I’ve been trying to learn to paint patterns. In the above painting (my copy of Eric’s recent demo), you can see the patterns of light and dark shapes that make this painting attractive to the eye. In the top area, there are three clumps of dark tree shapes and two light areas of sky. On the lower left, you can see the rounded shapes of the bushes with light areas above them. Attractive patterns make a good painting.
Ivy Green Cemetery in Bremerton, WA
Ivy Green Cemetery in Bremerton is a peaceful place to paint because it’s a quiet place with few interruptions. Old trees stand guard over the graves and cast long shadows. I painted this one-color painting to try to establish some interesting patterns. I tried to make three clumps of tree shapes and two light areas of sky, using loose brush strokes, and a dark shape for the shadows. I was somewhat successful.
Ivy Green Cemetery in color
In my full-color painting, I lost some of my shapes. Instead of having three dark tree areas, they’re all spread out. In addition, I got too dark with the shadows, so I had to scrub them out and re-paint them. Not very successful.
Ivy Green Cemetery again
Undeterred, I tried again. This time I did a little better with the tree patterns, but my shadows lack a good pattern. Once you start painting a watercolor, it goes fast. You have to move quickly to keep the paint fresh, and it’s easy to lose sight of the patterns that you originally planned on. Before you know it, it’s too late. Rats!
I like this scene, and I think I’ll try it again another time.
Last week I participated in Whidbey Island Plein Air, a plein air competition with ninety other artists. I painted ten paintings in five days, which is a lot for me. My son, Guy, and I camped at Fort Ebey State Park, which is a great place to camp. Guy was my driver and companion for the week, and he painted a number of good watercolors also. It was a lot of fun to see other artists and to paint the scenic portion of the island near Coupeville.
On Monday, the first day of the event, we arrived late because of dense fog that delayed the ferry from Port Townsend. But that afternoon I painted this old house on the main street leading into Coupeville. I laid in the roof and the dark portions of the house with my big mop brush. This brush makes it impossible to fuss with small details, and I like the loose effect it gives. I followed up with a smaller brush to paint the light portions of the house, the picket fence, and the trees. It was a fun painting.
On Monday evening, there was a dinner for all the artists at a local artist’s studio, and I was able to mingle with new and old friends. This was my fourth year to participate in Whidbey Plein Air, and I knew a dozen or so of the artists.
Partridge Point
On Wednesday, I painted the beach at Partridge Point. I like the vantage point from the top of the hill showing the steep grassy hillside. This painting received an Honorable Mention at the show on Friday.
Farm at Dugualla Bay
On Wednesday evening, we drove to Dugualla Bay to paint the dramatic valley with Mt. Baker rising up across Puget Sound. I like the way this farm is situated just above the estuary of the bay. We finished a little after 7 pm and drove back to our campsite for dinner.
We turned our paintings in on Thursday afternoon to be hung at the art center. The opening gala and show was held Friday at 6 pm. It was wonderful to see all the paintings that the other painters had painted, and to see the red dots on paintings that had been sold. My painting, Coupeville house (above) sold to a young couple from Bellevue for $500. I had a chance to talk with them and thank them for their purchase.
We left the gala a little bit early so we could make it to the 7:30 ferry to Port Townsend. We got home a little after 9 pm.
Guy’s painting of power company workersGuy’s painting of a barn in Ebey’s Prairie
These two paintings were made by my son, Guy. They’re very good for a beginning painter. I especially like the clean washes, the brushwork, and the compositions.
Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve made a number of plein air paintings and I’d like to share some of them with you. The painting above was made at the mouth of Curley Creek near Port Orchard. I stood on the bridge while painting it and several people stopped briefly to see what I was doing. I like the strong colors and the bold brush strokes with the flecks of white.
Bainbridge Island sheds
My son, Guy, and I joined other painters from Poulsbo Artist League to paint at a farmhouse on Bainbridge Island. I like the shapes of this cluster of sheds, but it started raining as I painted. You can see the raindrops on the background. I retreated to a shed and finished the painting.
