Two Lagoas

Two lagoas, pastel on panel, 9"h x 12"w.

 

 While revisiting the photos from a my Artist in Residence stay on the island of Flores in the Azores back in 2007, I came across one taken at the highest point of the volcanic spine of the island. The view from the miradouro overlooks two of the crater lakes found on the Morro Alto zone: Lagoa or Caldeira Negra on the left, and Lagoa Comprida on the right. In the distance one can see the hollows of two more craters: Lagoa Seca on the right, which is a dry caldera, and Lagoa Branca towards the left.

My stay on the island of Flores was memorable for many reasons, but mostly because of the magical quality of the landscape. The westernmost island of the Azores group, Flores lies on the American tectonic plate, as opposed to the rest of the archipelago on the European plate, and is quite isolated. I joked with the locals that with tectonic drift, in another million years or so, they might be our closest neighbors.

Flores has a total of seven calderas, all filled with water except for one. Each of them is unique, with vertiginous slopes and unusual vegetation. Only a bit of the endemic vegetation remains in the highest part of the island, known as the Morro Alto: sedges, ferns, mosses, and wind-sculpted native junipers. Most of the plants growing throughout Flores are imports from distant parts of the globe, brought by the ships that stopped here on their voyages around the world. With the very wet temperate climate of the north Atlantic, most of those plants have taken hold and propagated well beyond expectations. 

But in this highest part of the island where these two crater lakes are located, the landscape is still wild, as were the winds on the day I stopped here. Much as I wanted to stay to paint on location, the penetrating winds and cold made it very uncomfortable, so I settled for taking the photos.

The weather on Flores is very changeable, and even as I walked by the crates lakes, the clouds covered and uncovered the sun, creating unusual and lovely light effects. I wished I could return once more... doing this painting allowed me to project myself back to Flores again through the magic of imagination.

* * *

The pastel is on a Richeson premium pastel Gator board panel, a surface that is rapidly becoming my favorite, since it holds so much pastel powder. I toned the original cool gray color with a reddish-brown underpainting laid down with pastels and Turpenoid. After that dried, I started the painting, gradually building up the layers of color.

The First Crocus

 

The first crocus of spring is a long-awaited sight, signaling the end of winter and the beginnings of early spring. This year it took place on February 24, when the temperature rose into the 60's on a sunny day. The snow and ice on the ground had begun to melt the day before, and the watering sent these lovely buds up. Others soon followed.

I'd planted some mixed crocuses under my cherry tree some years ago, but hadn't seen any these yellow ones for the last few years, so it was a surprise to find several of this feathered yellow variety sprouting, along with one lone white one. I believe the yellow ones are of the species Crocus chrythansus 'Fuscotinctus.'

Several varieties of crocus in front yard.

Crocus tommasinianus , nicknamed "Tommies," is the one species that has multiplied most prolifically in my front yard. I'd read that rodents and other pests tend to stay away from this species, and with so many voracious wild creatures around here, it has lived up to its reputation, proving to be quite resistant. Every year the display gets better.

Crocus tommasinianus

C. tommasinianus growing with red thyme (Thymus coccinea)

Other early spring bulbs are starting to wake up, and soon my garden will once again be filled with flowers... I can't wait to see what the display will be like this year!

Continental Divide

Continental Divide, pastel on sanded panel, 9"h x 12".

On these cold, gray days of winter I long for warmer climes and sunnier days... but thankfully, in my studio and imagination I can revisit other summer days of yore. I was perusing some photos of my visit to Glacier National Park several years ago and found one I really wanted to use for a painting--it was taken some miles east of the continental divide driving on the Going-to-the-Sun Road. This side of the park is much drier than the western side, and has the typical vegetation of the northern prairies. These open meadows displayed an incredible assortment of wild flowers at the time of my visit in high summer: blue lupines, wild roses, daisies and blanket flowers, bee balm, flea bane and asters, as well as grasses and pines.

I worked on a Richeson sanded panel made for pastels, and was very impressed with the amount of pigment this surface can hold. I started with a very fauvist under painting in two values of pink and peach hues, burnt sienna and brown, and it took quite a few layers of colors applied on top to cool down the colors underneath. Only a bit of the under painting shows through.

