Farm on location sketch

I go through periods of time when, for a variety of reasons, I am not able to spend time out on location painting.  I crave it.   I can return to on location paintings from decades ago and be just as inspired today as I was at the time I painted it.

Here is my latest on location sketch.  Last fathers day, I sneaked out in the morning and came upon this scene.  The light was very striking

I did a quick pencil sketch in a larger fomat (pictured below) and painted this on a watercolor block.

(note: The line you see on the right side of this sketch is simply the side of the paper that I'd squared out in advance... more important for works I plan to finish and frame)

I did some quick experimentation in the studio this afternoon.  I began outlining the broad strokes of a large charcoal drawing of this scene utilizing the sketches made on location.

Then I utilized tracing paper to try the placement of a tree sketched on location to this scene (The actual placement of the tree would be to the right of this painting.  The tree framed a hill covered in dandelions quite nicely) .

Just a few pencil strokes on the tracing paper indicating the tree led to four or more different compositions inspired by this scene.

A winter scene with the tree and a rock wall in the foreground.  A summer scene of the same. The rock wall though not original to this scene, none the less is a common sight throughout New England and will add some visual interest beyond the simple dirt turnaround I utilized to paint this scene.

Then separate compositions involving the tree framing the group of houses on the left and another of the group of houses on the right.  My father in law was the first to show me different ways to utilize a viewfinder to help reduce distractions in nature and to focus in on different potential subjects for painting.  Another tip of Aiden's is to examine compositions in a mirror.   I've never actually done this on location.

Another artist I quite admire, Frank W. Benson, often took larger subjects (including group portraits) and created separate compositions from the larger original.  It does require more than simply dividing up a larger subject, but I find it to be an enjoyable creative exercise from time to time.

One of Benson's more famous students, Aiden Lassell Ripley, would also experiment with various compositions from various on location sketches.  Including creating some paintings with reversed compositions.  I find it fascinating how much that switch can change the look of a painting.

I plan to begin a large charcoal of the farm in next few days.

Mountain Brook Summer

This charcoal is an amalgamation of many trips to the mountains.  The most direct sources of inspiration for this drawing was a trip that Julie and I took in Mid Summer to the Swift River in Maine and along the Kancamagus Highway in New Hampshire, as well as the riverbed often visible when driving through Farmington Maine. 

One of the areas we stopped in was nearly water free.  The low water (almost absent) added a whole new type of interest to the river scene for me.  I find rivers and water in general to be a fascinating subject.  From reflections of sky and trees, to rapids, to the ebbs and flows of river channels, and of course water falls.  Along the river bed were occasional puddles which reflected the trees, clouds, and sky overhead.  That's a subject (or three) for another day.

In this case I've altered the composition somewhat to allow the viewer to see the river bed.  In reality, the growth along the road was so thick, that you couldn't see the river bed which ran to within a few feet of the tote road.  In exploring the riverbed, there were some areas where the trees obscured the sky above, letting only mottled light through to the rocks below.  It was breathtaking.

Old Mill - Sabattus

Old Mill, Sabattus Maine

If you see and old building or any building that strikes you, record it in your own way.  I cannot count the number of buildings and scenes that I wanted to paint that were gone by the time I got around to trying to paint them.  In the U.S. in particular, our history is fleeting and the "old" is often bulldozed for the new.

I often rise early in the morning and explore for subjects of interest.  This mornings journey took me to Sabattus.  A weathered mostly abandoned Mill complex caught my eye.  It was a grey day but the greys and rusted roof of this buiding spoke to me.  I took a few notes for reference later when I decide to do a painting of this subject.

As often happens to me when I'm on location, is that I get lost in the moment and the subject requires more simplification and scaling than I accomplish with the first pass - still I was able to put down enough of the subject for further study.  There was an old dam and mill pond to the right of the subject which I'll explore further later.  The reflections in the pond were fascinating and could have been the subject of many paintings.

Old Mill Sabattus, Maine

The advantage to utilizing Pen and Ind for these field sketches for me is that it is quick, easy to transport, makes me think before blocking in the composition and I can take reference notes quickly and easily.

The disadvantage is that color notes are not the same as matching the colors.  Which is why i also enjoy sketching on location with watercolors.  I could have easily combined the watercolor with the Pen and Ink, but for now I prefer to keep the two seperate.