Heartland ll

Heartland II - Winter Cows (A Sense of Calm Given the Situation)   oil on canvas   16 x 20

This painting represents a long journey and much endurance, much like these local bovines, although robust, must face daily in our severe northeast Ohio winter.  Everything seemed to be an issue....the treeline, too much then too little; the placement of the cows and their relationship, one to the other; and, most importantly, the atmosphere of the snowy field, which I felt would be comprised by using local color.  Each problem was eventually solved to my satisfaction.

The one huge thrill in all of the labor:  the introduction of Gamblin's Cold Was Medium, that was mixed into paint in both the back- and fore-ground.  It produced an impasto effect that was much lighter than using gobs of paint, and even more effective, I think.  Used in a 1/3:2/3 ratio with paint) My first use....terrific!

Ah.....if I had only labored over a sketch.  That would have been time well spent.

Winter in the Adirondack

Winter in the Adirondack   watercolor   18.75 x 11

Our assignment:  a snow scene.  And that is good.  Because we, here in Northeast Ohio, have been looking at it for several months now.  (And being a winter-lover, I, for one, am not complaining at all).  While winter landscapes are often fairly easily rendered in watercolor, the genre doesn't excite me much.  Too many little shapes.  I decided to paint one of our patio chairs.  This painting took layers and layers to complete....the snow in the center of the chair with very few, the background and chair surround with more.  While I really like to get to the point as soon as possible, that notion goes out the door until the desired atmosphere is achieved.  I wanted a gauzy feel, yet solid....a sort of richness that occurs when pigment is layered.  Although I spent a good amount of time on the drawing, it took meandering in paint to work my way into a rhythm that suited me.

The walls at Rockne's restaurant in Kent are covered with movie press photos.  This one reminds me of the one for The Shining....Jack Nicholson seated in a snowy Adirondack chair looking like his usual crazy self.