Battenkill @ River Rd. West Arlington: finding "it".

27  F  sunny and windy.

I went over to Vermont today to pick up some paintings and paint another, for some reason it was hard to find this spot.

#493 Battenkill @ River Rd. W. Arlington, Vt.

11x14

This is not 1/2 mile from the state line, and a road I've frequented. The sun was just delicious today, with the light making the hills all soft and fuzzy. Each day has a feeling for it's color, it's systemic, tomorrow will be a little different.

Mostly the scene was bright, except for these very dark shadows.

The water was playing tricks on me.

In certain places I would see some very deep blue and purple tones, but they would appear at times washed out, damn spot!

This is where I finished, about 1 1/4 hours, it was chilly, and I've started to "gear down" because I'm sick of being so bundled up.



The hill behind the bridge was just a mass of smudges. and the tone of it warm? cool?  it was a blur.

 Here is the scene at the start, I think I liked the sharpness of the bridge.

There was light shining on my panel, annoying, for sure. Maybe it mattered.

My kind of road; not much traffic.


















          I went to Vermont on an errand, and to pretend that I'm not burning fossil fuel for nothing, I figure I'll find something on my way back, I bought a map (I like paper maps) and a sandwich, and went looking.  Why then, in the midst of the most prosaic state  in the nation, (or certainly a contender for it) was it so hard for me to find this place? I often don't know what I want when I go looking and I think maybe it has to do with the Joseph Campbell quote from Saturday's post, The process of  searching for that which is "missing from my consciousness"  may take an amount of time I don't have control over, or maybe it's about making some kind of connection I don't know until I see it?  Is it surprising that I found another bridge over the Battenkill and painted part of it with the opposite shore? Is it that I found one of the least sentimental of  bridges (or structures) that I saw today? Maybe all of those things resulting in a process that humbles me, that lets me know not to take any of this for granted, that there is so much mystery in the endeavor of life,  and the best I can offer is devoted servitude.

Scotch Hill Rd. my easel and a visit.

44  F  mostly cloudy

There was a little sun in the A.M. but it left early.

The "Money Shot"

#492  Scotch Hill Rd.

14x16

Sky.

Still a lot of snow, but it's receding and it's getting dirty.

 Things got pretty grey.....

I might have muddied up my whites a bit, because I went over them a few times.

Here is where I stopped. I spent more time than I had in a while, with the warm temps. I actually had  lunch.

My Scene.

Sight-size shot.

My pallet.

It was a surprise to have an old friend drive by, stop and catch up for a few minutes, I mean who's around here? nobody but us locals. I guess!

My friend complemented me on my easel, here it is. The bungy cord is not optional.

Yes, I made it from some oak boards and hardware.

Tough and simple.

My dirty sign on my dirty van.

The west end of Scotch Hill Rd. @ Reafield Farm Rd. The view I painted was the golf course.

The vision quest: Joseph Campbell got it right!

Rainy 44 F

This was taken on July 5th, 2014, on the trail to Bill's Bald Spot, overlooking Big Moose Lake in the Adirondack Mountains. I chose this to illustrate this post.













I've been wanting to describe what it is I do: battling dragons, saving the world from destruction, etc...but words are not my thing, then I found this quote. It's from the Bill Moyers interview with Joseph Campbell; I'm not unfamiliar with it, but yes it works here, below that is the link to the web site I cut and pasted it from, there is a lot more material and it's all great, so I'll let it go from there and prepare for my next chance to go paint.

Campbell: There's a certain type of myth which one might call the vision guest, going in quest of a boon, a vision, which has the same form in every mythology. That is the thing that I tried to present in the first book I wrote, The Hero With a Thousand Faces. All these different mythologies give us the same essential quest. You leave the world that you're in and go into a depth or into a distance or up to a height. There you come to what was missing in your consciousness in the world you formerly inhabited. Then comes the problem either of staying with that, and letting the world drop off, or returning with that boon and trying to hold on to it as you move back into your social world again.

http://mythsdreamssymbols.com/herojourney.html

Pettys Rd. Ext. the far view.

