The Holy Grail, so near, so far.

80 +  F  partly cloudy, before the rain.

Here it is the Holy Grail of scenery.  The recent rains have filled all the small streams at a time of the year that they'd be much dryer.  Earlier in the season they'd be just as full, but the foliage would be way younger, and that would be different. So yeah, you can't get any lusher than this!(no jokes about aunt flora, please).  11:00 A.M.

This is just a few minutes into it.  I've been wanting to do another 16 x 20, but I've been waiting for the right scene. I thought I was going to go to Brownell Corners Rd. where I had a place for a repeat, but the sun wasn't right ( I needed afternoon at that spot) so I kept driving and found this spot. Anyway,  I wasn't really thinking about this composition, and well I just mixed up my dark purple, and went ahead.  I thought keeping the bank on the middle left away from the edge was important, as well as the general trajectory of the winding stream....

I had visitors but they didn't want to sit still for me.

This was a few more minutes into it.  A lot of my readers have been responding to the progress shots, so I thought I'd shoot. Here is a lot of green and I didn't get it as close as I would have liked, but until you establish enough of the colors you really can't see them, it's a bit of a catch 22, without an a-bomb.

This is probably close to 2 hours into it, and I've got most of the ground covered, and I can start to see where the color will go, (not exactly where I tell it, but like children, they respond to positive suggestion better than any alternative).

You can see how much the sky changed, maybe the green isn't as far off as I originally thought.

This is where it ended up at about 1:00 after about 3 hours,  I knew I needed to look and think about it, and what it needs to get it the way I want it, but I think it has potential. I will go back to this site, and I hope I can do it soon. The clouds changed a lot, but I think they just need a bit of softening, the water needs some decent darks, and maybe a few of the brightest highlights, the greens need some systemic alteration,

Finally Cobble Hill finished! (maybe)

Hot and humid, amid thundershowers, 85+ F

I was determined to get this painting finished, yesterday I went to the site, and it rained the whole time, so when I went back today and it was raining, yet the third time, I sat and waited another 15 minutes, and yes the rain stopped and the sun came out, and there you have it.

The sky and the atmosphere kept changing, well over 9 calendar days... but surprisingly or not the foliage  stayed pretty much the same.  I found that enough of a consolation to push on. I had to add the tree on the right, the sky from the 2nd day was dry and I never got around to "flattening" the texture out as I have preached in the past. I also re-worked just about everything else and damned be the dry/wet differences.  Now I think the tree on the right is a bit flat.  I loved the dark/light pattern the leaves made, but I think they need a but of modeling.  I'm also going to ponder the foreground, I really let it fuzz up over the shadows, and I think that edge is too consistant to be convincing....

Here's the place.

out back today

Hot, moist,  90+ F

O.K. so I stole some time and just set up out back hoping no one would notice that I'm there and not anywhere else.  so whatever.

My back yard is kinda square, so when I started to hunt for a spot I saw these pure diagonals, and the lights and darks in the grass and trees and Yeah, I'd work.  The "cabana" is just to thee left, and is a very utilitarian construct, so I left it out.

Here it is just a few minutes in.

Here is where I got it to, I'll need to go back out there, but it's a good start.

Battenkill redo, bushwacking through the seasons.

Hot and hazy 85 F, low thin clouds.

This is where I ended up today, even though I touched it up a bit tonight.

I wanted a river picture today, so I came up here to Skellie Rd. It runs along the river very close in places, and had been a favorite jump-in-after-work spot.  This painting spot, I had found in late December of last year and boy was it grey.

I would have never found this place today if I hadn't found in the winter, and used the deer paths,  the ferns are 4' tall!

This is about 1 hr. into it. I finally realized that I could line up the sides of the panel with my scene and measure that way(up and down).  I had been lining up side to side, but I think I really like to stand to paint.

I was able to carry in one haul, ( I first scouted out my spot) I returned with everything including the backpack/seat, and the panel/pallet carrier, that I loaded with paint (except white. which I took in a tube.

As the afternoon progressed, the shadows got deeper, and I liked that, It wasn't hard to "keep up" with it, things just seemed to get darker and otherwise not change too much.

This was December's painting, I had been a few feet further down stream,  I really didn't use any black. It was also a day or two after winter solstice, (today was a day after summer solstice).

McMillan Rd. day 2: Green de-tangled and tied.

Sunny and warm, 78 F  

Here is where I ended up at about 6:00 If you notice the huge shadow of the trees, I placed them way earlier and they moved, as shadows do.

This is where I started today,  It was about 3:30, and you can see where the shadow is now. I worked on correcting the drawing, especially the subject scrawny, vine encrusted tree. I had to move it, and lower the far hill, fix the shape of the road, and the color, add the shadow, change the colors on the far mountain, and the middle distance hedge row.  Well, most of the painting, really.

