Quarter Horse Study

Painting No. 154
Quarter Horse Study
6"x 6" oil on linen panel
December 27, 2011

I'm working on adding horses and riders into some of my paintings. This is a studio study of a pose that I want to include in a future painting.

Stewart Facility

Mount Seigel

Painting No. 153
Mount Seigel
Carson Valley, Nevada
6"x 8", oil on linen panel
December 18, 2011

The evening light is always beautiful on this mountain, but it only last a few minutes each day. This plein air painting took me about 10-15 minutes to complete and then then color was completely gone.

Late Fall on the River (study)

Painting No. 152
Late Fall on the River (study)
Carson Valley, Nevada
6" x 12", oil on linen panel
December 19, 2011

A few weeks ago I started thinking about developing a studio painting of the Cottonwood trees near the Carson River. For those who don't live in the western United States, these trees have trunks that are quite large, upwards of 3' to 12' in diameter. They grow more or less in groves near rivers.
My previous attempts to capture the size and strength of the trees (Paintings No. 138 & 144) didn't due them justice. So I tried to ask that all important question, "What would John Carlson do?" The answer is to make sure that the trees are strongly anchored to the ground, think of how much weight they support, and to remember that we are often look up at trees, like when you would stand next to a hot air balloon, from the under-side we see a narrow neck with the largest balloon mass skyward and slightly out of sight.
So I held these principles and added a third element of lowering my visual plane. By visualizing the trees and river from a small child's view point, then I can get a better feel for how the trees, grass, water and mountains are arranged.

Color Studies as a Design Tool.

I thought I would share a design tip.
Though I usually paint my subjects outside "plein-air" then bring the paintings indoors to develop a larger painting, this time I worked from a photo of this hotel, which I adjusted the dimensions to fit what I wanted the painting to convey,  then I painted 3 small studies to see which lighting condition looked the best. My initial thought was to go with the Evening Light version, but then I brought my wife in and had her look at the paintings and give me her initial response, which I think is vital to the process, since my decision can be skewed by spending too much time staring at the canvas.

Tell me what you think. Which one would you pick? If you were painting this scene, what mood would you want to express to the viewer?


Daylight study

 

Evening light study 

  

Night study



Sunrise on the Valley

Painting No. 150
Sunrise on the Valley
Carson Valley, Nevada
20"x 24" oil on canvas
December 11, 2011

Finished studio painting based on several plein air paintings and observations.
The Carson Valley has some great sunrise's during the winter months,  and this is my attempt to capture the fleeting light of early morning.

The Corner of Pike and Main

Painting No. 149
The Corner of Pike and Main
Dayton, Nevada
20"x 30", oil on canvas
December 10, 2011

The finished studio painting.
Dayton, Nevada is a small town east of Carson City. It was a stop over for wagons heading to the California gold rush in the 1800's. Then gold was discovered in the local creek bed, which led to more gold being discovered a few miles northwest of here near the town of Silver City. The town has a lot of history.
There's an old restaurant/bar/playhouse just north of here that was used by Teddy Roosevelt to give a speech from the balcony. In the 1960, The Misfits starring Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe was filmed here.
I first came to this town in 1975, when my Grandmother Louise Goddard decided to bring surplus stationary supplies to the flea market on Sundays. At the time, the country side was nearly desolate. Very few houses were built east of here. No schools or stores except for a hamburger stand on the corner of Main and Hwy 395. Today the old section of Dayton remains in a state of suspended animation. The feel of the 1970's is still here, with the addition of good food can be found in the local businesses.

Dusk in Virginia City

Painting No. 148
Dusk in Virginia City
Virginia City, Nevada
8"x 6", oil on linen panel
December 07, 2011

As evening falls on Virginia City, St. Mary's in the Mountains, Catholic Church stands in sharp profile against the sky. Originally built in 1868, then rebuilt in 1876 after a fire, this church is a major visitors attraction to this mining center of old Nevada.

