Frisket or Not

As a young artist I believed that masking agents (tape, film, drawing gum or liquid masking fluid) created stiff, contrived watercolors. As the years pass, so has my opinion. I now think that these materials can be a great aid. For example, try painting a smooth, gradated sky around some light-toned, lacey branches. Well, you get the picture: it isn't easy unless you mask the lights. Also there are numerous textures that you can create by applying masking agents. Go to my website for my Winter 2010/11 newsletter . It's a short lesson in masking with a demo painting.

"New Snow, Grizzley Creek" is one example of frisket at work.

Is Snow White?

In my experience as a Colorado resident, the answer to this question is, "Only a small percentage of the time." When snow faces directly at the sun it appears pure white. Most of the time it will be a warm shade of gray. On days with bright sun casting hard-edged shadows, the snow will be warmer in the light and colder in the shadows (as in the photo above).

The opposite occurs on cloudy, over-cast days with diffuse shadows. In the photo below, the color temperature of the lights is colder while the shadows will be darker and warmer. You can also see that the edges are softer on an overcast day.

I like to look at and paint snow because it lends itself to watercolor techniques. In particular, I like to start wet-in-wet with stucturing the whites and then proceed by adding the hard edges.

Recently finished the fall newsletter where I talk about painting skies. See my website for more painting info.

Compositional Clarity

A question my students often ask me is how do you know what to emphasize/de-emphasize. I showcase my "first impression" or what attracted to the subject. It could be a single person in a group, the sunlight on a mountain top or a texture on rusting metal. Something first grabbed my attention. Whatever it is, this should be your star. Think of the other elements in the painting as supporting members; they are necessary but must be played down. So always ask the question, "what is this painting about?". If you can answer it, you're on your way to compositional clarity. A vignette is often a good way to get to the point.

A Summer for Plein Air

As the summer ends, it's still hot and sunny in Colorado and I've extended my plein air season. I love to take students out on location to work -- we see so much more by looking directly at our subjects vs. working from a photo in a studio. We see color and tone more easily, the scale is correct and gone is the exaggerated perspective of the wide-angle lens. Many of my original plein air sketches surpass later studio work. So I encourage everyone to get outside while the weather's good. Paint and enjoy it!

Newsletter on Glazing Now Available

Just uploaded my Summer Newsletter on a topic that's received a lot of interest in my classes and workshops: Glazing. It's a way to paint luminous backgrounds in watercolors that add interest and depth. I often start paintings by glazing with different transparent watercolors followed by more opaque pigments. This painting, "Riding in Style", is an example of glazing using semi-opaques for the final glaze. Enjoy!

In a Series, Part II

Preparing for an exhibition, I'm again painting variations on a theme. This time the subject is a series of views of Gore Creek in Vail, CO. On summer days, the streams edge is a popular place for waders of all sizes. I decided to concentrate on the children playing in or near the water. These paintings are composites from numerous photos and sketches of the view from the gallery with a goal of creating a sense of place on a warm day.

Spring Newsletter now available

Just finished my spring newsletter "Multiple Centers of Interest". This goes into more detail than previous posts.