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.  

Hovenweep #2 - Ancient Architecture series

Something totally different....

Hovenweep #2 - Standing Alone

9x12 

pastel on black Strathmore

Last night, while catching up on one of our favorite TV series via Netflix, I was noticing the wonderful abstract paintings in the office of one of the main characters (the POTUS, in fact).  Reds and blues and other bright primaries and secondaries.  So, that is the source of inspiration for the palette in this latest painting in the Ancient Architecture series.  I think there is some Wolf Khan influence in there as well.  

It almost went into the trash before it was even 1/2 way finished; I had grabbed an earthy brown to use for the area behind the ruin, and realized it didn't work with the reds.  I scrubbed it out, but it's still visible as an underpainting of sorts, but I did salvage it.  Since this obliterated the black surface of the paper, I decided "what the heck?", and proceeded to use my brush to scrub everything out.  It's always surprising how freeing things become when you figure it will head to the trash anyway:  nothing to lose!

I titled this painting such because one of the distinctive features of the Hovenweep ruins is that the buildings do all stand alone, and the reds used in the painting were meant to emphasize this.  They aren't in large "houses", like those seen at Chaco and Mesa Verde.  And the puebloan architects and masons frequently placed their homes (or whatever this was) directly on exposed slickrock; this particular building sits atop a sandstone ledge.  Beside it, a rubble pile is all that remains of the rest of the building, with a few scatted rocks shown to represent what used to belong to the dwelling.  

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Unrelated update:  the dumpster diving raccoon had managed to extricate himself from his metal prison, presumably with the help of additional trash thrown in there.  A good thing, as the trash was collected today.  A friend had suggested I contact Animal Control, and I don't know why I didn't think of that initially, but I won't hesitate to call if that situation arises again.  

Hovenweep #1 - Ancient Architecture series

tags:  original pastel painting - fine art - abstract landscape - southwestern landscape art - 9x12 

Hovenweep #1- Down to Earth

9x12 inches

pastel on black Strathmore

Despite the abundance of new Chaco references, I decided to move to the Hovenweep part of the series for a bit.  Located in the far eastern edge of Utah, just across the CO border, Hovenweep National Monument doesn't have the Great Houses found in Chaco or Mesa Verde.  They are instead small clusters of smaller dwellings that are usually situated on the edge of a smaller canyon or drainage, and some are several miles apart.  I have misplaced my information sheet on the specifics of the sites, but the inhabitants were Anasazi, and inhabited the area until about 1300 AD.  During our visit in early Dec, we spoke with one of the park rangers, who told us that Hovenweep was completely un-excavated and there are no plans in the future to do so - a trend I'm most pleased to see.

And, for this piece anyway, I decided to try something a bit different and utilize the black surface for part of the design.  The masonry of the Hovenweep ruins is a bit different than either Chaco or Mesa Verde, and I noted that it varied quite a bit even among the different structures.  They utilize some of the same features (T-shaped doors and windows, for example), but have their own unique style.  Many have rounded rooms, reminiscent of small castles.  In this particular ruin, the upper part is comprised of larger square sandstone bricks, with the lower part made of thinner slabs or sections of rock.  I felt the difference in texture and form was an important part of this particular structure, along with the distinctly lighter colored rock used in the areas shown.  

Due to the smaller size and scale of the ruins, the landscape figures much more prominently into the scene, as with Hovenweep #1.  I've titled it "Down to Earth" both for the palette - muted greens and earthy reds - as well as the connection with the land.  This is as close to local color as I've come yet, save for the sky.  It's hard to tell in this photo (taken with a flash), but the pastels utilized for the sky and rock are not the same.  

I may utilize this same technique for the other pieces I do in the Hovenweep parts of this series...we shall see!

Chaco #6 - Ancient Architecture series

More Chacos...

Chaco #6 - Window with Beam

12x9

pastel on black Strathmore

I'd planned to start with the Hovenweep series, but we took another trip to Chaco Culture National Historical Park (official, formal name) this past Saturday, and I came back loaded with enough reference photos to keep me painting for weeks if I chose.

I guess I must really like this green, because even though I am trying not to repeat colors, I discovered after I had finished the painting that I had used it on #3.  But, it gives a different look with a deep earthy red and robin's egg blue sky.  

This particular image is based on photos taken at the Chacoan Great House Pueblo Del Arroyo (house by the gully or creek), so named as it is closest to the banks of the Chaco Wash that runs through the canyon.  

On this trip, we also took the ~8 mile round-trip hike to the most remote of the Great Houses in the park:  Penasco Blanco (white rocks).  The weather was in the low 70's with a breeze and ideal for hiking.  

Below are some photos taken from the hike, some converted to sepia or b/w.

Monolithic sandstone cliffs form the edges of Chaco canyon

A trio of petroglyphs high up on the cliff face is seen below a cluster of old mud nests (swallows, I'm guessing).

A large raptor coasts silently on the thermals above.  Possibly a red-tailed hawk, but much larger than most I've seen.  

Grown-over ruins at Penasco Blanco.  This is one of the few pueblos in Chaco that archaeologists have chosen not to excavate, and I'm glad.  The Chacoan people deserve to have at least some of their history left untrammeled and not picked over and reconstituted.

The "keyhole" door at Penasco Blanco.  Original wood beams are visible in the small adjacent windows.  Given that this was built around 1100 AD, that even this much remains is remarkable.  Piles of rock from collapsed walls are seen in front.

The same wall and door as seen from behind (north).

A look down and across the canyon coming back from Penasco Blanco; it is one of the only ruins found on the south side of the wash and overlooks the canyon itself.  Willow and salt cedar (aka tamarisk - an invasive species found around most southwest waterways) line the edges of this now-dry wash.  

