Biergarten Redux

"The Biergarten, Waterworks," we/ink

The weather here in central Iowa has remained moderately warm. We haven't even had a frost. The sketch group spent an hour or two in Waterworks Park last weekend. The biergarten--a seasonal offering--is still in business until the end of the month. 

I spent a pleasant hour in the shade, watching the passing parade of cyclists, visitors, beer lovers and others. A lovely afternoon. 

Life Portrait Sketch

"Hon, Terry Branstand, former Iowa governor," oil on panel, private collection

This is a never-before-shown life study of a former governor of Iowa, Terry Branstad. About a decade ago I was commissioned by Des Moines University to add a portrait of this former governor (who was then President of the university) to their  collection. 

We had several life sessions before I completed the work. This one was gifted to Mr. Branstand and his wife.
 

Iowa Capitol

"Capitol Dome," wc/ink 

This is a Saturday sketch, done with the sketch group. The day was unseasonably warm and sunny. A great day.
 

Snowy Iowa Day

"Stormy Day," oil on panel, 16x20, private collection.

It will not be long until we face scenes like this in Iowa. This painting is a street in Iowa City, done from a photo reference. The snowfall was perhaps six inches deep that day, and very cold. 

This work sold to a private collection years ago. 

 

Casein Studio Study

Almost a decade ago, I began using casein paint. It's a kind of paint that's been around for almost a century, and once was more commonly used until replaced in part by acrylics. Both mediums dry rapidly, often to a matte finish, and are therefore useful in commercial work where images have to be produced and ready fairly quickly. Casein is a milk protein that is emulsified with oil and pigment to produce a soft, buttery paint that handles nicely and can be immediately painted over. Because it dries so fast it's a little more difficult to blend than oils but feels a lot like oil paint. 

Studio Shelf," casein on panel

This painting was done spontaneously in my studio while I was trying out the paint. It's my work table shelf below big, west-facing windows that overlook my backyard creek. It was summer, and the woods of the opposite bank were thick and lush. On the shelf is a wine bottle with a plant, a potted jade, various bottle and a vase. In front of the right hand window are bottles and various containers of oils and mediums. This rough sketch could have been a larger painting, but somehow remained forgotten in an old computer file.

Saturday

While it is fun to sketch or paint the same subject in a group--similar to being in a workshop or class--our Saturday group doesn't always agree on subject matter or location. So we often split into smaller groups for the session. Last Saturday some of us went to the Iowa capitol grounds east of downtown, but some went to the local park along the Raccoon River, and a few scattered into older residential areas. 

"Monuments on Capitol Hill," watercolor in a sketchbook

I sketched the capitol grounds but turned my back on the enormous Capitol and instead spent some time on the monuments to its south. I sat on the steps of one monument and set up a composition including the dome of the Supreme Court building. The result shows two memorials, the lush trees and a bit of the grounds. 

Travel Sketching

"La Rambla, Barcelona," wc/ink 2017

Sketching has been one of my favorite activities when we've gone visiting nearly anywhere. Often I sketch on watercolor postcards and mail the paintings home. But I also use pocket sketchbooks of various sizes to keep a kind of visual journal of wherever we are. 

The watercolor above is a distillation of many visits to Barcelona's justifiably famous Rambla pedestrian park. Part street cafes and bars, part shopping, part tourist shops, it's one of the places we loved when we were in the city a few years ago.

Below are a few sketches from days gone by. The first two are a villa in France and medieval village not far away. The final is a street light at dusk in Vienna. All were done with a small travel kit of watercolor pans and a couple of waterbrushes. Everything else you can get as you go. 

"The Villa, France," wc/ink 2019

"Eze, France," wc/ink, 2019

"Nightfall, Vienna,". wc/ink, 2013