 

Earlier version of the pastel

 

Above is an earlier version of the painting--I was in the process of modifying the composition to add a third tree to the foreground when I happened to drag my sleeve across the entire lower half of the panel, taking off most of the pigment I'd laid down! Well, after lamenting this little disaster for a while, it seemed like a serendipitous call to re-think the entire piece, and modify the val-hues from this earlier step.

Redoubling my efforts, I decided to cool down the foreground more, applying more of the Baryte green more boldly throughout the grasses in the foreground, and blueing the distant mountains more. Articulating the nearer flowers and grasses and blending the patches of color on the closer mountain range also helped to make a better distinction between the closer and farther distance. 

I'm  planning to try out several other pastel surfaces I have in my studio in the coming weeks as the spring equinox slowly wends its way toward the northern hemisphere again.

Snowy Morning

From my studio window.

 

A lovely view greeted me this morning when I looked out from my studio window. Such beauty is so fleeting in our area, I had to take some photos right away. A few hours later, the temperature had risen enough to denude the branches of their snowy decoration, but it was wonderful while it lasted!

 

My climbing rose.

From the front door.

Here is a short video of the birds in my front yard.

Mountain Mist

Misty Mountains, pastel on Wallis paper, 9.5"h x 17.5"w

 

I haven't been very inspired of late, so I thought a break from watercolors might be helpful. This piece of white Wallis sanded paper had been stored in my studio for a couple of years--I'd used it as a demo on how to use turpenoid as a solvent with pastels to tone the paper, an alternative to an under-painting. The image was a photo I'd taken a few years back at an overlook on Skyline Drive on a spring evening just as the mist was rolling over the mountains.

For starters, the proportions of the paper--almost twice as wide as high--were challenging. Modifying the composition of my photo to fit this proportion meant stretching the foreground over a much larger area than in the photo, and having to extend the line of trees that marks the break towards the backdrop of receding mountain ridges. The colors also had to be adjusted, as my photo was much darker, the foreground in particular. I wanted this piece to give the impression of a place full of mystery with the promise of spring.

I've labored over this piece for several of weeks, putting down pigments, then brushing some off, trying to make the painting "read" as believable. Some days I'd rub off everything I'd put down, unsatisfied with the colors, or the position of the darks, paring the painting back to an amorphous start, trying to find a way to make it work visually.

I don't know if the finished painting actually works, but it is what it is. I may submit it to Art at the Mill's spring show, or perhaps save it for the Blandy Sketch Group show (likely to be virtual only), but it was good practice for me. It's inspired me to start working in pastels more.

By the way, most of the paintings shown on this blog are for sale, in case anyone is interested in buying this painting or another. You can find most of them on my website: https://elenamaza.com or if you don't see what you are interested in, you can Email me to inquire.

More Feathered Friends

Mrs. Cardinal with woodpecker and sparrow

 

This pair of cardinals are shyer than the other birds--it's taken me a couple of weeks to be able to get some shots of them at the new feeder, but I finally managed it. Other birds weren't so shy, as you can see there appears to be a woodpeckers (perhaps a hairy or a downy woodpecker, or maybe two?) underneath the feeder, and a chipping or song sparrow also on the ground while Mrs. Cardinal takes her meal.

 

Mr. Cardinal, finally!

Mr. Cardinal finally landed on the feeder long enough for me to take some photos, while a sparrow scarfs up what falls on the ground. He's gradually gaining confidence--this morning I found him perched on the railing of the front porch! Sadly, after only a few days of this feeding frenzy, the fruit and nut block has vanished completely. I just ordered another five blocks--I hope this will last through the beginning of March, but at this rate, who knows?

Hairy woodpecker with goldfinch an d sparrow

Yesterday my front yard was full of birds, with one new species making an appearance--a hairy woodpecker. There may have been two of them, one I think was a juvenile, with a small red spot just above the beak, but I couldn't get a clear photo of that one. This  one above is an adult. 

