Stream - Day 4

To celebrate spring, I walked down to the harbor and played the mandolin in the sun and the wind. After my fingers got too cold to play anymore, I opened my notebook to write about what I want to do with my life. Immediately, the wind snatched the page with my ridiculous rigid schedule on it (which I had created back in January) and whisked it straight into the water before I had time to catch it. It's as if the world said -- it's spring! Structure is not right for you right now. Spontaneity is what you need. I started darkening and defining the leaves on the left today. I plan to do some more of that tomorrow, and then the two sides will meet in the middle. I worked for an hour today. Would have done more, but I have to go to my figure painting class in half an hour...

Stream - Day 3

Did some work on the leaves today. Another hour added. Unfortunately I can't keep going; I have to get ready to go to my figure painting class. Looks like I won't be able to enter this into the Northeast National Pastel Exhibition after all. Ah well -- there will be other shows! In any case, here's the update:

Rising Tide - Day 1

It was 65 degrees and sunny today -- the first really nice day of spring! I felt compelled to get out of the house, so I doubled down and went on an Adventure. My destination: the Marshlands Conservancy. My mission: do en plein air painting, for the first time ever. First I tried to fit my art supplies into my little blue daypack, but that wasn't nearly large enough to do the job. Up to the attic I went, to fetch down my big old Kelty external frame pack. I hadn't worn that thing in years. Sure enough, it fit everything I needed -- pastels, paper, travel stool, travel easel (strapped to the top), water, a handful of personal items (e.g., lip balm...I don't go anywhere without it), and some warm things just in case I got chilly. By the time it was fully loaded with all my art supplies, it was 21 pounds -- pretty good practice for hiking later this year!

Then I set off.  Quite a sight I must have looked, walking through suburbia with a full pack, wearing sunglasses and a straw hat. Should have brought my hiking stick to complete the picture! The conservancy was a 2-mile walk from my house, and then another 0.3 miles or so to the place I wanted to paint inside the preserve. It took about an hour.

Then I set up all my things, and painted for two hours while the tide slowly rose to fill the mud flats with water. I was facing east; I could see the pale waxing moon rising in the sky above me (it was too high for the painting, though). The sun was at my back, and birds were singing all around me. As I painted, I saw herons, and geese, and many other species that I can't name -- the conservancy is a stopping place for migratory birds.

In any event, two hours of walking (one hour there, one hour back) and two hours of painting made for a truly wonderful afternoon. Then I got home and played my fiddle and mandolin for awhile before I fixed myself a quiet dinner. My legs are a bit sore, though!

Here it is. Not sure if I'll do much more on it -- it was just a quick painting, but I might refine it a little more if I feel so inclined. I'll return to Stream soon. Probably tomorrow. If I can finish it before Friday, I can enter it in the Northeast National Pastel Exhibition.

Stream - Day 2

Another 45 minutes in -- I worked primarily on the water today. Next up: more details for the background leaves and the far bank of the stream.

Stream - Day 1

This piece is considerably larger than the last piece I worked on. Frozen Falls was only 8" x 10" -- very intricate, and very tiny. This one is roughly 17" x 22", slightly more than twice as large. It feels good to stretch out and have some room to breathe! I'm pleased with it so far. Here it is, an hour and five minutes in.