This is a watercolor, 11 x 14 inches, of a view looking downriver in the Deschutes River canyon in central Oregon. This is high desert country, and a favorite place of mine, where I've done an annual float trip with two friends each of the last 25 years. It is a wonderfully wild and beautiful place.
This is a quick watercolor study, about 9 x 7 inches, that I did last night based on a Birds and Blooms magazine photo. We have Red-breasted Nuthatches in our immediate area - to get White-breasted we would need to visit different areas of our state, although a couple years ago a White-breasted Nuthatch showed up in our town for a few days and drew quite the crowd of admirers.
This bird is our west coast version of the official east coast Blue Jay. This is in watercolor in a 7 x 9" ringbound watercolor notebook. The reference used is a photo I took in SW Washington state a couple years ago.
I've continued to do a lot of sketching and quick study pieces so haven't added much here for some time. Here are three watercolor pieces done recently as quick studies for larger pieces in several media. The first one is of three White-faced Ibis, birds that are very unusual to rare in my home state, so it was great to see these on a trip to Yosemite a few years ago. The reference photo I used was taken in the Klamath Lake area in great early morning light, which infused the whole scene with wonderful warm colors. I will definitely be doing this piece in a larger size, and probably in oil as well. The photo here has a pinkish cast that is not in the actual painting. This one is 10 x 14 inches.
The next one here is of Great Egrets at the mouth of the Salmon River on the Oregon Coast north of Lincoln City. This was again in early morning with very calm conditions. A flock of about a dozen Great Egrets flew in and fed very close to where I was photographing, so I grabbed a number of shots and used one for this reference. Again, I'll be re-doing this one, as there are some issues with it. This is a 9 x 12 inch painting.
This is another species rarely seen in my neck of the woods, and was also painted from a photograph taken at Klamath Lake, as for the earlier image.
I've been doing so much sketching lately that I haven't made time to do any finished pieces, so I decided to do one. This is done from a photo reference I took a couple years ago when I found this nest hole on a trail near my house. Fortunately I found it when I did because I only shot pictures for two days before the two young in the nest fledged and the nest was then abandoned. This piece is watercolor and gouache, 14 x 20 inches.
This is a quick sketch in a Moleskine notebook, about 5.5 x 8.5 inches, done in watercolor with an initial light pencil sketch. The species is a Bonaparte's Gull, a small and delicate (by gull standards) species. There is about half an hour in the sketch in total. These birds are common in certain parts of Puget Sound, but not in the areas where I typically bird. The reference was a photo I took several years ago.
This bird was the most frequently seen waterfowl on my recent float trip in central Oregon. It is a (female) Common Merganser, which is a diving duck that feeds on fish. The long, serrated bill is adapted for grabbing and holding slippery fish. These birds often perch on rocks and logs in the water in groups of a couple to as many as 15 or even more. This one is painted in watercolor, using a reference photo from a field guide book. The image here has a pink cast that isn't there in reality - I should have taken the photo in natural light during the day. Photoshop color-balancing didn't completely fix the problem.
Here are some recent bird sketches done with gouache, in a Moleskine watercolor sketchbook, about 5.5 x 8.5 inches.
This first one is a SPOTTED TOWHEE, a western species that is actually in the sparrow family that is a woods-dweller that is fairly shy. Its contact note sounds like a cat's meow.
The next painting is a STELLER'S JAY - the western USA's 'blue jay' (the official Blue Jay is an eastern bird, and both are in the Corvid family). These are aggressive, vocal and active birds, and also very handsome especially in direct sunlight illuminating their metallic blue top feathers.
The next bird is a goofy-looking shorebird called a BLACK OYSTERCATCHER. They are almost all black in the body, with a seemingly ridiculous long and strong chisel-shaped red-orange bill. This bill is used for prying open their prey - bivalves such as limpits, mussells, clams and oysters. They live entirely on rocky areas on the ocean shores where there are tidal swings. They do not dive underwater for food, so feed at low tide by scrabbling around on the rocks and finding bivalves to pry off and open.
The next image is an EASTERN KINGBIRD, a type of flycatcher bigger than the Willow Flycatcher and similar species.
And the final bird for this post - a TREE SWALLOW. The swallow species are all friendly and beneficial birds that consume a lot of bugs. I really like the metallic, almost irridescent blue on the upperparts of the Tree Swallow.
This is a watercolor, 7 1/2 x 5 1/2 inches on Arches watercolor sketchbook paper. It was done on-site (plein air) in about 1 1/2 hours. The salmonberry flowers are out now and hummingbirds are back in the area.
