The light of September

There’s something about the light in September. Maybe it’s because the sun is getting lower in the sky and the slanting shadows are more intriguing. Maybe it’s the warm light on the dry grass. Maybe it’s because we’re becoming more aware that time is fleeting and the summer is fading into autumn.

Whatever it is, it makes for good plein air painting. On Monday of last week, I found this lovely bigleaf maple tree in a park in Bremerton. I set up my easel in the warm afternoon sun with the light coming from behind and to the left of the tree. The actual painting wasn’t very good, but I came back to the studio and tried again, producing the painting you see above. I like the blended colors in the foliage, the light from the side, the sky holes in the tree, and the slightly blurred figures.

On Tuesday, I pulled off of Central Valley Road at the entrance of a farmer’s lane leading into a pasture. It was a balmy afternoon and the sun warmed the dry grasses on the side of the lane. I ignored the cars whizzing behind me and concentrated on this patch of heaven. The painting was a bit sloppy, so I went back to the studio and tried again. This is the painting that resulted. I like the way the eye goes up the lane and into the sky, then moves into the pasture and back along the fence line.

On Wednesday, I set up my easel on a country lane just off of Pioneer Drive. As the sun dropped shadows in the lane, I spent a pleasant hour painting the fence posts and fir trees framing a rural driveway. A neighbor bounced across the pasture in his enormous belching pickup truck to see what I was doing. He turned out to be a cheerful young guy, just curious. I wasn’t satisfied with my painting, but I sure enjoyed the experience.

On Thursday, I joined my friends from Poulsbo Artist League as we painted at Salisbury State Park. The wind was blowing cold off Hood Canal, the sound of chain saws nearby assaulted our ears, and a raucous tribe of preschool children ran screaming through the park. Nevertheless, we persisted.

I found a clump of pine trees sculptured by the wind and tried to capture their wild limbs. I painted some of the foliage and limbs wet-in-wet to emphasize the complexity without painting every single twig. The result is a bit fuzzy and the figures are too dark, but I like the general effect. A good learning experience.

On Friday I drove to Bainbridge Island to join my life drawing friends. I’ve been painting with this group every Friday during the school year for years and years. I painted this watercolor of Shawna, which I like very much for the blending of colors and the light on her shoulder and arm. Unfortunately, I squashed her vertically to fit onto the paper, and her body is way too short. It’s a common beginner’s error.

So that was my week. Quite satisfying.