Daily Paintworks Challenges

Rosebud, oils on canvas panel, 5" x 7." $75.00

Husband's Old Zippo, oils on canvas panel, 12" x 9." $75.00

I discovered the Challenges on the Daily Paintworks site recently and have been enjoying taking them up. Above are two of my entries submitted to the challenges. All of the artists' submissions on this website are so accomplished, it's hard to compete, but I'm hoping participation will bring me a bit more exposure and sales, as well as helping me gain greater skill as an artist.

You can see here all the entries to the A Valentine's Day Rose Challenge and The Zippo Challenge.

Any artist can submit to any of the open challenges; all you have to do is register on the site, sign in and upload your image--your entry will be posted after it's approved by the site administrator. I highly recommend this to all my artist friends: have some fun and challenge yourself today!

Iris Season

Irises in my Garden, oils on canvas, 12" x 9."

Irises by the Fence, oils on canvas panel, 9" x 12."

This week the bearded irises in my garden are blooming--for years I've been promising myself to paint them from life, but their season of glory is so brief, it was only this year I finally managed to get around to it. I've been going out early in the morning to capture the blossoms at their freshest. An added bonus is being surrounded by the wonderful perfume they exude.

The iris with lilac petals and deep purple falls is an older, very fragrant variety that my mother grew in her garden and gave me years ago--I brought it here from my garden in Sandy Spring. The blossoms of the deep maroon variety that was here when we bought the house are showier, but not as fragrant. They are both lovely, though.

I prefer the second painting: I think the effect of the sunlight filtering through the trees catching just a few blossoms works better than in the first painting. My blossoms in the first painting are too evenly spaced--I should have thought more about placement and composition. I had a wonderful time painting them both, though. I hope the blossoms will last long enough to try for at least one more painting.

I'm tempted to plant a third variety of iris for next year--what color should I choose: yellow, pink, or a blue and white bi-color? There are so many beautiful varieties to choose from!

The Church at Oella

The Church at Oella, oils on canvas panel, 9 " 12."

Last Friday the Howard Plein Air group met at Oella, an old village just north of historic Ellicott City dating from the early 19th Century. The town has an old country store and a quaint little church (Wikipedia says it's the historic Mt. Gilboa AME Church) down the street across from the store.

It was a brisk day and the greens of the new leaves and the grass just sparkled. I chose to paint the church because the curve of the street beyond made such an appealing composition (unfortunately, my placement on the canvas cut off the top part of the steeple). Despite this, I think the painting works: keeping the cool violets of the shadows against the warm colors of stone as pure as possible conveys the vibrant scene. I added part of a blue truck parked next to the church for extra punch.

In the afternoon I went back to Brighton Dam to paint another view of the azaleas, but the results weren't good enough to post. Below is a version of the color revisions of previous week's painting--I repainted the trees across the water to blue-green and brightened parts of the foreground for a sunnier look.

Azaleas at Brighton Dam (revised), oils on canvas panel, 11" x 14."

Azaleas at Brighton Dam

Azaleas on a Hill, oils on canvas panel, 9" x 12."

Azaleas at Brighton Dam, 11" x 14."

The Howard County Plein Air group kicked off  its painting year with an outing to near-by Brighton Dam last Friday. The day was sunny if a bit brisk and windy, and azaleas in a multitude of lovely shades covered the hillsides sloping down to the water.

I painted there last year, and everywhere one looks is so gorgeous, it's hard to decide what view to paint. The morning sun shone through the oak trees lining the eastern shore, setting off the tender green of the young leaves. I chose to compose my painting looking through the tall azaleas near me out towards the water (the lower painting) and started with the colors of the flowers, working my way around the painting back toward the distance. Unfortunately, I lost the effect of the light in the painting, and the colors got a bit muddy--not a very satisfactory result. I'll probably repaint this one and see if I can improve upon it.

I went back there the next day to try another painting, this time in the afternoon. In the upper painting I chose a view with masses of azalea bushes stepping down the hill to a path. The effect of the afternoon light slanting through the trees works much better in this painting, giving a true sense of the colors of this beautiful site.

I'd hoped to get back there again a third time before the weekend was gone, but the weather turned and a light drizzle started this morning. I hope to get back there one more time this season before the azaleas finish blooming.

The Ridge Trail at Daniels

Patapsco Valley Heights, watercolor, 14" x 10."

Continuing my exploration of the Daniels Area of Patapsco Valley State Park, the other day I found my map of the park and decided to hike a new trail. This trail climbs up behind a hill by the parking area and runs along the top of a rocky ridge on the southern bank of the river. There are several scenic overlooks where one could still catch glimpses of the river and the valley beyond through the emerging leaves. In another week the vegetation would be too lush to see much until the leaves come down.