Grain Ship seen from Centennial Park in Seattle
I traveled to Seattle to paint with other members of the Northwest Watercolor Society at Centennial Park. I tackled this huge ship loading grain at the grain elevator on the Seattle waterfront. The proportions of the boat and the elevator were challenging, but I think I got them basically right.
Boat on a trailer along the Seattle ship canal
I found this boat on a trailer as I snooped along the Seattle ship canal. I liked the shape of it, so I took a photo and painted it in the studio when I got home.
La Conner harbor
I traveled to La Conner, WA, to see the fabled waterfront and I wasn’t disappointed. The La Conner harbor is a favorite of artists and photographers because of the many boats tied up along the channel that goes by the historic downtown, and for the charming boardwalk in front of the many cafes and restaurants that line the docks. I made this painting in the evening as the sun slanted low across the harbor.
The fishing vessel Baranof at Fishermen’s Terminal in Seattle
Last Wednesday I took the 7:20 am ferry to Seattle so that I could paint with members of Northwest Watercolor Society (NWWS). This group meets at paint-worthy locations every Wednesday to paint together and share their work.
I arrived in Seattle at 8:20 and drove to Fishermen’s Terminal to get in a painting early in the morning. I strolled the docks and found a row of big fishing boats, including the F/V Baranof. There was a big shadow from another boat, so I set up my easel and made a pencil sketch in my small (5 by 8) sketchbook. I always make a pencil sketch first so that I can get the composition right and establish the values of the painting.
My pencil sketch of the Baranof
In this case, the dock naturally led the eye toward the boat, and later on a red pickup truck conveniently drove up and parked next to the boat. Nice subject! After I drew the shapes of the boats and the dock, I used the flat of the pencil to show how dark each shape was. The shaded side of the boat was very dark, and the light side of the boat was very light. Then I filled in the other values: somewhat dark, medium, and somewhat light.
Next I drew the composition on my watercolor paper and paused. The moment before picking up the brush is always a scary moment for me. What if I ruin it? What if I don’t know what I’m doing?
But I chase those thoughts away and make my first brush stroke. From then on, I’m in the zone. The painting unfolds as I go, and time seems to disappear as the painting overtakes me. I paint the boat hull, the opposite boat in shadow, the docks and the light poles. Then on to the surrounding shapes, finishing up with the rigging, the water, and the sky.
I was pretty happy with this painting. I think the mass of the boat attracts the eye and provides a good shape for the rest of the painting to relate to.
Railroad bridge over the ship canal in Seattle.
Then I packed up my gear and drove to Commodore Park, where NWWS members were gathering. Commodore Park is located alongside the Seattle Ship Canal, which provides a waterway from Elliot Bay (the ocean) to the fresh water of Lake Washington. Locks are provided so that boats can be raised or lowered to transit the canal.
It’s a beautiful location with lots of activity. Docktenders guide the boats that are entering or leaving the lock, and Seattleites of all descriptions are milling around the locks. Birds flit about, raccoons scurry on the shore, and an occasional seal can be seen in the water.
I scoped out the park and found a location alongside Diane, who had already started. I chose to paint the rusty old railroad bridge over the canal. I used an old credit card to paint the girders of the bridge. First I mixed up a good amount of paint in my palette, then I rubbed the edge of the credit card in the paint and applied it to the paper. The marks it makes are just right for girders and cranes.
After that, I painted the rest of the painting with the brush. I felt pretty good about this painting. Afterward, I joined about twenty other NWWS painters for the “throwdown”. We all prop up our paintings against a wall so that we can see what everyone has painted. Not only is it fun to see what other painters have done, it’s a great way to learn about other styles and perspectives. I enjoy rubbing elbows with the artists and I try to make contact with as many people as I can.
I drove to the ferry and napped in my car while waiting. It was a good day of painting.
