Alaska, Near Denali

 

Drawings (from left to right):

1. Unison soft pastel over Windsor & Newton watercolor on Arches watercolor paper (white tone, 7″ x 10-1/4″), July 2009.   
2. Conté pastel pencil and Unison soft pastel on Cartiera Magnani Pastello paper (light blue tone, 9″ x 12″), July 2009.  

My productivity lately has been somewhat slow but I’ve (finally) finished a couple of new pastels based on sketches and photos from our recent trip to Alaska.  This broad sweep of distant river near Denali begs further study and is a composition I’ll probably continue to work with in the coming months.  In both versions above I’ve tried for a very atmospheric feel, first using watercolor washes as an underpainting and in the second building up lots of cross-hatched, loose lines in pastel pencil and soft pastel.  These beautiful vistas were a constant source of amazement for us throughout our travels in Alaska – wilderness as far as the eye can see with no roads, buildings, or power lines.

Studies from the Last Frontier

Conté crayons and pastel pencils on Sennelier l’Esprit du Pastel paper (gray tone, 6″ x 9-1/2″), June 2009.

We’ve just returned from a two-week vacation in Alaska and we had an absolutely wonderful time.  After spending a weekend in Vancouver, British Columbia, we boarded a cruise ship and spent the first week of our trip traveling up the coast into Alaska, visiting small towns and watching for wildlife and glaciers along the way.  On arriving in Anchorage, we then flew to Prudhoe Bay on the Arctic Ocean and then traveled by tour coach and train south over the second week of our trip, spending two days in Denali before returning to Anchorage for the trip home.

I managed some sketching throughout the trip but got far less done then I had expected.  During much of the cruise you could find me on the open decks with my spotting scope looking for wildlife, and on those days searching for whales usually trumped sitting and sketching.  On the overland trip down from the still frozen Arctic Ocean, what was most fascinating for me was seeing the barren tundra becoming rolling hills and then mountains with taller and taller plant life until we crossed the Brooks Range and saw the trees gaining in height and diversity as we made our way south.  Seeing the change in the wildlife that inhabited each ecosystem was also really incredible.  Between all of this I did manage some sketches along with the pastel studies I’ve posted here this afternoon.  The vastness and scale of the landscape was overwhelming to me, though, and it will take some digesting of all we’ve seen to produce some more successful works.

I had hoped we might see a few whales along the way but could not have imagined that we’d encounter as many as we did.  We had literally dozens of sightings, mostly of humpbacks and orcas.  We also saw many Dall porpoises, Pacific white-sided dolphins, sea lions, a couple of seals, and nearly thirty sea otters.  Having never seen any of these animals in the wild before, this was all a thrill to me.  We were excited when we spotted our first bald eagle but over the course of our week of cruising the coast we saw so many that we often didn’t bother to point them out anymore.  On land, we saw brown bears, a black bear, numerous caribou and Dall sheep, two herds of musk ox, a timber wolf, an artic fox and a red fox, moose, beaver, snowshoe hares, and arctic ground squirrels.  I’ll spare you the list of birds (I carried a bird guide for Alaska and took notes with each spotting), but highlights included golden eagles, ptarmigan, and tundra swans.  In addition to all of the wildlife, we were fortunate to have (apparently) unusually pleasant weather through much of our trip, too.  In all regards the trip exceeded our expectations and I’d highly recommend it – we’re already plotting out our next itinerary, although it may be a few years before we get back there again since it’s a really long way from the East Coast.  I’ll be spending the next few days getting acclimated again to work, adjusting to the time difference, getting back to eating lighter meals, and getting adjusted to seeing nighttime again (we have photos from Prudhoe Bay taken at midnight where the sky is bright and sunny).  I’m also looking forward to catching up on my artist friends’ blogs to see the work you’ve all been doing while I’ve been away.

More Restraint

Unison soft pastel, Conté carres and pastel pencil on Twinrocker May Linen paper (light cream tone, 14″ x 17″), May 2009.

A couple of days ago I wrote that “restraint” was the operative word for me as I developed this composition of a field out on the flat eastern end of Long Island.  Despite the richness of color in the grasses, which was what attracted me to the spot, the overcast and foggy late afternoon light called for muted tones and a simple statement.  I spent most of the weekend working on this larger version of the composition, done on a full sheet of handmade paper (which you can see is happily buckling at its sides).  This feels to me closer to what I wanted to say about the place, and I managed to practice a bit more restraint chromatically as well.

