting of snow.  This is winter in the desert - subtle, mostly, but present.

Here is a photo of the blocking-in stage, prior to application of rubbing alcohol for an underpainting, which helps fix the pastel well into the surface.  I always use an underpainting on these home-made w/c paper surfaces when I don't tone the paper black as I dislike working on a white surface.  Plenty of room for corrections between this and the finished painting, thankfully.

Portrait of a Rose

tags:  floral painting - red rose - 6x8 - alla prima painting - original art - for sale - flower 

---

Portrait of a Rose

8x6" - oil on canvas panel

Available for purchase

Another Daily Paintworks challenge I couldn't resist.  This weeks' challenge is "A Valentine's Day Rose", hosted by Qiang Huang.   I probably should have gone down to the grocery store and ante'd up $5+ for a single red rose to paint from life, but I wasn't feeling that ambitious, so I went with a photo.

I absolutely love flowers, and while they have always been a favorite subject to photograph, I can only recall only one floral painting I ever did, and that was in pastel about 16 years ago.  So, this marks both the first time I've ever painted a rose, or a flower in oils.

I always thought roses seemed very difficult to paint, so complex, and I wasn't sure I'd ever even want to paint them.  But, a single rose sounded like it might be doable, and I loved the simplicity of it.   And, it gave me a chance to pull out some of those cadmium reds and the Alizarin crimson that I seldom use now.  I definitely why Qiang says it is easy to overwork a rose painting.  I can also see why this flower in particular lends itself so well to Flemish painting techniques and glazing; the hardest part was getting the darks dark enough and not losing the edges while doing value adjustments in alla prima.

I'm probably close to wrapping up the winter series I've been working on, and maybe I'll take on some more florals, including some in pastel.  I've been wanting to paint flowers for some time now, and this was a good incentive to give it a go!

---------
Everyone is probably getting sick of the winter and snow, but here are a few from our snowshoeing trip at Andrews Lake yesterday.  My hand is doing great - thank you again for all the well-wishes - and it didn't prevent me from using either my poles or camera:

Waxing half-moon over the Grenadier Range

Andrews Lake is directly in front.

Wayne surrounded by aspen, fir and spruce

And, look - there's the moon...again!

Aspen trunks and shadows

More interesting abstract shapes formed by these beautiful trees.

Two "speed paintings"

Lone Tree

9x12 - pastel on Strathmore Artagain paper

February Thaw

9x12 - pastel on Strathmore Artagain

I had planned on these happening yesterday, but those plans went awry when I had the lid of a metal dumpster fall from full height onto my right hand, smashing it .  After about 10 minutes of excruciating pain, immediate swelling and panicked thoughts of "will I ever be able to paint again?", heading to the urgent care center seemed like a prudent thing to do.  Fortunately, x-rays showed nothing was broken, but I left in a splint that killed any idea of painting.  And, it drove me nuts.

Feeling anxious and stir-crazy this morning, I took the splint off so I could at least type.  And despite the fact my 3rd and 4th fingers look like green and purple sausages, I discovered that I could hold pastels!  I cannot explain what a relief this was.

Anyway, these paintings are a sort of spin-off from the "Ten Minute Challenge", and are also part of the "Impressions of Winter" series.  They are based on photos we took on Wed around Florida (pronounced "floor-EE-ta") Mesa, an area of ranches and farms south of Durango.   The concept was the same:  paint quickly, focusing on masses and abstract shapes rather than details.  For these 9x12", I set the timer for 30 min. each, which is 1/3 of the time it took for the total time in the pear composite painting.   I sort of count them as good warm-ups for plein air work later this year.

They aren't going to win any awards, but believe me, I am pleased anyway!  That I could even paint a day after a pretty major crushing injury to my dominant hand, and that I finished them both within the 30 minute limit = success.  

-------

Wednesday's beautiful sunset, taken 3 minutes apart:

3-part pano 

2-part pano 

An Imperial Day

An Imperial Day

8x10 - pastel on sanded paper

Another pastel break...this time to take part in the Daily Paintworks Challenge, hosted by Carol Marine.  This is the debut challenge, and sure to be hugely popular (there are close to 80 entries now!).   I have a thing for old vintage cars, both impeccably maintained beauties like this as well as those that have seen better days.  When I was in Bisbee last winter, I was lucky to have my camera along when I saw this beautiful '57 Chevy parked on a vacant street.  

It's the beautiful shine, chrome and extra details like that fancy taillight that make these cars so special.  This was a good challenge in many ways - I've never drawn or painted a car before, and I found it an absolute delight - even doing some of that insane detail which I usually try to avoid.  I'll definitely do more...

----

Some photos from our Little Molas snowshoeing trip yesterday:

 A herd of elk, appearing to be mostly calves, cows and maybe yearling bulls, grazes along a field near the Animas river just north of Durango.  The only time you'll ever see elk in daylight or near town is in winter as they come down in search of food.

As luck would have it, they were close to the highway and I had the telephoto lens on the camera, so they can be seen pretty clearly!

Grenadier Range panorama

Hwy 550 is seen, and the four visible peaks are White Dome, Peak 2, Peak 3 and Arrow Peak

This is a 5-part pano with vertical orientation of images.

Extreme iridescence of cloud.

The colors here resemble nacreous, or "mother-of-pearl" clouds.  However, according to my reference, nacreous clouds are only seen during twilight hours.  It was very windy and the sky was filled with lenticular clouds - of which nacreous are a type.  What makes nacreous different than other clouds is that they are found in the stratosphere - about 2x as high as even cirrus.

Snowdon Peak panorama

View is to the south.  This is a 4-part pano with horizontal orientation of images.  DoubleTake panoramic software program used for both