Summer

"Mountain Stream," oil on canvas

Outdoor work--painting, gardening too--becomes a huge part of the day during the warm months. Unfortunately, the last month or so has been hotter than usual, limiting outdoor activity to early mornings, mostly. So studio work is a big portion of my schedule.  

One of my summer projects that is probably finished is a fairly large landscape "Mountain Stream." Although it's based on several references, this is an imaginary scene painted to evoke crisp, cool mountains, perhaps the Alleghenies or Adirondacks. The major interest for me is how angled light filters through distant boles and foliage, only to rebound from the surface of water, shore, and even the bottom of the brook. This was in the end a study of light and water and how they interact.

The studio is likely to get a lot of use during the rest of the summer, but for three weeks (starting in a few days) I'll be Artist in Residence at the Whiterock Conservancy here in central Iowa. Their dedication to conservation, sustainable agriculture, recreation and education provides interested artists and scientists opportunities for concentrated work and thought at the Conservancy, an enormous place encompassing farmland, the Middle Raccoon River, and many plein air opportunities. I'll post from there a time or two.