Study at Pt. Lobos

You could spend your life exploring and drawing and painting Pt. Lobos in the Monterey area. Here is a quick study in pastels. This was a particularly difficult one to do because of the nature of the medium – messy and full of fine dust!

The distant cliffs across the waters are seen through the trees. Unlike gouache, you cannot paint over layers as successfully in pastels. More layers mean less success, even when you use a workable fixative. In watercolor masking can help as well as the fact you work from light to dark, so darker watercolor can obscure lighter washes.

In the end, the sky was a messy mush up weirdness – the white scribbles were my solution to the problem, but oddly, it did help out in the end. The sky was a flat grey, and here it gives the same flatness of color that morning.

Adaptation

Technology is taking over so much of our lives during this whole Covid-19 pandemic. Some of it is great, some is not so great. We won’t get into political meddling and hacking here, which really is fake news anyway! Instead, let’s look at how technology is at least keeping us all from living in isolation and ignorance, like troglodytes in a cave.

First off, let’s look at teleconferencing and meetings and phone calls. Being retired at just the right time, I don’t have to deal with converting classroom materials into online resources for free, that is, being expected to write curriculum on my own time. Many teachers I know are doing this, and the truth is, the amount of time they put in would cost a district far more than they would want to pay – that is, in the K-12 arena. While I am a proponent of in-class and in-person teaching, this virus precludes it from being realistic. Sadly, not everyone and every place has good internet connections, and not everyone can afford a computer or tablet, much less parents who can help. It’s just not realistic. But in the private realm, the TV-like qualities let us see family and friends face-to-face and enjoy their company. It helps, but does not replace in-person contact.

Besides phone calls and virtual medicine, I am entering into the new age with signing up for a virtual classroom this fall to continue the pastels class which was interrupted by the lockdown across the state of California. I have no idea how well it will go. The instructor struggled with the overhead projector, so I hope she is getting good training for the class. I know I would need it as I really don’t like that kind of stuff, particularly if I am expected to learn it on my own without pay. This was a hallmark of my school – you should be happy to donate your money and time to our students! (Yes, I was actually told that, but as an hourly employee, I expect to get paid – salaried would be a different story!) Back to the classroom. Other people I know have done this, and the results vary from person, teacher, etc. I’ll give it a shot.

Next, if you cannot teleconference, or don’t want to, you can meet in person. Social distancing does work, and it also helps to relieve the sense of isolation that builds with not having valuable time with people you like face-to-face. 3D is very important when it comes to people, I think! I like being around people. So, I am taking a chance and meeting up later this morning for a portrait drawing class in a park, on picnic tables, wearing a mask, bringing my alcohol spray and wipes, and settling down 6 feet apart. The weather is fine this morning, a bit misty, but is should burn off by the time class begins. I don’t think the risk is greater than going to the market.  How people behave will determine if I go again.

However, not all education cannot be held outdoors or online! Where I live, outdoors is more do-able, but in the heat of the Arizona desert or in the blizzards of Frostbite Falls, MN, not so easily done. As we move along in this new world, we will find new ways of doing things. It is challenging and creative, as well as annoying and dispiriting. Human contact is important, and some of us need more and some need less. As a retired person, my world is now severely limited and human contact is usually going to the market. It is creating a level of mild depression, and that is not something that is easily dealt with at times.

This is why I am taking the risk of an outdoor drawing class – an activity with others, others with a shared interest. Before the pandemic, I had rejoined my photo club and weavers guild, started pastels and pencil portrait classes, and so on. Then, a screeching halt. A few months of isolation is okay, but months and months begins to wear you down. We all need to decide how to adapt to our new times. We take classes, connect outdoors with those we love, exercise, whatever – but in the end, I really believe we all need face-to-face human contact. At least I have that opportunity and access to good technology (and an IT guy for a spouse to help), and a willingness to try new things. And a willingness to risk it with sensible precautions.

37 Minute Painting

Another timed painting. This time the requirement was 37 minutes. I set my phone alarm and was shocked to hear it go off! I was checking it off and on, but suddenly it just rang, and here is the result.

This time I used Uart 600 grit paper, which is like a fine sand paper. It pulls the color of the pastels really easily so a lighter touch is required when painting than with the unsanded Mi-Teintes paper. I used a combination of photos for this one as I needed a creek, but I wanted some oaks and hills from around here. Not especially successful as far as I am concerned; the exercise was the point. I did get into the zone of painting even through I knew that timer would go off at some point.

24 Minute Painting

Following along with a pastels instructor, the by-word of the month is “fast and furious”. Well, for me, this means in less than 30 minutes. The instructor suggests 15 minutes. I decided to give myself “under 30” for a “fast and furious.” Here is the result.

The point of the fast-and-furious approach is to keep the artist from over thinking and overworking a painting. This exercise is invaluable as decisions have to made quickly and decisively. Pondering doesn’t happen! Instead it is like, hmm, let’s see; I think this could work. Grab, paint, run on to the next section. Top to bottom with swaths of color here and there to carry out a sense of continuity.

It worked out.

I won’t show you the first attempt.