This particular spot, with a clump of ferns perched on a huge boulder seemed perfect for a painting so I looked no further. I wedged my camping stool on another rock ledge and worked from this precarious vantage point. After the painting was almost complete I ate my lunch, enjoying the play of light and shadow cast by the puffy clouds. I put the finishing touches on the painting and waited for the paper to dry before repacking my gear. A breeze from the west cooled the unseasonably warm afternoon.

The trail continued along the top of the ridge for another half-mile and then descended a bit. A pair of woodpeckers were calling each other through the forest, and I caught a glimpse of one red head and a flash of speckled wings--probably a red-bellied woodpecker. I saw an old abandoned house I had passed by the week before, but the trail didn't lead there--instead, it continued diverging away from the river.

Further down, a side trail ascended again to another scenic overlook. I went up to orient myself and glimpsed the railroad tracks on the north shore--this must be about where I'd been the previous week when I painted along the river. I went down the hill and back onto the main trail which began to wind along a creek lined with skunk cabbage plants. This trail eventually met up with the riverside trail, and I hiked back on that.

Close-up of Wild Columbine

I looked for the spot where the Columbines had been and there were even more blossoms open this week--several clumps spilled farther down the rock and there was one plant right at ground level so I could take this close-up. Such a beautiful flower!

The Dutchman's Breeches seemed to have finished blooming--I couldn't find a single flower--but the fern fronds were starting to unfurl, and I found Maidenhair ferns, Miterwort, and Star Chickweed on the shady hillsides.

Ferns

Miterwort (Mitella diphylla) and Maidenhair fern

As I was nearing the parking lot, a bluejay screeched at me, and there were two bluejay fledgelings flitting near by, recognizable by their tiny crests.

For more photos of the Daniels Area of Patapsco Valley State Park see my Flickr album here.

Spring Flowers at Daniels Area

Spring on the Patapsco at Daniels, watercolor, 10" x 14."

Taking advantage of yet another sunny spring day, I went out to Patapsco State Park again. This time I chose the near-by Daniels area, noted for its north-facing hillsides with steep rock ledges where unusual flowers grow. I hadn't had a chance to explore this area in spring, and there are a few miles of hiking, so it was best to travel light. I tucked a small watercolor kit and camera in my backpack.

I was not disappointed--the ledges were covered with the fine blue-green foliage of Dutchman's Breeches, though only a few flowers were blooming. Tiny flowers of Early Saxifrage and Slender Toothwort had found purchase on the rocks. There was a brisk breeze blowing from the west, and I was glad I had a warm jacket.

Dutchman's Breeches (Dicentra cucullaria)

Early Saxifrage

Slender Toothwort

The most exciting find was a clump of Wild Columbines high up on a ledge of the tallest promontory. The flowers were a lovely bright pink with touches of yellow. I wanted to find a way to get closer to photograph them, but that could wait until after painting. I would take the photos on my way back.

In the meantime, I continued my hike upstream looking for a likely spot to set up and paint, eventually settling on a bend of the river where the silvery trunks of sycamore maples contrasted with the tender green foliage of the opposite bank. I ate my lunch and started painting. As the afternoon wore on the breeze died down and it got a little warmer, but my fingers were numb from the chill by the time I finished.

On the walk back I found a way to climb to the top of the steep rock formation from a more reasonable slope at the rear, but it was impossible to see the Columbines from above. No way would I risk a fall from such a height. I had to content myself with climbing a few feet up the sheer rock face and use the zoom to get as close as possible for this shot.

Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)

Early Spring on the Patuxtent River

Early Spring on the Patuxtent River, oils on canvas panel, 11" x 14."
SOLD

After several days of rain, yesterday was a beautiful,warm, sunny day. I headed down to one of my favorite places to paint--the McKeldin area of Patuxtent State Park. I love this stretch of the river just below the rapids, the gentle curve of the river and the unusual rock formations on the hillsides. There was only one other person there, a young man with two dogs who were having a great time playing in the water.

Last year I did two paintings at this same spot: one in September which sold within a couple of weeks, and another in October at the peak of color one lovely fall afternoon. I thought it would be interesting to document the same site at a different time of the year, and observe how the landscape changes with the seasons.

At this time of the year tender green shoots are emerging from the branches of some trees, bits of green are noticeable on the forest floor where spring beauties and wild violets bloom. Yet the bones of the forest--the tree trunks and hillsides- are still the main features. I took more time with my painting than I intended, stopping for a long chat with a couple from Ellicott City who were hiking the trail.  I ended up staying 'til mid-afternoon, intoxicated by spring fever.

Purple Asters II

Purple Asters II, oils on canvas panel, 9" 12."

 
This is a studio reiteration of a painting I did last fall at Brookside Gardens which sold. After Tim Bell's lecture in Easton this past weekend, I wanted to experiment with his ideas about composition in a studio painting that could be just as effective, if not better, than a plein air one, providing it was properly "designed." I also went back to re-read my Edgar Payne book on Composition of Landscape Painting. Voila!