Autumn

The seasons seem to change more quickly than before. It's only days ago that the sun was hot and the ground dry. Trees were still green but the summer had become a broiler. The great thing about those days was the chance to stand under giant old trees outside while painting. Summer felt as if it wouldn't end. But the days are shorter, and cooler. There's a bite in the morning air when I retrieve the newspaper. Autumn.

"Autumn Yellow," watercolor on paper

For an outdoor painter, autumn is more than a chance to paint bright colors. The trees, the grasses and undergrowth all change color, and density. Leaves begin to dot the ground here and there, and just today a maple near my studio went bright red. Watercolor gives me a chance to paint those bright yellows and reds. This year, though, my plan is to continue plein air sketching with oils. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Colors on Waterbury," wc on paper

In the works is a series of oil sketches of the same subject in an attempt to capture the autumn change. Here in Iowa the colors started to change a few days ago, and even the greens of the unaffected trees look weaker somehow. My biggest hope is for consecutive sunny days during October and early November. The falls weather here can be cold and dark and damp, but periods of summer-like days are common, so my chances with this particular series idea are pretty good. 

Meantime, these two watercolors are from the past couple of years.

Raccoon River Reveries

The summer is officially over, even if warm days and sunny skies are likely to continue for a while. Here in Iowa we'll take all the sun and warmth we can. Despite the planet warming, winters in Iowa can be forbidding. We all have our memories of summer to see us through the dark and cold. For me, thinking about winter makes me appreciate the times this season when I could paint outdoors (not that I'm stopping now). 

As I mentioned someplace before, the pandemic helped me decide about plein air painting. There's no need for social distancing when one is alone outside, and no need to wear a mask. I've painted with others a few times and in those cases we did maintain distances. There have been fewer watchers too, although outdoor painters always attract at least  a few. In short, it has been a peaceful, safe, and productive spring and summer. The autumn colors are just beginning.

Hoff, "Raccoon River, Early May," oil on panel, 2020

Most times there is ample subject matter within three miles of home along the Raccoon River. So painting the river got me thinking about painting in series, the way many artists of the past and present have done. Painting the same subject at different times of day and in differing weather conditions is fascinating because of the way nature changes, sometimes almost instantaneously. In May the foliage along the river was spring-bright, filling in the trees. The river is a lazy and meandering stream of brown most of the time, but sometimes it reflects the brilliant blue of the sky or turns a kind of pewter color . In the plein air work above, one of my goals was capturing the early green of springtime. The variety of greens was a particular challenge.

Hoff, "Sandbars on the River," oil on panel, 2010

In June I painted along the same bank of the river several times and each time it seemed different. The more you look (and think) the more you see. Sandbars on the River (above) took two painting sessions and a short finish in my home studio--probably three and a half hours total. The big looping turns the Raccoon makes always provide a variety of scenes to paint, sometimes just by turning a different direction. Because of the channel, heavy flows of water build sandbars and shallows along one side while carving into the other bank. In the far left distance I could just see a metal footbridge over the river, leading into denser woods.

Hoff, "Along the Raccoon," oil on panel, 2020

Midway through June I went back to the same location but a few dozen yards farther north. The footbridge was bright silver in the distance. In Along the Raccoon (above), the day was farther advanced and the water reflected patches of bright blue and olive green mid the predominant browns and ochres. The light in the trees was brighter too. This smaller work was completed entirely on site. While I worked, a group of young guys parked not far away, hopped in and floated past on inflatable rafts. Everyone needs some time away from their four walls. Me too.

Painting outdoors for a spring and summer has been very instructive. For one thing working on location, especially in series, facilitates visual memory. No matter that photography can provide good resource material. The truth is that cameras aren't eyes and most importantly they aren't my eyes. I'm looking forward to autumn and an exploration of a wild variety of color.

No Fair? No fair!