Christmas in Markleeville December 4th

December 4 between 11 am and 4 pm the town of Markleeville will come alive with all the lights and decorations of Christmas. Lots of fun activities for the whole family.  There will be handcrafted gift items, jewelry, pottery, wreaths, pillows, coloring books, and much more, available all over town, in businesses, or maybe on a porch or two.  There will be carolers gathering around the Christmas Tree at the Court House at 1 pm for a performance then they will stroll around town. Santa and Mrs. Santa will be in the Wolf Creek Restaurant by the fireplace at 11 am waiting to hear all the kids wishes for Christmas. The Wolf Creek Restaurant will have discounted food choices that day.  The General Store has tree cutting permits for $10. There will be cobbler prepared  by Little Antelope Pack Station in front of Intero Real Estate. The Markleeville Art Gallery will have a new glass ornaments, wool hats, soaps, jewelry as well as a 10% off all the fine art in the gallery for December 4th only. There will be lots of cookies, cocoa and cider available and you might find chestnuts roasting over an open fire. The museum will be open and free for the day. If there is enough snow there will be a snowshoe tour and you can make a snowman in the park.  At 2 pm the Library will have story time, cookie decorating and Santa promises to come visit.  At the Post Office, Margaret will be stamping your Christmas Cards. The Alpine County Chamber will have free maps of the town and other items for sale and free coffee.  The gas station will have bird feeders and yule logs to decorate.  You might even see an artist painting our beautiful town. Come enjoy the day with us. Visit www.markleevilleartgallery.com for updated information.  

Dawn over Sierra Canyon (Study)

Painting No. 146
Dawn over Sierra Canyon (Study)
Carson Valley, Nevada
6"x 8", oil on linen
November 26, 2011

The sun has swept to the south, the nights are colder and were 2/3 the way through Fall. I'm working on developing ideas for larger paintings. This painting is a layout of an earlier study combined with dawn colors as observed from by back door.

Post Office

Painting No. 145,
Post Office, Stewart Indian School
Carson City, Nevada
6"x 8", oil on linen
November 23, 2011

Late afternoon shadows from an old Cottonwood Tree fall across the front of the boarded-up Post Office at the Stewart Indian School. This building was build in 1925...well built I might add, the stone work and mortar are still very tight. I think it could last another 100 years. The old flag pole has been repainted several times, and probably hasn't seen a flag raised on it for 20 years or more.

I used a different approach to applying under-painting to this panel. I applied the under-painting as an opposite color of the overall scene, which in this case was variations of yellow ochre. The opposite color being a violet grey, gave the painting a subdued look, together with the limited palette added to the moody effect.

River Bottoms

Painting No. 144
River Bottoms, Carson River
Eagle Valley, Nevada
8"x 10" oil on linen panel

Cottonwoods grow thick along the river, creating a park-like setting. A mixture of trees, grass and sagebrush.
Last Friday we had strong winds and cold overnight temperatures which stripped most of the leaves from the trees, and gathered blankets of orange and yellow leaves to cover the grassy flood plane along the river banks.

The Corner of Pike St. & Main St. (Study)

Painting No. 141
The Corner of Pike St. & Main St. (Study)
Dayton, Nevada
9"x 12" oil on linen panel
November 17, 2011

Dayton, Nevada is a small town east of Carson City. It was a stop over for wagons heading to the California gold rush in the 1800's. Then gold was discovered in the local creek bed, which led to more gold being discovered a few miles northwest of here near the town of Silver City. The town has a lot of history.
There's an old restaurant/bar/playhouse just north of here that was used by Teddy Roosevelt to give a speech from the balcony. In the 1960, The Misfits starring Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe was filmed here. 
I first came to this town in 1975, when my Grandmother Louise Goddard decided to bring surplus stationary supplies to the flea market on Sundays. At the time, the country side was nearly desolate. Very few houses were built east of here. No schools or stores except for a hamburger stand on the corner of Main and Hwy 395. Today the old section of Dayton remains in a state of suspended animation. The feel of the 1970's is still here, with the addition of good food can be found in the local businesses.

Making Plein Air Canvas Panels

I decided to take the challenge and make my own linen panels.
This was a big deal for me because I've bought plenty of panels at the local craft store and online. So based on my discussion with Charles Muench and the instructions in Kevin MacPherson's book "Fill Your Oil Paintings with Light & Color" I started assembling the needed supplies.

I bought a gallon of glue called "Miracle Muck" and some Claessen's #66 Oil-primed linen from Sourcetek (canvaspanels.com). Note that Miracle Muck will be ruined if it's frozen, so Sourcetek will not ship during the winter. Also, I built 32 panels and used less than 1/4 of the gallon...so expect a full years supply of panels from one purchase. High quality panels are made with 1/8" Baltic Birch plywood panels. I purchased the wood at Lowes in 2' x 4' panels and used a table saw to cut to size.

