Snowbound

Three days I’ve been in the house with only my little dog Rondo to keep me company. The wind has howled, snow has fallen, and the temperature dropped to single digits. So, I read, I sewed and I painted. Solitary pursuits for sure but January is a solitary month. 

Watercolor In November

Buddah and Bob watercolor  9"x12"

Getting together with friends to watercolor is good for the soul.   On a dreary November evening that consists of drizzling rain and wet leaves descending to the ground, a few of my watercolor comrades will be arriving to paint.  We will eat homemade pizza and then attempt to paint something that has caught our eye since the last time we have got together which was just last week.  Having this small group of painters that I see regularly has been beneficial in keeping me accountable and productive.  Even though I do not complete the watercolors that I start at these get togethers until later, I still make headway in trying new techniques and subject matter as well as sharing ideas.  Also, a little constructive criticism from an outside source that you trust is beneficial to the painting process.

Respite

Sketch/watercolor of a small mill in Scotland no longer in use.

It is the middle of summer already.  Hot and humid in Iowa.  My garden has weeds that need to be plucked out and my flowers are looking a little thirsty.  I have a wren that is preparing her second nest of the season and is singing away.  Lightning bugs still illuminate the still nights but the locusts have started their rhythmic chant that foretells autumn even in the middle of July.
I have a couple friends that will be attending the MacNider Art Museum in Mason City, Iowa on Tuesday to view the current Area Show 46 and the artwork I had got selected for the exhibition.  I enjoy these art fieldtrips. Sometime they involve a sketching element.  We will see if we can fit one in on this trip.  If so, I will post the results.

New Materials

It’s always exciting to try new materials. Going to an art supply store is as exhilarating as going to an office supply store. I would choose those over any other shopping any day. So, I have picked up some Golden GAC 200 from Dick Blick and some gold leaf from Hobby Lobby and am going to try some application inspired by Nancy Reyner who I just finished taking a class from. 

Nancy is an exquisite painter, educator, author that is inspiring in trying new painting applications and in critically analyzing artwork to make better judgements on how to proceed. http://nancyreyner.com/. 

Winter's Refuse

"Winter's Refuse"  mixed media  22"x28"  

March has arrived in northern Iowa.  Birds are returning including flocks of robins and blackbirds.  The snow had melted considerably until today as it is currently being replenished with another Monday snowstorm.  That early melt of snow, the first couple melts anyway, leaves the ground covered with broken branches, trash in some cases, what I call winter's refuse.  It is wet, muddy, and messy.  The ground is still frozen so the water has nowhere to go but remain on the surface and form small ponds that the returning ducks enjoy in the farmer's fields.  The bird feeders are crazy busy with  competition from the new returnees from the warmer climates.

The painting, "Winter's Refuse" is an experimental painting done in acrylic and ripped masa paper on watercolor 140# Arches paper.  I wanted to play around with surface qualities and not get locked into realism.  The interconnectedness of things is my focus here; nature, the seasons, time, space.  My plan is no particular plan.  My plan is to just continue painting and see where that leads me.

Cairn in Ireland

Here is a completed watercolor painting I have been meaning to try for almost a year. I have painted one previously in acrylic from Grand Marais, Minnesota. This one I photographed in the west coast of Ireland. There is something about the organic quality of rocks, their sharp edges and unruly geometric shapes that interest me. I am so like the challenge of painting lights and darks. I will be painting more of these in the future 

Cuba's Muraleando, an Arts Center regenerating a community

 I had the opportunity to go to Cuba recently.  It was actually on a Caribbean Holland America trip with a two day layover in the Havana Harbor.  On our Taste of Cuba excursion we had an opportunity to visit an area of the city that had been repurposed from a very rundown space to an art center.  The center provides classes for creating art, music, dance and theatre for the region.  Many of the outdoor sculptures surrounding the center were constructed from recycled materials. 

Experiment in Wax

I spent a few hours with friends experimenting with oils and wax. The above are my two hastily composed artworks. There was much to play with and kept my brain busy problem solving. Encaustic and cold wax are on my list of things to look up and read about.

Thanksgiving at Pilot Knob State Park

Thanksgiving at Pilot Knob  watercolor on 140# paper

Thanksgiving has come and gone.  Currently the wind is howling outside as the temperature is dropping drastically and winter is assuming its presence with assertion.  But at the time I was hiking the trails on Thanksgiving afternoon at a nearby state park, it was warm and the colors were gold and brown.  I took a solo hike with my dog, Rondo.  It is a good one mile hike over hills and past lakes.  It was relatively quiet except for several white tailed deer and a few lone geese.

A Creative Community for Support and Accountability

I really believe it is important to have a group of people to work with that you are accountable to for creating any kind of artistic endeavor.  I have recently have had the opportunity to start getting together with a couple of friends who are interested in meeting once a week to work on watercolor techniques, urban drawing and their applications.  It has been a great experience for several reasons.
1)  It is nice to get someones opinion on what they like or would do different on a work of art.  We are not judgemental.  We simply have personal preferences.  Sometimes a comment will give me an idea on to how to proceed or what to do different the next time on a particular piece I am working on.
2)  We learn from each other.  We share ideas, techniques, experiences and advice.
3)  It provides a supportive, comfortable environment to create art in.
4) It also provides accountability.   Knowing that I am going to be seeing my two friends will make me think of what I wish to share with them from the work I have accomplished that preceding week.
I am sure there are other advantages if I thought about it longer but for now, those are the ones that come to mind immediately.

I have included an image of a work I am in the process of finishing of a urban sketch I did outside a local restaurant in Mason City, Iowa called Northwest Steak House.  It is a sculpture of a Greek Goddess at night against the brick wall of the building.   I took liberty with the blue of the sculpture, it being night and the light not very good.  The sculpture was located on the side of the building in the parking lot.  It consisted of a pencil drawing, ink overlay and then watercolor. I still need to darken the shadow and finish painting the grout in the brick. 
 I will be sharing this with my watercolor group this Thursday.

