Nocturne

"Washington Square Nocturne," oil on panel, ca. 2003

One of the more interesting and difficult subjects for art is the night. When done effectively, nocturnes evoke the dark hours whether colors are true to life or not. 

Certain painters like Frederic Remington are known for their paintings of darkness and shadow. Although his work was as an illustrator of Western life, Remington's nocturnes transcend. Using his personal experiences in the West he evoked the dim lights of night, from pale green moonlight to the cold flicker of steel in darkness. 

Long ago Remington's example gave me reason to attempt similar ideas. In the end, only a few of those studies has survived, the others having gone into hiding somewhere. 

 

The Glass Palette

Sometimes, when no important project is pending but I want to paint, I simply look at what is in front of me and start. This painting was done years ago in response to just such a situation. I was standing in my studio, looking for subject and spotted these three bottles, each with a different color of water. They made an interesting subject, but I needed to see how they transmitted light, so I sat them close to the window, on the edge of my steel table, next to my round glass palette. Using an old failed painting as my surface I quickly did this work (about 11x14 I think). If you look at the lower right corner you can see vestiges of the older painting, which I think look like reflected light. 

The bottles have three simple shapes and three colors and make for great drawing practice. 

Emulating Paint

Although it isn't my maintstream medium, digital drawing and painting has undeniable allure for me. First, there is little prep and zero cleanup Second, today's computers and other digital equipment like display tablets and portable sketchbooks (think iPads) make images that are superior to those of a few years ago. 

"Portuguese Coast," digital painting

This digital painting was done using a photographic reference, with considerable modifications. The program was Sketchbook and I used a Wacom display tablet. If you thought it was actual paint from a tube, I wouldn't be surprised. This project shows how well a computer can emulate a real-world oil painting. The result could be transferred to canvas--printed--and sold, I suppose.  

In the Biergarten

The big park near my home studio hosts an outdoor beer garden during the warm months of the year. There are chairs and picnic tables scattered in deep shade under ancient trees. The selection of brews is adequate and tasty and the setting pleasant and cool. A bike trail nearby brings cyclists needing a rest as well as plenty of folks who come to the park for the garden itself. 

I spent an hour or two under the trees, savoring a cool breeze and a cooler beer. 

Test Garden

"Shady Corner," wc/ink on paper, 3.5x9

In downtown Des Moines we have a hidden gem in the Better Homes and Gardens Test Garden, a private area of garden beauty owned by Meredith Corporation, the long-time publisher of Better Homes. Now absorbed by a digital media company named People, Inc, it opens on Friday afternoons, noon to 2 pm, May through September. Over the years I've spent some wonderful lunch times there with friends or alone, sketching. 

Last week I visited the Test Garden for the first time in a few weeks. As always it is a spectacular place, full of beauty and grace. I sat in a shady corner and sketched the southwestern and shady corner of the garden, which is dominated by big, mature trees.

The sketchbook I've been using is 3.5x5.5, just right to fit in a pocket. I carry a metal watercolor box that holds a pencil, kneaded eraser, and waterbrush, and I put a couple of folded paper towel in my other pocket. Makes for light travel. 

 

After the Fair

"Discovery Garden," wc/ink on paper

In years past I went to the Iowa State Fair every year (sometimes every day) to sketch, and then posted them here, until the pandemic in 2020. After that I have occasionally gone to the Fair but more often my visits have been after the exhibition. 

This year the Saturday sketchers went to the fairgrounds after the livestock, food vendors, kitchen appliance hucksters and all the other exhibitors left. The quiet was lovely, the weather hospitable, and the Master Gardeners' Discovery Garden was still in full flower. 

I sat on a shady bench and sketched a corner of the garden, its foliage masking a service barn in the background.  

Shadows

Sometimes a painting needs rest. That is, I complete a piece but find it unsatisfying. Something needs to be added or subtracted, but what? So I put the work away, behind something else or in a stack of dry works. Eventually it comes back to light, having rested wherever, and I discover somethng to try out.  

