Memory in Passing

Memory in Passing

Pastel on Watercolor Paper, 7x5 

Some years ago I passed this scene in my car.  I was so impressed at that time, that I painted it as soon as I could.  Over time, the painting was given away, but I saw it again last month when visiting relatives, and the inspiration flooded back, and I painted it again mostly from memory.  I selected a cool palette to convey the sense of distance and dreamyness of the mountain lake and stream.  I started this as a watercolor, but the intensity and width of the value range led me to turn to pastels.  Since it is on cold pressed paper, the texture of the paper dictated the looseness of the execution.

Silver Water Marsh

Pastel on UArt 400

In the early morning before the wind comes up across the marsh, the water reflects the sky giving it a slivery sheen.  The broken, puffy clouds are the remnants of the morning fog, and hold the deep blue of the sky at bay for a few more minutes.  I wanted to capture that sense of stillness and silvery light by using cool greens and blues augmented with dashes of purple, red, and pink.  In order to keep the sense of stillness, I deliberately reduced the details in order to emphasize form and color.

Morning Trio

Digital Tablet Painting

Printed on W/C Paper, 5x7 signed and numbered - ArtRage

This small grove of pines stands by itself away from the rest of the trees.  In the morning, they catch the light before anything else, and blaze in color for the start of the day.

Reflections 1

Digital Tablet Painting

Printed on W/C Paper, 5x7 signed and numbered - ArtRage1.1.1

This painting was inspired by the reflections on a pond near my house. The grove of pines on the near bank stand in a lone,shaft of sunlight while the rest of the vista is wrapped in the cool gray stillness of early morning.  

I have created these paintings so the result will have some of the appearance and freshness of a block print. 

Pond Pines

Pastel, 11x14 on drawing paper

I did this study on drawing paper with pastel pencils and NuPastels.  The subject was taken from earlier sketches on photographs of retention ponds near my home.  As I worked on this, the composition and materials began to look more like watercolor, and the image became more informal.  I left white paper to keep that quality. 
I am doing a series of views of these ponds to highlight the beauty and wonder of the small vistas that surround us and that we pass without notice.  What beauty could there be in an ordinary retention pond or roadside canal?

Pine on the Pond

Pastel - Plein Air, UArt 9x6

This small pond is guarded by a number of tall, stately pine trees.  This specific tree  stands apart and it caught my attention as it stood in the hazy morning sun at the corner of the pond.  The wind from the north ruffled the water and muted the reflections.  A few scattered clouds kept the day cool and made the work delightful.
To purchase this painting, please see my web page - "Pine on the Pond"

Timed Study 04, Piney Point

Timed Study 3 - Piney Point, pastel 6x9

Standard "Rick's Rules" for this timed study - 22 minutes with 16 pastels + 1 pastel pencil.  I did this study on UArt 400.

The concept and motive for this study is a drawing of a pond near my home.  It was raining, and the muted tones accented the design.  I plan to do more of this concept in other light and color with more contrast in color, temperature, and value.

I permitted myself 25 minutes to mount the paper, do the drawing, and select the palette.  First the charcoal drawing with corrections...

Then most of the charcoal is removed so that the "ghost" remains.

 


Finally I chose this palette used from the study, set my timer to 22 minutes, and began.

 

Joy in the Morning

Pastel, 9x12 on UArt

The marsh in late summer is a blaze of green especially in the morning after rain.  The whole vista is an exuberant celebration of joy and wonder.
To express this view and make it believable requires the use of judicious touches of purple and orange.  I also added a few strokes of red/brown which makes the green-on-green marsh grass come alive.
To purchase this painting, please click on the link - "Joy in the Morning"

Late Summer Estuary

Pastel, 6x9 on UArt

In this view of the salt marsh estuary, I have used a familiar scene and changed the composition and elements to create a different mood and scene.  This began with a couple of pencil sketches from which I developed this color/value study.  
In the late summer, the salt marsh is almost blindingly green. I need to mute some of that green, but I find that using the complement of green, red, to reduce the "greenishness" of the marsh is too harsh.  In this study, I have toned down the green by using its near complements, orange and purple. 
To purchase this painting, please click on this link - Late Summer Estuary

Marsh Nocturne

Pastel, 12x9

As the moon rises over the salt marsh, it floods the world with soft, blue light.  The heat of the day and the bluster of the passing showers are forgotten, and the tall pines stand silent watch beside the still waters.
To purchase this painting, click on the link - "Marsh Nocturne"

Dutton Island, Windy Morning

 

Pastel 6x9 on UArt 400

This is a plein air piece done with the First Coast Pastel Society at Dutton Island Preserve, Atlantic Beach.

