The old wheel barrel sits in our side yard next to our neighbors' arbor vitae. In certain light, it reminds me of an old country side in Europe. I decided that the other houses from the development did not need to be included in this sketch. Combined with the shed and the butterfly bush, I have now painting all of the most interesting elements of our yard.
Watercolor on paper 10x7
This painting also marks the 12th and final sketch/painting in the pad I bought almost one year ago. As I have mentioned before, I have never filled every page of a sketch book, pad or journal and therefore I challenged myself to do complete one in a year time. I think I have 3 days to spare. It is also the 29th painting of the year, making 2013 my most product of this blog. Very cool.
What was also fun about painting today was my niece joined me and she did two drawings of her own. I think she was excited about using the same watercolor pan set as me.
We have tried to kill our butterfly bush. Several times. . .but never on purpose. We have hacked away the dead branches until it was back to a nub and thought, "yeah, this time we killed it for sure." And it always springs back and goes all crazy like a bad perm on a humid day. It is as resilient as Rasputin.
Watercolor on paper 10x7
The butterfly bush is the center of our backyard and since we have planted a "squirrel proof" bird feeder, it is the center of all bird activity. I enjoy watching the cardinals, chickadees, finches and morning doves as they feed throughout the day. They are a nice respite during a hectic work day.
This is 11th drawing in the oft mentioned pad bought in Chicago. I had considered this subject for the 12th and final drawing. However, for what ever reason this, this image has been front and foremost in my brain for awhile, demanding my attention. It was almost as if this painting needed to escape my psyche.
It is also my 28th drawing of the year, tying it with 2005 as my most productive year.
Today was our town's 100th anniversary and it started it off with a big (relatively speaking) parade. Luckily, with the early start it was only in the mid 80's (it would hit the upper 90's later in the afternoon). While waiting for the parade to begin I decided to paint the people setting up their chairs and umbrellas.
Watercolor on paper 9x7
This is the 10th painting in the pad I bought last August in Chicago. I gave myself a year to fill its 12 pages with paintings and complete a book for the first time in decades. I have a month and a half to get it done.
Whilst on vacation, I set a a personal goal to do one sketch each day. As it turns out, I successfully carried my travel sketch kit with me on each of the 6 hikes we did on Colorado. Here they are.
On our first day in Colorado we attended the Renaissance Fair in Larkspur. The Fair was similar to the one in Tuxedo New York that we usually attend but the end battle/joust was much shorter. I quickly drew this while sitting on the lawn waiting for the main even joust to start. There was no preliminary melee and so I missed the entire joust while sketching.
Waiting for the Joust
Watercolor and ink on paper 5.5x8.25
The hike to the top of Mount Herman was a little over a mile in distance (we stared toward the top) but took us from ~7700 ft in elevation to 9100 ft. Between the elevation and the steep climb, I was hurting a bit after this one. And this was not the toughest hike. Literally two minutes after I finished this, and while I was still packing up, rain clouds swooped in and obscured the view of these mountains.
The View from Mount Herman
Watercolor and ink on paper 5.5x8.25
The Garden of the Gods was by the far the easiest of the hikes and perhaps the most inspiring. We took tons of photos that may one day find themselves the subjects of their own paintings. I painted this sitting on the sunbathed observation deck of the visitor's center and may be my favorite sketch of the trip. Cathedral Rock, or Grey Rock, is one of the first rock formation you see when entering the park.
Cathedral Rock, Garden of the Gods
Watercolor and ink on paper 5.5x8.25
I rushed this one a bit and it shows but the biting flies were. . .well. . .biting. I do like how the water preceding the little waterfalls came out. That said, everything about Estes Park was just amazing and beautiful. I think my next vacation to Colorado needs to include many more days exploring this park (and hopefully next time I will get to see an Elk in the road).
The Pool at the Big Thompson River
Watercolor and ink on paper 5.5x8.25
Horsetooth Mountain was supposed to be a "moderately" difficult hike. Yeah, right. We called it 10k the hard way (3.1 miles to the top) and this one kicked my @$$! This hike included rock hewn stairs, scrambling and steep grades. . .but man, was the view worth it. I chose to paint the western view instead of the eastern view that included the city of Ft Collins. I just did not want to paint any buildings on this trip.
Western View from the top of Horsetooth Mountain
Watercolor and ink on paper 5.5x8.25
The final hike and sketch was from Seven Falls, a truly beautiful sight of seven cascading waterfalls. Instead of painting the falls themselves, I instead chose to paint the view from Inspiration Point. This sight is the final resting place of Helen Hunt Jackson and was the inspiration for her novel Ramona.
Inspiration Point, Seven Falls
Watercolor and ink on paper 5.5x8.25
The area of Bound Brook was first settled in 1681. It was incorporated as a town in 1869 then reincorporated as a borough in 1891. It is most famous for the Battle of Bound Brook (American Revolutionary War) which occurred April 13, 1777. Reenactments of the battle between the troops of Lt General Lord Charles Cornwallis and Major General Benjamin Lincoln still occur every year (last year I got caught in the "battle" and had to wait until the Continental Army had pushed the Redcoats and Hessians far enough back for the street to be reopened).
