Just Another Day at the Office

46th & Ave S, Galveston, 8×10, Gouache

I’m slowly getting around to working from some of the reference photos I’ve taken in the last month or so as we’ve moved around.  We took a number of photos in residential areas of Galveston while we were there.  This is a place that’s showing some wear.

Down By Bridges’ Pond, 8×10, Gouache, Plein Air

I’ve also continued to try to spend time painting outdoors on location.  I think I’m making progress.  This was done this morning.  The pond is always an interesting subject.

The Outdoor Workroom

And I took advantage of the beautiful day to spend the afternoon catching up on show stuff.  I signed and sprayed a pile of small paintings and studies (5×7, 4×6), and packaged 40 -plus little pieces in plastic bags.  I also packaged a few 8x10s.  Still a big pile of 8x10s and larger to be varnished and packaged.  We’ll sell these unframed when we start doing shows again.  It’s a pretty sizeable inventory.  Next I need to photograph all of these and start putting them on Etsy again.

W&N Zinc White: Lesson Learned

I use a lot of white gouache.  Got dangerously low on DaVinci Titanium White in 37 ml tubes.  We went to a local art/craft supply store where they had Windsor & Newton Gouache, but were out of white.  I got stupid and ordered two tubes of W&N zinc white, which only comes in 14 ml tubes.

Never again.

W&N Zinc White gouache is the stickiest stuff I have ever used.  When I squeeze a little out of the tube, it leaves a little trail that sticks to the palette and to the tube, so there’s this little white thread across the palette.  The only way I could find to use it was with a very wet brush.  There was no way I could get my brushwork out of this paint.  I’ll keep it for little projects that I’m not overly concerned about, but I’ll never buy it again.

Buying online, at Cheap Joe’s (the only place I’ve found DaVinci Gouache), a 14 ml tube of zinc white costs $6.91.  DaVinci only comes in 37 ml tubes, and a tube of titanium white costs $5.91.  Economically, it’s a no-brainer.  Especially if you use a lot of gouache like I do.

I know there are people who are really picky about their gouache, and cost is not an issue.  If you are one of those, and you’re happy, then by all means keep using what you’re using.  I’m just sayin…

Studio Experiments and More Plein Air

Back Side of the Shed, 8×10, Gouache

I’ve been doing a lot of painting, both outdoors and in the Outdoor Studio.  Some of it works for me, some of it doesn’t.  But the important thing is that I’ve been painting.  The painting above is from a reference photo I shot somewhere between Mount Vernon and Spencerville, Ohio a couple of weeks ago.  It started out to be a very detailed study of old, worn wood and peeling paint.  But once I got the basics laid in, I decided I was getting tired of doing the same old thing, so I started experimenting and playing with color.  I’m very pleased with the way it turned out.

Old Window at Winkelmann.jpg

For some reason, I woke up early the other morning, thinking about painting old windows.  i’m not sure what caused that, but when I got up, I dug out some photos I had taken at Winkelmann, Texas, a collection of old houses and buildings that had been put together years ago near Brenham.  This is gouache used in a mostly wet, somewhat transparent manner, although some areas have more solid paint on them, especially the white spots.  Ever since I started painting, I’ve been fascinated by trying to portray old wood, peeling paint, and rust.  That’s probbly what has always attracted me to old barns and houses.  But I’m trying to find ways of painting those in a loose manner, rather than in exacting detail.

The New Garden, 8×10, Gouache, Plein Air

Continuing to spend considerable time  outdoors each week, trying to get color selections to happen a little quicker.  It does continue to be a sruggle, though.  I’ve really gotten used to mixing colors on the painting as I go when working in the studio, so this is probably good for me.  This one was done the morning after my sister-in-law got her garden prepped for the growing season.

Greenhouse at Malabar, 9×12, Gouache

I’ve also pulled a few pieces out of the bin that were either not finished, or that I wasn’t completely thrilled with.  I’ve done a bit more work on this one, still keeping it as a fairly traditional landscape.  This is the greenhouse attached to one of the barns at Malabar Farm in Pleasant Valley, Ohio.  Malabar was the country home and farm built in 1939 by Pulitzer Prize winning novelist Louis Bromfield.  He developed the place as an experiment in innovative farming, and many of the techniques he incorporated have become the norm today.