"Bike Trail, Gray's Lake," oil on panel, 9x12

This small painting was initially made outdoors along a bicycle trail not far from my home studio. There is a city thoroughfare beside the park--that level green edge just below mid-painting. The walking/biking trail winds around the lake, to the rear of the viewer. The near-abstract patterns and how to evoke multiple layers of depth were a couple of my considerations. So I finished a literal rendering, took it home and then sent it away to rest. Not long ago I came across it and added brighter and more saturated lights and even a few scattered bright dots. I like this result.

Off the Easel

"Behind the Art Center," wc/ink on paper (cropped)

This freshly-finished oil painting is based on previous watercolor sketchwork, including this one, from a Saturday excursion in July. 

Watercolor has so many advantages--portability, ease of use and cleanup, vivid colors--that I've begun to use it as my outdoor medium of choice. This view is a corner of the IM. Pei  Building, a 1968 addition to the Des Moines Art Center. Its Brutalist boxiness was an interesting counter to the many surrounding natural forms. 

"Behind the Art Center," oil on panel, 12x16

After some thought I cropped the watercolor to the size posted here and based this new oil painting on the resulting composition. This is the first public release; the painting will be on my website very soon. 

 

A Trip to Provence

Some years ago we traveled through southern France for a few days, through vineyards and villages along the Rhone River. Then, as now, I did small watercolors on postcards during the trip and mailed a number home to friends and family. It's fun to get something with a foreign stamp. 

These three postcards went home, one a view of the city of Avignon, one a look at a place made famous by van Gogh, and one the namesake of a favorite wine. 

Avignon was the seat of the papacy for most of the 14th century, and what remains of the period, including its famous bridge, much of which was destroyed a century or so earlier. This view of Avignon is from the Rhone River, where we were passing. The four arches are all that remain of the bridge. Beyond you can see a crenelated wall and a couple of medieval towers. Avignon is a beautiful place now, though once decried (14th century) as defiled and foul.

The cafe in Arles which was immortalized by Viucent van Gogh is still in operation, though mostly one supposes as a tourist attraction. Still, I sat nearby with virtually the same viewpoint as Vincent, with the small remains of the Roman town--a column you see on the right, part of a building wall, shows where the forum of that town once was. 

The last  postcard in this small collection is a view of the ruins of a famous castle, built a few miles out in the more healthful countryside north of Avignon. Chateau neuf du Pape was literally the Pope's new chateau, up in the clear sweet mountain air. Today the chateau remains only as a ruined tower, but with the village of the same name at its foot, below the brow of the slope at the left. The vineyard contributes grapes to wines that are justifiably famous, delicious and memorable. Far in the distance a stripe of light shows the location of the Rhone River. 

"A View of Avignon"

 

"The Yellow Cafe, Arles"

"Chateau neuf du Pape"

Saturday

Last Saturday our sketch group met at a member's home to draw and paint. Her gardens and deck are beautifully covered in flowers and plants. Despite a stormy morning downpour we were able to sandwich some work in between. 
 

Monochrome

 

Upstream

"Upstream," oil on panel, 9x12

Today's image is a plein air painting of the creek that runs behind my studio. The western bank is much higher than the near bank where I stood to do this particular work, a result of the way water courses meander, The heavy foliage blocks a lot of sunlight, but golden flecks penetrate to the surface of the water. This is 9x12 on panel. 

Forever

"Forever," oil on panel, 9x12, private collection

"Forever" is a long-ago commissioned portrait of a young girl and her cherished friend. The dog was the girl's constant companion until the end. A friend of the family asked me to paint the two as a tribute and a gift. 
 

Saturday Sketch

Last Saturday the sketch group decided to stay in Greenwood Park. There are sculptures and a big rose garden for subject matter, plus a lot of shade and a nice breeze coming up from the river. 

I sat on a bench and sketched the view to the northwest of the rose garden pavilions. One of three stone cairns built by the British artist Andy Goldsworthy complemented the Pei Building (background).  

Beautiful day in the park.

"Goldsworthy Behind the Art Center," wc/ink on paper

Taco Loco

Tacos have been in the news lately, which reminded me of this watercolor from a while back. Food trucks used to come to the Sculpture Park downtown on Fridays, and this one was a favorite. 

