Skies! - Water Woods and Stone

                                         Laramie to Lander 2 watermedia on paper 24x18

 I came out of my self imposed retirement from teaching to work with the Buffalo Grass group once again. They ask good questions, are very respectful and pay well. Instead of haranguing them about the importance of drawing again, I thought maybe a simple topic might be fun. As a landscape painter, I use the sky as a pivotal yet flexible element. It is usually the first thing I concentrate on because if it doesn`t set the right tone, there`s no use in proceeding. I like to think of the sky as the emotional architecture of a landscape. Everyone knows clouds come in an infinite variety and nearly every color known at some point appears in the sky. Often it seems like an after thought in many landscapes I see and it`s a lost opportunity. You can get away with putting all sorts things up there! I love how Ferdinand Hodler used clouds to frame and heighten the majesty of the Alps.

                                     The Lady of the Isenfluh 1902 - Ferdinand Hodler   

This guy is one of my favorite painters, well worth checking out. Thirty years ago I was a tourist in the Bay Area and wandered into the art museum at UC Berkeley and was bowled over by his huge symbolist paintings. Like this;

                                                       Ferdinand Hodler, Day (Truth)



 So that painting up at the top was a practice piece  I did the night before the class. It had been months since I had painted in watermedia and thought I should be prepared. My first demo was on Yupo:

                                                 North Slope watermedia on Yupo 26x20


The next was on Arches cold press 140lb;

                                                       Updraft watermedia on paper 24x18


 Speaking of Yupo, here is a tutorial on my Holy Grail of watercolor; mounting the Yupo on a cradled panel so there is no mat, frame or glass to come between the viewer and the art. Working on paper is such a joy but the whole traditional framing expense is just daunting. And what we usually pay for is glass that gives off an annoying glare! When oh when will museum glass become affordable?


Here is a little video featuring Richard Cartwright and his lyrical landscapes. They are like dreams;

                                           "Sailboat at Midnight" by Richard Cartwright


Look at Fabienne Verdier`s brush!

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