This is a 12 x 9" transparent watercolor done from a photo I took a couple years ago. This species is a type of flycatcher, aptly named because its food source is insects which are caught in midair as the bird flies out from a perch to grab the bug. It is common in WA state in the summer and its descending call of PEEEerr can be easily and frequently heard.
This painting is a 14x10" watercolor done from a photo I took a few years ago. This is a male bird - immature males and the females are the same basic pattern but less intense/bright colors.
This is a 10x14" watercolor done from a photo taken along the Deschutes River in central Oregon. The river is in a basalt canyon and so gets sun late in the morning and long shadows well before sunset. This is an area where two friends and I camp on an annual float trip.
I have been doing a lot of art related to classes, but not much on my own and haven't posted for some time. Here is a 10x14" watercolor I just finished. It is from a reference photo I took on a trip through central Oregon last year. This location is Smith Rocks, in the Crooked River canyon near Terrebonne, Oregon. It is a world-famous rock climbing destination. The rock faces which are so valued by the rock climbers are also very picturesque, especially in early or late light.
This image is about 9x12" in watercolor. It is from a reference photo for the monthly landscape challenge thread from WetCanvas.com for February of 2101. This was painted quickly - less than two hours - but came out reasonably well.
This painting is about 9x12" in watercolor with touches of gouache. The American Kestrel is the smallest member of the falcon family in the US, and is one of my favorite species of raptors. The painting was done from a photo that I took several years ago. This bird is a female based on the coloration of its plumage.
This is a quick watercolor sketch of a Whimbrel, a shorebird that I photographed several years ago at Tokeland, WA.
The Marbled Godwit is a shorebird species that winters on the Washington coast - specifically, they are traditionally found at the Tokeland, WA marina. When weather and tides are right, several hundred of these birds can be seen within feet of the boardwalk at the marina. This is a small watercolor study, about 5x7" on Arches watercolor journal paper. It was painted direct, with no preliminary drawing, although I did do a pen sketch in a sketchbook several nights before this was painted.
This image is a 9x12" watercolor on Arches 140# cold press paper, using Daniel Smith Prima-Tek watercolor paints with some touches of gouache. The Prima-Tek paints are great for landscapes, especially those with rocks or cliffs in them because the paints are mineral based and have a natural texture and granulating characteristics to them that lends itself well to rocks. This was painted from a reference photo my neighbor took this August on his 15-day float trip through the canyon. Although the canyon is fairly large, it has the feel of a slot canyon, becauuse most of it is in shaded light due to the towering canyon walls. The one spot of direct sunlight where the stream disappears around the bend attracted me to the image - that spot gives a natural focal point and is a nice contrast with the colors and shaded lighting on the rest of the canyon. The water really is a chalky blue there, due to dissolved minerals in the water.
This painting is a 9x12" watercolor study done for my neighbor, who was fortunate enough to take a 15-day float trip down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon in the summer of 2009. He has asked me to paint several scenes from his photographs of the trip. The colors in the photograph of this image are not quite like the original (it's very tough to get good photographs of paintings) but give a feel for it. I probably will re-do this one with a few changes (hopefully improvements) but it was a good study to get a feeling for the scene.
This is a 9x12" watercolor of a Northern Pygmy-Owl, a quite small but highly aggressive species that is a diurnal hunter.
This is a 9x12" watercolor (with a small amount of gouache) painted on Arches 140# watercolor journal paper. It was caught (and released) by my doctor who provided a reference photo.
This is watercolor, approximately 9x12 on Arches 140# watercolor journal paper. It was painted from a photo I took at Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge in a spot of early-morning sun. Sparrows are one of my favorite families of birds, despite the difficulty of identifying them (they're mostly all 'little brown birds'...!). The Savannah Sparrow is an open-meadow habitat species, and one of the key field ID marks is the yellowish wash over the eye, although the degree of prominence of this field mark can vary greatly from individual to individual and within subspecies.
This is another watercolor journal image, done on 10x13" Arches paper. It was painted from a reference photo I took several years ago. I was hiking on a suburban 'trail' when not just this one, but two bucks appeared. The lupine was near its peak bloom and the bucks were both in velvet, so I shot away with the camera for a couple of minutes. This was the best image compositionally, with the deer moving downslope and in mid-step, giving a lot of movement to the image. I'm going to try painting this image more carefully in the studio as well.
