JUNEAU IN JUNE

watercolor 9 x 12

I'm still busy getting ready for my show next month and just framed this one which I did while in Juneau in June.  Its the second one I painted of the same view.

IRELAND LANDSCAPE WORKSHOP

I returned from a landscape paintng workshop in Ireland last week arranged and taught by Nina Weiss,  and it was marvelous. Nina is an excellent teacher and she really put together a a great trip.  We stayed in lovely inns, experienced beautiful and interesting landscapes and towns, ate delicious food, and listened to wonderful music.  And best of all, I learned a new way to paint.

 
The first couple of days we did black and white drawings, thinking of line and form , experimenting with different compositions of a scene. I decided to use gouache in the workshop  and Nina taught a method of using  underpainting, building up the forms with different values and colors.  Here are a couple of paintings I completed:

Garden in Clifden, gouache 9 x 5 1/2

View from Roundstone, gouache 6 x 9

I hadn't been working with gouache in about a year, and it was like starting over with the same difficulties that bugged me before, mostly the change in value as they dry on the paper.  And in addition, I was having a hard time mixing greens, as Nina discouraged me from using Thalo.  And the whole idea of underpainting was hard for me to grasp, but Nina led me through the process with patience and I really like some of the results. 

Soon after coming home I set to work trying to finish a third painting I had started.  The 2 above were done inside looking out windows.  But I began this 3rd one in a field in the wind.  After the easel blew over 3 times I worked in my lap.  I was also distracted by a lot of sheep wandering and being herded around me.  Working from my photo, I've come a long way in finishing it, but after scanning, I see a lot I need to still work on.

Since I'm having a show in Juneau first Friday in September, it dawned on me I'd better finish a couple of watercolor paintings I'd started before going to Ireland and start framing what I've done.   I was tempted to finish one of the watercolors in gouache, but decided I might goof it up, and I need more work for my show.  But I'm anxious to get back to the gouache.

 I've spent several days, getting what new work I have matted and just this morning called in an order for frames to Daniel Smith.  The guy said a little more than half way through my list  (33 in all) that this is the biggest frame order he's ever taken.  He said his brain was fried when finished.

 I'm sure glad to get that out of the way.  But the fun really begins when the frames come and I have to put them together.  I wish I had more larger paintings but as far as framing, I'm glad they are small.  I also wish I could afford a framer.

Its so good to be home.  The weather has been warm.  I forget how beautiful this place I live in is until I leave for a while.

STILL IN JUNEAU

Only a few days left and I'll be on a plane to Ireland, so I want to get one more post in before I leave.  I'm really not into blogging lately which is pretty obvious if anyone might actually ever come to read here.  I don't quite know why.  Its like a lot of creative things I do and then don't do.  Some I come back to and some I don't.  My  paper journal has also been full of gaps the last year.  This has happened  before in the many years I written and sketched in my journals, but   I always return, sometimes slowly, so maybe this is a beginning of a return.

I"m enjoying my stay in Juneau.  The boat is comfortable, the cat good company, and I'm close to town and can walk to the grocery store and the swimming pool .  I have Lee's car which gets me out the road easily and I have several friends here that I've spent enjoyable time with.   I've had some doctor appointments (good 9 month check up) and have been getting some physical therapy for my aging body.  

After much inertia, I finally got the oils out a couple of weeks ago and went outside.  I guess things are getting better after 4 sessions in different places, a little easier for sure.  I can't find my cord to load the camera to the computer, so I can't put them on here yet.   Maybe the reason that I'm finally writing here is that I am feeling something positive is coming from the effort.  And I am enjoying the process when I am actually doing them. 

 But I seem to have a barrier keeping me from taking my oils out by myself and working at an easel.  I just can't make myself do it.  I guess its being shy and feeling like the center of attention, and my work looks so bad.  I  don't have a problem going out with my stool and watercolors in my lap which I've done several times here in the last few weeks.    I did take the oils  once to one place by myself where I knew no people would be, but every little noise made me think of a bear eating me.  So my plein aire oil painting has been with other people. 

There is a group of painters that call themselves the plein rein painters here in Juneau who go out every Saturday and paint together and I joined them last Saturday, and have gone with my friend Michelle 3 other times.

The fact that my show will be in September hasn't seemed to have kicked in.  I really should  be working diligently on some pieces for the show all this month instead of struggling with the oils.  Or I should say more diligently.  I'm able to paint with watercolor on the boat that I'm staying on, using photos on my laptop, but  I  just forget how to paint for a while. Many hours here on the boat and outside have yielded nothing good.  I have really been painting terribly, but this week I finally have one piece for the show and am working on another that I think will turn out well.  

So, off to Ireland next week.  I'll be working with gouache.... would like to do oils, but don't want to lug all the stuff I'd need there.  I'll be back home in mid-July, and who knows, maybe anxious to get back to my blog.  I'd better be ready to do a few more pieces for my show.

Can't leave without at least one picture.  this I did a couple of months ago.

SUNSET  watercolor 14x14 inches

I'M BACK

I won't bore you with a bunch of excuses and reasons for my negligence here. I'll just get going again.

I'm in Juneau for most of this month, boat and cat sitting for my son who has gone south.  I offered to do so some time ago thinking it would be a week or 2, not 4 weeks.  For the first time in 30+ years, I will be away from home for most of the summer.  At the end of June I will be taking off for Ireland for a workshop with Nina Weiss.