Watch, paint, review. Watch, paint, review. That was my week last week. I spent four days in Long Beach, WA, at a watercolor painting workshop by Eric Wiegardt.
The thing I enjoyed most was the camaraderie among the students in the workshop. I already knew Eric and eight of the seventeen students, so I felt right at home from the opening hugs. Everyone in the group seemed to fit together, and I enjoyed talking with everyone.
Every morning Eric painted a demonstration watercolor while explaining his technique. Then all seventeen of us students attempted to paint the same subject, bearing in mind all that Eric said. This process was repeated in the afternoon, followed by a critique of one of our paintings by Eric.
What did I learn at this workshop that I didn’t learn at the three previous plein air workshops I have taken with Eric?
Probably the most helpful thing for me was to simply watch how he uses his brush to grab pigment off his palette, mix it, and apply it to the paper. His emphasis on using wet pigment, his mixing of colors with the brush, his generous use of water in the brush, and his sweeping strokes on the paper encouraged me to be more confident in my painting.
“Make your first brushstroke a bold statement,” he said. I tried to follow that advice, and I think it helped.
Eric repeated his three basic goals for a painting: capture the eye at a distance, carry the eye throughout the picture plane, and bring the eye to the area of dominance. He gave us a number of tools to use to bring the eye to the area of dominance: contrast, line, placement, animation, warm colors, hard edges, big shapes, and detail.
Eric paints intuitively. That is, he feels his way through the painting, asking what the painting needs and responding to it. He’ll grab a color and try it on the painting, and if it feels right, he’ll go on. He doesn’t like to “go backward,” by scrubbing out a bad place or wiping out an awkward color. He prefers to move forward in the painting.
If the painting has clear values and good interlocking shapes, then it will hold up well. You can use almost any color as long as you have good shapes and values.
He encouraged us to take risks. “If you’re not painting on the edge of your ability,” he said, “You’re not growing as an artist.”
On the first day, we painted the lighthouse at Cape Disappointment. (See my painting above) This is probably the most iconic subject in the Long Beach area, and I’ve painted it several times. This time, watching Eric, I was able to paint more boldly and decisively. I like the results, although my colors got a little dark in places.
Spruce trees at Oysterville school
On the second day, we painted near the historic Oysterville school. Eric chose as his subject two big spruce trees with their cascading foliage. He added two figures walking on the road next to the trees.
I was pretty happy with my trees. I used a lot of vivid color in the trunks and managed to show the foliage adequately.
The lighthouse keeper’s house at North Head Lighthouse
On the third day, we painted the lighthouse keeper’s house at North Head Lighthouse. Eric emphasized using lots of wet pigment to let the colors blend. He wet the back of the paper to keep it moist, and he used a spray bottle to help the colors run.
I felt pretty good about my attempt to paint this building. My washes ran and blended together, maybe a little too much. But that’s how you learn. I was successful in getting my figures to blend into the colors around them, so they don’t look pasted on. On this painting, I was able to keep working the painting while the washes were wet or semi-wet, and that was a first for me.
On the fourth day, I was tired. Eric painted a floral arrangement provided by his brother, Todd, a professional florist. I enjoyed painting the flowers, but I was too worn out from a week of painting to really focus.
I camped at Cape Disappointment State Park, like I’ve done in years past. I enjoy camping, but I have to admit it takes quite a bit more energy, and I was in my sleeping bag by 9:00 each night. But all in all, it was a great week of painting and learning.
I’m very happy to say that this painting was accepted into the Little Gems Show at Scott Milo Gallery in Anacortes, WA. Of the three I submitted, this was the only one accepted, but I’m satisfied with that. I like the painting for its freshness and simplicity. Sometimes a simple subject is the best.
The show runs from July 30 to August 29. There will be about seventy small paintings from members of Plein Air Washington Artists. I’m intrigued to see the other paintings accepted into the show. Hopefully I can get to the opening on July 31 to see the artists and the awards ceremony. Unfortunately a trip to Anacortes and back, with the ferry ride included, takes the better part of a day.
