Fair Weather Saturday

"Skyline," wc/ink on paper, 8x10

The weather was wonderful last weekend--bright, sunny and not very cold. I went to Waterworks Park and sketched the city skyline over a couple of lagoons. 

Summer Scene

"Raccoon Afternoon," oil on panel, 9x12

As happens quite often, I ran across a plein air work from a couple of years ago. Here in Iowa we're facing our first blast of winter weather, with morning low temperatures in the teens. Happily, this small painting is a bit of a mood booster as winter closes in. 

The scene is the Raccoon River as it passes through Waterworks Park, perhaps a mile from my home studio. I stood on the bank and painted the bike/pedestrian bridge and woods.

Ruthless

"Ruthless," oil on panel, 6x8

This small panel study is part of an idea for a story illustration. This particular oil study was completed in an hour or so, but a larger work never followed.
 

Brewpub

"Outside the Brewpub," oil on canvas, 18x24, private collection

This cityscape is a view of a local brewpub in Des Moines, framed by its outdoor tables. Through the tall windows you can see the brewing vats and lights of the brewery side as two patrons on the far right are going to the indoor bar. I did this from personal references, but invented the tableau of figures,
 

Last Saturday

In spite of the advanced autumn season, we've yet to have a frost here. Further, at least some of the trees are still bearing colorful if subdued foliage. But last Saturday the sketch group was chased indoors by rain. It's surprising it wasn't snow, but the weather has been warmer. 

We went to a local architectural salvage place. Four floors of architectural material salvaged from demolitions and the like, plus vintage furniture, signs, and so on. They have a coffee bar, it's warm, pleasant, and provide ample indoor material. 

"Saturday Interior," wc/ink on paper, 8x10

This is my sketch. It's actually the south exit door from the building. The red door is free-standing next to the modern glass door, and it's for sale. It was fun to manipulate the colors to show low-angle sun slanting into the building. The tall object on the right is a sort of settee you'd put next to an entrance, also for sale.

 

Window Plant

"Yellow Pot," oil on panel, 8x6

This is another small oil done as a morning exercise. It's a jade plant and an aloe in one small plastic pot.
 

Winter Bottles

"Winter Bottles," oil on panel, 8x10

When the weather keeps me indoors, a still life setup can provide enough subject matter to keep me busy. This particular work is from several years ago. I set up bottles on my studio work table in a pleasing arrangement one snowy January day. The bright middle bottle contained turpentine, which lit up bright in the slanting winter light.
 

Shaker

"Alone," oil on panel, 6x8. Private collection

Long ago, one of my goals was simplicity in painting. At least in small works, simplicity and confident brush work can carry the day. This painting was done alla prima during a period of daily small paintings. I did a still life almost every day for a long while. The majority were 6x8 on a gesso panel. 

This work was one of the most successful of that big body of still life. First I laid on and wiped off a thin raw umber wash. Mindful of the value provided by the wash, I laid in a minimal outline plus the very darkest darks on the cap and rim. On the glass of the shaker I laid on flake white from the tube in three places, then in darker tints to show surfaces. The painting was finished off with the white reflections below the glass of the shaker.

Golden Autumn

Here in the upper midwest, autumn color seems to arrive in a rush. We've looked fruitlessly for color for about two weeks but foliage seemed to change colors in small pockets. Here and there a tree has suddenly glowed crimson or rust but the majority of the trees around the city remained green in all of its endless variety. But then suddenly, masses of leave and entire trees burst into color, all green bled away in favor of scarlets and rusts, dark cool reds and bright oranges. 

"10-26-24," wc/ink on paper, about 10x3.5

This is a quick, very small watercolor of the morning along Druid Hill Creek. The view is from my home studio north window. The tree had been a lush emerald green until only a few days ago, completely hiding the creek. Then over a day or two it shed leaves and took on this bright yellow cascade surrounding the narrow trunk. Creekside grasses and low plants still obscure the water.