"Taco Loco," wc/ink on paper

 

Coastal Study

"On the Shore, (study)" oil on panel, 6x8

Sometimes a small image or even a tiny one can inspire an idea. Some years back I saw a very small snapshot of a figure standing on a tiny spit of land. Whoever made the photo did a great composition, though it was not in color, only greyscale. I did this study of the figure and shoreline, and invented some of the shore, using only a few colors (y.ochre, b.sienna and probably cerulean blue), trying very hard to use limited strokes, each placed and then left alone without blending overmuch. Although this never made it to a finished work, perhaps I should give it some repeat consideration.  
 

Last Weekend

Last Saturday the sketch group (mostly) agreed to visit a marina that's very near downtown Des Moines. Situated along the Des Moines River and probably around a mile or two from the center of the city, Birdland Marina is home to river boating and also features a bicycle trail that extends much farther north, to Saylorvill Reservoir, more than ten miles away. 

We each picked a spot near the river, in my case at a bar and grill next to the marina. Cyclists and boaters congregate at Captain Roy's, which lies on the river bank and next the the bike trail. I sat in the shade of giant cottonwoods and sketched the scene. 

"Captain Roy's," wc on paper, 8x10

 

Harbor Steps

"Harbor Steps," wc/ink on paper

One of the features of the waterfront in Seattle is the Harbor Steps, which connect the old Central Waterfront to downtown, high above. The area was once the hub of shipping activity in the city but decades ago a container ship area opened farther south and business here slowed. 

Now, the area at the bottom has been developed into an attractive tourist spot, with older piers becoming stores and restaurants. The steps connect to the downtown above (there are elevators too) and are actually part of a mixed-use development of shops, condos and public space. I sketched the steps rising into a man-made canyon, flanked by contemporary architecture, and footed by older buildings. 

 

Seattle Sketches

We've just returned a day or two ago from a week in Seattle, visiting with family. It's been a few years since our last visit, and this one included Puget Sound local relatives as well as a contingent from Florida. An outing sailing on the Sound led us to Edmonds, Washington, a few miles north, an attractive town centered on art of all kinds, and sailing. They even have a plein air sketch group like mine. Along the Edmonds marina is a boat launching facility I ran across. I drew it quickly in my pocket sketchbook, then painted and inked it the next morning. 

"Prepping for launch, Edmonds," wc/ink on paper

The next day we visited the famous Pike Place Market, once a bustling market for fish and produce, now more an incredibly crowded tourist spot. While other family members shopped and walked, I chose a public lookout spot with a view of Puget Sound and the opposite shore, including a new, enormous Ferris wheel. As with my sketch from the day before, I finished this one after arriving at our home base there, aided by a snapshot. 

"From Pike Place Market," wc/ink on paper

Tabasco

"Tabasco," oil on panel, 8x6, private collection

One my interest has been simple shapes and contours. In this still life from 15 years ago, you can see that influence. Another early interest was reflections and refractions. 

This was one of a series of small still life paintings, usually finished in a single session. Doing a small, quick work forced me to be precise, careful with placement of strokes, and judicious about color. 
 

Independence Day

"George Washington (after JCL)," oil on panel

Nearly 250 years ago, our forefathers signed the Declaration of Independence, forever breaking away from the British Empire. The foremost among our founders was doubtless George Washington, whose wisdom, judgement, stature, and contribution to the new nation can't be exaggerated. Without Washington, probably no United States. 

In these troubled times it is good to remember men of valor, conviction, political and social wisdom. 
 

Uncle Sam

Unlike many, my favorite concept of Uncle Sam isn't the famous one from a World War I recruiting poster ("I Want You," by James Montgomery Flagg, a renowned illustrator at the time. 

Instead, I prefer the squinty-eyed, determined Sam painted later on by J.C. Leyendecker,. That Sam, whose facial features owe a great deal to Flagg is more reassuring to me. Instead of looking us in the eye he's watching something in the distance--perhaps gathering war clouds?  