Studies from Eastern Long Island

Unison soft pastel and Conté pastel pencil on Hahnemühle Ingres paper (gray tone, 8″ x 10″) May 2009 .

Last weekend we took a drive out to eastern Long Island and as we passed a large open field I was struck by the golden reddish-brown color of the grain covering much of the open space.  The rich color nearly glowed despite – or maybe because of – the diffused light from an overcast and somewhat foggy atmosphere.  We pulled over and I set about producing two quick sketches (see below).  Since then, I’ve been working my way towards a more finished drawing using this simple composition.  The word that’s been stuck in my head throughout has been “restraint” as it seems to me that very little excess in any direction would spoil the emotional quality and chromatic balance I’m striving for in this landscape.  As it is, I discovered too late here that I overstated the warm orange quality of the field.  While I was able to reduce it somewhat, I decided to cut my losses and go with what I had arrived at rather than risk overworking the colors into mud.  The patches of grain also feel a little too solid here, as if they were poured out over the green field like cement rather than being loosely blowing grasses.  In any case, I had figured on this being my last study before attempting a larger drawing of the composition, so I’ll now have the opportunity to try to get it right on the larger piece (which is started and on the easel right now). 

It turns out I took away something a little less pleasant from this pretty spot apart from sketches and happy memories.  That night I found a tick on my leg and will have to be a bit more cautious going forward.  While drawing in the field I had thought I felt something small crawling up my leg but figured it was an ant and swatted at my pants to get rid of it.  Several days later a little red bump formed on my leg, at which point it seemed an unplanned visit to the doctor was probably a good idea.  I’m happy to say there are no signs of Lyme disease but we’ll continue to keep an eye out for it.  From now on we’ll be sure to have some bug repellent handy in the car for these impromptu stops – a small first aid kit wouldn’t be a bad idea either.

And for those who are interested, I’ve included below the sketches I did on site (which, in retrospect, don’t really look like much at all - good thing I was there and have some recollection of what the place was like) and two small preliminary studies where I was working out color, value, and proportions – displayed in the order they were completed.

     

Drawings (from left to right):

1. Conté carres and pastel pencil on Cartiera Magnani Velata paper (light cream tone, 8″ x 12″), May 2009.   
2. Conté carres and pastel pencil on Cartiera Magnani Velata paper (light cream tone, 8″ x 12″), May 2009.  

3.  Unison soft pastel and Conté pastel pencil on Hahnemühle Ingres paper (gray tone, 4″ x 5″) May 2009 .

4. Unison soft pastel and Conté pastel pencil on Hahnemühle Ingres paper (gray tone, 4″ x 5″) May 2009 .

Lieutenant River at Old Lyme, Early Spring

Unison soft pastel and Conté pastel pencil on Twinrocker Calligraphy Cream paper (light cream tone, 9″ x 9″) May 2009 .

This drawing was done from sketches I made and reference photos I took last month on the grounds of the Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme, Connecticut.  An initial attempt at this composition yesterday went badly and – after more study of the hues and value relationships – I started again and am feeling better about this second effort.  I think my next purchase will be some good lighting that I can set up beside my easel and can also shoot photographs of finished work with.  Getting a good photo of this drawing was especially difficult despite a bright sunny day here so better artificial lighting is probably the way to go.

Wolf Kahn at Ameringer | Yohe

Ameringer | Yohe | Fine Art represents Wolf Kahn and has a wonderful exhibition of his recent pastels and oil paintings on display through June 5th.  I highly recommend a visit to the gallery if you are in our about New York City during the next month.  My office is located just a fifteen minute walk from the gallery and I made a visit last Friday after work. 

The format of this exhibition is particularly nice in that an evolution is shown from pastel drawings to larger oil paintings for a number of different series that Kahn has been working with from 2007 through ‘09.  With each series, two or three pastel studies are displayed beside the oil paintings they inspired, and Kahn accompanies this with brief written commentary that describes his thought process, giving greater insight into the progression of the work.  In some cases, color and form become more pure and defined as the paintings in a series evolve.  In others, certain colors take on new dominance or a mood only hinted at in the initial pastel sketches takes on greater prominence in the oil paintings.  The gallery has published a beautiful catalogue to accompany the exhibition and they’ve made it available online for download and viewing.  The catalogue includes almost all of the works from the exhibition as well as Kahn’s commentary.  If you’ve read Wolf Kahn’s books, you’ll be familiar with his very personal, pleasant, and informative style of narrative.