Here it is when I left, I did just fuss with it in the shop, just a few little tweeks, but there it is. The first day was so cloudy, I wasn't sure if I could make the change, but yeah, we like that high contrast sunshine, back lighting and major shadows, something to sink your teeth right into.

Tangled up in green?

First outings since Canandaigua, , Yesterday 65 F Thunder showers!

Cobble Hill Rd. I was here not long ago, but with the foliage out: what a change.

This is as far as I got with thunderstorms finally coming overhead.











Today, the rain held off,  65 F cloudy.

McMillan Rd., back to the same place I was in the late winter, (march?).  The hedgerows are clear. and all is green.

Just a start, I'll try back in the A.M., even though the light might be all wrong. I did work on it tonight, but I can only remember so much...

Preview of Green Bridge Gallery show. Opening Friday 6:00- 8:00 P.M.!

Rainy Thursday A.M.

The show is up waiting for the last- minute details.

Most of my new paintings are here, including some still wet from Canandaigua!

Canandaigua, 700 miles, 5 days, 9 paintings, little sleep. WOW!!!!!!

This post is of my trip to the Canandaigua Plein air painting contest and festival. It was an amazing experience, I painted like a maniac, and made a lot on new painter friends.  We were treated like visiting royalty and I want to thank all those that made this possible, a huge THANK YOU !!!

Day 1 Thursday June 6, we had lots of rain!

This is my first start, 7:30 a.m.  before the rain started.

I found this tree next to a cemetery, on the corner of St. Rt. 21 and Bopple Hill Rd.

I knew I was going to have trouble with the far mountain and the middle distance trees, but I wanted to get started and the spot was nice.

I was just a bit soggy when I found this spot at the State Park boat launch so I found a willow tree to paint under.

It started to rain heavily and came through the tree, so the umbrella.

My plan from the start was to return to the same locations to continue to work, getting cold and wet helped me move along.

I found this spot on the Muer lakes, a city park, I had bought a rain suit, it helped but I got wet anyway.

As beautiful a place as any, the sky was just so full of wet stuff!

This is where the painting ended up, I didn't get back to this spot, because of all my first day paintings it needed the least.

My final location for the day, Woolhouse Rd. I had gone back to my room to change again into dry clothes, and drove around the farmland to the west of town, I liked this because I reminded me a bit of home.  It was 6:30 p.m. and the rain had let up when I started, I got it to here then the rain came back and I packed it up.

This is where it ended up on Thursday evening.








Friday June 7. not as much rain.

I went strait to my first location @ 7:30 a.m. but my fundamental design problem was still there, though the atmosphere was more co-operative. Am I learning anything?

It had seemingly stopped raining, so I wandered around near the last location and found this on Coye Rd. and I found "IT".  not much traffic, wide pull-off, no rain (for the time) yeah!

This turned out to be my best painting of the trip, and I sold it to a lovely lady who recognized it as her field! the photo is a bit washed out.

What's not to love?

I went back to the State Park, and the rain came back too!  Michelle, came by to take pictures, so she took this with my camera, she was great smiling and happy bit of sunshine, like so many that made this all possible!

I didn't like the green I put down, so I re-mixed it right on the canvas, I don't know it that's legal, but... I also worked on the hanging willow and the pond, I actually think it came out ok.

My last start of the day,  I HAD to go to Sonnenberg Gardens (also a State Park).  I found this out of the way place in the plant conservatory. It was sort of dry. and the people there let us paint anywhere we wanted!

Not my usual painting but I liked the inside/outside aspect, and of course I really had to simplify!

I returned to Woolhouse Rd. by 6:00 p.m. there was just a mist coming down, but the fog was thick, so I worked on it but couldn't chase this fox, the wet, cold and sheer exhaustion were beginning to set in.  In my two days painting for the main event, I had "done" six paintings, I really liked one, and sorta liked a few others, so maybe quantity doesn't beat quality, but I learned a lot in the process.


Saturday, June 8  Our three best paintings were due in at the carriage barn of Sonnenberg Gardens for the show and the judging, they took two alternates as well, I had stayed up late to put them together, TIRED!

The "Quick Draw"  competition started promptly @ 9:30, I had just enough time to drop off the work and find this spot.  The map defined the area to the small urban center of Canandaigua, and as you probably guessed I'm not interested in painting buildings, so I found a spot without them. Here is my start.

Here is where I ended @ 11:30










Sunday June 9 sunny and warm!

We all had to hang around until the public reception was over @ 4:00,  So I went back to Coye Rd. maybe 1/4 mile from yesterday's spot and found this beautiful place!

Here is where I ended up @ noon.

I went back to Sonnenberg Gardens, a bunch of the other painters were there too, and they had the public reception, so I could eat. I found this spot in back of the rose garden, it was a beautiful day!

2/3rds of the way.

There it is Painting # 9 for the trip!

Need sleep.