Author: -N-

End of Summer Paintings

Summer comes and goes; retirement gives you time to fill the days. Each one is cherished, and soon, your time becomes increasing full, so full you wonder when you will find time . . .

I have tried to paint every day – gouache, watercolor, pastels – and overall have managed to meet that challenge. Some days, other parts of life intervene, and that’s okay. Appointments, social engagements, reading a book all can replace the time spent painting. Thus, without further ado, here are some that I produced since my August 2, 2020, post about painting in July.

Flower Pot (from a Rick Surowicz Video)

Lacking in the lovely simplicity of Rick Surowicz’s painting “Flower Pot” from his YouTube video of the same name, this is my attempt to work with negative space in painting. He is a master – I am not.

Flowers are ridiculously difficult to paint because of their bright colors and unique shapes, not to say their varying leaves as well. And, it is truly difficult to convey a bouquet suggestively. I overwork flowers all the time. Follow below to see Rick at work.

Coastal Hills in Late Summer

Since I had all the pastels out from Tuesday’s class, before I straightened up the mess in the studio, I decided on another study. This time, the oak-covered hills of California. In spring, the hills are brilliantly green, often covered with wildflowers, such as poppies and lupines. As spring gives way to summer, the heat comes, and the grasses dry out. Perfect conditions for all these dreadful wildfires of late . . . Anyway, the coast can be socked in with the summer fog, but inland, the hills are under the brilliant sun. As you look toward the Pacific, you can see the “fog monster” lurking on the other side of the range.

Laundry Day

I have done most of the laundry. It is in the dryer. And I am restless as I really don’t feel like sitting still, but I want to accomplish something. I really want to get out of the house. Laundry is my morning’s ball and chain.

Times like this, when I am restless, are always a good time to do little tasks. So, I put away the tripods I had pulled out. For a birthday present, I got a geared head. With Josh’s help, I moved one head from one tripod to another, until the good old Gitzo 1227 was freed up for the geared head.

It is now time to take the tripod and head out to use, testing it out with and without the L-bracket, but that needs to wait as I want to get to the botanical gardens and local parks for that, and load up a couple of different cameras for that. Waiting for laundry to dry is a shorter time period than loading up camera gear and running away from home.

To pass the time, I posted to my other two blogs – my most recent pastel and a picture of ink on my desk. Exciting stuff.

And thus, I am thinking about what I have been doing and not doing this week, and I really cannot complain. It has been a good week in many ways, with a sense of satisfaction and / or accomplishment. What is there to cry about? I have seen family and friends, been creative, and realized that I really do need to schedule all my different interests! That was a good insight, so I have a calendar printed out for my consideration.

Meanwhile, the dryer has 20 minutes to go.