You know how modern life is so restricted? “No Trespassing”; ‘Keep Out”; “Do Not Enter”. It’s the fortress mentality everywhere you go: electronic gates, high fences, security cameras, insurance regulations. Where’s a painter gonna paint?
But yesterday I found a refreshing exception. I went to the South Park community of Seattle with other plein air painters from Northwest Watercolor Society. South Park is an older residential neighborhood right next to the rust belt industrial zone of the Duwamish Waterway. There are bridges, cranes, marinas, old barges, aging hulks, tugboats. Everything a painter wants, but most of it is locked up behind chain-link security.
As it happened, I stumbled into a boatyard of sorts. In a two block area, boats were parked chockablock together with all kinds of marine debris in between. It was completely open. No fences, no barriers — a painter’s paradise. It’s too good to be true, I thought. I’ll probably be kicked out as soon as they find me.
I poked my head into the dark interior of a sheet metal shed and found two weatherbeaten characters sipping coffee amid a bewildering assortment of cables, wrenches, cutting torches, welding helmets, and oversize clamps. One of these yard birds had a beard down to his belly button. The other wore a pair of comically wide shorts. I said timidly, “I’m a watercolor painter. Do you think it would be all right if I made a watercolor painting of your boats?”
Mr. Longbeard chuckled and said, “You can paint your picture anywhere you want. Just don’t let the forklift run over you.”
As I backed out of their den, I realized that these fellows probably have a steady stream of painters coming through their rusting paradise, and I was just one more. What a breath of fresh air! I set up my easel and tackled my subject, a neglected old wooden boat with a tarp over it. I thought to myself, if this isn’t a plein air painter’s heaven, I don’t know what is.
One of my goals is to get my watercolors into juried shows. I like the prestige of the shows and the increased visibility for my paintings. This means submitting my work in the form of a digital image so the judge of the show can make a decision to accept or reject it.
The first thing is to select which paintings I want to enter. I read carefully the prospectus for each show which details the requirements for acceptance. Then I choose the paintings that I think will be a good match. I make sure the digital images are the right size, then I upload them to the website for the show, making sure I meet the deadline. It’s a lot of work.
The deadline for the Little Gems show at Scott Milo Gallery in Anacortes was yesterday, so I spent a good deal of time preparing for it last week. The maximum size for this show is 11×15 inches. Most of my paintings are slightly larger than that, so I needed to paint some smaller images.
I liked the painting (above) of two fishing boats at Fishermen’s Terminal in Seattle because it was loose and free, but it needed some work. I tried painting it a second time, but the result wasn’t as fresh. So I touched up the original painting by toning down the white of the pilothouses in the reflections and sent it in.
The docks at Dabob Bay
For my second painting, I chose this scene at the docks of Rock Point Oyster Company in Dabob Bay. I painted this scene four times before I was satisfied with it. Each time I painted it, it got a little better.
The dock at South Bend, WA
I had to touch up this painting also before I sent it in. The reflection under the dock was tentative, and left too many white spaces. So I darkened it and let it blend into the paint on its lower edge. I also added some birds.
Will my paintings get into the show? The gallery will notify painters of their acceptance or rejection on June 15. I’ve had a few paintings accepted into this show in previous years, so I’m hopeful one of these paintings might make it. But it all depends on the judge.
Most of the paintings in the show will be oil or acrylic paintings, so perhaps my watercolors will be looked on favorably. Or maybe not. Most of the paintings will be quite realistic and detailed, so perhaps my loose, impressionistic style will be an advantage. Or maybe not. You never know.
One thing’s for sure. The attraction of getting into a show is a great stimulus for making better paintings, and it spurs me on.
I spent the last week at Pacific Northwest Plein Air, a painting competition in the Columbia Gorge. I was one of forty artists from all over the country who converged to paint outdoors for four days and show our paintings at the end of the week. The sponsor is the Maryhill Museum of Art near The Dalles, Oregon, where our paintings will hang for a month.
