Wagner Farm Arboretum

My father once told me, "you cannot show an Irishman a hill without him wanting to see the other side."  I have come to understand the truth of this saying.  Driving home from work I would often glimpse these grain silos, literally across the highway and through the woods.  Finding them (and then painting them) became a goal.  This is one of those spots that I might have to come back to in different seasons,especially in winter.

                         Watercolor 11 x 8.5 on heavy weight paper 270 gsm

Washington Valley Reservoir

I have no idea what this building is or what its purpose is, but I wonder about it every time I go hiking around the Washington Valley Reservoir.  It probably had something to do with controlling the dam of the west branch of the Middle Brook (the brown berm in the mid-ground) that created the reservoir. 

What ever its function was, I think it is pretty cool.  And having just finished  Mark Lawrence's second trilogy set in the Broken Empire (think violent post-apocalyptic Game of Thrones), I imagine the building holds a long metal rung ladder that goes deep below the reservoir leading to a bunker where Builder-ghosts seek to influence the events of the Red Queen's War.

                            Watercolor 11 x 8.5 on heavy weight paper 270 gsm

Playing at Comics -- Page Deux

Like the amplifier for a Spinal Tap guitar, I have cranked (the cheese on) this one to 11.  Truly, I blame Cone for the increased Cheese Factor, when he threw the gauntlet down with his "head 'sploding' review of page 1.  It was inevitable really.

Continuing the story of our unnamed heroine from Page 1, we learn a bit more about her past, but not much more about her (intrigued?  how could you not be with all that cheesy goodnes?).  Alas I think, this will be it for now

                                            Page 2 (click to embiggin')

                                 Unlettered art Page 2 (watercolor, pen and ink)

                                                   Pen and Ink

Madrid -- Palacio Di Cristal

Sketching buildings ain't my thing, but sometimes you gotta try and stretch, and do things that are not easy.  And sometimes buildings just catch your imagination.  The Palacio Di Cristal in Buen Retiro Park (literally, according to the wikipedia, "park of the pleasant retreat") in Madrid was one such building.  I did not have much time for sight seeing whilst in Spain, but I had to see this building.  There are many other interesting buildings and places within the park, but I thought this was the coolest.  

So under the barest of shade (it was another scorcher, around 100 degrees out), I sat and drew and painted for close to an hour.  Sometimes when I paint, people ask to take a picture, in Retiro park lots of people asked.  Despite the heat, it was a very lovely day.

                        Watercolor 11 x 8.5 on heavyweight paper 270 gsm

Below is an actual picture of the palace, and the pen & ink before the watercolors were applied.