  After cutting the panels, I laid them out on the linen  and arranged them for the most economical fit. Kevin MacPherson  recommends adding a 1/2" border to each canvas panel to aid in gluing  and allowing for shrinkage. In this photo I'm tracing the board onto the backside of the canvas.

I spread the glue evenly within the pencil outline, making sure that the corners and edges are completely covered.

Working a brayer roller over the surface, I apply pressure to the canvas to help bind it to the board. Then I stacked same size panels together and placed books on top overnight.

The finished panels came out looking good. I made several sizes which included 6"x 6", 6"x 8", 8"x 8", 8"x 10", 9"x 12".

Overall construction costs came to $120. If I purchased the same panels online I would have spent $215 plus shipping costs.

Sierra Canyon

Painting No. 140
Sierra Canyon
Carson Valley, Nevada
7.5"x 9", oil on linen panel
November 10, 2011

Located along the Eastern Sierra Mountain Range, in Carson Valley, Nevada is the town of Genoa and many cattle ranches. This scene is along Genoa Lane, looking west to Sierra Canyon and one of the local ranches.
This painting is a study for a larger painting that I'm working on and it reminds me of something John Carlson said about painting mountains, that one needs to feel the weight of the mountain to capture it's essence.

Carson River Fall

Painting No. 138
Carson River Fall
Eagle Valley, Nevada
6"x 8", oil on linen
October 28, 2011

Mid-day along the Carson River, east of Carson City. It was near this location that Kit Carson and John Fremont camped during their expedition.

I don't have a lot of experience painting such bright colored trees, so this painting is something of an experiment in light control.

Truckee River Autumn

Painting No. 137
Truckee River Autumn
Floriston, California
8"x 8", oil on linen panel
October 25, 2011

The Truckee River is always cold. It's also a great place to fish. This location is near the Floriston Exit on Hwy 80, between Truckee and Reno.
The afternoon wind was blowing cold air down from the north and giving me a chill as I stood in the mountain shadow and worked quickly.

Fading Light, Stewart Indian School

Painting No. 136
Fading Light, Stewart Indian School
8" x 8"
oil on canvas
October 18, 2011

Summer is gone.
It's not coming back for a long time.
The cool afternoons and evenings of mid- Fall have invaded the Eagle Valley, and I have come back to the school to finish my series of paintings.
Why is it that we gravitate to certain scenes? There are over 80 buildings on this site, yet I find myself drawn to only a few. I walk the dirt roads that separate the old teacher housing buildings in search of a good composition, and time after time I end-up on the same corner composing one of three buildings. I have purposely decided to do all the paintings in 8"x 8" panels. This format seams to fit the box shape of the buildings and helps me to control the framimg.
The overgrown schrubs, golden Foxtail's and nearly barren trees seamed to add to the loneliness of the scene and the boarded-up emptiness of the house.

I'm Going YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prLRnmjv8Z4

I just finished by first YouTube video.
I really like the new digital editing format that's available for simple folks like me. I remember back in the early 90's when video cameras used 8mm tapes. I had a small side business of shooting and producing wedding videos. The work we did was down-right primitive to what can be accomplished today, so I'm looking forward to improving my skills with each new video. Please view the attached link and give me your thoughts.
Thanks

The Silo's of Carson Valley

Painting No. 134,The Silo's of Carson Valley Carson Valley, Nevada
6"x 8", oil on linen board
October 12, 2011

I finally found time to paint yesterday. It's been nearly a month since the last opportunity.

Not far from my house is a row of local farms near the highway, where these 3 silos have stood for as long as I've lived here ( 38 years yikes!).
The afternoon light was low and clean. Notice that the silos and the foreground brushline form an "L" shape, this on one of the standards composition shapes as described by Edgar Payne. Notice also that without the strong silos in the middle ground that this painting of fields and mountains would be quite boring. I try to add a strong vertical element if possible in each painting to add excitement. Also notice the long mountain shadow extending in from the right side of the painting. This is common effect here in Carson Valley. I think I did a good job of getting the mountain detail inside and outside of the mountain shadow.

Forestdale Divide

Painting No. 132, Forestdale Divide
Alpine County, California
6"x 8", oil on linen panel
September 20, 2011

This spot is located along the Pacific Crest Trail, near the road at the Forestdale Divide. It's really different painting at high altitudes, the air is thin, the atmosphere is desert-dry, and the weather is constantly changing.

