Lily

"Lily at Eight," oil on panel

This is a portrait from nearly two decades ago. The girl is Lillian, who was eight years old at the time. She was a typical child of that age, unwilling to sit still for long, so most or all of this was done from references. 

This particular painting has never been exhibited and remains in a private collection. In the meantime Lillian has grown into a mature young woman.

Sherman Hill Sketch

The weather so far in December has been generally warmer than usual with very little snow. The nearly twenty inches of snow from late November and very early this month has all melted away, leaving raw ground and grey skies.

"Up on Sherman Hill,," wc/ink on paper

With moderate weather, the Saturday sketchers have managed sketching outside (albeit often from the car) most of the time. Last weekend was no exception. For the second weekend in a row we went to Sherman Hill for source material. I sketched from my car, parked on Woodland Avenue, looking westward. The Victorian tower attracted me most so that was my intended center of interest. I began with an accurate graphite sketch then laid on watercolors and finished by detailing with waterproof ink. 

Christmas Ornaments

"Ornaments," digital painting

This is another digital file for Christmas, a close-up of tree ornaments. Done using Sketchbook and a Wacom display tablet. 

My hope is all had a lovely day and will carry the spirit through the year.
 

Happy Holidays

"I still think it will fit," digital cartoon

This is a digital cartoon I drew quite a few years ago, celebrating the season and the eternal optimism it engenders. Happy Holidays to everyone of every belief. Peace on Earth. 

Sierra Nevada

"Above Donner Lake," oil on Bristol board, 11x14

This painting grew out of a railroad adventure. A couple of years back my wife and I traveled to Seattle and back by rail, through the Rockies and Sierra Nevada in the western states, then north via Sacramento. The route took us past Donner Lake, named for the tragic party of migrants who were trapped nearby during the winter of 1846-47. The railroad tracks run along the route of the oiginal Transcontinental Railroad.

We were traveling in February, but traveling westward didn't reveal much snow. The return journey, on the other hand, was heavy with winter storms and snow. In a place or two in Oregon trains were delayed while the tracks were cleared.

As is sometimes the case, this painting simply happened without much thought or planning. One day in the studio, while thinking of the trip we had made, I picked up a piece of Bristol board lying about and made this picture. Bristol isn't my usual support (I prefer panels) but the paint went down smoothly and the image seemed to evolve on its own. 

Seems an appropriate image for the current times too. 
 

At the Feeder

"At the Feeder," wc/ink on paper, 7x5

Those who have read other posts here may remember that most Saturdays a group of us go out and sketch for an hour or two, then meet and share our work. Last Saturday, though, the temperatures were in single digits and snow was blowing hard across the land. We elected to stay warm and indoors, each sketching from our respective homes or studios. 

Outside my home studio are several bird feeders that I keep filled for various avian visitors. We see the usual species, mostly--cardinals, jays, finches, sparrows and so on. With the cold and wind, the feeders were crowded. 

As I always do, I made a preliminary drawing then added color. In this case I used a kind of synthetic watercolors that hold considerably moire pigment than traditional watercolors do. That means brighter and more opaque colors rather than the thin and more transparent ones of traditional paint. After I was satisfied with the general colors I made a second pass, strengthening darks and adding various details. I added ink to the tree trunk, snow on the spruce, and to the bird and feeder. 

 

Still Snowy

In the days since my last watercolor sketch we've had continued frigid temperatures, even a couple of days with highs below twenty degrees F. And there a couple of moderate snowfalls of maybe 3-4 inches each time. All of this means that as of this writing we're still blanketed in white, birds are at the feeders, and the creek is frozen clear through to the bottom. There was one day with high temperatures briefly above 40 but these last few days have had temps plunging back into frigid winter.

"Opposite Bank," watercolor on paper

This watercolor is from a week ago, about 7x5 on a piece of cold-press paper. I like the rather coarse surface and moderate absorbency of this particular surface. I started with a graphite sketch, then developed the painting in full color, paying attention to juxtapositions of complements. Unlike others I've done lately no ink lines seemed necessary.  

One of the great things about doing these small pictures is the record they provide. Old sketchbooks make great comparators. Last year about this time we had no snow. I actually sketched outdoors in a sunny, protected spot at Gray's Lake, not far from my home studio.