june 3 - 26

I am honing my skills, Bill Boelson tells me.

june 3rd 
start painting large tree by porch
action: Get arms reaching, eyes and hands mix specific leaf greens and place those colors on large panel, to get focus going.

june 4th 
painted tree same at dawn

18 1/2 x 36 inches, cradled panel

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june 7th    
12 noon - 5:00 pm painted beside our neighbourhood pond. 

action: See far far up (clouds above my head) and wide wide wide (from left to right) and down down down (to where my feet are standing). To accomplish this, the close tall trees on the opposite side were scaled down.   24 x 24 inch wrap around canvas

 

painted wide wide pond span,

action: See wide wide wide left to right and include tree closest to me.  7 7/8 x 26 inches, cradled panel.

 

 

and painted above cloud pattern on existing cow scene.
the blue on the lower portion has created distance to horizon, which I like very much. 11.5 x 22 inches, cradled panel.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

june 11th 
daybreak 6:00 - 8:00 am, painted cloud study along 13th street 

action: Record daybreak, hillside, tree row. 16 7/8 x 30 7/8, cradled panel. 

 

rain storm interrupted workout (see video, click http://youtu.be/1yZRPMp_HUQ)

10:30 a-3:30 p painted cloud studies on two square panels 



9 x 12 inches, watercolor paper in frame,

blue painters tape over frame

 

9 x 12 inches, canvas panel in frame,

blue painters tape over frame

 

also painted study of south creek on thirteenth street 

9 x 12 inches, watercolour paper in frame,

blue painters tape over frame

 

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june 12th 

daybreak 6:00 - 8:00 am painted over the drips from yesterday

 

action: Record daybreak, hillside, tree row. By the time the right potion was finished the interesting middle had moved out of view. I smooshed in what I remembered. More cloud studies needed. 16 7/8 x 30 7/8, cradled panel. 

 

8:30 am-12:02  started on north creek along 13th street, which at this point is out in the countryside on a gravel road.

north creek, 16 x 20 inches, cradled panel



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june 18th 

up at dawn up, looked at neighbors cow pond,

 

drew quick 9 x 12 inch sketch of old 24 hwy pond, ABOVE

7:30 am - noon painted two tall trees

• Always wondered why John Constable works looked so MESSY (below). Guess what? I have MESSY works too.

(Study of Sky and Trees, courtesy of John Constable.org,

http://www.john-constable.org/Study-of-Sky-and-Trees.html,
 http://www.john-constable.org/ accessed June 29, 2013)

 

two trees sketch, 8 x 10 inch canvas panel in frame,

blue painters tape over frame

"When you work outdoors you fight with time and can find yourself in a panic, because the moving sunlight changes the colors you are looking at in nature. The clouds you were trying to get right have moved out of view. It is like mixing up a casserole using mislabeled ingredients and no measuring spoons, hoping it will taste alright when you pull it out of the oven."    karl marxhausen

and painted water scene on large sketch pad (14 x 17 inch)
(when in doubt, paint on paper first)

 

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june 20th   

1:00 pm - 4:15 pm painted sunlit creek near Griffin farm, north of Carrollton, MO.
on large 14 x 17 inch sketch pad. (By the time I finished the sun had moved and the shadows were all wrong. Still, painting the study downloads the mental information. Taking photographs with a camera CANNOT give me what I need. Field work, grunt work, swinging a sledge hammer at the rock pile, THIS SHARPENS my skills. Period.)

4:30 pm - 6:50 pm scouted late daylight scenes with truck:
drew quick 9 x 12 inch ink sketches of Schnare pond, moss creek on west side, and old 24 hwy pond.

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 june 22nd

up at dawn, 6:15 am - 7:30 am started painting square panel of Schnare pond (sketch, below)

7:00 am - 8:00 am painted east view (sketches above)
action: See far far far left to right along the bottom portion and far far far up in the sky.