I made this 20x16 portrait of Uncle Sam from a Leyendecker July 4 magazine cover.dating to 1936 "Uncle Sam at the Helm," which shows him steering the ship of state. I was mostly interested in the face.

A Decade Back

"Omaha Summer Arts Festival," wc/ink in 5x8 sketchbook

It's useful to look back at older sketchbooks and studies. Here and there I find works from as long as a couple of decades ago, documenting where practice and work improved. It can be useful to see where one's efforts have led. 

This small watercolor dates from ten years ago, made during an art festival in Omaha, Nebraska. The site has been completely changed over that time, according to news reports, so this scene can't be repeated. 

 

Saturday's Sketch

"Big Walnut," wc/ink, 12x5

Despite the unusual heat here in the upper midwest, our group of sketchers went out as usual. A group came to my home studio where we fanned out along the creek under deep shade, where it was marginally cooler. 

This little watercolor was the result for me. One of our group took a folding chair and sketched under a giant black walnut tree. I was interested in the tree and its bark, so I sat in even deeper shade and did this one. As I usually do, I made a preliminary sketch in pencil and then painted the image with watercolor. One of the things about many watercolors one sees is how washed-out the darker values can be, so I worked hard to make my dark greens rich and believable and the tree bark varied from very dark to quite light. My initial plan was to use only paint, but after the watercolor was dry it seemed to need something, so I added grooves and ridges to the bark with ink.  

 

After Goya

"Senorita Sabasa Garcia (after Goya)," oil on gesso panel, 24x18

 

Like many artists, I have learned my craft in many ways, not the least copying paintings by masters of the past. In my formative years I made copies of  works by Picasso, Velazquez, Monet, Hopper, and certainly not least Francisco Goya. Manet was an enormous fan of Goya's work, as many of his successors have been. The above is my copy of a Goya portrait of about 1806, which I painted maybe twenty years ago or more. . 

Francisco Goya (1746-1828) was one of the painters I enjoyed learning about in college, but I had never seen one until my first encounter during a first visit to Museo del Prado in Madrid. The Prado (as it's commonly called) is the repository of the Spanish Royal Collection from centuries past as well as other masters and more recent additions. When I visited in the 1970s, unlike today, it was quiet and less crowded but there were still plenty of college kids on their backpack tours of Europe. Hippies or their look-alikes were omnipresent on the grounds, under the plane trees. I was in Madrid owing to military assignment and had taken an hour or two to investigate the Prado. Then as now, the Prado ranks in the top 5 or 10 art museums in the world, along with the Met, the Louvre, the Orsay, and others depending on your taste.  

I knew that the Prado has an enormous collection of works by the two particular Spanish masters everyone knows--Francisco Goya and Diego Velazquez. If you're interested in either of those two, the Prado should pull you in. But the museum also has important works by Durer, van Eyck, Titian, Bosch, and Rubens to name a few. Anyway, during that visit I found myself stopped, awestruck, several times, notably by "Descent from the Cross," by van Eyck (ca 1435), an astonishing former altarpiece (but that story is for another time). Goya was my interest that day, primarily because I had yet to meet Velazquez face to face, but I had known of Goya since adolescence. 

In one gallery, facing each other I found what are arguably Goya's most famous works, "La Maja Desnuda," (below) and "La Maja Vestida" (that is "The Nude Maja" and the "Clothed Maja,") each a portrait of the same sitter and supposedly commissioned by a wealthy patron. Scandalous in its day, the nude was at first hidden from view but later discovered by the Inquisition, which prompted Goya being interviewed by them.. He somehow escaped prosecution by the Church, but the painting was hidden away for at least twenty years. It was astonishing work, the sitter challenging us directly, her exquisite skin tones and anatomy equally masterful. I was enraptured by both works.

Francisco de Goya y Lucientes, "La Maja Desnuda," oil on canvas, ca 1795-1800

Years later, when learning portraiture, I copied "La Senorita Sabasa Garcia," a lesser-known work, because I wanted to see a Goya portrait with fresh eyes. During that part of his career when he painted this beautiful young woman, Goya was court painter to the Spanish king, and much in demand. He seems to have seen her one day, put down his work in progress, and demanded to paint her immediately.. 

