June 2025

Accumulating brush hours

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06-26-Poulsbo-boat-on-grid
06-09-CVR-School-bus
06-11-Port-Madison-Lutheran-Church
06-10-Keyport-boats-again
06-25-Brownsville-Marina
06-26-St.-Pauls-Episcopal-Church
06-23-Silverdale-sailboats
05-28-Duwamish-river-barges
06-25-Brownsville-UMC
06-25-Lopez-Island-boat
06-26-Poulsbo-picnic
06-05-USS-Turner-Joy

It’s well-known that success requires perseverance. Malcom Gladstone, in his book, The Tipping Point, said that you need to put in 10,000 hours of practice before you master any discipline. In the art world, this means brush hours… many hours of practice: painting, painting, painting. A certain level of talent is needed, but without brush hours, you’re not going to improve.

So I’ve been trying to get my brush hours in. My goal is to paint at least one watercolor every day. Some days I have too much going on and I just can’t get to it. But most weekdays I’m able to at least get some paint on paper. Not all my efforts are rewarded with a good painting. In fact, most are not up to my expectations. But I believe that I learn something from every painting, even from the failures. As long as I’m getting my brush hours in, I’m satisfied. Lately I’ve been producing a lot of paintings and I’d like to share them with you. Click on an image to see the slide show.

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The outer coast of Washington

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Sea stacks near Hole-in-the-wall, Rialto Beach.

Guy and I drove to the Washington coast June 16 for two days of painting. The first day we hiked down Rialto Beach to paint the sea stacks that jut out of the ocean. The hike, in soft sand, was tiring, but the views were worth it. I’m still learning how to paint in this environment.

The Coast Guard station in La Push harbor

In the afternoon, we found a good subject in the Coast Guard boats at their moorings. These boats are designed to cross the bar into the open ocean during high seas, and many dramatic rescues have been made by the Coasties. I like the way the boat inside the boat shed echoes the one outside.

Second Beach

On our second day, we hiked to Second Beach. This secluded beach can only be reached by hiking a strenuous trail through the woods. The rocky outcroppings and islands are amazing. There were quite a few hikers on the beach, taking in the magnificent scenery.

Guy painting at Second Beach

Guy is taking up watercolors, so he was painting alongside me. It’s much more fun to have a painting buddy who’s cheerful and a good support.

We found a convenient log to sit on while painting at Rialto Beach.

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Lake Crescent PAWA Paintout

Salmon Cascades in Olympic National Park

Guy and I spent a couple of the days at Lake Crescent with artists from Plein Air Washington Artists. We camped at Fairholme Campground near Lake Crescent, one of our favorites. We painted at Log Cabin Resort, Salmon Cascades, the Elwha River and Lake Crescent Lodge, but this painting was the only really successful one.

Guy at Fairholme Campground
Painting along the Elwha River.

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Honors

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I’m delighted to say that I’ve been accepted into two major art exhibitions recently. As an artist, it’s especially rewarding to have your work recognized by national art societies, and I’m grateful to be successful at this level.

Nahcotta boat

I made this painting on a late afternoon in March when I was attending a watercolor workshop in Long Beach, WA, with my teacher, Eric Wiegardt. After our workshop for the day was over, I drove to Nahcotta harbor, where there’s a gritty collection of docks, dredging gear, and old boats. This abandoned boat resting in the grass caught my eye and I painted it as the light began to fade.

This painting was accepted into the 57th Watercolor West International Juried Exhibition. The juror was Ratindra Das, an internationally famous watercolor artist. My painting will be shown in the exhibition that runs from August 23 to November 9 at the Hilbert Museum of California Art at Chapman University in Orange, California. Four of my art friends in the Seattle area were also selected to be in the show. What a thrill! I plan to fly to California to attend the reception on August 30 and visit friends in the area.

Kingston farm

This is a painting of a farm just West of Kingston, WA, that I painted several times earlier this year. I first made a plein air painting while standing by the fence in the foreground. Afterward, I painted this version in the studio. I especially like the way the barn is tucked into the trees above a long, sloped pasture.

This painting was accepted by the Spokane Watercolor Society for their National Show, and it received an Honorable Mention Award. I’m very proud of these paintings.

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Unexpected colors

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Hamma Hamma River

My teacher, Eric Wiegardt, says that he chooses his colors “intuitively” when he’s painting. What he means is he picks his colors out of the palette by what feels right emotionally. He doesn’t get all hung up on what’s the right color to match the scene he’s painting, but he just grabs the paint that feels right. The result is paintings that sing with color.

Last Wednesday I drove to the mouth of the Hamma Hamma River on Hood Canal and made this painting. I tried to be a little more intuitive about my color choices, and the vivid blue of the water is the result. The color is thalo blue, which I rarely use because it’s so strong. It seemed garish at first, but after I moved it around a little bit, I decided that it was a good choice because it adds energy to the painting.

I made this painting on the way to a church meeting in Hoodsport. It took me awhile to find a good location, but finally I found a place to park on the side of the highway and clambered down a short path to the tide flat where I could paint in peace. I finished just in time to get back to the car and make it to my meeting.

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