12 x 16 inch panel

 

9:00 - 11:00 am painted fish in pond corner. Lincoln Street lakes owned by Miles Conner

 



10 x 10 inch square panel

 

11:30 am - 2:25 pm painted tall tree, from straight up above my head down to ground level. Ignoring the out buildings and trees further back.

 

tree cluster, 12 x 16 inch panel

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june 24th

6:00 am - 7:30am  painted east sky

east sky study on 9 x 12 sketch pad

7:30 am - 8:45 am  finished Schnare pond

schnare pond, 10 x 10 inch panel

10:00 am - 11:45 am painted moss creek scene
action: Work on clouds first, then the trees. Use ink sketch of scene.

              moss creek drawing on 9 x 12 inch sketch pad                 

moss creek scene, 12 x 16 inch panel

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june 25th 
sore sluggish body from exercise laps at indoor pool yesterday afternoon
7:00 am - 7:30 am drew two pencil drawings of cows in water

drawing, 9 x 12 inch sketch pad

drawing, 9 x 12 in sketch pad

 

bathroom concerns took me home and afterwards decided to stay in our yard,

8:00 am - 9:00 am painted curved branch in side yard woods

 

branch study, 14 x 17 inch paper, sketch pad

 

rain interrupted, asked the K-6 CES art teacher (my wife) to critique my june work, OUCH.(red barn looks good, east view on paper would look good on a panel)

"Your picture is not communicating what you want it to convey!  To make it work, paint out the orange area in front." Jan Marxhausen

• It is hard to sit still and listen to a critique of your own work. Hard not to interrupt.
• A piece I am working on may well be finished. And I can accept that.

• My wife and I were at a family gathering out in the Sugertree Township. Over the cornfield were beautiful orange last light clouds. Many were well formed. One thunderhead was all messed up. My wife pointed to it and said, "That is NOT FINISHED." And there was chuckles. (I for one cringe when I hear those words spoken of a piece I poured long hours into)

~~~~~

june 26th 

5:00 am woke up refreshed. A good exercise workout and plenty of rest makes for lots of energy and well being.
6:00 am - 8:00 am painted east view onto framed panel

9 x 12 inch, watercolour paper in frame,

blue painters tape over frame

8:00 am - 9:00 am  started new barn on framed panel,

study, 9 x 12 inch on panel in frame,

blue painters tape over frame

drew 9 x 12 inch ink sketch under shade tree looking down at houses 

10:00 am - 11:30 am painted cove 1 at Lincoln Street lake
action: Mix paints colors for sunlight hitting sandy bottom at pond edge.

sandy bottom, 14 x 17 inches on large sketch pad



11:30 am - 12:40 painted second cove

 

second cove, 17 x 14 inches on large sketch pad

• After trying to make the sandy bottom read as such, later I looked at sandy bottoms by Hudson River Valley painters. IT IS HARD WORK. I can relate with the painted mixtures used by those who work I admire (ie. Alfred Bricher, Aaron Shattuck, Frederick Richard Lee, and John Constable) 

and drew a 9 x12 inch sketch of tree tunnel

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june 27th 

dawn, look at ridge on route E, no pond in sight, drive by cemetery tree cluster - too dark, eastern big impressive cloud cluster over the city of Carrolton,
6:30 am - 9:00 am paint water scene at old 24 hwy 16 x 20 panel, pushing the comfort zone, panic, take it easy, got branch in water
 

16 x 20 inches, cradled panel

looked at east tenth street location, spotted white cattle on hillside,
9:30 am - 11:00 am start painting storm scene

11 by 14 inch canvas

Chris Woodward pulled up on his four-wheeler, "Wow, you work fast. You just started that when I passed by the first time!!"  The cowhand showed me how to open and close the gate, where to drive to reach the ridge by the winding lake, and permission to draw his cattle.

~~~~~ 

june 28th 
truck door won't close, repair shop has it today.