This painting was entered into the 2011 Markleeville Fall Plein Air Event.

Water Tower

Painting No. 130, Water Tower
Stewart Indian School, Carson City, Nevada
8"x 8", oil on linen panel
September 1, 2011

Standing over the facility, like a giant sci-fi robot, the water tower is surrounded by trees and buildings. It's silvery exterior reflecting the local color.
This is painting 6 of 10 in a series painted at the school.

Bunkhouse Deluxe

Painting No. 128, Bunkhouse Deluxe
Sossa Brothers Cow Camp, Alpine County, Ca.
9"x 12", oil on linen panel
August 14, 2011

I took off for Ebbett's Pass in the hope of finding a stream or lake to paint but nothing was catching my eye. Then I came around a curve and noticed the bunkhouse just off the road, I couldn't resist.
It was probably built in the early 60's when steel and aluminum were constructed to last forever. Now with it's after-market wooden screen door, smoke stack and sagging porch it probably doesn't see much action except for a few brave cowboys in the fall.

Painting from Small to Large Paintings Part 3

 As the painting is slowly coming together, it is important to see the details of the painting rather than viewing the whole painting at once. By focusing on small zones within the overall image, we can work diligently to perfect these small areas which will eventually fill-in the entire painting. My biggest struggles were with the back lit trees in the lower 1/3 of the painting. I think I repainted those 4 times.

Then the final struggle was the trees in the lower right corner. Trying to balance the shadow details with the highlights and keeping everything in perspective with the trees in the direct background. I like the way the painting came out, I think I captured the essence of Faith Valley and maintained the color/atmospheric qualities of the Sierra's.

Painting from Small to Large Paintings Part 2

After selecting your subject matter, painting field sketches and photographing the scene, the next step is to lay-in the basic line work.
Start by blocking in a background wash, green for the tree area, blue for distant mountains, yellow for the sky. Since the subject is well known in the Sierra's, I took the time to properly lay-in the correct height, width and location of all objects. To accomplish this I used several photographs and I drew a grid system directly on the photo then transferred the scale proportionately to the canvas using a small brush and French Ultramarine paint.

Next I worked back to front, painting the distant mountains in detail, then the mid ground mountains, again in detail leaving the sky for the end. In this photo I have also painted the closest shadows of the willows that grow in the meadow. This is my reference to compare all other values against.

Going From Small Plein Air Painting to Large Canvas Blog No. 1



working on my third reference painting

 Back in early July, I traveled to Faith Valley, Alpine County, California to paint a 8"x 10" plein air painting in the early evening. A few days later I started thinking about doing a larger painting of the scene, so I went back and took a bunch of photos and I did a larger plein air 12"x 24" which didn't turn out as well as I expected. So I ended up going back a third time to detail out the trees and meadow.

When deciding to do a larger painting, there are many decisions that need to be worked out before you have a chance to succeed. The most important is determining a correct color scheme. I had doubts if my colors were correct but when I did the third plein air painting I realized that my color perception was correct because when I got back to the home I lined up all the paintings and compared each for color decisions. Next blog I'll discuss the development of the large canvas.

Abandoned Road

Painting No. 126, Abandoned Road
Stewart Indian School, Carson City, Nevada
8"x 8", oil on linen panel
August 12, 2011

Today was warm but not terrible, I feel sorry for those Texans experiencing 100+ temperatures for over a month.
I'm back at the Stewart Indian School for painting number 5 of 10. I thought that I should try to convey the sense of loneliness and solitude that permeates this place. This dirt road was once a designated street that separated the Cafeteria and Band Building from the employee housing. Now it's mostly ignored by the locals. After standing in the same spot for 2 hours I still haven't seen a soul.

Office Building

Painting No. 124 Office Building
Stewart Indian School
Carson City, Nevada
8"x 8" oil on linen panel
8-5-11

Painting number 4 in a series of 10 plein air paintings of the Stewart Indian School. This building built in the 1920's was most recently used as a sheriff sub-station.

Abandoned Employee Housing

Painting No. 123
Abandoned Employee Housing
Stewart Indian School, Carson City, Nevada
oil on linen panel
August 2, 2011

Beautiful hand-cut stone cottages are clustered together and surrounded by Cottonwood trees in the old employee housing area west of the school. Built in the 1920's, to house the school teachers, these cozy looking buildings now are only occupied by a few locals, and lots of pigeons.