The Ponderosa Pine country east of the Cascade Mountains is one of my favorite areas. This ranch is near Cle Elum, WA and is in a gorgeous setting. This is a watercolor about 9x12".
My band played at a bluegrass festival held in Tygh Valley, Oregon in September of 2009. The area has a lot of birds, and while walking around, I found this Western Scrub-Jay, conveniently atop a fence post not too far away. I snapped a could of quick pictures and decided it would be a good subject to paint. Overall, I'm pleased with how it came out.
This is a watercolor sketch, approximately 9x12", done for a friend at his request. Red-tailed Hawks in courtship flight circle slowly and occasionally drop their legs from their normal tucked-in position. The large bird here is a dark-morph Red-tailed Hawk, which are relatively common out here in the Pacific Northwest.
These images were done in a watercolor class. We first picked an animal skull from a museum selection and painted it to get an idea of the animal's anatomy. Then we painted the animal's head itself - here the image used as a reference was obtained from a web reference source. These were quick works and were a good exercise - I may do another series taking more time later.
This is a watercolor portrait of my yellow Lab Bekka, done from a photo. She is 13 years old as I write this, but the picture used was taken four or five years ago - she's got more white and a narrower face now. This is really the first portrait of any kind I've attempted, and I'm pleased with how it came out.
This image is a 'monthly challenge' image in the Landscape forum on WetCanvas.com - their monthly challenges are a great way to practice different types of images and media. This is 9x12 watercolor on Arches 140# cold press paper.
This painting was done from a reference image on WetCanvas.com for the September monthly landscape challenge. It is 9x12" on Arches 140# cold press paper, using a couple of touches of gouache in a few areas.
This image was painted in about two hours in a weekly plein air painting group. It is from Kubota Gardens, now owned and maintained by the City of Seattle. The gardens has an interesting history and is a beautiful location for painting, photography or just to wander and ogle the plants and garden design. This is watercolor, about 6x9".
I recently took a three-day plein air watercolor workshop at Sitka Center for Art and Ecology near Lincoln City, Oregon - with Molly Hashimoto as the instructor. I have taken several classes from Molly and I enjoy her painting style and ability as a teacher. This image is a small one - 4.5x8" - painted quickly from a photo I took early in the morning at the Salmon River estuary near Sitka Center. It is done in a Moleskine watercolor notebook and probably took about an hour to complete.
This painting was done on Medical Lake, near Spokane, WA in about 1 1/2 hours. It is watercolor, about 6 x 9" and done on Arches 140# cold press journal paper. The photograph has a slight greenish cast to it that does not exist in the original.
This image is watercolor in an Arches bound journal sketchbook, final image about 6x9". It was painted during a local art organization's weekly plein air paintout at a nearby park. Worked on it for about 2 1/2 hours and decided it was done. I'm fairly pleased with how this one turned out.
This was painted during the morning at an informal weekly plein air session at a nearby botanical garden. It is about 6x9" on Arches 140# cold press paper in a bound sketchbook. I was reasonably pleased with the perspective on the building, something that is always a challenge.
This image was painted from a campsite on the Deschutes River, looking across the river to the Warm Springs Indian reservation. It is about 6x9", done on 140# Arches wirebound journal paper.
This is the first of two garden scenes I painted for a watercolor flower/gardens painting class.
This is the second of two garden scenes that were painted for a watercolor flowers/garden painting class.
I have always liked the 'pen and wash' style of image, but have only done a few of them - typically quite small in a travel journal type thing. I decided to try this image (one of the images for the WetCanvas.com May monthly challenge in the landscape forum) in pen and wash. I first drew the buildings and other features with pen (freehand, I'm sure you can still...LOL!) and then did the wash and painted in the tree. I like how it turned out for my first real attempt at this style, despite the fact that there are perspective issues all over the place here. I'd like to say I planned it that way, but I think it had more to do with being really tired late one night when I finished the drawing part. It is about 9x12" on Arches 140# cold press paper, using a Sigma Micron 05 pen and Daniel Smith watercolors.
This painting was done for a watercolor landscape class I'm taking that focuses on painting water. This was for an assignment that included painting headlands. This particular type of rock is different from the typical Pacific NW headlands and seastack rock that I have more experience with, and I found it a challenge. I think that overall it turned out acceptably for my current skill level.
This is one of the few still lifes I've attempted, and was done for a watercolor flower class I'm taking. I'm fairly pleased with how it turned out, actually - not a common occurrence, LOL! The paper texture shows more in this photo than IRL, and the one leaf that is cut off here is not in the actual painting.
