Marsh Gold

Day 5 of 30 in 30

Marsh Gold

5x7 Gireault pastel on ampersand astelboard

This started out fine with a pastel underpainting that I alcohol washed but I lost control  about half way through. It was almost a wiper but my husband said to wait.  My friend Barbara always tells me that I wipe too soon so I will sit on this a while.  It was almost a relief to be able to say "OK, I painted but I don't expect them all to come out good"

A water color teacher in college said "Paint one painting a week, at the end of a year you will have 52 paintings and if you have two good ones, you have two good ones"

What  is different:

• This was done with Gireault pastels on ampersand board
  

My thoughts:

• The Ampersand is a nice surface but does not hold many layers of pastels. 
• Gireault are still my favorite. When I separated them from the rest I realized that while some were hardly used, quite a few are almost too small to use.
• I would like to adjust the composition a little but this board will not take any more layers.

Lonely

Day 4 of the 30 in 30 challenge

Lonely

5x7 Soft Pastel on Canson MiTeintes Touch - black

This little tree is famous on Plum Island. It used to have a companion tree but that came down in a hurricane several years ago.  I have heard them called the bean and the pea and also the ball and the glove.  Now it is just lonely.

Just day 4 of the challenge and I am losing speed, this little painting didn't look like it was going to happen.  It is amazing how just one stroke can pull it all together (or turn it into a wiper!)

What is different:

• I worked on black and tried Stan Sperlak's scratch technique - I think I need a different pin.
• I remembered Ed Chesnovitch's advise to keep it abstract as long as possible.

What I liked:

• The black ground helped because I didn't have to remember to put the darks down first.

Problems:

• I underpainted the grasses with an orange and when I set in the water line it kept bleeding through.

http://30paintingsin30days.weebly.com/blog

Just a Dusting

Day 3 of the 30 in 30 challenge

Just a Dusting

6x8 pastel on pastelmat - anthracite 

What is different:

• Tried a technique that Stan Sperlak told us about - layering pastels on a dark surface and scratching through with a push pin.
• Used pastelmat instead of my usual sanded surface

What I like:

• This surface and will use it again.
• The scratch technique and I will try it on o sanded surface.
• Skimming the light colors over the dark background

Winter Marsh

Day2 of the 30 in 30 Challenge

I spent New Years Day at the coast. I photographed on Plum Island, walked the beach and had lunch at Bob Lobster. A great day! This was done from one of my reference photos. I plan to do a larger version.

Winter Marsh 5x7

I did sketches and value studies first and concentrated on the big shapes which I blocked in with both warm and cool darks and lights. I used Terry Ludwigs, Gireault and my new set of pastel pencils.

Day 1 of 30 in 30

Jan. 1,2016

                                Day 1 5x7 pastel

What is different:

• Worked from a sketch, not a photo, I do not know where the original photo is or where the actual place is.
• Used Ampersand pastel board. I have tried this before but didn't like it - time to try again
• Used only the Stan Sperlak Terry  Ludwig set
• Deep pink/peach underpainting in the sky and water (thanks Ed Chesnovitch)
• More emphasis on sky rather than earth (thanks Stan Sperlak)

What I liked:

• The dark area in the foreground
• The deep blue at the edge of the foreground grasses
• Touches of light at the horizon line, maybe houses
• Mauve in the grasses
• letting some of the pink underpainting show through

http://30paintingsin30days.weebly.com/blog

30 in 30

Well I just joined Leslie Saeta's 30 in 30 challenge, nothing like waiting to the last minute! She promises easier uploads with her new site. I was going to start off with a trip to Blick until my daughter reminded me First Night in Boston starts in a few hours.

My plan is to try new things, new techniques, new materials, new styles, practice what I have learned in last years workshops and document what works and what does not.
I will start with landscapes and pastels but that can change and anything can happen.

http://30paintingsin30days.weebly.com/blog

Rachel"s Song

"Rachel's Song" 16x20 oil on panel

I visited the Rachel Carson wildlife refuge on the coast of Maine this summer and referenced one of my photos for this scene.  I am working on staying loose even if it means wiping out and starting over.  The reflections were done at least five times! This was large for me, a way to celebrate my new, much larger studio.