Color Schemes Made Easy for Design Work

The book Color Index XL was written by Jim Krause who has already written two other books on color schemes.  This is a book with a simple system to select color schemes to use in graphic design or artistic works.  Each page has four variations of a color scheme of five colors.  The page is divided into the different color variations bright, light muted and dark with the CMYK and RGB numbers that can be plugged into the computer.  

The book is divided into an introduction on how best to use the book and then the book spends some time on color theory in general: hue, saturation and value.  Finally, the book is divided into three additional chapters:  warmer palettes, mixed palettes and cooler palettes. I think a great advantage of this book is to see the colors on the printed page instead of on the computer screen.  

The book contains over 1,100 palettes of colors and is an excellent resource book to add to any designer's collection.  I highly recommend this book as a great idea sourcebook for color references.  I wrote this honest review for Blogging for Books as I received a free copy for doing so.

Modern Day Tempest Book Review

I am a Margaret Atwood fan.  She speaks to me.  I follow her twitter feed and read her books.  This has been occurring for a long time before The Handmade's Tale became a Hulu sensation.  Now I hear her 1996 novel Alias Grace will appear as a mini series on Netflix. This is a book I read when it first came out over 20 years ago.  I will be interested in an interpretation of that book also.  https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/alias-grace-filming-begins-netflix-cbc-miniseries/

When I saw the cover of the book Hag-Seed, I had no idea of the definition of the title.  By definition, a hag-seed is an offspring of a witch or hag, possibly making the offspring cursed.  The book is set in modern times and is written as part of the Hogarth Shakespeare Series, reinventing Shakespeare's play, The Tempest. 

http://hogarthshakespeare.com/books/

The storyline centers around revenge and retribution and takes place in a prison with the inmates putting on a play that mimics the life of the director.  This is a short novel that is a delightful read for young adult as well as a seasoned reader. 

Trying for the reflection

1/4 sheet 300# watercolor paper

This painting is unfinished but I wanted to include it as a work in progress.  As you can see, the upper left hand corner is incomplete.  The stem on the fruit is not finished as well as the checkers on the tablecloth going off the page.  This was a fun piece to learn about value as it relates to reflection.  I haven't worked with watercolor for quite some time so I had to get my head wrapped around the transparent medium once again.  Anne Abgott is a colorist and works her paints thick and intense. It was the type of class where we all painted the same thing fairly step by step.  I am anxious to try a few still lifes as well as items with reflections to see if I can advance my skills in this area.  It is good to occasionally try something new and see how it can translate into what you are doing in your own personal work,

Anne Abgott workshop and Adventures in Watercolor

Watercolor paintings done plein aire in Amana, Iowa by Caryl Dahn

This weekend I will be taking a watercolor class from Anne Abgott, a watercolor artist from Florida.  Her work can be seen at www.anneabgott.com.  This year, after a long hiatus, I joined the Iowa Watercolor Society and this class is part of the members exhibit that will be held in Perry, Iowa.  I have taken several watercolor classes throughout the years by different artists.  Each instructor has a new slant on methods and techniques.  I am really looking forward to participating in this workshop.  I plan to add some of the photos of the event later this week.

Wise Old Owl

Barn Owl  Acrylic on hardboard 

September is here and birds are getting ready to migrate.  Hummingbirds are drinking from the feeder like there is no tomorrow. They have a long flight ahead of them.  I also have gold finches, morning doves and cardinals eating hungrily at the feeder, keeping me busy replenishing them often.
I recently tried my hand at painting a Barn Owl.  I like owls in general.  I like the fact that the ancient Greeks associated owls with Athena, the goddess of wisdom.  They even incorporated the owl in their coins with Athena on one side and an owl on the other.  Hidden knowledge and superiority lies behind the stare of this "wise old owl."

Oskar with Orange Tile

Oskar with Orange Tile  6"x6" Acrylic on Hardboard

This painting is of Oskar.  It is a commissioned painting for a birthday present.  Such fun.  The only request was that their might be some orange in the painting.  So, I thought the tile floor could easily have elements of orange in it with the contrasting blue lines.  I also like the perspective of looking down at Oskar as the owner of dogs generally do.

It has been awhile since I have posted and painted.  Life recently got complex and painting was not important for several months.  However, I am feeling stronger now and painting is a type of therapy presently.   My goal is to post a weekly painting or drawing or some sort on the blog.  Heres to good intentions!

Owl Surprise

This is a little 6"x6" painting on masonite that I did from a photo that was taken from a motion activated camera near Northwood, Iowa.  The photo was taken at dawn when this owl flew into view of the camera.  The camera was originally set up to photograph deer but there are many creatures out and about in the predawn morning.
I am painting a series of wildlife as I find the variety of creatures in this amazing world so diverse and interesting to study.

Kitten in the Corn

 

This was a fun painting of a cat hiding behind the corn stalks in a field preharvest last year. This is a 12"x12" painting, so larger than I normally paint these square works. It is always a challenge to play with the light and how it comes through the field, playing off the stalks of corn and the kittens face. 

Rondo in Repose

 Here is another painting of my pet, Rondo. I took a photo of him in Arizona last February sleeping on the bed in our camper that we live in during the winter. Rondo can make himself look incredibly comfortable wound up into a little ball. I painted the picture just recently, May of 2017. It is 8"x10" with acrylic on black gesso.  

Tucson Cactus Landscape

 

A final Arizona landscape completed until next winter. Meanwhile I have a couple of Ireland I wish to work on so that will be my next landscapes. The world is certainly a diverse environment