When I got this painting back in the studio, I realized that a number of things kept the composition from working. I made some revisions in order to enhance the brightness, haziness, and sense of wind in the painting.
 
The spot I selected to paint left me in bright sun with no shade.  My sun umbrella kept my paper in shade but not my palette, and I was a little disappointed in the colors when I got the painting up in my studio.  This first photo below is of the painting without being adjusted in the studio. 

Mid Morning Patterns

Pastel on UArt, 9x6 - Plein Air

Plein air painting from this morning. I believe all the important information is here. The patterns of streaming light and deep shadows make the ordinary scene dramatic.  The morning was passing quickly by the time I finally got set up to paint.  I had to work quickly in order to capture the fugitive scene with deep shadows and blazing sunlight.  Often I find the pressure of time in plein air painting brings the best results.

Southern Pines, 2

Watercolor & Ink, 6s4

This painting is the second in a series of studies of pine trees. This pine tree grows at the edge of a pond and stands apart from the dense timber around it.  Broken branches from a long-forgotten storm give this pine its shaggy appearance.

Southern Pines, 1

Watercolor & Ink, 6x4

This painting is the first in a series of studies of trees. This pine tree grows by with a few saplings apart from a grove of trees on an island in the salt marsh.

Pine Point

Watercolor & Ink, 6x4

I pass these pines almost every day, and each time I see them, they are somehow new and different with the changing light, wind, clouds, time of day, weather, and season.  The pines stand in a grove at the end of a long, narrow point of land.  In the midday breezes, they make the point of land seem almost like a ship under sail.

Painting is available on EBAY until 2/3/16

January Mist, Study

Watercolor and Ink, 4x6 Study

January is a season of rain which often settles as a light, penetrating mist.  As the temperature falls, and the day turns to evening, the landscape become more indistinct and filled with shadows.  Things that are near become dark masses and strange shapes, and the distances fades away into mere suggestions in purple and gray.

This painting will be available on eBay from 1/19/16 - 1/26/16

Ragged Marsh

Pastel on sanded Arches, 15x11

Plein air painting at Castaway Island Preserve, Jacksonville.

In the morning, the views across the marsh to the line of pine and cedar trees are always full of mystery and contrast. 

The summer is coming and the colors are turning from reds and brown to green and gold.  The cedar trees provide the solid, deep shadows and the various kinds of marsh grass throw in the color.  The pine trees stand above oaks, cedars, and underbrush as “tree herders” watching over their ragged and tangled charges.

Note on cameras: I use a Canon ELPH 320 HS, but I have not been completely satisfied with the color and contrast of photos of my paintings.  I did some experimenting this afternoon with manual settings and found the results were much more satisfactory.  I set the camera for "cloudy" daylight.  The colors are still slightly too green, but I can adjust that with just a touch from Photoshop.

"Morning Song"

Pastel on Canson Touch, 14x10

In late August on the marsh, the rising sun orchestrates a song for the morning.  The clear light creates the harmony by mixing the blazing, bright color of the day with the soft, muted tones of the shadows and distance.  At this time of year, the spartina grass is an intense green of almost blinding purity, and the tips of the long blades begin to turn to a golden yellow.  The taller cord grass begins to fade with touches of red and light brown.  When the tide is high early in the day, the water is like a mirror for the grass and distant trees.  The sky has a few fluffy, indistinct clouds that lose themselves in pink and lavender near the horizon.

I have set out to capture that image and atmosphere in this picture.

The Guardian

Pastel on Arches, 14x18

This painting is available, $250.00.  If interested, contact me.

This pine tree towers above the open meadow by the pond at the Arboretum.  This piece was originally done en plein air at the "Brush with Nature" paint-out.  Since the painting did not find a new home, I took the liberty to touch up the shadows and the highlights at Patty's suggestion.  The result speaks for itself.

"Clear, Bright, and Breezy"

Pastel on Gatorboard, 14x11

SOLD

This painting was done as part of the "Color the Coast" paint out.  It was painted at Dutton Island Preserve.  The tide was out and the air was amazingly clear and bright.  It was an ideal October morning.  By the time I finished, the wind had picked up considerably, and the tide had come in which changed the waterline and destroyed all the reflections.