Visiting the gallery was especially exciting for me because this is the first time I’ve seen Wolf Kahn’s work in person.  I love the vivid, fresh sense of his drawings and paintings – they have a directness and strength that I aspire to in my own work.  It was a pleasure, too, to be able to enjoy this work without the bustle and push of the crowds you meet in the museums here in New York.  Apart from the pastels and oil paintings on exhibit, the gallery had numerous other framed pastels by Kahn and looking through these was a real treat.  I nosed my way back into the framing room where a number of Kahn’s drawings were being matted and then down a hallway to the gallery’s back office where several other pastels by Kahn were hung.  I could nearly imagine myself selecting a drawing, having it wrapped up to go, and proudly walking out the door with it.

While I didn’t actually buy any drawings (much to my wife’s relief – I almost had her believing me when I joked that I had), I bought the catalogue for the exhibition plus two catalogues published for previous showings of Kahn’s work.  The gallery does a remarkable job with these beautifully published books and they’ll be a pleasure to have here at home.  I’m looking forward to getting back to the gallery once or twice more while the exhibition is up.  I find that I get a lot out of pondering work I’ve seen on display, spending time looking at it some more in the catalogue, and then going back to see it again in person.  Kahn’s work rewards this kind of contemplation so I’ll be making the most of the exhibition while it’s up.  Maybe I’ll see you there!

Hudson River and Catskill Mountains

   

Conté carres and pastel pencil on Cartiera Magnani Velata paper (light cream tone, 4″ x 12″), May 2009.

Loriann’s recent visit to Olana along the Hudson River helped motivate me to get there yesterday myself for a long-planned visit.  Since the weather was cooperating for drawing en plein air, we decided not to spend anytime indoors touring the famous house, home of Frederic Church, and instead set up outside to enjoy the view.  When I started, the sky was overcast and threatening rain (see the drawing above at left).  A couple of hours later, the clouds drifted off to the south and we had bright sunny skies.  Four hours and a little sunburn later, I had finished two very different drawings.  We’re already thinking about our next trip to Olana – maybe in early July – and I look forward to drawing there again soon.

Conté carres and pastel pencil on Cartiera Magnani Velata paper (light cream tone, 9″ x 12″), May 2009.

This morning I had less than an hour to draw and it felt as though rain was coming on quickly.  I set up in a favorite spot in a field near my parents’ home and worked as quickly as possible to produce the drawing above.  I’ve drawn this view many times (see my March 29th post for the most recent sketches).  You might notice that the tallest mountains at about the center of the drawing match the shapes of the mountains in the drawings I did yesterday from Olana.  These are in fact the same mountains sketched from a greater distance away.  At the right edge of the drawing, at about half the height of the page, the light silvery-blue horizontal mark is a small stretch of the Hudson River.  Little glimpses like this of the river are visible down in the valley below, even from this far away.  Right now the beautiful yellow-greens of the new tree leaves contrast nicely with the cooler, damp greens of the grasses in the field.  By the time I get back upstate this summer it’s likely to be much more green, which will present a different set of challenges. 

On Friday evening I visited the Ameringer Yohe gallery here in New York City to see the current show of pastels and oil paintings by Wolf Kahn.  I’ll write more about this in a day or two but if you are near the city and have the chance, I’d highly recommend visiting the gallery to see this work.

Drawing in the Park

 

Conté carres and pastel pencil on Cartiera Magnani Velata paper (light cream tone, 9″ x 12″), April 2009.

The weather here today topped out above eighty degrees and it was a warm day to be drawing in the park.  Things were quiet enough when I started out but within several hours the park was filled with people.  Also, with many trees still light on foliage, shade was scarce.  I managed to find a nice, shady out-of-the-way spot right near a small tree that is just about to blossom (maybe some kind of cherry tree, I’m not sure) and managed two drawings before the sun had shifted to directly above me.  