August is usually when the Iowa State Fair takes place here in Des Moines. The Iowa State Fair is an enormous event, attracting huge crowds amounting to more than a million attendees over its eleven days. The bill of fare is eclectic, from animal exhibitions to art shows to huge concerts. There is not one but three midways at the Fair, from tiny rides for kiddies to formidable giant machines that seem intended to separate the riders from their lunch. During several past Fairs it has been my practice to spend time sketching the people and events. But this year's Fair was cancelled long ago, for obvious reasons. So here are a few remembrances of fairs past.

"Breakfast at the Fair," watercolor, 3x5

A lot of folks begin a day at the State Fair with breakfast in one of the places that dot the area. Some are run by churches, others are privately owned. But most serve what I'd call "country breakfasts" featuring eggs, bacon, sausage, and the trimmings. These are canopied, but otherwise open-air places with folding tables set on sawdust-covered grass. They serve thousands every morning, starting even before the grounds open. I love the breakfast and always try a quick sketch or two of my fellow early birds.

"Tram at the State Fair," watercolor, 4x8

The fairgrounds are enormous (more than 700 acres, counting adjoining campgrounds) so that getting around can be exhausting. But every year volunteers drive big John Deere tractors towing passenger trams. They make a circuit of the grounds in something like forty minutes, but provide real help for many. The stop I sketched above is just outside a big building that houses the exhibits of the arts--painting, sculpture, photography, and more.

"The Discovery Garden," watercolor, 3x5

One of the great old buildings on the fairgrounds is the Agriculture Building, built a century or so ago, where all sorts of shows and competitions are on view. One day there might be a display of bonsai and on another you'll see award-winning produce. The interior is two stories with an open balcony that surrounds the inside. And of course the famous butter cow (sculpted from butter in a refrigerated display case) is there too. But outside is one of my favorite spots, the Discovery Garden, a big plot of flowers and shrubs planted and maintained by the local chapter of Master Gardeners. It's a cool and pleasant spot to sketch, and as a bonus they scatter wooden beach chairs about the grounds. I've sketch from this spot many times (above), where a small sculpture of a gardener is surrounded by hardy hibiscus and others.

"Fairgrounds Clock, the Grand Concourse," watercolor, 5x9

Just outside the Discovery Garden and across the street is the Grand Concourse, featuring the Grandstand, Fair offices, and other exhibition spaces. During the year it is a street opening into the city but during the Fair it becomes a huge pedestrian space lined with food concessions as well. The big blue clock at the eastern end is just across from the Grandstand, where top musical acts appear nightly during fair time. 

"Nothing Runs Like a Deere," watercolor, 8x10

Another favorite of mine is an exhibit of restored farm tractors. These are all vintage farm equipment that has been lovingly restored to mint condition, usually by members of the Future Farmers of America. These machines range from small ones to behemoths, and those that are old enough sport tires that are custom-built because they're no longer made. I painted a 1949 John Deere that was shown during one Fair. These immaculate farm machines always make me smile. 

"Yearling Rams Show Ring," graphite, 3x6

"Percherons," graphite, 3x5

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are tons of other things we've missed because of this year's closure, from the butter cow to the biggest pumpkin contest, to team pulling with percherons, to pork chops on a stick. The absence of the Fair is a big void for a lot of us. 

 

As it stands the Iowa State Fair will be back next year, and I for one will be there. I want a corn dog.
 

Working in Series

Why do artists paint (or sculpt) a series of a single subject? Many are familiar with Monet's various series--haystack, cathedrals, and poplars to name a few. What attracted him and others to making paintings of the same things, time after time? There are probably as many answers to that question as there are people to give them. But there are certain advantages and outcomes that make doing a series attractive. 

Claude Monet, "Poplars on the Epte," 1891

For one thing, a well-chosen subject can provide fodder for many paintings. Monet painted 25 separate haystack paintings 1890-91, 15 paintings of poplar trees in 1891 and 30 or so paintings of Rouen cathedral (1893-94). Seventy paintings in about four years is a prodigious output. Besides knowing one's subject intimately, painting in series gives the artist an opportunity to study the subject in all seasons, all kinds of light, and from various viewpoints. Mr. Monet spent two years working on his Rouen cathedral series, marveling at how sunlight coruscates the ornate facade. Each painting of his more than two dozen provides the viewer with a separate example of his peerless vision and his delight in how light changes the aspect. For him, light was the ultimate subject. 

