"Apparition"

"Apparition" 12x9 acrylic

I haven't been having much luck getting any projects finished lately. I have 7 paintings in various stages of incompletion. It felt good to sign and photograph this one today.

April at Its Finest

I left the studio yesterday morning at 9:00 setting off to explore a small trout stream I had not fished since I was a youngster. My calls to fishing partners the day before were unsuccessful, so I was on my own... and that was okay. The solitude would offer me the luxury of moving at my own pace, poking along the stream banks and lingering as the mood dictated.
Soon after I left the truck, the morning sun had warmed the countryside enough to make my fleece jacket unnecessary. I stuffed it into my daypack and started looking for trout.
It's funny how I can get distracted from the task at hand on days like this. Wildflowers carpeted the brushy stream banks and I found myself spending quite a bit of time photographing them. Trout lilies, spring beauty, and large toothwort (I think) were thriving in the rich soil of the valley floor. I happily crawled along the wet muddy ground shooting photo after photo.

Trout lily

Large toothwort

Caddis flies along the stream

With that out of the way, I got back to trout fishing. There were clouds of caddis flies hovering above the water. The streamside brush was covered with them. It wasn't long before I caught my first fish... a large fat brook trout that made me smile as I popped the hook from its jaw and let it swim away. That was a very good start!

Rainbow trout

The trout, mostly rainbows, were finicky. I fished long stretches of spectacular water without a sign of a fish, then happen upon a spot where I'd catch one and maybe miss another. The lengthy distances between fish contacts were puzzling. I don't feel like I ever really figured the fish out, so every time I managed to hook one, it seemed like I accomplished something.

One of many deer along the stream

The wildlife activity along the stream made me think the critters were enjoying the warm sun as much as me. Deer would wander up to me as I stood in the middle of the stream before realizing I was there. Turkeys scurried through the skunk cabbage. Ruffed grouse flushed ahead of me offering only a glimpse as they winged through the dense undergrowth. At one point, a sharp-shinned hawk nearly took my hat off as it zipped by.
This morning, my sore legs are a reminder of a great day afield. I can get back to my work in the studio with a renewed enthusiasm. Time to get busy!

"Cool Spring Creek"

"Cool Spring Creek" 10x8 acrylic

Just off the easel, this little study gave me fits over the weekend. I had a hell of a time making it work. Finally, after editing out some of the trees I had originally painted it, the scene seems to fit together much better.

Goofing Off!

For the first time in weeks, the weather dummies had predicted a day above the 50° mark. After working on my taxes for a couple of days (still not done!) and spinning my wheels with a painting currently on the easel, I needed a break. It took a few phone calls the night before to wrangle a fishing partner, but with that out of the way, I put my fishing bag in the truck anticipating the next day's adventure.

I let Otis the Wonder Dog out at 7am and thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. The thermometer read 15°! Are you kidding me?! As I poured my first cup of coffee, I was happy for both the warmth it offered and the fact that BT wouldn't be arriving for a few hours. I was keeping my fingers crossed the air would at least reach the freezing mark by then.
Neither of us were absolutely hell bent on fishing until things began to warm a bit. On the way to the river we stopped here and there checking other streams, looking for turkey sign, and generally goofing off the way outdoor types do when there's time to kill.

Once we were on the water, we fished hard. We always do. And I'm not ashamed to say that after 5 hours of wading, casting, changing flies, and trudging along the stream bank, BT caught the only fish we saw all day.
When we'd both had enough, we pealed off our waders next to the truck. It finally felt like the temperature was near 50° and the warm sun felt good on my back. For the next hour we sat on the tailgate of the truck, drank a cold beer, and laughed about stories of misadventure in years past. Tree swallows checked out nearby bluebird boxes, to a serenade of spring peepers and a lone Canada goose was already on a nest within sight of our position. It was perfect.
It's funny how there's a necessary process to times like that. You can't just jump right into a tailgate powwow without first going through the preliminary actions... be they fishing, hunting, painting, whatever. It just doesn't work that way. But the entire day was leading up to that moment on the tailgate of the truck when we clanked beer bottles and BT said around his cigar, "This is quite a day, eh Bortzie?"
Quite a day indeed. Thanks BT. I needed that.

"Radiant"

"Radiant" 6x8 acrylic

I finally got around to finishing this study I started a week or so ago. Previously, I posted an image of the quick underpainting for this piece and talked about how that process helps move the finished painting in the desired direction. There are a lot of pinks, purples, and blues in the shadows of the owl's "white" plumage. I learned a lot putting paint on this small piece, but that's the point... right?

"Five Below"

"Five Below" 10x20 acrylic

As much as everyone is sick of winter, I almost feel bad posting this latest painting... almost ;)
I'm always amazed at just how reflective snow is. In this scene, the snow really takes on the hues of the surrounding sky. When I shot the reference photos for this piece, it was one of those crazy cold evenings when the crisp dry air almost hurts to breathe. I had to keep my camera inside my parka so the batteries wouldn't croak!
And yes, there is a great-horned owl winging away from those round bales in the middleground.

Detail view

Importance of a Solid Underpainting

When young artists ask me for advice on painting, the first thing I always tell them is to practice drawing. The second is usually about the importance of patience and the understanding that good paintings take time. Like drawing, a good underpainting is another fundamental building block upon which everything else can be built. When I first started painting, I couldn't conceive any good reason to take the time to paint something only to paint over it again. It seemed redundant, but I was young and had little understanding of how paint works.
Of course it helps to know what you want to accomplish before ever putting down a single dob of paint.

90 minute acrylc underpainting

The small barn owl study featured here (6x8) is a terrific example using a thin underpainting to guide a piece in the desired direction. The purpose for this study is to accurately convey the essence of warm morning sun on the owl's back and head, while capturing the glow filtering through its wing. I want to have a few areas of radiance, especially around the head and upper edge of the wing. It helps to establish those warm tones now, rather than try to put them in later over a dark background. It's not impossible, but much easier to take care of it right at the get-go. This is also the perfect time to assess any drawing problems and correct them.
From here, the tones are close and the rough shapes seem to read pretty well. Now I can start refining with subsequent paint layers and much thicker paint.
Now all I have to do is finish it without screwing it up! Stay tuned.