“Studio” Work

Flowers on Pleasant Valley Road, 8×10, Gouache

Trying to get back to some little studio paintings.  The flowers are not my usual subject matter, but I kept noticing these clusters of pink, white and purpleish flowers growing along the side of the road.  This tree provided a good composition for them, and the house down the road was a bonus.

At The Edge of Town, 9×12, Gouache

At The Edge of Town is from a photo shot while travelling from Mount Vernon to Spencerville, Ohio last Sunday.

The Outdoor Studio (Ohio Version)

I’ve been able to work in the “outdoor studio” the last few days.  One drawback is that gouache, which dries quickly on the palette anyway, dries even faster when working outdoors.  There’s that old tendency to work wetter and thinner because one hates to waste paint that’s drying on the palette.  Gouache can be revived with a wet brushe, but it never reverts to the same consistency as when it came from the tube.  I tend to try to make it go farther by working a wet brush into it, but the result is not the same.

Back Doors at Winkelmann, Texas, 8×10, Gouache

Back Doors at Winkelmann is a work in progress.  It’s an example of spending too much time working wet on wet.  Yes, gouache dries quickly, but continuous work lets the paint stay wet, somethimes all the way down to the board.  Since illustration board is basically just paper, it does retain some moisture for a few minutes.  This means paint applied on top of wet paint needs to be thick, almost straight from the tube, which I normally do.  White tends to “melt” into the other paint unless the previous layer is thoroughly dry, and the white is applied at almost tube consistency.

I’m not sure where this piece is headed.  I’m trying to stay loose with it, but I love detailing old wood, so there has to be a compromise somewhere.

We’ll see.

More Plein Air

Bridges’ Pond, 8×10, Gouache, Plein Air

Spent the entire day Thursday painting outside.  We’re parked on the property of Nell’s sister and her husband.  I started the day down at the pond.  After watching a large goose swim across the pond with a gaggle of little goslings and stroll off toward the adjoining property, I set up my easel and went after this little scene.

The Bench at Bridges’ Pond, 8×10, Gouache, Plein Air

Across the pond, there is an old bench sitting in the shade by the water’s edge.  The woods in the background was a pretty busy subject in itself, and I took a pretty loose approach to the water.

Vera’s Hen House, 8×10, Gouache, Plein Air

The concrete block hen house was an interesting subject.  I’ll probably spend a little more time working on some of the details at the door and window.

The Bridges House, 8×10, Gouache, Plein Air

The sun hitting the end of the house caught my attention.  The brick wall against the foliage and lawn was a color treat.

One more day of sunshine tomorrow (according to the forecast), then some family obligations over the weekend.  The forecast is calling for rain next week, so I may get back to some studio work then.  I’m enjoying the plein air work, and feel like I’m making progress with it, but I’ve got some reference photos I’ve taken in the last few days that I’m anxious to work with.

The Lane

Bridges’ Lane #1, 8×10, Gouache, Plein Air

We arrived Sunday at the home of one of Nell’s sisters in Mount Vernon, Ohio.  We’re hooked up next to the barn.  I spent a good part of this morning working on the water heater in the RV, but finally gave up for the day.  I hadn’t painted in several days, so I pulled out the french easel and set up outside.  I stayed close because it had rained all night, and the sky was still threatening.  If it started raining, I was ready to move everything into the barn.

This is a view down the driveway, looking back toward the road that runs in front of the property.  We’ll be here for a couple of weeks, at least, so I’ve called this Bridges’ Lane #1 because I suspect it will appear again.  There is lots to paint right here on the property, and I expect to do quite a bit of plein air work, because I need the practice.  I’ll be taking lots of reference photos, so I plan to do some “studio” paintings as well.

This photo shows our “home” in Ohio for a while.  It’s a beautiful piece of property, and includes a pond with cattails down the hill next to the driveway.

Painting Small

On Central Avenue, Hot Springs, AR, 4x6, Gouache

I spent about 2 to 2 1/2 hours this morning doing some little 4×6 studies.  Here are a couple more…

Sunset at Charley's Auto Glass, 4x6, Gouache

Evening at Lake Catherine, 4x6, Gouache

I’m being inspired to do some small pieces by my artist friend, Julie Myers.  Julie does some incredible, tiny (seriously, we’re talking tiny) paintings that are absolutely wonderful.  Check them out at her Etsy gallery at http://www.etsy.com/shop/JLMart.  I’m not quite ready to attempt anything that small just yet, so I’m warming up with these little 4×6 pieces, and then we’ll see.

It’s been a while since I worked this small.  It’s quite a challenge.