The last 3 months have flown by.... and I was doing a lot of flying, coming to Juneau for dental and medical appointments. My painting output has not been good these last few months. Here is at least one that I like:

watercolor, about 20x12 inches

 

 

 

 

 

LONG OVERDUE

Oh my.  I'm taking the afternoon to put something on my blog and now I see that I never published what I started at the end of February..... telling about my rather unproductive month.  Here is some of what I wrote:

I spent about 2 weeks making some books for friends.... most of the time on the computer getting the pages to fit on the pages properly. They are gifts and so I don't want to put them here as I haven't sent them out yet.   My hope to do a postcard everyday has not succeeded.  But I have kept with my resolve to play my guitar  and get more exercise a good bit better.

My progress with the oils hasn't been going very well. 

about 8x8 inches water mixable oils

This is one of a few small oils that I've done, the only one worthy of putting here.

Bosc Pears   5x12 inches watercolor and gouache

And I found this in my photos, done sometime in December when I was trying to come up with something for a woodcut.  The color is different in this photo... the background gouache in the painting is more purple.  I think I like this blue better.

 I'm in Juneau now for the usual things here:  visiting my son and grand daughter, dentist, taxes, shopping, and will leave for Anchorage tomorrow for my 6 month check up.  

We've had a lot of cold weather this winter and it continues on.  Maybe after a few days in Anchorage, coming home to SE Alaska will feel like going to the tropics.

And now its almost the middle of March, home, but will be going back to Juneau in a couple of days.... and it was actually colder in SE Alaska than Anchorage when I came home.  All my tests were good in Anchorage, which was a big relief and I had a very enjoyable visit with a fabulous and inspirational artist, Wanda Seamster .  Our tax returns are filed and I had a good visit with family and friends in Juneau  But my dentist appointment there for a check up and cleaning resulted in 2 crowns so I have to go back  to finish up and also for another doctor appointment.
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After coming home I got out my old acrylic paints.  I had gotten pretty discouraged with my last few attempts with the oils  Several people have suggested I use acrylics instead of the water mixable oils if I want to avoid solvents.  I did some fish on a couple of fish-roe boxes.... kind of funky looking... and  discovered in the process that I definitely like the oils better.  The acrylics were hard to blend.... dried too fast.  I had something that makes them stay wet longer, but it had dried out..... has been years since I had tried acrylics.   I seem to be scared to start another oil, so started a watercolor yesterday.  It started out wrong and  got to a point of failure where I couldn't fix it.  Maybe tomorrow I'll get the nerve to start another oil painting.  But for the rest of today, its here with the laptop.

WETLANDS

We had a sunny day on Sunday and I got out and took some photos of what I've been working on.  The internet was out on Monday, I finally uploaded 2 of the images on Tuesday and her it is Thursday.  And of course all that I wrote on Tuesday isn't where I am now, so just a couple of paintings today. 

Wetlands  watercolor 13x20 inches

WETLANDS water mixable oils 10x10 inches

 

FIRST OIL PAINTING OF THE YEAR

Here it is the end of January already, and I only have one finished painting to put here.    And I am so behind with my computer stuff.  I have lots of emails to answer, my postcard postings are behind though at least I've done 6 each week, and my 2 woodblocks are done and the exchange ones off in the mail.  But new resolve for the next month to get more painting done.  I started a new oil and a larger than usual watercolor last week.  They are coming alone, but today I'm catching up on the internet.  After a lot of trouble earlier in the month, it has been working well lately.

 

9 x 12 inches, water mixable oil

This is a stand of mountain hemlock that I've painted several times before, more often with late summer sun making them glow. I need to work on the lower right side.  So often, I don't see the weak spots until I've put the photos here.

I seem to need a sunny day to get a decent image to put here, and we've had a few the last few days. Thankfully, I remembered to take this outside and take a picture yesterday, as it turned overcast again today and snow or rain is on its way. 

SMALL STUDIES

Last week, I finished another oil painting and  spent hours on one of the older ones. Maybe it will be dry outside today so I can take some photos.
  

Since the beginning of the year, I've been again posting my little watercolors and gouache on my other blog.  I'm pretty proud of myself for having a post for every day.... on Sundays I've given myself a day off and post an older image and I'm often a day or two late getting my posting on.  These are usually from life and  only one each day, but on  Saturday, inspire by blog postings by both Nathan Fowkes  and Sherrie York  I did the 3 mountain ones on this  page using images for reference from old slides that I had scanned , thinking more of finding a good composition than I usually do. I'm determined to keep doing more, trying different arrangements and view points.

Well, off to a new week.  I seem to have something else to do almost everyday that keeps me from spending the whole day in the studio. On Monday mornings I do a couple of hours at the local second hand store and I'm already late.

PEAR WOODCUT

PEAR  woodcut 11 x 5 inches

Wow, I switched to the new Blogger editor  (Maybe its not all that new, but I just found it) and can put a larger picture here.  I did but changed it because it was too big for the window. 

I finished  my other print and am somewhat pleased with it. It took a lot longer than I expected. I used 4 blocks, 3 were reduction, and I think there were 17 passes.  I ended up with an edition of 33 and a couple of artist proofs.  28 of them will be included in a Baren Forum exchange. 

The printing stuff is put away and I'm anxious to get back to the oils tomorrow.

WOODCUTS CONTINUE

I've been cutting and printing for over a week now. I finished printing the Year of the Rabbit yesterday. I used 2 blocks reductive. Had some problems with the trees, but like it otherwise.

Still working on the other print.... Its reduction with 4 blocks. I've done 10 impressions so far and have 7 more, I think. Loving and hating it.