Guy
My son, Guy, came with me to be my driver and also to paint along with me. He’s learning to paint watercolors and it’s fun to watch his progress. We stayed with my sister-in-law, Margo, at her house in Stevenson, Washington. I don’t know what I would have done without her hospitality.
I painted ten watercolors over four days. I felt that four of them were good enough to enter into the Museum show. I was happy that I had the energy to paint all day for four days and still be ready for more.
I think my big learning was how to jump into a painting and get it started. Eric Wiegardt says, “Make your first brush stroke be bold.” So I learned to use a big brush for the first stroke and be confident. From then on, the painting flows more easily.
The first day was windy, a common condition in the Columbia River Gorge. After checking in with the other artists, we drove to Glenwood, a rural area tucked right beneath the bulk of Mt. Adams. It was breezy, but manageable. We painted the barns of a ranch with the mountain towering above. One of my two paintings was not bad.
Mt. Adams with barns near Glenwood
The next day was cloudy but, thankfully, not windy. We drove to the Cape Horn Overlook and hiked about fifteen minutes to a rustic overlook. We painted the long stretch of the Columbia River to the East, with clouds hovering over the ridges. Then we drove to another overlook right on Highway 14 and made another painting. This time I was happy with my big washes. You can find the painting at the top of this post.
To end the day we drove to the Portland Women’s Forum on the Oregon side of the river and painted Vista House, also known as Crown Point, and the river beyond. This is an iconic view that many painters and photographers try to capture, but my values got too dark, and I couldn’t lighten them up. Next time!
On Wednesday it was clear and windless. We drove to Ruthton Park near Hood River where there is a lovely view of the Gorge to the West. I painted a panoramic view but I got a little too detailed in the foreground.
Then we drove to Odell, South of Hood River, and I painted a lovely old Victorian church. I loved the shadows on the church walls, but I muddied them up in my painting. Then I moved to the Pine Grove Cemetery right nearby and painted a view of Mt. Hood hovering over the apple orchards.
On Thursday we drove to Dalles Mountain Ranch, West of The Dalles. The old barns and buildings of this old cattle ranch have been preserved in a State Park. I’ve painted this several times before, so I felt comfortable painting in a larger format, 15 by 20 inches. This was probably my best painting.
Dalles Mountain Ranch
In the afternoon we moved across the river to The Dalles where we found an Indian fishing platform on the edge of the river. I enjoyed painting the rocks and the water beneath the platform, and I added a figure on the platform from my imagination. This was probably my most fun painting of the week.
Yakima fishing platform
By 4:00 we were at the Maryhill Museum of Art with the other artists to turn in our paintings. There was a buzz of excitement as all the artists milled around sharing stories of the week and peeking at each other’s paintings. I felt privileged to be in the company of such talented artists.
I took Friday off to rest, including a blissful two hour map in the afternoon. Four days of nonstop painting had tired me out. On Saturday I drove a short ways from Margo’s house to the Camas Patch. This is an isolated patch of the rare Camas flower that is protected by the Friends of the Gorge. I made a watercolor just for fun.
With artist friends at the reception
In the evening we drove to Maryhill Museum, about an hour and fifteen minute drive, to attend the opening reception of the exhibition. It was packed with patrons and artists, and I had a great time mingling with people, commenting on others’ art and discussing my paintings. A very rewarding evening, and a great conclusion to the week.
I felt like I was “in the flow” when I painted this watercolor. I began by painting a loose blue outline, then I used my big brush to lay in wet washes of red and purple on the roof and the sides of the church. As they began to flow into one another and create interesting blends, I kept using my brush to add more washes. It felt like it was a dance. Everything came together without effort.
After I let it dry, I added the figures and the background. You can see that they’re more forced and awkward. But I’m happy with the overall looseness of this painting.
I made this watercolor from a photo I took at Nasalle, WA.