8:30 am -10:00 am organize computer photo files,

10:00 am seven mile pedal bike ride,

12:00 - 1:45 pm more organizing of files,

2:00 pm tetanus shot,

2:30 - 3:00 pm photograph paintings and upload those files. 

• I once thought that an artist found a scene with "everything what they wanted" and then they painted what they saw. I think there is more to it now.

• Bill Maxwell told me artists did pencil sketches while outdoors and then did more finished work back at the studio space.  According to Bill,  Michelangelo once said: The difference between good art and great art was in the details. What that means, Bill explained, is that doing studies helps one understand how a plant looks or how light falls on an object. This understanding took work, work, and more work.

July begins today. See you at the art reception at the Burkholder Project in August.
Mark Friday night, August 2nd, from 7 to 9 pm. http://www.burkholderproject.com/msie.html

The truck works now. Gone paintin'.

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Marceline 2009 Paint Out

Saturday, June 20 - There were no meetings, my schedule was my own, so allowed myself extra sleep and headed up late Saturday morning. It was going to be a hot humid day, heat in the upper 90s, typical climate for the middle of this North America continent. By 10 o'clock I was on the road with breakfast inside. 11 am I was in Marceline, and by noon I was painting beside a culvert shaded by a magnolia tree. My red vehicle was parked on the same side of the street to let neighborhood traffic know I was there. My ritual began with spraying bug repellent over arms, legs, neck, and face - eyes closed tight. Next, sunscreen was applied over the same areas. Wide brimmed straw hat on head, green apron secured, EasyL kit on its tripod, primed canvas panel in place, tube dabs squeezed on the glass palette, plastic spray bottle to keep the acrylic paints from drying out, retractable razor blade to scrape off dried paint, water holder, and brushes selected. Ready, set, hands frame the scene (above, Magnolia Creek - acrylic - 12 x 9/ RayMar cotton). That challenge gave me plenty to work with. Thin washes of green Viridian Hue were first dabbed on the white panel to make "a map," brush marks to position the cement incline, the center stone, the floppy leaves, the banks, the reflected sky on water. Alizeran Crimson and Viridian were mixed to make the darkest values. The palette also had Hansa Yellow Pale, Burnt Sienna, Ultramarine Blue, and Titanium White. My eye moved around the design in a circular fashion. Whatever value was on my brush was added to all areas with the same value around on the picture. Billyo had said on Friday, the artist must pause and consider where one wanted to take the painting. The only other thing I might add was this piece took longer than usual. It was clocked on my time sheet at three and a half hours.

Around 3:30 pm the thunder sounded much closer, dark gray clouds dragged their tails toward the ground, it felt like rain might fall soon. I stopped painting, cleaned the brushes, scraped the palette clean, packed up the palette box, collapsed the tripod legs, dumped the dirty water, and loaded the backpack in my vehicle. As I drove away, it began to rain. I touched base with the NOMO gallery, sat down to rest my feet, and asked where the others were painting today.

Time for lunch!!! From 4 to 5 pm I enjoyed a reuben sandwich across from the city park, while sheets of rain fell outside. A local Little League baseball team were finishing their meal inside. Just passed 5 o'clock the rain subsided, and I drove back to Beebee's Creek. When I returned the sun was shining and a light mist made the air sweaty. Retracing my steps, I located my stick markers from the day before. A cascade of swift moving water drew my attention. (above right, Roaring Ditch - acrylic - 14 x 11/ RayMar cotton) I set up my equipment and mapped thin washes of paint on the white panel. There were not three masses or three values this time. My eye and hand flitted back and forth, hands framing up the image I wanted. Light rain made me stop, lean the panel against the tripod away from the rain, to keep paint from running down, to let it "dry," HA. I strolled across the lawn, looked at a cluster of willow trunks, the fast moving stream, considered whether the tree canopy above could shelter me, but no, there were bothersome drips falling there too, walked back to the painting, touched it up, and tore down my kit. That piece clocked on my time sheet at one and a half hours. Sweet.