"Polars on the Epte" 1891

Jackson Pollock, "Number 1, Lavender Mist," 1950

Other painters have worked in series exploring a technique in depth. Jackson Pollock in the mid-20th century painted what were sometimes called "action paintings" where he dripped, dribbled, and flung paint onto huge canvases laid on his studio floor. The resultant threaded tangle of limited color capture not only the movements of Mr. Pollock's hands but also something emotional that seems innnate in the pictures. Standing before a Pollock I feel nearly enveloped in the tangle of motion and emotion. Probably his most famous is Number 1, Lavender Mist, from 1950, but he painted scores using the same method. Another particular favorite of mine is Blue Poles, from 1952.

 

                                                                    "Blue Poles," 1952

Hoff, "The Point, Grays Lake," oil on panel, 9x12, 2020

In my own practice I've done series several times, notably my long series of multi-seasonal watercolors of Druid Hill Creek, posted here numerous times. This past spring and summer gave me an opportunity to pursue plein air painting, most of which I've done within a couple of miles of home, at Grays Lake Park. In the past several weeks I've painted from the shore of the lake using various vantage points of the ancient trees and placid waters. In particular there is a point of land that juts into the lake from its north shore, anchored by a copse of trees that look as if they're on raft. I've painted that grove of trees a number of times lately. The first is above. Later on I did a view of a long pedestrian bridge/walkway that hugs the south shore of the lake (below) and the wooded hills beyond. Of course, these are only plein air sketches and not finished paintings, but they will provide ample information for future studio works. Altogether I've painted probably ten or twelve of these sketches this spring and summer.

Hoff, "The Bridge at the Lake," oil on panel, 9x12, 2020

Art Movies

Like most artists, I love movies about art and artists. Granted, movies made for entertainment are just that and have little practical use but they're still fun. Some of them are biographical, some are intended as exposes, and some are unabashedly hagiographic. Regardless, seeing the experience of making art or being an artist celebrated onscreen is irresistible.

Herewith are a few of my own favorite art movies, in no particular order. I suspect you can rent or stream these from many sources. They cover nearly sixty years of movie watching, and there are many others.

Camille Claudel, "Bust of Rodin," 1888

Camille Claudel introduces a great and troubled French sculptor to those who had not heard of her. The movie (1988) stars Isabelle Adjani in the title role and Gerard Depardieux as her master and lover, Auguste Rodin. The action begins in the 1880s when Ms. Claudel (1864-1843) first met Rodin, tracing their path from master and student to lovers and explores how his betrayal (at least in part) led to her decline into mental illness. The sad but beautiful tale engages us from the beginning and Ms. Adjani is brilliant as the sculptor.

Frida Kahlo, "Self Portrait," 1926

Another enjoyable biopic about a female artist is Frida from 2002, about the Mexican painter Frida Kahlo (1907-1954). Ms. Kahlo, like Camille Claudel, had a tragic life. Ms. Kahlo was severely injured in a traffic accident when she was 18, which resulted in lifelong pain and disability. She had also suffered poliomyelitis with its attendant withering of one leg (she wore a built up shoe). Her injury kept her bedfast for months so her father gave her some oil paints to pass the time. Recovered, she approached the most famous Mexican artist of the time, Diego Rivera, to ask advice. He reviewed her works and was impressed with her naive and untutored style, encouraging her to continue. With his encouragement, she began painting in earnest, though she remained unknown for years. The movie explores her painting career and her relationship with Mr. Rivera, whom she married in 1929. Salma Hayek stars in the title role, and was also the movie's producer.

