I've worked hard this week to fit in time to paint and keep up with my daily drawing. It can be a challenge to fit everything in, but I had good results this time. This is the finished painting. I may go back and touch up some edges, but for the most part it's done. I tried something a little different this time, bringing in more of the tree, which gave me room to play with composition. I love the dark mini-branches against the blue sky. Maybe I need to play with that a little more. For my daily drawings I focused on magnolias. Trying to learn the branch forms and colors. I took a long walk in the Arboretum on Saturday. Stopping at the magnolias to examine the bark and form and colors. How nice it would be to have more time for that kind of work and research.
I recently started a painting of a magnolia tree. Shortly after starting I found myself "stuck". I wasn't sure how to accomplish what I saw in my mind for the tree. The flowers I knew, but the tree that's another thing. So for my sketches this week, I've been looking at trees. I hope to make some time this week to jump back into that painting. The only real way to get where I want to go is to get the brushes out and start practicing. Until then, I'll sketch and study. I don't know what struck me about birds recently. I think it was the silhoutte on the bare branches. Then I just played with the idea. I really like the first two drawings. The bright blue line of sky in the first and the personalities of the birds in the second.
Winter has caught up to us. We've had warm weather long into November, so when the snow came this weekend it caught us all off guard. It's unusual to see so much color along side snow, leaves are usually long gone by that time. This year is different and the contrast is beautiful.
Winter has arrived and to my surprise it put me in a happy mood. It's that time of year again, the ride home from work in the dark. That means it's time to see the city in shades of deep blue, layering the dark buildings against the darker sky, office lights glowing like stars, twisting lines of red and white traffic. The world takes on a new feel when the light fades. It's been remarkably warm for November so this darkness seems sudden and out of place. It doesn't feel like winter at all, but all too soon it will. The inevitable snow will make it look like winter too. Earlier this year, I tried to set myself on the Path of Beauty. Part of that is living in harmony with your surroundings. Up here in the north that means coming to terms with winter. Soon a thin sheet of ice will form over the lakes, creating interesting patterns as it thickens. Then snow will fall allowing a play of light and shadow on it's blank canvas. Winter treats us to beautiful pink and orange sunrises and sunsets too. This summer I did a good job of taking advantage of the lakes on the handful of hot days we had. Swimming in the cool water and soaking up the sun on the sandy shore. This winter I'm hoping to learn cross country skiing and snowshoeing. I like the idea of skiing on the now frozen lake that I was swimming in during summer. And it will give me a chance to explore the woods in a new way. It's time to get the boots...and wait for the snow.
So here's to trying to walk in beauty, even if the path is icy. This year I've started putting together more interesting sketchbook pages. I really enjoy it, laying different images together. Sometimes a theme, others unrelated. You can see from these that I'm also fond of using thumbnails for rough sketches. They work well for framing ideas.
Here are a few of the pages I've put together this year. The water still seems to be on my mind. While I don't actively think about it, I am drawn to images of it. While sketching I was reminded of the summer that I tried my hand at painting water. It seems I have unfinished business with water.
Water Water an Update Maybe one day soon I'll try my hand at painting it again. It's been a little while since my last post. Somehow after my vacation I've found it hard to move back into my old routine. That has included my posts.
The seasons are changing and maybe I can change with them. I now leave for my morning walk in the dark and watch the sky brighten along the lake. It's beautiful and a nice slow way to wake up and get ready for the day. I find I deal with the day much better when I've had my walking time. The lake has taken on a lot more character as winds have been blowing in cooler weather. The cool wind whipping waves that break high on the shore spraying water over the sidewalk. Trees turning red and gold and bright pink sunrises. Fall is a lovely time of year. May it be a long one. I'm very content to wait a long time for winter. |
Beauty and InspirationThis blog is about my inspirations and my love of art. I welcome your reactions to my work. Archives
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