Stewart Indian School, Administration Building

Painting No. 122,
Stewart Indian School,
Administration Building
8"x 8", oil on linen panel
July 26, 2011

Built in 1923 as the Administration Building of the Stewart Indian School in Carson City, Nevada. This rustic style building is constructed with locally quarried stone. Currently it is undergoing a complete restoration and will become a part of the museum at the school.

Stewart Facility

Painting No. 120, Stewart Facility
Carson City, Nevada
8"x 8", oil on linen panel
July 21, 2011

The Stewart Facility was built as a native american school in the early 1900's. The buildings are now used by several different organizations, many buildings are boarded-up and in a state of slow decay. I'm going to spend the next couple of weeks painting various buildings, like this small office that was made out of local quarried stone, with a steel roof.

Faith Valley

Painting No. 119, Faith Valley (study for larger painting)
Alpine County, California
12"x24", oil on canvas
July 18, 2011

I've been pondering since last week if I should do a larger painting from this location in Faith Valley. So I went up there on Monday, took some photos and did this large study. The wind was blowing 10-20 miles per hour....I'm not joking! I found some large boulders and anchored the legs of my tripod. Good news was the mosquitoes had a hard time landing on me. During my 2-1/2 hours I was expecting a bear or deer to walk out in front of me, but no luck.

Faith Valley with Round Top Peak

Painting No. 118, Faith Valley with Round Top Peak
Alpine County, California
8"x 10", oil on linen panel
07-11-2011

Hope, Faith and Charity Valley's are all small beautiful alpine meadows that are surrounded by the Sierra Nevada Mountains in Alpine County, California. They received their names from settlers in the 1800's that traveled what is known as the Mormon Trial over the Sierra's to Placerville.
The evening light here is always great but this year it's stunning with the tremendous snow banks that are left from records storms this spring.

Sierra Summer

Painting No. 117, Sierra Summer
Buckeye Creek, California
10"x 8", oil on linen panel
7-3-2011

Noon in the Sierra's can be a tough time to paint. It's hot, the mountains are dull, my afternoon nap is calling me to retire to the travel trailer with a good book and a chilled ice tea. Yet here I am, roaming the country side with the hope of getting one more painting in before we head home.
I spotted these aspen trees earlier in the day on the Hunewill Ranch property above Buckeye Creek. I sized up the scene and figured that I could stand in the shade while painting which only added to the appeal. I like to sketch the subject first to get a sense of the composition,  just to make sure that what I'm seeing will actually transfer into the painting, then I block in the basic colors.
What I like especially about Aspen trees are the trunks, which are usually scared from graffiti (people carving their names) or rubbing against other trees, and the wonderful shape. When I paint them, I imagine they are jazz dancers, with their bodies creating smooth "S" shapes that flow to the music.  Each tree is distinct in character and markings with helps to create interest in the painting.

Aspen Afternoon

Painting No. 116, Aspen Afternoon
Buckeye Creek, California
8"x 6", oil on linen panel
7-3-2011

Buckeye Creek is a great getaway-from-it-all destination. It's 4 miles from Bridgeport California if you need something to do. It's 3 miles from Twin Lakes & Mono Village which is usually jam packed with campers and fishermen from Southern California. It's about 20 miles to the east entrance of Yosemite, and it's 10 miles to the ghost town of Bodie. But the best part of Buckeye is the peace and quiet of the streams and forest that surround this place. These aspens are just about the creek, next to a meadow. The first night of the trip we watched deer graze here at dusk. 

Evening Light, Buckeye Creek

Painting No. 115, Evening Light, Buckeye Creek
Bridgeport, California
6"x 8", oil on linen panel
7-2-2011

The day was hot in the mountains, probably in the mid 80's. But in the late afternoon things start to cool off rather quickly at higher elevations. I moved down to the creek and found this composition just below the campground. People filter past be as they enjoy walking through the shadowy corridor. I set up and paint quickly as the light traverses across the narrow opening in the trees and disappears into the mountains, leaving only the fading glow of the evening for me to work with.

