THE F/V APEX AT MIRROR COVE

These gouache paintings are taking a lot longer to paint than watercolors of the same size. I guess if I keep on doing them I'll start letting go of some of the detail. I probably should just try painting faster.... use larger brushes. I'd loosen up, but wouldn't like the results.


gouache 4x6"

This small piece took hours and it isn't even very detailed. I think this would have gone faster if I'd painted on a black ground instead of gray. Its our salmon troller, The F/V Apex, anchored in Mirror Harbor on West Chichikof Island.

OFF THE PARK ROAD

Here I am again questioning my sanity for having two blogs, since I can barely do justice to one. I've been working most days in the studio for the past month on gouache, and posting some of what I've done, since they are small, on my other blog Watercolor Postcards. Since some people might actually look for something here, here is a little one I did yesterday.

gouache 4x4"

COMING OUT OF HIBERNATION

With the days getting longer (we are having about 8 hours of daylight now) and a couple of days where the sun actually appeared, I'm coming out of hibernation. I seem finally to be over my cold and went for a long walk on the beach yesterday and took my gouache paints with me. It felt great in the sun though it was still below freezing. I ended up painting for about an hour from the car and watching the sun go down at 4.... the little gouache I did might or might not show up on my other blog where the small ones go.

I've been continuing with the monochromatic gouache paintings.



gouache 6x9" on CP Arches

This one is a little larger than the others. Its from a photo I took last week from my kitchen window during our big snow fall. I started with a transparent wash over all which remained uncovered in the sky. I'm loving not having to save my whites. I might splatter some white paint for snow flakes.... or not.

MOUNTAIN HEMLOCK WATERCOLOR AGAIN

After painting the hemlocks in gouache, I went back to the one I did in watercolor and worked on it some more. The first state is here.


watercolor 9 1/2 x 7

And here it is with more work. I had cropped some on the left side of the first version, but left it in on this one. I used glazes of watercolor and a little bit of gouache. Looks lots better to me.

I've been doing some value studies of the trees out my window for the Wet Canvas challenge that I discussed on the previous post. Here's one I did yesterday.



gouache 5 x 5

GOUACHE PAINTING

I decided to try to paint the mountain hemlock again... in gouache instead of watercolor. One of my goals for the new year is to work on some other media. It took me most of Monday to find everything and get set up to paint. My first start was on a light gray piece of mat board... after a few hours it got to looking pretty bad so I quit. That night I looked on line and found some really good gouache painting on Maggie Latham's blog, Everything Gouache , and her challenge on Wet Canvas..... Painting Trees in the Landscape ....... a bit of serendipity.

I had joined Wet Canvas when I was still on dial-up and it would have taken most of a day to do anything, but now with my 2G, its doable....most of the time. There is lots and lots there... I've spent a whole bunch of time already reading past challenges and following links to more gouache paintings. I need to figure out how to post scans and photos, but I have joined in. I started in with Maggie's instructions this afternoon to do small monochromatic studies of trees..... out the studio window of the trees I've painted so many times.... very overcast all day and light snow.

Back to the mountain hemlock painting. Yesterday, I started over on a piece of mat board that I painted with black gesso.


Gouache on matboard with black gesso 5 1/2 x 61/2

I worked on it some more today and am liking it a whole lot better than the watercolor. In fact except for a couple of things, I'm pretty happy with it and jazzed about getting in the studio tomorrow to use the gouache again.

HAPPY NEW DECADE AND A NEW PAINTING

Overwhelmed in December as usual and now ready to get to work. Here's a painting that I started before Christmas and finished a few days ago.



9 1/2 x 6 watercolor

These are mountain hemlocks near where I live at about 3000 ft elevation where I've backpacked to and camped in the past.... a grueling trek that I don't think I have the strength for anymore, though when I look at the photos from there and look at the mountain from here, I think maybe one more time.



5x6 watercolor

After finishing the painting, I remembered this sketch done on location in 96 and found it. It has a vitality that the one I just did and spent hours on doesn't have.... don't know why though. I guess I'd better try again with this sketch as reference along with the photo I used.

VIEW FROM MARY'S COVE

This is the 3rd attempt at painting this view.... I did a sketch while camping in the little cove in Glacier Bay about 10 years ago and later from photos taken in early morning light.... there was smoke from forest fires in Canada at the time. This one, done last week, is only about 6 by 6 inches.... I'd like to do a larger one. I don't know who Mary was and its not an official name, but that is what at least some people call it..... between Ptarmigan Creek and Lamplugh Glacier.... my friends and I hiked to above the face of Lamplugh from here.

SCANNER DOESN'T WORK

I have at least one new painting, but can't get my scanner to work. After all morning trying to figure whats wrong, I've given up. This happened before and I got it going again, but can't remember what I did. The scanner won't connect with photoshop elements.


Anyway, thought I ought to put something here, so here's a photo of some books I've made recently.

MOOSE PAINTING

watercolor 9" x 12"

Is this Alaskana or what? I've been intending to do a large painting of this boggy meadow for years... a place we pass on the way to Bartlett Cove. I want to paint a panoramic view, but did this to see if I could get things right from the references I have. The trees on the left side bother me.... always something.

I've never seen a moose out there, but always look when I pass by. This moose is from a photo of one in my yard.

MY LAST EVER COMMISSIONED PAINTING

Here it is at last. I started this in July and it was a struggle to draw and paint every last inch of it. Its 15 1/2 x 22 inches. All I've got to say is I'm glad its done and I'll never ever agree to a commissioned painting again.... at least not of a building, a least not this large, at least not with ducks..... not of a boat either. I think I've said this before.