 

Juvenile hairy woodpecker and cardinal

 

Red-bellied woodpecker male, with hairy woodpecker under the feeder

I wish I'd tried to take a video--the red-bellied woodpecker pair were back, perching on separate branches of the cherry tree, while one hairy woodpecker was on another branch, another small woodpecker and the white-breasted nuthatch were on the dogwood with the female cardinal, bunches of finches, dark-eyed juncos, chickadees, tufted titmice and sparrows flitted all around--on the branches, the ground, and the feeders. The male cardinal came to perch on the front doorstep a few times while this was going on. What an amazing show!

 

Five finches on the sock

Bird Feeder Frenzy

Female red-bellied woodpecker

 

I've been having such fun watching the birds at my feeders that I splurged and bought this wooden platform and more seeds for them. It took the birds a couple of days to get used to the new feeder on the ground, but now you can't keep them away! Yesterday the female red-bellied woodpecker came by for the first time. We believe there is a nesting pair living in our back woods--we've seen both creeping up the trunk of one of the old oaks in back.

 

She was much shyer than the male who had visited the week before--she made one pass at the seed and nut block and took something, but got spooked by another bird and scurried away a few seconds later. She must have been very hungry, because she came back some time later and stayed long enough for me to take these shots. She was back this morning, ready for more goodies.

 

Goldfinches on the finch sock

I filled the depleted finch sock two days ago and the finches and other small birds have been flocking to the finch sock since then. Lots of birds have been coming by: goldfinches and house finches, dark-eyed juncos, titmice, and chickadees. There must have been some twenty assorted birds in our front yard yesterday, in and out of the trees in front.

White-breasted nuthatch

One new visitor showed up--a white-breasted nuthatch. He's quite aggressive and seems to love the nuts and seeds. When other birds drive him away, he perches on the cherry tree and walks down the trunk head first--one of the few native birds that do this.

As you can see, my daffodils are starting to send up their first shoots through the mulch. Last night we had some icy rain, and this morning all the branches were glistening with frozen drops.

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Red-bellied woodpecker.

 

A new visitor showed up yesterday at my feeder on the cherry tree in front. This beautiful red-bellied woodpecker and his mate have often been spotted on the old oaks in the back yard--I suspect they may have a nest in one of the trees. He came to the feeder yesterday afternoon, and had a banquet with the left-over seed ornament. 

Interesting to watch his stance--feet grasping the seed ornament, balancing on the ground with his tail. He came back this afternoon. So did another three downy woodpeckers. I guess it's time to put more food out for the birds.

My Feathered Friends

Downy woodpecker with dark-eyed junco behind

 

A couple of years ago a friend gave me a finch sock filled with Njer seed late in the winter, and I hung it from one of the branches of the cherry tree in front of my house. It took the local finches almost a week to realize there was food there and start coming regularly, but once they discovered it, the birds kept coming back. When the seed was all gone, I bought more and replenished it until spring.

I enjoy bird watching, and feel fortunate to live in an area where we have such a large variety of species that live here year-round, with many more that migrate through every spring and fall. The large oaks in back of our house provide perches for so many birds, it's like having my own living nature show. But having a feeder has made it more fun because now I can see them at closer ranges. 

 

Downy woodpecker

 

I decided to expand my bird watching opportunities this winter by adding a bird seed Christmas ornament. I hung it up this week, and it's attracted more birds than I could ever have imagined! This downy woodpecker, which I see regularly on the big oaks in back through my binoculars, was so starved that he stayed at the seed stocking for a long time, while smaller birds congregated around him.

Titmouse at feeder

The moment the downy woodpecker left, one of the titmice from a group of four that had been on nearby branches waiting, descended upon the stocking, and they all took their turn. Our resident cardinals showed up too, but the other birds were so aggressive, they didn't stand a chance. Eventually they got tired of waiting and left.

 

Male house finch

Meanwhile, groups of finches perched on the finch sock, taking turns. You can see how much the sock has been depleted in just the past week. I've had as many as three at one time perched on the sock, but didn't manage to get a good shot of them--both gold finches and house finches. The dark-eyed juncos congregated, too, on the tree but mostly on the ground, looking for any seeds that the finches may have dropped.