Vincent van Gogh, "Self Portrait," 1889

Vincent van Gogh has been the subject of a slew of movies, including Lust for Life, the great 1956 movie starring Kirk Douglas, and Vincent and Theo, directed by Robert Altman and starring Tim Roth. For me, though, the most artistic and memorable biopic about Vincent is Loving Vincent, released in 2017. The great fun of Loving Vincent is that it is an animated film, and entirely hand-painted in oils. The movie's main action actually takes place the year after Vincent's death, propelled by a letter from Vincent to Theo, his final one, that must be delivered from Arles to Auvers. The movie is beautifully realized and treat for the eyes and mind.

Banksy (attrib), "Seasons Greetings," 2018

Exit Through the Gift Shop is a wonderfully cynical (and truthful) look at street art and the graffiti artists who make it. Directed by Banksy, the most famous of them all, the documentary shows us many of the practitioners of street art but focuses on Thierry Guetta, a French immigrant fascinated by the whole street art scene who wanted to meet Banksy. In the topsy-turvy action, Banksy takes over. Like many street artists, much of Banksy's output appears without anyone seeing the painting in progress.

There are any number of movies that deserve mention so perhaps I'll add another post one of these days.

Old Work Made New

In my last post QoR watercolors were the feature, with more studies to come. A couple of days ago I happened on an old unfinished plein air watercolor in one of my 8x10 sketchbooks. That particular painting was only partly colored. I had followed my standard method by laying in a sketch, faintly and in this case with watercolor pencil. Usually I follow that step by painting back to front (ie top to bottom) and light to dark, when using watercolors. I had massed in the sky and background foliage in middle values but time had stopped me from further work on the spot. A search of file photos helped me locate the reference shot I made at the time, and with that assistance and the new QoR Modern Watercolors, here is the result.

"At the Birdland Marina," watercolor on paper, 2020

The buildings in the distance are a commercial marina along the Des Moines River, only a couple of miles north of downtown. The sketch group had gone there to paint, and I had already finished one small painting before starting this one. The distant foliage on the left and above the building, plus the small shrubbery on the bank, were either still blank for painted in middle values. The finished painting is vague on the right side, primarily to guide the viewer's gaze back to the buildings and the yellow-green tree that fronts the blue marina building. In this case several areas of darker green were easily layered-over with lighter greens because these paints are semi-opaque when applied full-strength.

New Kind of Watercolors

Watercolor painting is ancient. Water-based paint has been used since neolithic times, notably in ancient Egypt, and also for manuscript illumination in medieval and renaissance times. Like any paint, watercolor is compounded of pigment and a binder, with or without various additives. Various materials have been employed to hold ground pigment particles of course, including resins and sugars. Most watercolors have been compounded with gum arabic as the binder, at least since the beginning of the 19th century. But there is a new kind of watercolor paint out there.

QoR Modern Watercolors

A new kind of watercolor paint, QoR Modern Watercolors is manufactured by Golden. This new watercolor was developed from an art restoring material called Aquazol. I don't know the chemical composition of Aquazol, but it is a water-soluble polymer compound used in art conservation, notably as a reversible adhesive, as filler, or as an inpainting medium. It happened that I saw a conservation video that mentioned using this paint in retouching a wooden sculpture because QoR paints allowed excellent coverage, adhesion, and color. After seeing it used by professional restorers and reading a bit more, I bought several tubes in standard colors--cad yellow light, cad red light, cobalt blue, permanent alizarin, and ivory black. QoR comes in a wide range of colors, including newer, non-toxic pigments.

Hoff, "Foliage," QoR watercolor on paper, 2020

As soon as these new colors arrived I tried them (as you can see in the photo), and was immediately impressed by several properties of the paint. First, as Golden says, QoR has a very heavy pigment load, making the tube paints thicker and richer than others. Second, the high pigment load means brilliant color even after drying--more color than other watercolor paints. Third, because of the high pigment load the resulting paint layer is more opaque, almost like gouache. Fourth, you can reactivate the paint with water very easily.

