Tag: summer

Two Trees in a Field

Once more, it is hot and sticky, but not as miserable as yesterday. Today, I am a bit more energetic but still not running around in the 90F and then some heat. And I am in a far better mood, too! No flies. No mosquitos. And a replacement package for the stolen one arrived today. Now, September is here, and though summer is not yet over, Labor Day (American holiday always on the first Monday of the month) is, for many of us, the official end of summer.

The end of summer means the fields are mown, crops and hay gathered in. Tracks and stubble leave lines behind in the shorn meadow. Heat, light, late afternoon.

That is all that this painting about. I did it after the one I posted the other day and, as with the other “Two Trees”, I am happy with the results here. I like the long shadows in the lower right, but if they are realistic or not is not the point – they just make for a bit more of an interesting picture!

In landscapes, you are the goddess of your painting!

Watercolors, Arches rough 140# paper, 10×14.

2 Trees

With little to do other than post about flies (see yesterday) and gripe about the heat and a missing package, it is always best to move on to things which please you the most. For me, it is waterolors and landscapes. These are two things that usually give me a lot of delight and certainly act as a balm when I am feeling really pissy!

Okay. Heat doesn’t do me well, so I have the air conditioning on and the house has cooled down from 81 F to about 76 F. The latter is manageable. Lots of water and electrolytes, too. And then, watercolor and color and trees and skies and the feel of brush on paper. Even better, a painting I like, and a second one, which will posted after this one.

I am not really sure what to write about this painting. It is pretty simple. It is a simple scene of trees sits on the edge of a sandy bit of land and is backed by a few distant trees, grasses, and shrubs. The palette was simple enough. I worked to make my painting simple, too, and focused on shapes and contrast as well as recall of some lessons learnt from classes. I think it shows summer, too, and a bit of the sultriness I am feeling – humidity, heat, balmy. And very lazy.

Watercolors, Arches Rough 140#, 10×14.

Flies

I don’t like flies. I have a couple buzzing around. Mosquitos are worse. So, in my irritable mood, a few poems recognizing the fly, for whatever reason!

The Fly – by Ogden Nash
God in His wisdom made the fly
And then forgot to tell us why.

The Fly – by William Blake
Little fly,
Thy summer’s play
My thoughtless hand
Has brushed away.
Am not I
A fly like thee?
Or art not thou
A man like me?
For I dance
And drink and sing,
Till some blind hand
Shall brush my wing;
If thought is life
And strength and breath,
And the want
Of thought is death,
Than am I
A happy fly,
If I live,
Or if I die.

Summer Serenade – by Ogden Nash
When the thunder stalks the sky,
When tickle-footed walks the fly,
When shirt is wet and throat is dry,
Look, my darling, that’s July.

Though the grassy lawn be leather,
And prickly temper tugs the tether,
Shall we postpone our love for weather?
If we must melt, let’s melt together!

Summer is ending, but birds sing, bees buzz, flies annoy, the beach beckons, and life goes on!

A Bow to Loiseau

Not too long ago a painting done by Gustave Loiseau called Les Peupliers (The Poplars), ca 1898, caught my eye. I really liked the composition, colors, and overall atmosphere – a bright, sunny, breezy day in the countryside. I will leave it to find it based on my rendition of Loiseau’s lovely painting.

As with yesterday’s painting, this is done in gouache on Strathmore Vision paper. I painted in the underlying colors with an angle brush and then used a finely pointed round to do the remainder of the work.

Gouache is, to me, a rather strange paint, but one which I really enjoy using. The colors always strike me as a bit unreal, but not necessarily in a bad way. They always seem to end up rather cheery, even when I use them to create a rather monochrome or dull scene. It can be used really thin, as a wash, as well as thicker – it all depends on the amount of water you add to it. It is designed to be opaque, but its opacity depends on how much water you add. I think I am on a bit of a gouache streak as I have at least another painting to show you . . . .

Strathmore Vision 140# CP watercolor paper, gouache, 9×12.

Memories of Spring, Thoughts of Summer

For me, lilies of the valley are spring flowers – late spring, for sure, but spring nonetheless. They are not native to California and certainly cannot survive the heat we get, but you can grow them in cool areas. Short-lived, they add a bit of beauty and mark the transition into summer.

Today is cool and grey – May Grey for California! – but it will warm up later on. The sun will come out inland – we live one valley in from the Pacific – but may not show itself along the coastline. Our spring has been wet and gloomy with bits of sunshine in between, but as we move toward summer, heat and watermelon and cold drinks come to mind. (Meanwhile, I am enjoying my hot morning coffee!)

Seasonal transitions – things to say goodbye to, things to welcome. I myself have been in a phase of transition, too. I am learning to play the ukulele, working on oil painting sewing, gardening. All of these take time away from blogging, which is rather nice, really. Still, the fact is that ink and watercolor, individually or together, always beckon, so before I even started the day, my sketchbook came out, colors and ink. It all makes for a good way to start the day, beating dishes and laundry and other housework by a good ten miles!