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.