I set up my camera with the telephoto lens on a tripod by the front door, taking these photos through the glass storm door. Unfortunately, the glass fogs up after a while and makes it difficult to get a clear shot. I have to close the door and wait for a while until the glass clears up again.

Black-capped chickadee

The black-capped chickadees were the last to show up--they came in the afternoon. The downy woodpecker returned the following day and stripped most of the remaining sunflower seeds, and the titmice and chickadees have been making the most of the remaining seeds on the tree ornament. It will probably be completely stripped by this evening, but no sweat, I have two more replacements. My cherry tree has become a beacon for the local birds!

2021 Plant of the Year

Wisteria frutescens, watercolor on paper, 12"h x 10"w.

 

It was an honor to be asked to illustrate the Virginia Native Plant Society's Plant of the Year for 2021. Each year VNPS designates a Plant of the Year as the focus of their mission to educate and promote native plants. It was late in November when they contacted me, and the illustration needed to be finished before Christmas so that the brochure could be produced on schedule for the new year.

I worked from several excellent photographs provided by VNPS, and since I had to work fast, I traced the outline from the photographs to get the proper size and proportions of the flowers and leaves. The inflorescence of this plant is a very complicated raceme consisting of lots of small, pea-like flowers, which needed to be carefully articulated in the drawing. I later refined my drawing as much as possible directly from the photos.

 

Pencil drawing from the photo.

 

The entire drawing seemed a bit larger than the actual flowers should be, though it is hard to determine the actual scale when you don't have the real object in front of you. I reduced my drawing by scanning it and printing it slightly smaller. I then traced this drawing in ink in order to transfer it onto the watercolor paper, re-arranging the leaflets a bit to give a better sense of the compound pinnate leaves.

Ink drawing for tracing

Next, it was time to start on the watercolor. Being right-handed, I generally start with the upper left corner. In this case, the upper left raceme of flowers and buds. Using Schminke's Brilliant Blue Violet, I laid down very pale blue-violet washes and gradually built up the deeper violet shades. The outer parts of the flowers are of a contrasting brownish red-purple shade, mixed from Perylene Maroon and Quinacridone Gold.

Starting the watercolor.

Continuing on the flowers.

The small raceme of flowers between the two larger ones was left lighter and in softer focus to suggest that it is located behind the other two. 

Adding the stems and leaves

After the flowers were almost finished, I started painting the leaves with yellow-green washes. The  yellow-green leaves are a close complementary color for the blue-violet flowers, but a little unnatural looking.

Working on the leaves.

Some toning down was needed with deeper shades of green to give a sense of the different planes of the leaves, of light and shadow. I'm very curious to see how the finished work will look reproduced for the VNPS Plant of the Year brochure.

'Tis the Season

Decorated for Christmas

 

On December 16 we had a some very wet snow that brought about nine inches. It would probably have amounted to more, but in the afternoon the temperature rose and the snow turned to rain for a few hours before turning back to snow. I had just finished putting up the outdoor Christmas lights a day or two before, and the fresh snow gave our house the perfect look for a White Christmas. At dusk, I just I had to run out and take some photos!

Christmas decorations

The following week was cold enough that the snow lingered on the ground, but alas, the day before Christmas Eve, another storm brought over an inch of rain and melted all the snow! Indoors, my Christmas cactus put forth its first flower-- a lovely pink and white bird-like creature. I thought that all three buds would open at roughly the same time, but the first flower has now faded and the other two buds will be a while before they are ready to open.

 

Christmas cactus flower

The Fabled Franklinia

Franklinia alatamaha, watercolor and graphite, 13.5"h x 10.5"w

 

My painting of the fabled Ben Franklin tree (Franklinia alatamaha) is finally finished. When I started this painting based on my field sketch last summer, I had been thinking of writing a post illustrating the process of painting it step-by-step, but as often happens, I forgot to take photos and ended up with only one intermediate photo, so that was not practical.

It's taken me a while to figure out exactly how to go about finishing this piece. I started experimenting, adding a few branches in the background to give a better idea of the tree's growth pattern using graphite pencil, so as not to detract from the one lovely flowering branch in color. I think this treatment works; the graphite fills in the background with a soft, silvery look that gives a better idea of the tree's habit.