The relationship between the fallen trees and the boulders work in harmony to create an "S" shaped design line. This, combined with the strong vertical and angled elements helps the painting to hold the viewers interest

Eastern Sierra Summer

Painting No. 114, Eastern Sierra Summer
Buckeye Creek, Bridgeport, California
8"x 10"
7-2-2011

For me this is the land of a thousand memories. It all started in 1980, when my grand parents brought my brother and I here for the first time. They weren't the kind of parents that wanted you to stay within view of the camp trailer, there motto was, ' go run up and down those hills, and don't come back until dinner.' So we did like we were told and explored the countryside like no one else.


This scene includes Flatiron Ridge to the right, and the eastern boundary of the Hoover Wilderness Area in the background. The manzanita are in bloom and that provided the foreground color.

Canyon Road

Painting No. 113, Canyon Road
Clear Creek Canyon, Carson City, Nevada
8"x 6", oil on linen panel
6-30-2011

I couldn't take it anymore.
It had been 4 days since I last painted outside and I was Jones'n for a chance to get my hands messy. I only had 40 minutes to work before I had to be at a meeting so I drove up what's know as Old Clear Creek road, just outside of Carson City looking for a spot. Stopped at this location, grabbed my bag and started flinging colors.

This painting is of the lower canyon, where the road snakes through a tight slot, with steep granite formations on the southerly hills, a small overly vegetated stream bed in the bottom and large steep cuts into the granite on the north side to create the road bed. This was at one point in history a portion of U.S. Hwy 50 connecting New York City to San Francisco.

Raymond Peak, Late Spring

Painting No. 112, Raymond Peak, Late Spring
Alpine County, California
6"x 8", oil on linen panel
6-26-2011

Raymond Peak was named in 1865 for the mineral examiner Rossiter W. Raymond. It's peak elevation is 10,023 ft above sea level, with rocky volcanic composition and surrounded by lower, rolling, pine covered mountains. The Pacific Crest Trail passes to the east and north of the peak and is probably still covered in 3 feet of hard packed snow as of late. Getting the chance to paint in these mountains is just another reason why the Sierra's are such a wonderful mountain range to explore.

Sierra Afternnon, with Hawkins Peak

Painting No. 111, Sierra Afternoon, with Hawkins Peak
Alpine County, California
8"x 6", oil on linen panel
6-25-2011

Last weekend my wife and I stayed in a campground outside of Markleeville, California. This was the same campground where my grandparents brought my brother and I each summer and we would stay for up to a month back in the early 1980's. The terrain is a small bowl shaped valley, surrounded by low hills on all sides.

These pine trees with the slight hint of the south slope of Hawkins Peak was the best composition I could find. I painted in the early afternoon, concentrating on adding additional detail of the tree's branches and varying the shades of shadows within the fading forest.

Sierra Sunrise

Painting No. 107, Sierra Sunrise
Silver Peak, Alpine County, California
8" x 6", Oil on Linen Panel
June 17, 2011

On my way to a week long plein air class in Markleeville, I pulled the truck over and painted this scene just after sunrise. The weather has finally decided to warm-up and the painting opportunities abound.

Columbia Basin, Pre Dawn

Painting No. 100, Columbia Basin, Pre Dawn
Moses Lake, Washington
6"x8", oil on linen panel
June, 2011

A few miles west of Moses Lake, Washington, the countryside is a rather flat landscape with large swaths of vegetable farms in every direction. The only vertical relief are power poles and the Poplar and Cottonwood trees that huddle around the farm houses that appear every 80 acres or so.
Dawn comes early here, I was out of bed at 4:45 am and still rushing to paint the every changing colors of this vast sky.
Kim and I were in town for the high school graduation of our nephew, and to meet our extended family.

Spring Evening, West Carson River

Painting No. 99, Spring Evening, West Carson River Woodford's Station, California
20"x16" oil on canvas

Sunday afternoon I couldn't take the rainy weather any longer, so I went for a drive and ended up west of Woodford's Station on Hwy 88. The location caught my eye as I'm driving up through the canyon, so I turn around and go back to investigate. This is my first time seeing these falls, and they are impressive, especially with the huge amount of water that's forced into this narrow canyon from the rains and subsequent snow melt.
Daylight is fading, so I quickly set-up my easel, draw a couple pencil sketches of different compositions, and finally settle for a view of the upper half of the falls. About 15 minutes into the work, it begins to sprinkle. At 20 minutes I realize that I don't have enough white paint to finish in the field. I'm starting to get frustrated which, believe it or not, actually helps me to paint faster and better. I push on, cursing the weather and my lack of planning.