The rain had ceased. At 7 pm I parked my vehicle further up Wilson Street across from the orange Jordan mailbox. A wide field to the south dipped down to a willow row and up to the skyline. I decided the light was not what I had loved the day before. Instead, settled on the vista looking west toward the village's water tower.(above, Vista I - Acrylic - 11 x 14/ RayMar cotton) Worked on atmosphere, lighter and lighter tree rows, the Beebee residence to the right, the light sky streaks around the white sun. That piece clocked on my time sheet at one hour.

I was so glad I had sanded and gessoed these panels the previous Monday in preparation for this day. All ready to go. At 8 o'clock I eliminated the road and join hedge rows from either side, then focused on the sky.(above, Vista II - Acrylic - 11 x 14/ RayMar cotton) Forty minutes later I pulled out my last panel for the night.


Ground fog was rising across the field to the south. The night was settling. Still, the humidity was high and the air muggy. (above, Vista III - Acrylic - 9 x 12/ RayMar cotton) In thirty minutes I roughed in the twilight, the ghostly water tower, unable to see the colors I was working with. As I laid the last panel inside my vehicle to dry, a sense of satisfaction spread through my being. Wow. What a run. I was happy with each one. At 10 pm I drove home slowly on double J, keeping eyes open for deer on the winding road. An hour later I was home. Walked my dog and got my shut eye. Thanks for Nyquil sleep medicine.

Sunday, June 21- Home-brewed coffee, a hot wrapped McGriddle sandwich on the seat next to me and on the road by 9. It was a bright morning, no clouds, another HOT day. By 11 o'clock I had retrieved my remaining sticks from the Beebee property. This time I settled on a sandbar with red bricks and crushed cement pieces, and gave thought to the wrinkles of light blue on trickling stream. (right, Reflected Blue - Acrylic - 12 x 9/ RayMar cotton) Laid in the upper end of the stream, smooshed the green fringe outline of the banks, and played with the lit bank portions. Where they warm light-oranges or cool orange-purples? As the sun rose higher behind me splotchy patches of shade disrupted my pursuit of the skyward reflections. I had to ignore what my eyes were seeing. A patterned arch of pebbles broke the surface into shallow rivulets. The rhythm of lilly stalks in the lower right cried for a greater presence. I ignored the sunlit greens and put them in shadow to call attention to the watery blues.

Upon completion the work reminded me of what Stuart Shils had said. Not to worry whether the picture reads clear or reads as "pretty." Let the abstraction and the balance of light and dark colors "speak." Capture the moment. I did just that.

At noon I touched up Magnolia Creek from the day before, bringing the sky and field in the upper right hand corner into harmony with the floppy leaves. Mrs. Beebee came out and invited me in for an air-conditioned break and a glass of lemonade. I declined politely, but showed her the panels in completion. She shared her thoughts. After she left, I signed my name to all six works. At 1:30 pm I took time to visit with the Beebees, have that iced lemonade, and examine the wood carved figures her husband had done. Very nice.

At 3 pm Darlene Gardner, Gloria Gaus, Nora Othic, Gloria Gooch, Richard Johnson, Alexa Dunham, and myself had returned to the gallery to enter fifteen paintings for the Artist Choice awards. I had six entries. One other had two. The rest entered one each. Painters voted for the three best works. Alexa won 1st place, Gloria 2nd place, and I tied 3rd place with Nora. Cash prizes were awarded. See all four Artist Choice winners.

Darrell Gardner let me chill out, rest my feet, and eat a bite in the cool of his home. By 7 o'clock I was on my way home. By 8:15 my dog was walked. By 9 o'clock I was dreaming about paint.

Monday, June 22 - I am always tired after art excursions. Today was more like a "body crash." Mind-fried, weak, down with diarrea, slept all day, and slept again all night. Wasn't worth a hoot! By Tuesday, my strength had returned. Excellent.