THE KITTEN

First frost last night, beautiful day today. I've been away from home the last couple of years this time of year, and am realizing how much I've missed the fall here..... at least on the glorious days like today. I'm still dragging from my cold, but managed to walk with Van to the boat harbor. I stayed behind after he did some work on the boat and painted.

This old troller has seen better days; it hasn't been in the water in years. The blue on it is a tattered tarp.

UP THE RIVER

Its pretty hard to make myself go for a walk lately with roaming bears (we had 2 in the yard on Friday) and moose, fear of hunter's bullets, rain and wind..... mostly rain. And this cold (the coughing kind) still hasn't gone away but I took a short walk up the river this afternoon. I've been wanting to try colored pencils, thinking I could do something faster with them than with waiting for watercolor to dry.... I couldn't. I spent 20 minutes trying and turned my paper over and started a watercolor. It didn't go much better.

At least the values are right after a lot of reworking at home. It was a pleasant time there, but I was alert for any sounds behind me. And must remember to wear gloves the next time I go out.

LITTLE PANSIES

I've had a cold all week and haven't done much since Monday but sleep, read, and watch TV. Feeling better today and went over to the Gustavus Inn and picked a bunch of flowers.... some poppies, sweet peas, a dahlia, and these little pansies.

INSPIRED BY GEORGIA

On Saturday night, I watched a movie about Georgia O'Keefe. I've read a lot about her-- a biography or 2, have been a fan of her flower paintings for a long time and have seen a few for real, but for the first time I became aware of how large some of the paintings are..... in particular one of the red poppy paintings which are my favorites.


The white flowers that were shown in the movie really caught my eye which inspired me on Sunday to paint these petunias from my sun-room. I added the background today.

ANOTHER "LOOSE" PAINTING

Another day without rain and I put the kayak in the river at the boat harbor an hour before a 19 foot tide and paddled up the river. I got as far as the log near Page's cabin. Its such a pleasant paddle, really easy going with the tide both ways. Several people fishing, some in waders and some on the banks; lots of birds. I met Chris and Julie in their kayaks on my way back down.

I was reluctant to put yesterday's painting on the blog.... when I do them so fast, they never look like what I want...... without time for washes to dry, things just run together and I lose the color and shape of things. Well here's another one done too fast.

This is what I painted in a very few minutes... I wanted to at least get the colors right and kind of did, but failed on the values.

VISITS WITH FRIENDS

Yesterday, Thursday, another mostly rainy day, but I got out for a bike ride to Kim's and enjoyed and painted her view toward the mouth of the river.... high tide.


Today, no rain! I rode my bike to the PO and to Lois', had a nice visit and some delicious tea and painted the trees out her window.

NASTURTIUMS

Definitely an inside day..... haven't been outside at all except to do my twice daily slug patrol in the garden. Moose hunting season opened today and this being the only city in the state to allow hunting in the city limits, I choose to stay inside. And its raining again too.



I have been thinking about doing a woodcut of nasturtiums for a Baren exchange and have something like this composition in mind.... will have to do a lot less detail which is always a challenge fpr me.

A GORGEOUS DAY

I work for a couple or 3 hours most Mondays at the local second hand store, The Community Chest. It was raining as I rode my bike there this morning, but by 12:30 when I left, the sun was out for the first time in a while. The sky was beautiful and thankfully, I had my paint kit and went up north of the bridge to the river edge.


This was one of the two little paintings I did. I got the sky right on both of them, but the trees a different matter.... this was the best of the two.

I spent the afternoon in the garden. I harvested my potatoes and some cabbages... the largest was 25 pounds.

FROM THE SMOKEHOUSE

Still raining much of the time and getting a bit cooler... it's 48 degrees now at 3 pm. The last few days have been windy too... the wind stopped today though. I went on the Smokehouse balcony on Friday and got a start on 2 little paintings. Quite often I'll start a second one while waiting for the first one to dry before going back into it. The southeast wind came right onto where I was sitting and I didn't finish. But I walked over today about noon and finished both of them... no wind, no rain.



I started this one by first drawing with pencil on CP Arches and the drawing is more like the actual view than the second one which I didn't draw first.

I'm not sure what this paper is.... smoother and I like it for these small paintings. The color seems to lie on top of the paper and is brighter. On neither of these did I get the strip of water of Icy Passage to show as light as it appeared next to everything else. Its the values again.

ANOTHER RAINY DAY

It was a rainy and windy day. All afternoon I wanted to go for a walk. Now, after 5, with a glass of wine, up stairs on the computer.... no rain. I actually see blue sky above the fast moving clouds and know I should really go out for a while. But I'm so comfortable and I'll use the excuse that a bear walked through the yard today.

I'm loving the time of year. There is a relaxation of the activity of the summer.... friends who run a B&B stopped by today... the first time all summer they felt free to relax and visit. Another friend I talked to today took the day off and was reading a book. To me the storm outside is really rather invigorating to my senses. As everyone else is slowing down, I seem to find this a most productive time of year in the studio. I worked several hours on the commissioned piece I'd been avoiding for several weeks.... one inch at a time, and it is starting to look like what I have in mind.



This is from my studio window. The thermal-pane window from where I sit and paint has fogged up in the the last year and I haven't done much painting from it, and moved to the other one.... pretty much the same view. Some new color in the cottonwood and willow.

I don't have to feel guilty anymore for not going outside.... it's raining again.

THREE NEW POSTCARDS

Transition time: Van coming home for the fall and winter. He lives on his boat all summer and is here at home all winter. This has been our life for 38 years. A few of those years, I have spent some time on the boat, but for the most part I am home. Van being home, the fishing season (whether good or bad) over, the garden harvesting, the winter supplies in, the fish smoking, the fall color, and the tourist's departure all make for my favorite time of the year. And for the first time in months, I am anxious to get to the studio in the morning. It's about time.

