Autumn in Virginia

We spent a week in southern Virginia earlier this month. The fall colors were peaking while we were there, lighting up the hills and mountains with bright yellows, gold, reds, and rust colors. There were enough trees clinging to green to brighten everything. 

"Across the Pasture, Fall," wc/ink on paper

Although the nights were near the freezing point, days were pleasant enough for outdoor sketching. Traveling light, I took only a few watercolor supplies and a couple of sketchbooks. The work above is about 5x8 in a pocket sketchbook. 

Visitor

"Visitor," casein on panel

A few years ago I was experimenting with casein paint, an older medium that was once pretty popular. While I was working I noticed a doe bedded down in the woods opposite my studio. The time was early winter, still barren of snow, so the doe's coat blended into the surrounding dry foliage. She had been there for a while, resting from her usual route along our creek.

As I've commented in the past, casein is a wonderful medium. It is buttery from the tube, handles much like oil paint, and dries rapidly. Because it is opaque, the quick drying means you can layer paint quickly and accurately. Aside from the odor, I enjoy it.

Biergarten Redux

"The Biergarten, Waterworks," we/ink

The weather here in central Iowa has remained moderately warm. We haven't even had a frost. The sketch group spent an hour or two in Waterworks Park last weekend. The biergarten--a seasonal offering--is still in business until the end of the month. 

I spent a pleasant hour in the shade, watching the passing parade of cyclists, visitors, beer lovers and others. A lovely afternoon. 

Life Portrait Sketch

"Hon, Terry Branstand, former Iowa governor," oil on panel, private collection

This is a never-before-shown life study of a former governor of Iowa, Terry Branstad. About a decade ago I was commissioned by Des Moines University to add a portrait of this former governor (who was then President of the university) to their  collection. 

We had several life sessions before I completed the work. This one was gifted to Mr. Branstand and his wife.
 

Iowa Capitol

"Capitol Dome," wc/ink 

This is a Saturday sketch, done with the sketch group. The day was unseasonably warm and sunny. A great day.
 

Snowy Iowa Day

"Stormy Day," oil on panel, 16x20, private collection.

It will not be long until we face scenes like this in Iowa. This painting is a street in Iowa City, done from a photo reference. The snowfall was perhaps six inches deep that day, and very cold. 

This work sold to a private collection years ago. 

 

Casein Studio Study

Almost a decade ago, I began using casein paint. It's a kind of paint that's been around for almost a century, and once was more commonly used until replaced in part by acrylics. Both mediums dry rapidly, often to a matte finish, and are therefore useful in commercial work where images have to be produced and ready fairly quickly. Casein is a milk protein that is emulsified with oil and pigment to produce a soft, buttery paint that handles nicely and can be immediately painted over. Because it dries so fast it's a little more difficult to blend than oils but feels a lot like oil paint. 

Studio Shelf," casein on panel

This painting was done spontaneously in my studio while I was trying out the paint. It's my work table shelf below big, west-facing windows that overlook my backyard creek. It was summer, and the woods of the opposite bank were thick and lush. On the shelf is a wine bottle with a plant, a potted jade, various bottle and a vase. In front of the right hand window are bottles and various containers of oils and mediums. This rough sketch could have been a larger painting, but somehow remained forgotten in an old computer file.