I made this painting to show the wetness of a typical road in Kitsap County when its raining. I used a lot of paint and water to help the pigment flow down the painting.
Rainy day in the Pacific Northwest Read More »
I joined other Plein Air Washington Artists at Fishermen’s Terminal in Seattle today. It involved getting up early and driving to Bainbridge Island, taking the ferry to Seattle, then the bus to Fishermen’s Terminal. I got there in plenty of time to meet other painters and start painting.
There are hundreds of boats to paint, with lots of colorful compositions available. I chose the Fishing Vessel Admiral and made a watercolor. Luckily I got it done quickly, because the boat moved shortly after I finished. Then I painted two seine skiffs moored between two larger vessels, but my painting was muddy and belabored.
Several of us ate lunch together in the terminal building breezeway, then I made another painting of a seine boat. I was tired by this time. I walked back to the bus stop, caught the bus to Seattle and the ferry terminal and got home in time for dinner. It was a good day of painting with painter friends.
Fishermen’s Terminal with PAWA Read More »
As I was leaving Port Orchard, I stopped at a wildlife viewing area near Gorst. It’s just a pulloff from the racetrack of Highway 16, but it provides access to the tideflats. I poked around but didn’t see any appealing subjects so I went back to the car. As I did, I caught a glimpse of a dog and a car in the trees. I figured it was a homeless camp, so I took a sketchbook and went over.
I found a woman sitting next to an old car with a big dog straining at the leash and barking menacingly. I waved to show I was harmless and she put the dog in the car. I introduced myself and said I’m an artist looking for something to draw. She said her name was Diane and she likes to draw cartoons, so we had something in common. We struck up a conversation. She was pretty cheerful considering she was homeless. I’d say she was probably about fifty, on disability and living in her car. She had her possessions hanging up and laying out in the sun to dry after days of rain. I asked if she was safe there and she shrugged.
I asked if I could draw her and she said no. But I persuaded her to sit like she was before and I sketched her in pencil from the back. I showed her the drawing and she was pleased. I asked how she was set for money, and she said she didn’t need anything, because she has her SSI check and people help her out. She gets a shower from a local church. I gave her $10 anyway.
When I got home, I made a watercolor from my pencil drawing.
Port Orchard is a small town right on Sinclair Inlet. I imagine that in times past it was a charming waterfront community, with docks, marinas, boatyards, and lots and lots of boats. In recent years, the downtown area has fallen into neglect as businesses have moved away. The marinas are all gated and locked so they’re inaccessible to the public. The old boatyards are defunct because they don’t meet environmental guidelines. So there’s not as much for the painter to paint.
On Tuesday I spent the day prowling around the waterfront searching for good subjects to paint. I made 6 or 8 pencil sketches before deciding to paint an old shack on pilings. It’s surrounded by new development, but I guess they left it as a “picturesque” part of the past. Anyway, it’s a good subject.
A day in Port Orchard Read More »
I made these two watercolors to meet the challenge.
Day 5 and 6, #30x30directwatercolor Read More »
This year again I’m taking part in the #30x30directwatercolor challenge on Facebook and Instagram. The challenge is to paint one watercolor every day during the month of June, painting directly on the paper without pencil lines for guidance.
When I’ve done this in the past, it has really helped me progress. Without the pencil lines, I’m much freer with my brush strokes, and I don’t just “paint between the lines.”
Here’s hoping I can paint a watercolor a day for this challenge.
30 x 30 Direct Watercolor Challenge Read More »
On Thursday, I met the other PAWA painters at Log Cabin Resort, then I made a painting of the shoreline to the East. Afterward I took off to find new painting spots. Just outside the park boundary, I took a side road and stopped at a clearcut with a logging road going up the hill. There were big rocks with scraggly trees and long ridges far above, a perfect Northwest vista. I stopped and made a watercolor. As I was painting, the man who lived in a cabin nearby stopped by in his ancient beatup car. He was maybe fifty with a long flowing bear and luxuriant mustache beneath wavy silver locks. “Just wanted to check on ya to see if you’re OK,” he said. I assured him I was.
Then I drove up another logging road which took me to the of top of a knob overlooking Lake Sutherland, the small lake below Lake Crescent. The view was great, so I sat down and ate my lunch looking out over the vista. Then I painted the view. Not wanting to stop painting, I drove to the same overlook where I painted yesterday and painted the bridge and the cliff again. Without the rain. Then I hurried to Lake Crescent Lodge, where six of us PAWA painters met on the porch and shared our paintings Quite a few park visitors came by for a look, too.
All in all, a good two days of paintings. I made ten paintings in all. It was good to just paint, paint, paint. Not all my paintings were finely polished, but I learned from each one. I think choosing a location, setting up and making a quick painting without belaboring it is a good method for me right now.
Lake Crescent Day 2 Read More »
On June 1 and 2, I attended an event with PAWA (Plein Air Washington Artists) at Lake Crescent near Port Angeles. I drove up the night before and camped at Fairholme Campground. On Wednesday morning I met other PAWA painters at Log Cabin Resort and we fanned out to paint. My first painting was of the resort dock, with its colorful kayaks and canoes. Then I moved down the shore and painted some big rocks jutting out into the water. At 1 pm, I joined the other painters back at the resort for sack lunches in the comfy resort chairs looking out over the lake.
It threatened rain, so I made a quick watercolor sketch of Jim painting on the shore. When it began to rain in earnest, I joined Thoa under the eaves of the resort and painted the clouds on the far shore. After that, I drove to an overlook on Highway 101 and painted a bridge next to a cliff face. It was raining, but I just held an umbrella over my painting with my left hand and painted with my right hand. Awkward, but it worked.
At 4:30, I made one more painting. I drove to Lake Crescent Lodge, a beautiful old historic Park Service building, and painted the lodge while standing under a big tree. So in all I made six paintings today. Quite an accomplishment considering the weather.
Lake Crescent Day 1 Read More »
Today we had our last life drawing session for the spring quarter. Shawna was our model and gave us great poses as usual. I had a few good drawings and paintings, especially at the first. Since it was our last session, we had champagne and goodies at our break, and we posed for a group photo at the end. It’s been a good year of painting and drawing with my friends.
Last life drawing session this spring Read More »
Today I painted this scene for the tenth time. I figure that repetition can be a good teacher.
When I make a painting over and over, I gradually improve the various elements of it. In this case, it took me about eight tries before I got the clouds the way I want them ( some hard edges and some soft edges) and it took two more tries to get the composition right.
Here’s a few of the many attempts I made on this painting.
Clouds over Dye’s Inlet Read More »