The borough still has lots of interesting architecture and buildings spanning its long history. I particularly enjoy the Bound Brook Library (although I started my drawing too high and missed out its most interesting architectural feature).
Watercolor on paper 9x7
I was just in Washington, DC for work but unfortunately was too late for the cherry blossoms, something I have always wanted to experience first hand (maybe next year). I was only there one night, it was getting late and I was not feeling great so I did not feel like going outside to paint. But I had a nice view from my hotel room. I had to work quickly in order to make it to dinner on time.
I definitely like the feel of this one. I used washes of mostly burnt sienna and cerulean blue (a little alizarin crimson to make the dome pop), something I have seen another artist do to perfection. The buildings are a little simplistic, but that is okay. I achieved the composition I was looking for.
Watercolor on paper 9x7
I had the
incredible opportunity to spend the week of New Years Eve in Key West.
While staying at our friends time share, I took advantage of the
wonderful weather to do some sketching. With these three sketches, I am
now past the halfway point of my goal of actually finishing a sketch
book.
Watercolor on paper 9x7
There was an
enchanting swing by the pool that overlooked the ocean. I never did
take advantage of the swing, but many people did.
Watercolor on paper 9x7
The
first painting that I did down in the Keys. This is the view from the
balcony of the windward side of the island that I woke to every
morning. We ate breakfast every day sitting out here, watching the
joggers, cyclists, boaters and wavecraft drivers. I completed this in
about 10 minutes, just a quick sketch in ink and a rough watercolor. It
was the perfect way to start the trip.
Watercolor on paper 9x7
The
pool at the complex was always filled with clusters of sun worshipers
avoiding the northern cold. In previous trips, I had contemplated many
times sketching down here, but never sketching this scene. I always
felt it was a bit more complex than I was capable of doing. But when
the mood struck me, I just went with it and became lost in the process.
There is nothing more "zen" for me than painting in this matter.
I
think this trip was a major success in many ways. Sun, watercolor
& rum runners is Big Medicine. And to top it all off, I met Guy
Fieri at the airport. A great way to end a great vacation.
Vacation. What a wonderful thing. During my first ever trip to Hawai'i and the island of Oahu I was able to stick to my goal of completing a painting. In fact, I was able to do two watercolor paintings.
Watercolor on paper 10 x 7
This first painting, completed in about 40 minutes, is of the famous Diamond Head crater that overlooks Waikiki beach. As I painted, I was amazed at how the ever changing cloud cover altered the look and feel of the mountain. The clouds cast deep shadows on Diamond Head as they passed over and revealed deep craps when they floated by.
I sat balanced on these rocks, with my paints and pad on my lap. At one point, I had two paint brushes chomped between my teeth. It has to be one of the most precarious sitting positions that I have ever painted by. As I was finishing, the tide was coming in and starting to splash me. If I had not finished when I did, I would have had to wade in the ocean to make it back to the beach.
Watercolor on paper 10 x 7
This second painting is of the view from my hotel room. I sat on the lanai, once again amazed at the wonderful clouds that appeared to be hooked to the mountains by gossamer strings. Bob Ross would definitely love these happy little clouds. This painting took about 45-50 minutes and shows, I think, my own personal evolution in painting with watercolor. The colors are much less flat and much more dynamic than painting in Munich. I choose to include the buildings, to one show scale and two because I am so horrible at painting buildings (this was a personal challenge).
There are many amazing old world buildings in Munich, displaying grand architecture and boasting rich histories, any of which are a source of artistic inspiration. Alas, I only saw them during cab rides to and fro the convention center. Therefore, in order to keep my goal of one painting/drawing per business trip, I had to go with what I had. . .the view outside the Eurostar Grand Hotel (I think this building, across the street from my hotel, was actually a prison).
I did the rough drawing while sitting in my hotel room, looking out the window, in between various business meetings, emails and recordings. I briefly entertained the idea of venturing into the city proper, but it rained the only free day I had. The painting was finished in the States, sitting outside of a lakehouse with its own majestic views (which, ironically, I neither drew nor painted. . .go figure).
The piece is rough, and the colors of uninked version rather flat yet at the same time satisfying and playful in their own way. I am still learning and relearning how to paint in watercolor, and figuring out how to mix colors, something I do not really do in pastel. The scribbled leaves were a great deal of fun.
I was stuck in Chicago for an extra day (I hate work travel that extends over the weekend but such is life). Since I had a pretty open schedule on Saturday, I decided to go to Blick Art on South State Street and bought a small travel watercolor set, pad and brush. Taking advantage of the beautiful weather, I went to one of the parks by the Chicago Art Institute and painted one of the trees.
10x7 watercolor on paper
Not bad for an impulsive Saturday afternoon. Below is a photo of the tree I painted and the sign outside the park.
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