Spud Lake

Spud Lake
Acrylic on Canvas
20″ x 16″

It was a classically beautiful summer day when we packed up our fishing gear and a lunch and hiked out to Spud Lake. Its true name, Potato Lake, was chosen for the prominent ridge along the northwest shore that looks like the gods jammed a giant tater into the earth at an angle.

We nibbled on our lunch and then broke out our fishing poles, flicking flies onto the still surface. However, the fish weren’t interested in what we had to offer, which is why they call it fishing, rather than catching. That didn’t matter…it gave us a chance to practice our casts and enjoy our delightful surroundings for an hour or two. 

As easy as the hike was, the painting was, in contrast, a challenge. I’ve been working on this piece off and on for several months and even broke my rule about not starting something new until I’ve completed what I’ve started. It’s always fun to start something new, while sometimes finishing a piece can be a painful process—that’s where “suffering for your art” comes into the picture.

Wishing for Rain

Wishing for Rain

8” X 6”

Watercolor & Ink

One more in my “line” series…on the way home from town, there is a particular stretch of road where I am often compelled to stop and take photos because it seems to be the place where the light and clouds and colors become magical.

On this day, the summer sun was strong and brilliant where I sat, while off to the east, the sky was turbulent with purple bands thick with moisture crisscrossed over a large thunderhead. Once again, a storm had threatened, rumbling at us and then blowing east, leaving behind only a few miserly drops of rain.

Come & Go

Come & Go

5" X 7"

Watercolor & Ink

 

More experimentation with laying down color and lifting it back up again. Right now, it’s an abstract, but playing with those techniques is what builds your skill as an artist. Precise lifting of paint gives you the perfect highlight on a petal, the right value for a shadow, or the perfect tone for a ridgeline off in the distance.

Getting There

Getting There

7" X 5"

Watercolor & Ink

 

Sometimes you just need color and shape. Sometimes you just have to push watercolor around on paper and see what happens. Then you break out a pen, highlight the fun stuff, and add a little texture. Sometimes that’s what you need to take you to the next place in your art adventures.

Afternoon Glow

Afternoon Glow
7” X 5”
Watercolor with Ink 

                      

Picasso had his “Blue” period, and apparently, I’m in my “Line” period. I’m intrigued with color, shape, and the linear description of that shape. It started when I was going through my “starts”—unfinished demonstration paintings—and thinking about my next watercolor lesson, where students would combine ink with watercolor to experiment with a new effect.

This is that delightful ridge line in Idaho you’ve seen before (and you’ll see again). As we painted, the light began to warm as the clouds that graced us with a 30-raindrop shower wafted off to more promising places to scatter their precious moisture.

The jagged ridge ran as far as you could see. Constantly changing as the sun moseyed west, every moment the ridge shifted as features were lit, and then subdued in blue-purple shadows. The only constant was the imposing saw-toothed contour against the sky.