My copy is slightly smaller than the original, but the colors, especially skin tones, are comparable to the original. To make this copy I gridded a blown-up image and transferred it to my panel, then made a charcoal drawing. After fixing the drawing I painted the portrait directly, in several sessions, working carefully to match value, color and other details.

As a copy, this has never been shown or offered for sale. I happened onto it in storage a few days ago.  

Last Saturday

Unlike my usual Saturday sketching jaunt, last weekend the group was invited to a country place around 20 miles from the city. Although Iowa is renowned for being flat, it really isn't. Instead the land rolls and tilts, leaving small glens and ancient watercourses, especially in the southern counties. The acreage where I painted is one such piece of land. It slopes north from a gravel road, down to a small pond flanked by woods and a bright meadow. The house is a wooden geodesic dome under vast mature trees. The quiet is almost palpable, with the exception of bird song. 

"Emily's Place," oil on panel, 11x14

This time instead of watercolor, I did a plein air oil sketch, standing opposite the house on the bank of the pond. There was ample time to spend simply seeing and not necessarily slathering paint. A teacher of mine once said that you should spend considerably more time looking than actually painting. Excellent advice that I followed, since I had about 3 hours of reasonably consistent light. After the plein air session I finished details and corrected various places before adding a signature. 
 

Garden Lantern

"Garden Lantern," oil on hardboard, 14x11

Sometimes a routine studio tidy-up can yield forgotten works. Today while clearing up a stack of paintings in the studio I came across an oil painting dating from probably a decade or so ago. So far as I know I haven't posted this one before. It's an Asian lantern hanging in the shady garden just outside the studio. The lantern is purely decorative. 

City Wildflowers

"City Wildflowers," oil on panel, 12x9

This small oil is a view of a cluster of wildflowers--some would say weeds--beside a fire hydrant, not far from my studio. Sometimes interesting ideas come in mundane packaging.

Sherman Hill

"On Sherman Hill," oil on linen panel, 16x12

One of the places my sketch group goes is Sherman Hill, a turn-of-the-20th century area not far from the center of Des Moines. The neighborhood is dominated by big Victorian houses, some still serving one family, some broken into apartments. The paint jobs of many echo the styles and colors of the time they were built, so you see bright colors and sometimes unusual ones. 

Here, the autumn colors and slanting light were my primary interest. The area is well-named, hilly and filled with mature trees. This particular studio painting is a result of many watercolor studies and reference photos.  

The Red Umbrella

"The Red Umbrella," oil on panel, 8x10, private collection

This painting is a nocturne of a small side street in Rome. A shop's yellow light bathes the street and figure. Done in the studio from personal references and imagination. Sold long ago. 
 

The Patriot

"The Patriot," oil on panel, 16x20

This portrait was done in my studio from studies at a workshop with William Whitaker, The model, Les, was a WWII veteran and a B-24 "flying sergeant" pilot. 

Courtyard

A sketch of the courtyard of the Des Moines Art Center. The sculpture is "Man and Pegasus." To the left is the Pei Building (designed by I.M. Pei, who designed additions to the Louvre), and to the far right the Meier Building, designed by Richard Meyer (who did The Getty). It was still too early for trees to leaf out, and the weather was chilly. 
 

At the Fairgrounds

"At the Fairgrounds," wc/ink on paper, 8x10

This sketch is a view of the Agriculture Building at the Iowa State Fairgrounds, home of the famous butter cow (a life-size cow sculpted in butter). I sat on a bench across the street and did this in a little more than an hour. 

Along Druid Hill Creek

"The Creek," wc on paper, 3.5x11

This is the final page of a sketchbook I've kept for a couple of years, documenting my view of the creek from the north window of my studio at home. 

A small book of sketches of the same subject becomes a different sort of art--a visual journal. Here, at the end of April, I did a watercolor on both pages, making it very tall and narrow. The greening trees in the distance are set off by the tree and its spread of branches. And the creek is a dark smudge below the leafing honeysuckle. Spring at the highest levels.

