Sketch for Prairie Road

 

 

12 Pastels in 12 Minutes on Richeson, 6x7

I worked this piece from a couple of photos of the road that leads to Dinesen Prairie.  It goes between fields and past a plumb and mulberry thicket to get to the prairie.  This dirt road evokes so many memories with it's loneliness and expectation.

Having done the 12 in 12 sketch, I realize that some things will be needed in a larger work.  The picture has no focal point and the lines all send the eye to the right off the page.  This is the ideal place for one or two figures walking on the road to be the focal point and to keep the eye within the picture.

Fence Row

Pastel 5.5x7 on Richeson White

This is a veiw of a fence row that caught my eye because of the dramatic forms and spaces with the craggy tree and thicket.

This was done with the 12 minutes/12 colors PLUS 2 minutes/2 pastel pencils.  I added the 2 minutes to get the details for a larger work later.

Geen on Green

 

Pastel on Richeson White, 5x7

This is a new effort for me.  Painting in 10 minutes was a good exercise, but I wanted just a little more time, and though I like the limited palette, I felt I needed more than 10 colors.  So I'm trying out 12 colors for 12 minutes.  This is the first effort under those rules.

The photo behind this was all green, but I wanted to experiment with colors other than green.  In this I used purple, mauve, and yellow.  I like the color and values that resulted.

Hunting in the Tall Grass

Pastel on Self-sanded Arches, 15x11

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.

June 2, 2013, I added the egret and changed the name. At low tide, the egrets hunt small fish and crabs in the few puddles that remain of the tide, and they hunt lizards in the tall grass. The original painting was done en plein air at Castaway Island Preserve, Jacksonville and submitted under the title "Ragged Marsh," but by adding the egret, I reclassified this as a studio piece.

Pellicer Creek, Windy and Bright

Pastel on Wallis, 12x9

Plein air painting at Princess Preserve, Flagler County Park.

FCPS, last paint out before summer vacation

This view along the edge of the marsh toward the mouth of Pellicer Creek features an old, abandoned boat shed.  The rusted steel roof intrigued me, but the emphasis for this painting is the windy sky and the broken water of the bay and creek.  The atmosphere I wanted to capture was sun shining on the far bank while the near ground was in partial shadow from the passing clouds.

Stay on the Path

And ask for the old paths, where the good way is,
And walk in it;
Then you will find rest for your souls.
Jeremiah 6:16a

Pastel on Self-sanded Arches, 15x11

I am always inspired by the beach and the dunes in the early morning.  The air is still and bright.  There is the promise of heat later, and the sea breeze will come, but for these special few moments, all is cool and quiet.

Beach conservation has come a long way, and most people stay on the old paths through the dunes.  The footprints from the previous day remain, but most of the dunes are pristine and untracked.

I developed the basic design of this piece for a 10-minute sketch.  I completed it with memories of experiences and a combination of a number of reference photos.

Dunes 3 - 10-Minute Study

Pastel on UArt, 9x6

I did another study of a passage through the dunes to the beach using a photo for reference.  When the 10 minutes were up, I was ready to throw the picture out.  It was a true disappointment, but when I looked at it this morning, I saw some chance of salvation.  After about 20 seconds and a few minor strokes, I think this is a good start for a larger work.