FARM INSPIRATION

Experimenting & working loose is all fine & well. But once in  awhile, this subject from the farm calls for an old fashion tight rendering. With this little .5 mechanical pencil, the lines follow the direction of the way the hair is growing.

I painted a loose wash, to tone the paper...mainly because I want the contrast between the free flowing wash against the detail drawing.

CATSKILL MOUNTAIN SCENE

Another typical scene of the Catskill Mountain. Black & White nestled quietly among the green texture of trees & meadows. 

I started off with a watercolor rendering. I needed to use a small watercolor brush to define the cow.

I then  highlighted the foliage with a few strokes of colorful pastel. Soft pastel over textured watercolor paper gives it that illusive quality of the light.

SPRING COLORS

apple blossoms have the loveliest pink

Soft & cheerful blooms from the garden, this week.

small gems

green & purple color combo

HAPPY LABOR DAY

while I was painting this red barn, cows in nearby field loudly declare themselves, along with the noise from farm tractors…not so quiet in the country.

NATURAL BEAUTY FROM MY DECK

To wake up to all this natural beauty is a tonic on any day, in any season.

SNOWY WOODS

A fresh layer of snow at dusk can take your breath away!

MY LATEST SKETCHBOOK

Artist tend to be collectors. It took much effort, but I try to keep my life clutter free these days. One of the few things I still collect is handmade sketchbooks. I have a nice collection from all over the world. What luck to find a talented book binder setting up shop in my town of Hobart, middle of nowhere!

ABSTRACTION

As the light changes rapidly, the 2 sided sketchbook that opens flat is quite useful. This is totally improvised, I never know when I should stop. Usually for me,  a drawing is done when I have  partly succeeded in abstracting what I originally saw... not at all necessary to cover every inch of the paper.