I know how much you crave to see how I do things! Beside technical aspects here are the location and realities of a painting morning at William B. Pond , along the seasons. Following are some of the tools and tricks I use! I may not reveal everything this time because I hope you will read the rest of the stories… I will try to add more regularly!
Here are some of the tools I use, my brushes collection although I truly use always the same three ones plus my fingers and the occasional paper towel to absorb or create cool effects!!! Here is also my dear palette my Grand Pa gave me at eleven years old and some of the tubes we use to refill the little squares, these being difficult to find one at a time.
Also few fashion statements are a must … and I am sure you have noticed!
And finally some idea of how I store my babies, travel with them and hang them on the wall! I think that is plenty for today. I hope you enjoyed the images impossible to capture without my famous photographer Mike who spends his time either painting or capturing amazing shots of nature and birds… and me!
Here is another set of tricks… First basics: three colors: yellow, blue and red. Mix yellow and blue=green, blue and red=purple, red and yellow=orange, mixing the three will give you brown. True trick: absorption of a color with a brush you squeeze the water out of to attempt to recover some white… I insist on “attempt”! Also with watercolors, darks always come on lights compared to acrylics, my other mode of expression which usually adds finishing touches in the whites… Watercolors use the darkest touches to finish, help recede etc. or mess up the whole thing! Well part of the game!
This following story is for the intellectuals among you! you can skip it too! I will describe how I produce or feel when I paint with words only… So how do I start? Does the white page scare me? Not at all. Often the bigger the better and I start right away so I don’t keep it white very long. First depending of the season I will wet the paper more in summer, less in winter.. In all cases, I usually start with my sky, large bold strokes and water. I tend to stick to the surrounding colors or the ones I captured upon my arrival on site that might be so fugitive that they are already gone past the few minutes I need to collect the water from the river, open my palette and my paper block and start! If I choose a more complex composition I measure with my arm extended, how many lengths of handle of brush are in the sky versus, the water and the landscape. My grand Pa taught me that skill and it really impressed me. I always feel really pro doing it even in the field surrounded by trees alone! Don’t laugh, it is true!
Next comes the horizon line with a rough idea of the thickness of the band of trees versus water and colors involved. I usually know that I will come back for tree details in the sky which is still wet. I have a hard time to pace myself because I know the light changes so fast! It is the game so even if I throw some detailed branches in the wet sky, they kind of give me an idea for placement later by the faint mark they leave on paper. The final darker stokes apply to branches and all the contrasts I choose to emphasize.
The water follows. I am not sure if I see it as the amount of paint I want to let run on the paper or the fact that top to bottom works best for me to avoid my hand touching wet paint! I also favor the vertical format. It is a way of framing less landscape and focusing on a given area. Mike often will recompose the scene to suit his painting. I usually don’t and I stick to what I see. I might go wild with my colors, not my subject!
The current is still a challenge as the water runs so fast! I have watched it many times and I know it creates many white crests on top of dark diving swooshes of living bubbles, and repeats never the same nor at a constant place nor pace. Water is not blue… Sorry Judy! Deepest browns welcome you or a usual green brown burning to hot oranges with the sun, later happily dancing with gold flecks. Turquoise reflections surprise me. The sky reflects over larger bodies of water like a pond, or the Ocean. We favor less frequented paths with multiple view points and stick to odd color waters!!!
Now a bit about feelings… Sometimes I really merge with the river, its song, its colors and it is beautiful to let go over the paper without expectations, just pure pleasure. Wait, a painting is born! Other times, I am a bit contrive when I render specifically certain trees or skies and I want it right. Other times, I experiment at the end of the painting. If I do it, will I ruin it? Perhaps. However If I never try, I will never know. Often daring is a reward.