This painting was done from a reference photo made a few years ago on a motorcycle trip through eastern Washington state. We found this great old truck and building, and other great old antique stuff lying around so stopped for some photography. This painting is about 9x12" in watercolor and is one of the first I've attempted that isn't pretty much a poor landscape. The painting in real life is brighter than the photo shown here.
This river scene is done in watercolor at 9x12" on Arches 140# cold press paper. The battle to avoid too much detail ('fussiness' as one of my workshop instructors called it) continues. (How is it possible to consciously know you should be putting in less detail and yet always do it? I guess it's a left brain - right brain thing.) Relative to where I am on the learning curve, I think this one came out ok - I got a better sense of distance and atmospheric perspective on the far canyon wall, I think. The one potential area that I might do some more work is on the main part of the river. The value is a little too light in the painting versus the reference photo. However, I was concerned that do another glaze layer (blue or blue-green) over the water might cause some other issues (i.e. I might manage to screw the last step up) and so I opted to consider it 'done' for now. After letting it sit for a couple of weeks I'll look again and decide whether to add another glaze.
This 9x12" watercolor shows North Sister and Middle Sister from a vantage point near Sisters, Oregon. South Sister is not visible from this outlook. I will try painting this scene again later, but I think this is one of my more successful paintings in my very limited 'career' to date...LOL. The photo reference, a photo I took following a section hike on the Pacific Crest Trail a few years ago, is pretty dark overall, since it was early morning when the image was taken. The foreground rocks were the toughest thing to paint in this image. Overall, I'm pleased with how it turned out relative to my current (beginning) abilities.
This is a 9x12" watercolor using a reference photo from my annual float trip down the Deschutes River in central Oregon, just a big upstream from Davidson Flats for those who may be familiar with the river. I'm definitely going tmake at least one more try at this image. I like the scene because it is so typical of the Deschutes, but here I got too carried away with detail (the hardest thing for me to avoid doing with my paintings so far) and I also think the depiction of the river can be improved. Overall, though, it's better than I could have done a couple of months ago.
This is another watercolor about 8x10" done pretty quickly with an attempt to be fairly loose in style. The reference photo is one of three in the March WetCanvas.com landscape channel monthly contest. Arches 140# CP paper using Daniel Smith paints. Although this is a pretty basic scene, I think it is my most successful watercolor landscape to date - the distant trees and ridge aren't too detailed, the sky reads pretty well and the perspective works ok.
This image is about 7x10" on Arches 140# paper, in watercolor. The reference photo is from the March challenge in the landscape forum on WetCanvas.com. I succeeded in making the background trees a little looser than my typically too-detailed approach, though I probably overdid the 'scoring' technique to suggest some tree trunks. The perspective on the water is off as well - it does not look flat enough. However, the overall pallette and feel I've gotten on the image I'm happy with.
This painting is 9x12" and was done from a reference photo taken of a spectacular sunset in the Fiery Furnace area of Arches National Park several years ago. We were on a trip through that area and happened to be in this area for the magic last five or ten minutes of light which lit up the red rock with amazing color under a great sky.
March 25, 09 looking back...
The sky has some hard edges to it that should have been softened. Otherwise, I like it pretty well and couldn't do it much better than this given my current skill level
This is my second attempt at this scene, after an unsuccessful first attempt. My lack of experience in painting (and art overall) created some issues with the first attempt. The perspective on the bridge, the value range, the contrast between the foreground vegetation and the water and the sense of depth were all improved in this version. It still has a long way to go, but as a person with very limited experience in any kind of any, I think I'll wait until I have a couple of more months under my belt before trying version 3.
March 25, 2009 looking back... OK, so I 'cheated' on this bridge. Rather than struggle with my current lack of drawing experience, I blew up an image to the size of the paper I was planning to use and traced the bridge to get it right. I think this one has better value contrasts than the previous one and certainly is an overall improvement. However, the flowers were (I think) better in the first image.
This image was painted from a photo taken in Kubota Gardens in the Seattle area. It was painted for a landscape class that focuses on trees, shrubs and gardens in the landscape. This image will be re-painted, as there were some problems with my first attempt - ah, the price of learning something new - but there are some aspects of it that look ok to me. *** March 25, 09 looking back on this one. The background trees are not as detailed as earlier images - a good thing - but still not done as well as I would like. The big problem here, however, is the 'twisted' moon bridge. I sketched it freehand and it looks quite twisted counterclockwise at the start of the steps.