In the quick study (left) of foliage outside my studio, you can see how layers of color can be made over one another, providing depth and interest, and how the darks are darker and richer than other watercolors. More studies and uses have followed since then, and though there are still only a handful of them, the results have all been similar: brilliant colors, excellent opacity, excellent mixing properties. Overall these are wonderful paints.

One my next projects will be wider use of these intriguing new water paints.

Working on Water

Painting water can be frustrating. After all, water doesn't really have a color unless it's carrying sediment or dissolved matter. Water is transparent, so it seems to me that a painter should portray what happens to the light that reflects or passes through, gets bent and so on. The other problem with water is that when it is in motion the surfaces break into faceted planes and peaks and it doesn't stand still. Rivers and oceans are moving bodies of water that change in a heartbeat.

Hoff, "Streambed," oil on panel, 2017

For the plein air painter it may be enough to simply paint what's there, but most painters look for ways to spice up the image, enhance visual interest, give the viewer pleasant opportunities. Sometimes an outdoor work comes together, as happened with "Streambed." I was painting on the bank of a creek and thought that the way the water rushed over the rocks on the bottom provided interesting opportunities to study edges and colors as well as chances to indicate the path of the water. Since the creek was flowing clear and shallow that summer morning, only the distortions of the rocks and flow mattered. Of course I'm not always that lucky.

Hoff, "Night Shore," oil on panel, 2017

Painting the ocean is a different problem altogether. Artists from at least the mid-19th century have made any number of paintings of beaches and shorelines, waves breaking on rocks and so on. In "Night Shore" an adapted copy, my interest was mostly focused on the waves breaking onshore, but also the night colors of the sea and sky made this fun to work out.

Hoff, "Raccoon River, March," oil on panel, 2020

One of the difficulties we face in painting water is how to simplify the image yet keep the sense of liquid motion. Certainly the riot of greens in spring and summer can be distracting. But in March the trees are dun-grey, reddish, sometimes bright,but without the infinity of green. And the bright sky can reflect even more from a sweet-flowing stream. I painted "Raccoon River, March" entirely on the spot, taking in the sere colors of grasses, last years leaves and the dark tree trunks. In this particular case spring rains and thaw had swelled and smoothed the flow of water, leaving wide flat swathes to reflect the bright blue sky.

One of my plans for the coming months is to do considerably more paintings of water in all its maddening variety.

Favorite Artists 13 - John Sargent

There have been so very many artists in the history of humanity that selecting only a few as "favorites" is challenging. It's a form of personal criticism that reveals a great deal about ourselves too. As you can see my preferences in painting are representational artists who were excellent draftsmen, with the arguable exception of van Gogh. John Sargent (1856-1925) is another whose work often takes me by the shoulders and gives me a solid shake.

John Singer Sargent,"Self Portrait," 1908

John Singer Sargent is almost always referred to by all three names. Some artists only use one--Madonna, Vincent--but Mr. Sargent merits three. Perhaps it is his status as an expatriate American. Mr. Sargent was born well-off American parents in Florence, Italy and almost never came to America. He is claimed by us of course, but he was actually a citizen of the world who lived in Paris, London, and elsewhere, spoke four languages fluently, and was internationally famous and successful during his lifetime.

Mr. Sargent wanted to study art in Florence but eventually trained in Paris at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts under the tutelage of a number of masters. Even as a young man Mr. Sargent was noted for his enormous technical facility and  passed on his first attempt the rigorous exam required to gain admission to the École des Beaux-Arts. His talent was remarked by many and he stood out even in the ferment of 1870s Paris. He knew or was acquainted with Monet, Renoir, Carolus-Duran, and his fellow American ex-pat James Whistler. By the time he was 21 is work was admitted to the annual Salon. To the casual observer Mr. Sargent seems to have succeeded without much effort, which is undoubtedly wrong. Although he was clearly seen as gifted from childhood, there is long hard effort lurking beneath his bravura facade.

