Sketches and Plein Air Painting

I made a mistake yesterday that I decided to go out to paint in the afternoon instead of in the morning. When I saw the skies were overcast and the weather person said there was rain in this area so I stayed home. However, later, it was said the rain was mainly in the northwestern part of Lee County and I told myself that maybe we didn't have rain here where I lived. So I took a chance and called my friend Woody, telling him that I would like to paint around his docks. Before I could set up to paint a small boat in his covered dock, it began to rain. Reluctantly, I hopped back into my car, headed home. When I came to Tuckahoe Rd. intersection, I impulsively turned left onto the side road. It was a road without outlet. Even now I don't know why I did it. Possibly, I felt I didn't want to make a fruitless trip and go back home empty-handed. The road had had such a mysterious effect on me that deep down inside I might have a desire to explore it.

I drove along the narrow road with little traffic. If there had been a vehicle coming from the opposite side, we might have to drive with one-side wheels on the road shoulder in order to make room for each other. I passed the sign saying "Limit of Lee County Road Maintenance" and immediately I noticed the road was not surfaced further down. By then, it began to pour and I decided to make a U-turn so that I would not be stuck in mud or something. In spite of that, I realized how beautiful the area was and dogeared the place in my memory.

When I got home, not satisfied with the fact that nothing had been accomplished. I turned to my computer and found a video clip from Croquis Cafe. I made a few one-minute and one 2-minute sketches with a writing marker and felt better about the afternoon, but the 5-minute drawing didn't go well with the writing marker. The following are just the 1-minutes and 2-minute.

This morning, it was a perfect sun-shiny day, not hot or humid at all. After breakfast, I drove to Tuckahoe Road and stopped my car on roadside and set my my easel. the farm belonged to Beatrice. When I was painting, I met her sister Alison and later her brother Ray. They were all very nice and didn't mind if I went back to paint there again. Later, a white pony came. His name was Lily, according to Alison. I made a mistake by setting up my easel too close to the fence, so curious Lily stretched over the fence and picked up my brush container with his mouth. he caused such a mess that my brushed were cast all over the ground. When I bowed down to pick them up, Lily began to nibble my straw hat. "Oh, please..." I had to take care of him while painting. In the middle of my painting, an African-American cowboy Berdie stopped his truck and came to see my painting. He told me that down the winding trail behind me there was a beautiful horse farm. The owner's name is Roger. Berdie said to me, "Tell Roger that you are a friend of n----- redneck Berdie." It was very nice of Berdie to tell me about the farm. I did drive down the trail and tried to know Roger. Of course, I have stayed in the south long enough to know that the use of the n-word that way is African-Americans' privilege. However, I didn't have the chance to introduce myself to Roger. Two fierce dogs stopped me from getting out of the car as I was nearing his house.

I know I was inspired today by Australian artist Colley Whisson. Many people consider him a tonalist. It is true that Whisson handles values very accurately. Personally I believe he is also a colorist who, like Calvin Liang keeps an excellent balance between value and color. The following is his website. He has a peculiar way of painting, that is, throughout the painting process, he uses almost only wide, short-handle wall-painting brushes. He handles it so well that I could see how he benefits from the use of wide brushes. he is very generous with his video clips on the website. You'll enjoy watching them. Again, today's painting took one hour and a half.

http://www.colleywhisson.com/

Hay Stacks at Beatrice's Farm

Oil, 12 x 18