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.

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.

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.

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.