Wednesday, May 28, 2008

The Girls Have Been Busy


I spent some time out in the mare and foal pasture last Friday, with the little guy above celebrating his 8th day on the planet. At eight days, he is already the largest of the four foals, larger even than Dublin, who is two months old. His momma is 1/2 draft, 1/2 Appaloosa. His dad is Ragtime, Kim's paint stallion. So far he's sweet, nameless, and potentially huge.

The other two new arrivals are equally handsome, and would seem large if not being compared to Little Big Man above.

Fargo, a buckskin paint and Tulsa, with her mom Malibu, who could end up black.

As I sat in the pasture, these two headed over to investigate a person sitting on the ground. I lay back in the grass and they slowly sniffed me, then started nibbling. I wrestled them for a couple minutes, then got up before things got too out of hand. Given the chance, Darby would point out how unusual that is for me. I usually wait til things are well out of hand. But she'll have to get her own blog if she wants to start making cracks like that.

Another mother has been busy, too. There is a family of foxes about 100 yards behind the studio. Originally three babies, now down to two. Very entertaining to watch, and I am sure it won't be long before they just seem to disappear one day.

Foxes. The fox I'm most fond of. It's really tempting to use this as a really bad segue into wishing my wife happy birthday. OK, so I just did. And referred to her as a fox. And she is. Happy 43rd, Darby.

Art related posts are perking. Several paintings, as well as some thoughts on my ongoing evolution.

Friday, May 23, 2008

What's your favorite color?

When my kids were young, this wasn't an infrequent question. Which I was frustratingly unable to answer. I'd usually end up with something like, Burnt orange. Hey, it's an answer.

The above color sample was my palette one moment, one day last week. My friend Dylan Strzynski and I were talking color last week, and found that both of us have kind of settled on a pallette of colors we're hapy with, and mix from there. I use Zinc/Titanium White, Alizaron Crimson Permanent, Cadmium Red, Cadmium Yellow Medium, Raw Sienna, Ultramarine Blue, Manganese Blue, occasionally Viridian Green, when I can't mix quite the right green. Green. The most challenging color. And Cadmium Orange. My favorite color? I don't have a favorite, but Cadmium Orange, man..........lush, rich. Wow.

I do love color.

Monday, May 19, 2008

Now that it's nearly summer,

Island in the Fall, oil on linen, 36 x 40 inches, gallery wrapped canvas

I'm about finished with fall paintings. I'm frequently asked how long a painting takes, and this is a good example of why I don't really know. This piece was started last fall, kind of lost my way on it over the winter, and figured out what was bothering me about it and finished it over the last few weeks. Layer over layer, I wander my way to a finish.

A couple more fall pieces need a little work yet, and I'm still wrestling with some winter, too.

Thursday, May 8, 2008

Spring


Jack's Place in Spring, study, oil on panel, 8 x 10 inches

I pass this barn frequently in the fall, on my way to my favorite steelhead river - a place that will not be mentioned by name. The barn is a beautiful old structure, starting to come undone a bit.

Usually when I go by, it is looking more like this.


Jack's Place, Winter Sky, study, oil on panel, 11 x 14 inches.

But spring is here now, the country is greening up, and I'm fishing other rivers and streams, fortunately a little closer to home.

Bend in the River, oil on linen, 24 x 24 inches.

Thursday, May 1, 2008

May Day


First day of fishing season. OK, not really. Most of the local trout streams are open year-round now, and for those who still insist on getting in elbow to elbow every year on April 1st, well, I think there’s a reason it coincides with April Fool’s Day. I like a little space while I fish.

Evening at the Willow Pool,
stone lithograph, image size 6 1/2 x 9 inches, from an edition of 125 hand pulled prints.

By the time May comes around, mud season is mostly over, water levels have dropped a bit, and the Hendrickson hatch is in full swing, with March Browns and Sulphers to follow. I had a great afternoon fishing with the Professor last week, and hope to slip in a couple hours this afternoon.



And as for May Day, Darby got a vase of Tulips this morning. And the Trillium is spread throughout the woods out back.