With my easel set up I managed to attract onlookers, despite the intentional inconvenience of the spot I had picked to work in.  One very young girl in particular took a real interest and had much to say about my drawing.  While she felt the color of the tree’s not-quite-opened blossoms was about right, she was concerned that I had left out some of the dandelions on the ground.  I added some yellow flowers to appease her but she thought that these were much too hard to see.  Helpfully, then, she ran under the tree to point out the larger weeds that I had carelessly left out of my drawing and suggested that I begin adding in these as well.  Our discussion was wide ranging in scope (favorite colors, favorite birds, a recent field trip she had gone on where she saw dead butterflies, etc.).  At one point she asked where I lived.  When I replied that I live in an apartment next to the park she quickly asked where I was really from.  Somewhat confused, I told her I was “from around here,” not really being quite sure what she meant.  Now sounding somewhat irritated, and as if speaking to a very dull student, she said “No – what country are you from?  Like Colombia.”  She seemed to find it hard to accept that I had been born right here in these United States.  This speaks, I suppose, to the long-suspected but recently confirmed fact that we live in the most ethnically diverse community in the country, so perhaps being born here does make me something of an oddity (that and drawing in the park in eighty-plus degree weather).  Soon she brought her family over to see what I was up to and that seemed to encourage most everyone else within view to come take a look as well.  Fortunately, by then I was too hot and tired to be cranky so I kept at it with as much focus as I could muster until I had lost the last of my shade and decided to retreat indoors.  Maybe next time I’ll leave the easel at home to see if I can go a little less noticed.

After Henry C. White

Unison soft pastel and Conté pastel pencil on Cartiera Magnani Pastello paper (gray tone, 9″ x 12″), April 2009.

In my last post, I mentioned enjoying an exhibit of pastels by Henry C. White (1861-1952) at the Florence Griswold Museum in Connecticut.  A number of drawings by White especially stood out for me and one in particular, Early November Marsh, seems to capture the aesthetic that I find myself striving for so often in my own work.  It seems “just barely there”, so delicately understated in its rendering that the vision it presents could be easily lost but for White’s gentle placement of pastel.  The trees are portrayed – not by sketching out each branch – but instead by filling in the color and tone of the sky around them, leaving much gray paper untouched to represent the middle values.  In a few places, otherwise low-keyed color glows warmly, helping to draw the viewer into the scene - for example with the few remaining red leaves on the tree at the right side of the composition. 

I decided to try to copy this drawing in an effort to better understand the qualities I find so appealing here, and I’ve posted my effort above.  I used a sheet of paper that was similar in size, format, tone, and texture, and worked with care to match values and hue as closely as I was able.  While I didn’t try for an exact facsimile, I did try to follow White’s strokes and his handling of the pastels (for example, rubbing out color where he had done so).  I suspect it took me much longer to complete.  White did the drawing en plein air in autumn so I can’t imagine he spent the five hours on it that I did, and I imagine that much of his work on the drawing was an immediate, spontaneous response to what he saw around him rather than my studied effort at matching color and tone.

This exercise of copying White’s work was a good experience for me, I think – especially as I strive to improve my own ability to capture the essentials while sketching on location.  I’m giving thought now to doing some further copying, with maybe another try at this drawing (on a lighter, cream-colored paper) and perhaps some drawings after Degas and Whistler.  In the meantime, though, we’re having beautiful weather here this weekend (finally!) and so I hope to do some sketching outdoors now.

Lieutenant River Sketches

 

Conté carres and pastel pencil on Cartiera Magnani Velata paper (light cream tone, 9″ x 12″), April 2009.

We spent a beautiful spring weekend visiting friends in Connecticut and while there made a trip to the Florence Griswold Museumin Old Lyme.  The museum is currently showing a large number of pastels by Henry C. White.  If you are near Connecticut, I’d highly recommend taking a trip over to the museum before mid-July to see these beautiful pieces.  White’s pastels were produced over many years of his life and he made use of both impressionist and tonalist palettes.  He was influenced by Whistler’s Venice studies in pastel and his famous nocturnes, and a number of the pastels on display show his familiarity with Whistler’s work.  The exhibit gives a very full understanding of White’s exploration in pastel – largely done en plein air during daily walks – and includes a couple works of his in oil as well as several pastels by friends and colleagues to round things out.  There were a few pieces in particular that I returned to again and again – works of great subtlety that gave a wonderful feeling of a particular season or mood.  Again, I’d highly recommend a visit to this wonderful exhibition.

After looking at the exhibit, I spent a few hours outside on the museum grounds sketching the Lieutenant River.  It was a beautiful day for drawing outdoors and enjoying the scenery.  The museum is on the grounds of the historic Florence Griswold boarding house where many artists stayed and painted (including White), so I felt part of a long tradition as well.