I've posted this one almost life size, to give the viewer an idea of the actual sketch.

Three Retirees

There is a classic auto dealership in downtown Des Moines that sometimes parks its cars and trucks outdoors. I spotted these three pickups, painted in classic primary colors, one afternoon. As always I started with a pencil sketch, painted the scene, and inked certain parts for emphasis.
 

Study to Partial Finish

A decade or so ago I did a series of studies of railroad subjects, intended to celebrate the history of railroading in southwestern Virginia. The small graphite and ink sketch to the right is an initial idea for a poster, incorporating the mountainous terrain, an old switch tower and an approaching train. The poster was intended for a historical society in Clifton Forge, Virginia.  

After several iterations and sketches using traditional materials,  I decided on the layout below, then colored it digitally to explore the final effect before completing the painting for printing. Not long after that the agreement fell through and the painting was never made.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Racing

"Racing," casein on panel,

This small painting (6"x8") is one of a relatively small number of paintings I've done using casein paint. This one was in done in part to test the opacity of casein as well as mixing properties. The picture itself is from a few reference photos, modified significantly. The far coast could be anywhere, The color palette is intentionally limited and with the exception of the sails the craft is quite vaguely abstracted.
 

Cubist Self

"Cubist Self,"charcoal on paper

This self portrait is an experiment in Cubism. What cubist portraits did, at least by Picasso and his colleagues of a century and a quarter ago, was cut the face up into views from different angles, then rejoin them.

In this image you can see two noses, two mouths and mustaches, and only two eyes.

 

 

Saturday

As the season advances and so many flowers burst into bloom, the sketch group has spent much of our time doing landscape sketching. But last Saturday we spent the afternoon in a local neighborhood with a number of houses dating to more than a century ago. Many have been restored or rehabbed and painted in Victorian color schemes. Many have a tower or turret or other sorts of architectural gingerbread, making them interesting for their own sake. 

"19th & Pleasant (Sherman Hill)," wc/ink on paper, 8x10

I chose a multistory house on a corner for my efforts. It was painted in bright colors non-typical for today's housing and was overlapped by signs, streetlights, and several trees.

Cascade

This small landscape was done in the studio, from reference materials. It's an oil on panel of a spring bubbling and tumbling over worn rocks, somewhere mountainous. The challenge with this was finding ways to show the immense variety of water--transparent, reflective, many-colored and a lot more. To give it motion and substance was on my mind, too. 

"Cascade," oil on panel, 9x12

Happily this painting has been juried into the Salmagundi Club Summer Invitations, a member exhibtion. The show will run from May 20 through June 6 at the Club's gallery, 47th 5th Ave, in New York. You can also see the work on my website, in the Rural Landscapes gallery.

Last Saturday

This time of year, with the riot of flowering trees lighting up a significant part of the Waterworks arboretum,. the sketch group goes there every weekend. Last Saturday was delightful, warm and sunny, and I chose to sketch an old gazebo at the southern end of the flowering grove. The gazebo is tucked into a less-trafficked corner, shaded by old trees. 

"The Gazebo," wc/ink on paper, 8x10

I sat on a bench nearby and sketched the scene before me.

Bottle

"Bottle," oil on panel, 6x8

This small still life was part of a much larger group of works done about fifteen years ago. My intent was to simplify by limiting the palette while observing the subject minutely. That is, there are tiny reflections, color shifts, value changes that describe contours and edges, and a lot more to observe in this simple setup. 

For me, this kind of deliberate simplification is a useful way to advance the skill of seeing. 

 

Exploding Flowers

This time of year, rain and a bit of warmth come along and bam! all of the flowering trees in town burst into bloom. In Waterworks Park there is an arboretum that's been planted with flowering trees--crabapple, plum, etc--mostly in shades of red and pink but also some beautiful whites and others. It's in full flower now, and the park is crowded with folks strolling, snapping pictures, and (in our case) sketching. 

"Arboretum View," wc/ink on paper, 8x10

This is just one of the dozens of trees in full flower. The right side, if finished, would show you a backdrop of trees that either haven't flowered yet or don't have showy flowers the way many of these do.