trees – Page 28 – Ink, Yarn & Beer

In the Cold, In the North

The end of 2019 is here, the Christmas season is winding down, and 2020 approaches. I have not done much painting in weeks except for a gouache for my SIL as a present . . . I thought a simple watercolor would be a good place to begin a return to painting.

Interestingly, when I have not painted for awhile, I don’t get caught up in the same issues I do when I paint a lot. Why is this? I think it is because I am doing it for the simple pleasure of a watercolor – not to accomplish a goal or something. Hopefully this element of innocence can be called upon for future works.

Have a wonderful New Year 2020 everyone!

Barking Mad

Bark – as individual as a fingerprint.

Texture

Every now and again in post I find or create a preset that I really like. This is my newest. What pleases me is the texture it is capable of bringing out – the details – without feeling overblown. Nature is filled with textures, which can be great in photography, but there are times, as when using a photo for reference in a painting, that all that detail needs to simplified to the nth degree!

California Hillside

Though today is Thanksgiving, it’s a pretty low key day. We are going over to the in-laws, and all we are bringing is apple crisp and home made pepper powder. So, time to paint! This is from a photo I took at the local botanical garden of a sloping hillside. I am sooooo rusty!

Where’s the Water?

In California, we have been dealing with increasing drought over the years. Usually this creek runs with water falling from Nojoqui Falls in Santa Barbara County, but here it is dry. With the winter’s rainy season beginning, I want to return, perhaps after a storm, as this really is a lovely little creek when it’s moving along. Even dry, it’s nice.