"Portrait of Carolus-Duran," 1879

Carolus-Duran (1837-1917) was an enormous influence. Mr. Sargent was a student at the Carolus-Duran atelier, where he absorbed a technique that became his signature, attacking the painting with a fully-loaded brush. There is a magnificent half-length portrait of Carolus-Duran, executed by Sargent while still studying with him. The portrait caused some to say he had already surpassed his master at age 23, and it is easy to see why. The painting is beautifully posed and with the exception of clothing could have been done by Diego Velazquez. The colors are beautifully muted, the brushwork masterful, and the likeness utterly spot-on. This young master sprang onto the scene fully-fledged.

"Pailleron Children," 1880

Mr. Sargent was an immediate success in Paris and became the leading portraitist in Paris and perhaps even the world. During those years he painted many exceptional works, including his first double portrait, "The Pailleron Children," 1880. The painting is a particular favorite of mine because it resides in the Des Moines Art Center where I can visit it any time. The painting is of the two children of Mr. Sargent's friends Edouard and Marie Pailleron. According to the little girl, who wrote about it later in life, she endured more than 80 sittings for the work. Certainly it's a haunting piece and seems to demonstrate her impatience with the process very well. Her unblinking, sharply-focused gaze pierces him (us) as he works to capture it. Her brother, half-turned our way seems contemptuous and bored. A digital posting like this one can't show the wondrous brushwork of the gown and stocking, nor of the boy's delicate hands. Mr. Sargent was still very young but his work glows with mastery.

"Monet Painting at the Edge of Woods," oil, 1885

Although we think of John Sargent mostly as a master portraitist, his first interest was landscape and history painting. It was under Carolus-Duran that he turned to the more lucrative and engaging practice of portraiture. Mr. Sargent relished painting outdoors. After his move to London in 1886 he spent much time painting the English countryside, and indeed had done so during his years in France as well (above).  In addition to his work in oil, he painted a great deal in watercolor, showing equal bravura and expertise. For me, unlike his society portraiture, these watercolors vibrate with exuberant life. He painted at least 2000 and once said he did them for his own sanity and didn't sell them (although he did give many away).

"The Bridge of Sighs, Venice," watercolor, 1903

"Arab Gypsies in a Tent," watercolor, 1905

"Muddy Alligators," watercolor, 1917

For me, it is these magnificent watercolors that show the essence of this great artist. His vision, brushwork, color sense and values are impeccable. These too were famous during the artist's lifetime.


In the end, John Sargent intensely disliked painting society portraits, calling them "paugh-traits" and wishing never to do another. He "officially" closed his portrait practice in 1907 yet continued doing quick charcoal portraits of English and American patrons, no doubt for a very pretty penny. At the end of life his major work was a series of murals in Boston. The murals are beautifully done, but for me seem stuffy and formal, almost self-conscious.

In 1918 he was commissioned by the British Ministry of Information as a war artist. He produced a large number of works, mostly watercolors, but there is also the enormous (at about 8 feet by 20 feet) oil painting, "Gassed" (below) based on Mr. Sargent's first-hand observing one of the horrors of the new warfare: mustard gas attacks. The line of soldiers at an aid station near the front have severely injured eyes from the gas--hence the blindfolds. He had recently abandoned his Boston murals and returned to England, so I suppose it isn't surprising that he was working mural-sized again. The figures are nearly life size. Although not well-known, it remains a gut-wrenching reminder of the brutality of humans to one another.

"Gassed," oil, 1919

During his long career, John Singer Sargent was a sublime portraitist and a discerning and brilliant watercolorist. In my opinion, it is the watercolors that show the essence of his greatness.
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In This Series:
Favorite Artists
Favorite Artists 2--Chardin
Favorite Artists 3--Grant Wood
Favorite Artists 4--Diego Velazquez
Favorite Artists 5--Andrew Wyeth
Favorite Artists 6--Wayne Thiebaud 
Favorite Artists 7 - Edward Hopper
Favorite Artists 8- Nicolai Fechin
Favorite Artists 9- Rembrandt 
Favorite Artists 10-Hokusai
Favorite Artists 11-Franz Hals 
Favorite Artists-12-Vincent