Sierra Nevada

"Above Donner Lake," oil on Bristol board, 11x14

This painting grew out of a railroad adventure. A couple of years back my wife and I traveled to Seattle and back by rail, through the Rockies and Sierra Nevada in the western states, then north via Sacramento. The route took us past Donner Lake, named for the tragic party of migrants who were trapped nearby during the winter of 1846-47. The railroad tracks run along the route of the oiginal Transcontinental Railroad.

We were traveling in February, but traveling westward didn't reveal much snow. The return journey, on the other hand, was heavy with winter storms and snow. In a place or two in Oregon trains were delayed while the tracks were cleared.

As is sometimes the case, this painting simply happened without much thought or planning. One day in the studio, while thinking of the trip we had made, I picked up a piece of Bristol board lying about and made this picture. Bristol isn't my usual support (I prefer panels) but the paint went down smoothly and the image seemed to evolve on its own. 

Seems an appropriate image for the current times too. 
 

At the Feeder

"At the Feeder," wc/ink on paper, 7x5

Those who have read other posts here may remember that most Saturdays a group of us go out and sketch for an hour or two, then meet and share our work. Last Saturday, though, the temperatures were in single digits and snow was blowing hard across the land. We elected to stay warm and indoors, each sketching from our respective homes or studios. 

Outside my home studio are several bird feeders that I keep filled for various avian visitors. We see the usual species, mostly--cardinals, jays, finches, sparrows and so on. With the cold and wind, the feeders were crowded. 

As I always do, I made a preliminary drawing then added color. In this case I used a kind of synthetic watercolors that hold considerably moire pigment than traditional watercolors do. That means brighter and more opaque colors rather than the thin and more transparent ones of traditional paint. After I was satisfied with the general colors I made a second pass, strengthening darks and adding various details. I added ink to the tree trunk, snow on the spruce, and to the bird and feeder. 

 

Still Snowy

In the days since my last watercolor sketch we've had continued frigid temperatures, even a couple of days with highs below twenty degrees F. And there a couple of moderate snowfalls of maybe 3-4 inches each time. All of this means that as of this writing we're still blanketed in white, birds are at the feeders, and the creek is frozen clear through to the bottom. There was one day with high temperatures briefly above 40 but these last few days have had temps plunging back into frigid winter.

"Opposite Bank," watercolor on paper

This watercolor is from a week ago, about 7x5 on a piece of cold-press paper. I like the rather coarse surface and moderate absorbency of this particular surface. I started with a graphite sketch, then developed the painting in full color, paying attention to juxtapositions of complements. Unlike others I've done lately no ink lines seemed necessary.  

One of the great things about doing these small pictures is the record they provide. Old sketchbooks make great comparators. Last year about this time we had no snow. I actually sketched outdoors in a sunny, protected spot at Gray's Lake, not far from my home studio. 

Frozen

My previous post was a watercolor sketch of the view from my home studio of Druid Hill Creek. To end November and usher in December we had a big, early snowfall of nearly a foot on the 29th, followed by a deep freeze that has lasted until the day of this writing (Dec 4). This morning was brutally cold, below zero, but sunny and bright after days of clouds and low ceilings. 

"Deep Freeze," watercolor on paper, 7.5x5

I used a small piece of cold press watercolor paper to sketch the same scene I posted last time, but tried to indicate the kind of deep, blue cold we were experiencing. This particular sketch was done using a very fine-pointed watercolor brush rather than a water brush. My outdoor kit typically features water brushes to save on weight and size, since they provide their own water containers. At the studio I can use higher quality materials. The fine points let me make very fine lines, as you can see.  

Big Snow

Today's post is a sketch of Druid Hill Creek from my home studio window. We had nearly a foot of snow over last Friday and Saturday, followed by a deep freeze for the last several days. The snow stuck to everything and hasn't melted much at all. 

"After the Big Storm," wc/ink on paper

This began in my standard way with a rough graphite sketch. I laid in color with a fairly large but pointed brush that let me draw very fine dark lines. There isn't much color in a winter landscape, so I pushed it a bit here and there then added ink lines in some places for emphasis.

The sun had returned by the time the painting was done but the colors remain considerably muted. The contrast with my post from last Tuesday (less than ten days ago), is pretty stark. The grass was still green, trees were too, and autumn color clung to trees here and there. It is like a sweeping cinematic scene change.  
 

A Last Hurrah

"Along the Street," wc/ink on paper, 

This watercolor is based on references and personal observation, but wasn't done on-site. The spot is less than a block away from my studio, along the street that fronts our creek. This was done just before a massive snowstorm, so it's the last hurrah for warmer weather. 

As I usually do, I sketched this in graphite then painted watercolors in several different layers, adding deeper darks in the evergreens and making certain to faithfully record the greens that were still showing despite the advanced autumn.