Above Laurel Falls

"Above Laurel Falls" 8"x12" on Wallis sanded paper

"Above Laurel Falls" cropped on Wallis sanded paper

If you read my blogs you know during my plein air adventures I'm always waffling between recording what is there and creating a better piece of art. Composition is usually the culprit.

Autumn adds another dimension to the puzzle - color. Autumn in full color is like a cheap persian rug -- splashes of color all over the place. In my drawing from above Laurel Falls as it spills out into Cumberland River I am taken with the small waterfall splashing into the pool before tumbling into Laurel Falls. 

The first photographed drawing is as I recorded it but in the second photograph I have cropped out the small falls on the left of the drawing to improve the composition. However I'm still perplexed by the abundance of color.

Now that I'm back at my studio I'd like to work on this image again.

Next week I was suppose to go to Natural Bridge for my last state park visit but the weather is turning quickly from fall to winter. Rain and cold are not appealing so I'll wait and drive up on Saturday when it's suppose to be sunny and 62 to draw the Natural Bridge and Red River Gorge area.

Cumberland Falls Autumn Views

"Cumberland Falls 1" 8"x12" pastel on Uart paper with acrylic wash

"Cumberland Falls 2" 8"x12" pastel on Uart sanded paper

"Cumberland Falls 2" close-up

My Kentucky State Park adventure continues with Cumberland Falls State Park which is a beautiful spot especially in autumn.

The first image was created on Uart sanded paper toned with an acrylic blue/green/gray wash. My favorite paper is Wallis Belgium Mist which is a warm gray color but Wallis has production troubles and my order has been on back order for 3 months so I'm experimenting with recreating the color I enjoy on a sanded paper. Uart 400 has a similar grit texture as Wallis and I think it actually holds the pastel better. Then, of course, the Wallis paper arrived the week before leaving for Cumberland Falls; so now I have both papers to compare. This blue/green/gray underpainting makes a nice complementary color to the warm fall colors.

"Cumberland Falls 1" was created first and I wanted to capture the essence of the falls without too many details.

"Cumberland Falls 2" was drawn from a spot further down river and the sun was starting to drop along the ridge top illuminating the autumn foliage. This one was only 1/2 finished when it was time to go to dinner so I rubbed out some offending details and left just the impression of the bright orange trees.

So now the problem. The foliage, especially the color, is a distraction from the point of interest - Cumberland Falls. So in "Cumberland Falls 3" I cropped out most of the foliage to see if the composition is improved.

What do you think? Do you have a favorite?

Fall Colors at Jenny Wiley State Park

"Dewey Lake Evening"  8"x12"  pastel

"Morning Hike Maples"  12"x8"  pastel

"Lakeshore Dewey Lake 1"  8"x12"  pastel

"Dewey Lake Reflections"  8"x12"  pastel

"Reflections at Jenny Wiley State Park Dewey Lake"

Large, loud bass boats cut through

the silence of the morning.

Wave to them with my middle finger.

Quiet reflections and

falling leaves float gently.

Boat waves gouge through the colors. 

Just fish guys

Stay put for awhile.

4 pound bass flops against the glassy lake top

Hide, big fish, hide.

Shaker Fields series

"Evening Fields 1"

"Evening Fields2"

"Evening Fields 3"

"Evening Fields 4"

"Evening Fields 5"

Working in a series allows the artist to explore images and ideas. In this series I'm working with the fields at Shaker Village from a perfect evening in June 2012. It's fun to loosely move around the colors and shapes.

After a terribly hot summer the fields are dried and the color is much more subtle....too subtle for my liking, but weather permitting I"ll be drawing at Shaker Village on October 27 while Shaker Village highlights their work with Nature Conservancy to restore the fields to the natural savannah of central Kentucky.

These new 12"x12" pastels will be available at St. James Court Art Fair Oct. 5-7. My booth is #911 on 3rd Street. Come see the originals and lots more.

Pine Mountain State Park

"Pine Mountain Sunset" 8"x12" pastel on sanded paper

When we arrived at Pine Mountain State Park the misty rain had stopped. At dusk, the clouds lifted and the sunset glowed along with the lights of Pineville far below.

The next morning the sun shone on the old growth forest along Honeymoon Fall Trail and I thought, "wouldn't it be fun to create a triptych to emphasize the height of these trees." And so I set up on the edge of the creek. Thank goodness I didn't slip on the rocks and dump my whole set up into the creek. These are quick sketches that will need a bit of tweeking before they're ready for my show.

"Old Growth 3" pastel

"Old Growth 2" pastel

"Old Growth 1" pastel

"Honeymoon Falls" 12"x8"

Southeastern Kentucky received 4 inches of rain the day before we arrived, otherwise Honeymoon Falls would be dry since we've had a very dry summer. I've never been happy with any of my drawings of rocks but thanks to the influence of Albert Handell I approached this drawing with more confidence. Sometimes its best to not overdo a piece. Pick the correct color and stroke it on there.

"Dale Hollow Cove" correcting

"Dale Hollow Cove" 8"x12" plein air pastel

"Dale Hollow Cove" correcting

"Dale Hollow Cove" final

This morning a dear friend and fellow artist dropped by my studio and I showed her some of my new "State Park" plein air pastels along with some of the larger studio pieces. When I asked her what she thought of "Dale Hollow Cove" she commented that she liked it but the bank on the left side seemed to be a problem. I also had stared at that part of the pastel wondering what was wrong and not having the nerve start making changes. Another set of eyes can be so helpful when you have a problem area with one of your pieces of artwork.

After Holly left, I thought "yes, she's right: so here I go."

I love how easy it is to change pastels on sanded paper by just rubbing the offending area with a paper towel.

The bottom image is the final, corrected image. I think the composition is better now that the offending bank isn't competing for attention with the bright green tree and reflection. One star and the rest supporting actors.

What do you think?

Morning vision - Greenbo Lake

"Greenbo Morning" 8"x12" pastel on sanded paper

Heavy moisture from last nights' rain gave atmospheric depth to the morning landscape at Greenbo Lake. "Greenbo Morning" is more closely aligned with what I saw at the lake this morning.

"Morning Lake Feelings" 8" x 12" pastel

"Morning Lake Feelings" is what I FELT this morning as I sat in my kayak and absorbed the stillness of the morning. I've said before that my challenge as a plein air painter is to interpret what I see in the landscape and not just try to copy. I waffle back and forth with each outing.
Wolf Kahn, one of my favorite contemporary artist, said to approach each painting as if you know nothing, so as I attempt to explain the landscape through pastels I try to figure out my focus. This morning I kept repeating, "how do I feel about this place?"

"Lake Shore" 8" x 12"

So back to the waffling. This scene is close to what I saw, but I was drawn to the scene because of the beginning of autumn touching the forest. I like this time of year. Later in fall when the forest is screaming with brilliant color, it's hard to keep my drawing from looking like a cheap persian rug -- way too many colors. Right now, autumn is more subtle.