VIOLA ON SUNDAY


I planned to paint in gouache on a black ground, but while looking for paper, I found some smooth paper that I think is Yupo and did this little painting of a viola. I gave it to Aimee at her birthday party Sunday night.

ZUCCHINI ON MONDAY (LABOR DAY)


A zucchini to go with the flower I did on Friday. I've had a bumper crop,the plants covered much of the time with my visquine a-frame. I splattered masking fluid for the spots on this before painting the dark.

GALLERY TODAY


I started this in June, worked on it some when the fireweed were blooming and finally finished today.... had planned to put on a brochure than never got done. I'll have it for next year.

ZUCCHINI FLOWER

The trip to town went well.... good weather both ways and while we were there. We got our winter supplies and visited Lee and Alyssa and came back sooner than planned.... I thought I'd have to fly home on Thursday to be home on Friday, but we were able come back on the boat on Thursday. I slept most of the way into Juneau and part of the way back and didn't do a bit of painting.

Yesterday, Friday, I helped lead a group of Elderhostel visitors on a walk on the Nagoonberry trail... or rather helped bring up the rear. It was a fun walk and I was able to answer most of the questions about the flora and a little more. I started a sketch while waiting for the group to come, but didn't have time to paint it.... maybe I"ll finish it and post another day. It was overcast and rained later in the day.

But today has been sunny and I spent much of the day in the garden.


Part of the time was spent painting this. Occasionally I'll try painting without drawing in pencil first. Maybe I'd get good at it some day if I did it more.

HEADING OUT OF TOWN FOR A FEW DAYS

I didn't have time to paint anything today. Have been getting ready to go to Juneau for a few days. We'll be going on the boat, a 7 hour ride, and and if it's not too rough I hope to do some painting on the way.


I sketched this on my walk Sunday and painted it after I got home. Its looking across the river near Sue and Lil's.

I'll be back here the end of the week.

OLD BOATS

It stopped raining this afternoon. I walked to the boat harbor at about 4:00 and set on our dock and did this of 2 old derelict boats in the slough. The one on the right is an east coast lobster boat that a local crab fisherman hauled from the east coast years ago and fished for years from. I can't remember where the other one came from.

WILLOW GALL

Another week of rain and I haven't been feeling very well, but determined to get out for a walk today. With brand new bear spray in my pocket, I headed towards the section line path to the beach, but after sloshing through the ditch which had running water in it and some more rain I decided to just go down to the river past Sue and Lil's cabin. Under the trees, I was able to do a sketch but not paint it before I started getting wet again.

I found this willow with a red gall on my walk and brought it home to paint. I did a more detailed rendering of the leaf with the gall on the right. Of course the sun came out and it was beautiful for about an hour after I got home. But it's been raining ever since.

I was surprised to find quite a few strawberries. I think I'll go back out tomorrow and pick some to bring home....also some nagoonberries.

BACK IN THE STUDIO

I don't think the rain has let up since Sunday. I didn't even go out in the garden today. This could go on for months.
I spent an enjoyable day in the studio; put the commissioned painting that I've been struggling with for several weeks away.... I need to go back to the scene when the sun is shining before continuing with photos.


I finished a couple of smaller things that I started in June or July (Yahoo!) and pulled out my gouache paints.

I painted this from a photo I took from the wetland trail in Juneau last year..... with gouache on 300# arches that I gessoed black.

BOLETUSES

I found these boletuses yesterday at the beach. I was planning to have them for lunch, but unfortunately for me, they were wormy.

I painted this in Fabriano paper book, about 7 x 9 inches.

MOUTH OF THE RIVER

I spent most of the day in the kitchen.... made bread, cookies and fixed up some greens from the garden in a favorite recipe that will keep me in meals for several days. Also watched the rain, until about 3:30 when I noticed it wasn't coming down anymore. Hopped on my bike and went to the beach. The tide was high, about an 18 footer. I walked down to the mouth of the river and looking north and painted this. I always have trouble with foregrounds. I had a little bit of white paint on my palette and kind of got the grass looking right.... only "kinda", the tide was going out and the shoreline kept changing. Love this smooth paper... Schoellershammer.

The sun came out for about a minute intensifying the colors. I found some boletes, not yet found by worms or slugs, which I brought home and will add to my vegetable concoction.

NEMETH'S HOUSE

Its been raining all week so I haven't been doing any outside sketching, nor walking. But this morning, it wasn't raining for a while and a walked to the boat harbor. Seems like every time I go there the tide is out, which is good because it is quiet.

I drew this standing up, and painted it after I got home. The foreground is beach grass which obscures much of the house. Lots of dead humpback salmon on the beach.

BOOK WITH IRIS

Back in June, a woman asked me to make a little sketch book as a birthday present for her artist husband. She had seen one of mine and wanted one the same size and requested that I paint an iris on the first page. As with most things, I kept putting off making the book and even longer to paint the iris.... I thought maybe she would change her mind or I could change her mind about me painting in his sketch book. His birthday is tomorrow, and I was finally forced to paint the iris. I usually paint flowers from life, but the irises are all gone now. I found an old sketch.... from 20 years ago.... and copied it.



Here is the book. You can see the little painting inside and the painting I copied on the right.
I used several kinds of paper and the cover is made from an old navigation chart which I waxed. It's a coptic binding. The book is 4 1/2 by 6 1/2 inches.

The copied iris on the left. Both were drawn with pen before painting. I'm noticing now that the right petal looks too small on both of these, more so on the one I did today.