One of the larger petroglyph panels in the afternoon sun.

Casa Chiquita on the hike back.

A balanced rock sits precariously atop a narrow base along the edge of the canyon.

Chaco #5 - Ancient Architecture series

Chaco #5

9x12 inches

 pastel on black Strathmore paper

I never cease to be amazed by the skill and resourcefulness of the masons that built the Chacoan pueblo structures.  This is another view of Pueblo Bonita, and you can see what are probably the remains of a T-shaped door up at the top right - on the second story.

It's always fun to work in compliments, and I thought these blues and earth-oranges went well together.  In addition to the practice of experimenting with various color combinations, this series has also been good for practicing linear perspective drawing, something I haven't had to do much of in other landscapes.  

I hope it's not too obvious that the window in this painting is almost smack-dab in the middle of the paper; I made some minor adjustments, but that's where it just wanted to be.  

This will probably be the last of the series from Chaco for a bit [although we are possibly going to Chaco again either tomorrow or early next week].  Next up will be Hovenweep, a scattered set of puebloan style ruins that are much smaller in scale and decidedly less grandiose than either Chaco or Mesa Verde.  

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Here is another example of human artistic ingenuity at work.  Theo Jansen is a Dutch kinetic sculptor.  Take a look at his amazing and delightful creations out of PVC pipe - they look like something right out of DaVinci's notebooks.   These make me smile:

Chaco #4: Doorways 02 - Ancient Architecture series

Chaco #4: Doorways 02

12x9 inches

pastel on black Strathmore

Another view from inside Pueblo Bonita looking through one of the rectangular doorways and across to another.  Interestingly, there are steps that lead to each doorway.  The row of wooden beam ends protruding from the wall above the door are all that remain of the support for the second story floor of this pueblo.  

For this pastel painting, I relied on scumbling of colors to achieve the lighter values within the second room, which has much more reflected light.   

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This evening's sky - a waxing crescent moon covered by a thin layer of pink clouds:

Chaco #3 - Ancient Architecture series

Chaco #3

12x9 inches

pastel on black Strathmore paper

Hmmm...this looks a bit better in person; I could not do any color adjustment to get the correct saturation of the turquoise-green on the right side without completely over-saturating the left-sided greens.  I loved the design of this, but may re-do it in a different color scheme later; it doesn't look as good as I'd hoped when I tested the colors out together...and so it goes.  

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Nelson celebrates Fat Tuesday in style* and wishes everyone a happy Mardi Gras!

*[subject was not harmed or otherwise subjected to inhumane working conditions during today's photo session.  And, there's nothing like a string of beads to top off one's fancy tuxedo attire.]

Chaco #2: Doorway - Ancient Architecture series

Chaco #2: Doorway

12x9 inches

pastel on black Artagain

Anasazi architecture, both their pueblo and cliff-dwellings, is characterized by these unique T-shaped doorways.  This door is found within the large Pueblo Bonita at Chaco Canyon.  As you walk through the door, there are additional doors leading to other rooms on the left and right, as well as those you see in front.  Wooden beams form the strut supports for the roof of the doorway.  The doors are not very high - about five feet.

Unlike Chaco #1, for this piece, I wanted to do some bright, saturated colors that are not at all based in reality.  I have this amazing chartreuse-colored Unison that I seldom get a chance to use, and I love it with its compliment.  I picked accent colors I thought went well with the purples/yellows, and for value.  The limited palette (9 colors total) forces one to be creative in their application.  A grayscale conversion confirmed that the lighter purple, darker orange and turquoise are identical in value.  

Ancient Architecture - new series

Chaco #1

12x9 inches

pastel on Strathmore Artagain (black)

Here we go again with a new series!  I think this will be an on-going one, just like the Miniseries Quartets, since there will no doubt be a steady source of new references from which to work from.

A few days ago, I was looking through my photos taken of the various Anasazi (or Ancestral Puebloans, if you prefer) ruins we've visited, and marveling in the wonderful abstracted shapes they form, along with the impressive degree of detail and masonry skill.  Some readers may remember my original post and photos from our visit to Chaco Canyon last fall.

I am always on an exploratory quest with my work, and color and palette harmony is one area that I always feel could be better in my pastels, especially since I find myself constantly falling back into the trap of representational colors [although that is not necessarily a bad thing].  I'm also trying to head in the direction of simplifying my work and losing unnecessary detail, particularly in my landscapes, and to expand my use of color beyond the local.  Recently, I was able to replace some of my beloved copies of the Pastel Journal that the USPS lost last year, and they arrived earlier this week.  In the June '08 issue, the simple landscapes of New Mexico artist Mary Silverwood are featured, including some of her very colorful and simple depictions of Chaco ruins.  I loved the concept immediately, especially since I had photos in that similar format.  As much as I enjoy her style, I don't want to copy it - just borrow an idea.

Wolf Khan's use of color and line in his minimalist landscapes of barns has appealed to me for years, and I often pull out my copy of Wolf Khan Pastels when I want to refresh my vision.  Recently, Casey Klahn  posted a series of links to video interviews with Mr. Khan regarding some of his older work, and I'm working through those.  I've admired Casey's use of color and ability to distill down his landscapes ever since I discovered his blog, and then there is the series by blogger friend Jala Pfaff has been doing with her abstract Strata series where she has been exploring color.  So, between all of these sources of inspiration, I hopefully now have something that is somewhat unique.

My goal with this series is really to focus on the simple shapes and design of the ruins in combination with experimentation of various color palettes.  And, of course, to pay homage to the original inhabitants and masons that were responsible for creating these enigmatic dwellings and cities of stone, mud and wood.