36  F  hazy clouds, no wind.

I forgot to put the battery in the camera, and I didn't want to bother with my cell phone; such bad photos.  This was done in the early afternoon, in between errands.

#491  Pettys Rd. Extention.

8x10

oil on prepared paper.








    I wasn't focused today, with the warmer weather, my shop is once again a workable place, and all those  projects I've put off because it was too cold are now front and center.  I enjoy them all well enough, but I hate to have painting squeezed so tight, and keeping the paint flowing, and the skills sharp is crucial. So it's better to have just a few minutes than none at all and that's what today was about.

   This is a big view, the hills way in the back, looking like the lower part of the sky are way far in the distance, the fence post in front is pretty close.  Everything else falls somewhere in between. It's not my usual scene,  most of my work is more intimate, but I wanted this today and I'm not even sure why.

    I put these three in the North Country Art's show in Glens Falls, it opened tonight. Last night the Battenkill Inspired show opened across the street in the Folk life center at the Crandall Library.

















Here is the link for that show, it's on a Facebook event page:

https://www.facebook.com/events/1414033062228671/1426224044342906/

As always, thanks to you, my dear reader, this blog would be nothing, and for that I'm greatly indebted.

Carney-Cassidy Rd. Mud season begins.

40  F  mostly sunny, a little wind.

It was delicious to be out on a warm and sunny day!


#490 Carney-Cassidy Rd.

12x16

I wasn't after a road, I wanted some pasture/farm subject, but here I was....

Lots of painters start with darks, this just seemed right.

Sky and "fixing" some of the snow.

At this point I was hopelessly lost.

Working my way back.

Here is where I ended up.

My scene at the start, close to monochrome.

Sight-size shot.

I wash my car when it rains.

My pallet, notice the thermos of coffee, it's been a long time since I was able to take a minute and have coffee while I'm out.

Finished February Paintings

         This February was the coldest on record, it was cloudy, snowy and generally impossible, but there were moments of beauty: the air and the light under extreme conditions gave me scenes that would not be replicated anywhere or anytime. It was my least productive in the last 3 years, but I got out and painted as much as I could and did the best I could, this is what I did:

 #474 Stevenson Rd.

2-1-15

8x10

#475  Shields Rd.

2-5-15

11x14

#476 Battenkill @ Skellie Rd.

2-6-15

9x12

#477 Barber Ave, Greenwich

2-11-15

9x12

#478  Cambridge Creek, from the roof.

2-16-15

8x10

#479  N. Park St.

1-18-15

10x8

#480  RR Ave.

2-20-15

11x14

#481  SAW Creek

2-23-15

8x10

#482 Hudson River, River Rd. Ft. Edward.

2-24-15

11x14

#483  Walloomsac River @ Henry bridge.

2-26-15

9x12











    That's ten paintings, all currently available as are many, many others, so if there's one you like e-mail me for availability and price, Thanks!

Clarks Mills, trudge in grey on grey.

40  F  light overcast

I wasn't sure what exactly I wanted today, it wasn't this, but I had spent a lot of time to get to this spot, I just had to paint it.  I had wanted some contrasts, I was hoping for some open water and strong shadows, I found a lot of grey, but I changed my tune and made it work.

The "Money Shot"

#489  Battenkill @ Clarks Mill.

8x10

I've been around this bridge a number of times, and without foliage, makes it possible.

Whites.

Sky and middle tones (they're  all middle tones)

There were a few dark tones.

Here is where I stopped.

Sight-size shot.

My spot.

This is where I "trudged in" mine were the only foot prints, do "normal" people do this?

I appreciate having this place and others to go paint.

My pallet, I was initially daunted by the lack of contrasts, but by embracing the subtle differences in greys, I think it worked out OK.