Barberry bonsai #2 update

Here is some spring growth on one of my larger barberries. Hopefully by next year I can reduce the height by about 1/3. Here's a link to the early spring work I did on it: http://bodyrender.blogspot.com/2011/04/large-barberry-bonsai.html

Plein Air 6-17-11

6x8, oil. Plein air 6-17-11. Fox River this morning at 5:30 am near County Roads F and W.

Sketchbook 6-8-11

I tried sketching my (almost 4 year old) daughter. I tried a number of times as seen here. She looks older in the sketch but wow, is it difficult to get someone that age to sit still for more than a few seconds.

Sketchbook 6-7-11

Figure Drawing 6-7-11

Quick figure from tonight's figure drawing session.

Plein Air 6-7-11

6x8, oil. Plein air 6-7-11. Super hot and muggy early this morning. It felt like August in June.

Sketchbook 6-6-11

Sketchbook 6-5-11

Plein Air 6-5-11

8x6, oil. Plein air 6-5-11. From this morning. I spent awhile on a painting this morning that ended up getting scraped and then began a different view of a different scene. I didn't want to come back with nothing after getting up early on a Sunday.

Sketchbook 6-4-11

Sketchbook 6-3-11

Quick sketchbook scribbling of a neighbor's house and power lines.

Plein Air 6-3-11

8x10, oil. Plein air 6-3-11. Muddy section of the Fox River early this morning while it was still overcast.

Sketchbook 6-2-11

Quick ball-point pen sketch out of the sketchbook today.

Sketchbook 6-1-11

Being the 1st of the month, no better time than now to set forth on a goal of mine...drawing/scribbling/recording everyday something in my sketchbook. There are so many times I'm out somewhere and wished I had my sketchbook with me to record observations from life. It could be a light or shadow pattern, a challenging architectural element, or design in a tree. Lately with my plein air painting I put a lot of pressure on myself to nail one each time but it doesn't happen that way. With quick sketches, paper is cheaper than linen panels and more portable than lugging my painting gear everywhere so I won't feel the pressure to knock out a dynamite painting each time I set out. Also, with sketching everyday, your painting skills can only improve plus drawing is quicker and can be more direct. I like the idea of using a ball-point pen for these as well. If I'm out with just a pen I don't have to worry about breaking a pencil tip or needing to sharpen one. I also think that with a pen, it will give me a more spontaneous confident mark since one, it's darker. Two, it's not erasable. If anything, sketching is frickin' therapeutic just like lifting heavy weights is for me. Always having a sketchbook on hand reminds me of my grandpa. He didn't draw or exhibit any type of artistic ability that I knew of but he was an avid reader. Everywhere he went he had his western novel with to plop down and read at a park bench or at a seat at the mall while my grandma shopped around (always losing his glasses and then blaming my grandma!).

Plein Air 5-30-11

8x6, oil. Plein air 5-30-11. About 6:30am Memorial Day.

Plein Air 5-21-11

10x8, oil. Plein air 5-21-11. I painted this one on location, late afternoon today.

Plein Air 5-16-11 nocturne

8x6, oil. Plein air 5-16-11 nocturne. Painted this one tonight outside at the lake. Rather cliche scene and not dissimilar to some of my other attempts but sometimes the simplicity of a scene is difficult to resist. Regardless, it's always a challenge interpreting color in the dark but I feel that this one came out pretty close in color to what I thought I was painting/saw and then it somehow photographed pretty darned close to the color as well (just blurry).

Plein Air 5-12-11

This is from yesterday after lunch. The sun was straight up and made it difficult as this kind of lighting in the middle of the day flattens a scene. 8x6 oil. Google blogger was out of commission yesterday and part of today and didn't allow me to make this post until now. It was in a read-only mode.

Plein Air 5-11-11

Plein air painting from this morning at the marsh around 6am. It was very hazy and humid leading to a tonal atmospheric rendering. 8x10, oil.

3 Hour Figure Painting, 5-7-11

This is a figure sketch from today. 11x14, oil on linen panel. 3 hour pose.