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Deprecated: Assigning the return value of new by reference is deprecated in /home/raineyde/public_html/wp-includes/theme.php on line 1109 Thoughts and Musings on Art, Life, Dreams & Such — By Lorraine Mulligan (Dewey) — watercolor blog, blog, art blog
"Sunrise on the Lake" (top) and "Sunrise Water Study" (bottom)
Despite it being a gray and misty day the heavy rain had graciously stopped making a perfect welcome for the few days my friend Anne and I would be spending in the Adirondack Mountains in Upstate New York.
After making more than a half dozen trips to my car unloading food stuffs, clothing for all weather conditions, reading material and my most important cargo - painting and drawing supplies - I started a pot of coffee brewing while Anne and I each prepared our respective lunches to be enjoyed beach side (rain or shine)!
I don’t live near a significant body of water. With the exception of accumulated rain in ditches and deep puddles I rarely get the chance to spend time near water though I have been known to bathe from time-to-time. So with a mug of hot coffee in-hand I wandered onto the deck to take in the view of Fourth Lake. There are two small islands just off shore and thousands of evergreens covering the “young mountains” that surround the Lake. An indigo sky and rainy mist provided a soothing monochromatic backdrop for eating my lunch lakeside.
After lunch Anne and I decided we’d head out to Inlet - the closest town - and check out the local shops. We were far from alone in this remote Adirondack wilderness as other vacationers with the same agenda had converged there. We strolled and browsed in the local bookstore and what-not shops filled with everything bear-related.
Black bear are known to frequent these parts. The Adirondack Mountain Club website clearly states, “When you camp in the Adirondacks, you’re in black bear country.” Posters warning visitors to refrain from feeding the bears can be seen in nearly every shop. I personally had no intention of sharing my porridge or my PB&J with a hungry bear. Though I secretly would not have minded seeing a bear I would prefer to be safely inside while doing so.
After looking at more than my fair share of “Made in China” mementos trying to be passed off as authentic Adirondack keepsakes we checked into the local pizzeria ordering their vegetarian delight covered in mozzarella and some cold beverages - delicious! Having eaten our fill we headed back to our temporary lakefront home to paint the evening away.
It was nice to be disconnected from television and Internet temporarily. I’d decided before leaving that I would use this trip as a time to focus on sketching. Sketching and flexing my artistic muscles without the pressure of producing a finished piece. Ultimately that decision has set me free in a way. Free to try anything…and why not… nothing ventured, nothing gained. And after all that’s what sketching is for - to practice seeing and translating what is seen onto paper.
We painted into the night in silence much of the time. It was easy there to let go of your worries and breathe in then breathe out releasing pent up tension and just being in harmony with you’re your creativity.
August 25th, Eagle Bay, Watercolor Sketch "A Light Mist"
Wednesday morning was overcast and gray. My friend, Anne, and I were scheduled to meet early and head North on I-87 toward Glens Falls, New York. Our first stop - as we headed toward the Adirondacks - would be at The Hyde Collection in Glens Falls where the Andrew Wyeth exhibit is on display until September 5, 2010. Since our room would not be ready until early afternoon what better way to “kill time?” The Wyeth exhibit was awe-inspiring and included more than thirty works in watercolor, pencil and egg tempera.
I’d never visited The Hyde, which is a real shame being an easy hour and a half hour drive from my home. The Hyde was the residence of Louis and Charlotte Hyde whose wealth was accumulated as owners of Finch Pruyn & Company, Inc., a paper mill located a short distance from the mansion. The Hyde’s collection includes works of Botticelli, El Greco, Raphael, Rembrandt, and Rubens plus modern masters Cézanne, Degas, Picasso, Renoir, Seurat, and van Gogh as well as a significant group of works by American artists including Eakins, Hassam, Homer, Peto, and Ryder. After Louis Hyde’s death in 1934 Mrs. Hyde continued acquiring artwork and became responsible for more than two-thirds of the overall collection. Impressive and a real bonus to the Wyeth exhibit.
The works of Wyeth on display were diverse from loose and spontaneous watercolors (”The Road to Friendship”) to the more tight and controlled egg tempera (”Her Room” and “Cooling Shed“). And then there were those few pencil drawings - my favorite - (”Christina’s Head” and “James Loper”) seeming to have been executed with precision coupled with a relaxed ease.
I examined each piece with deep concentration and observation wanting to imprint the details of these master works in my mind for retrieval later. Nothing can replace seeing the original work. Nothing can replace that kind of visual education. What a treat to be near a well-known painting like “Master bedroom” seen over and over again in print but proving so much more captivating in real life. I was a smitten Wyeth groupie seeing the “artistic rock star” for the first time.
With my mind full to overflowing Anne and I headed north again on I-87 exiting in Warrensburg in order to pick up Route 28, which would take us all the way to our destination, Eagle Bay. Winding along Route 28 with its rising and falling mile after mile generously revealing panoramic views around every bend was a treat in spite of the “slap, slap, slap” of my windshield wipers cleaning away the steady rain.
Small and large lakes with misty views and evergreens reaching for the sky made it difficult to watch the road at times. We drove through only a few small towns where weary and wet vacationers were browsing with beach time out of the question on this wet and rainy afternoon.
"Room With a View" Watercolor Sketch (Top) and "Gift of Sun on August 26th" Watercolor Sketch (Bottom)
Our early afternoon arrival was timed perfectly with “check-in” and the rain had kindly stopped by then. Let me clarify that check-in simply means driving by the office and unloading into an unlocked, lakefront efficiency. Anne and I both agreed that we’d only forgotten to pack “the kitchen sink.”
Last weekend in the midst of the hellish heat wave we have been experiencing (with temps near the 100 degree mark) I spent a fair amount of time in my air conditioned car traveling to Saratoga (Sunday) and Cooperstown (Monday). All along the way I was snapping pics with my digital camera - a device I’ve yet to master - hoping that a couple would be good enough to use as reference for future paintings or drawings.
The countryside with old farms sprinkled here and there is always an inspiration to me. I’ve always possessed a deep and abiding love of the land and admire those who are committed to the farming life. The closest I can come to living that type of life is by painting moments I observe in passing at 55 mph. Occasionally I’ll slow down and then pull over to take a series of photographs for use later.
This landscape is in the Town of Florida near my home in Montgomery County, New York. I’ve painted this place before coming from the other direction and in winter, but I never tire of this picturesque spot with picket fences and tall shade trees all around.
I imagine a time when the spread was home to a herd of Holsteins or Angus with hay being harvested in the cleared fields that surround the place. These days no livestock can be found in the barns or the adjoining fields, but the old farmhouse captures my imagination nonetheless. As I paint and draw this beautiful place I’ll be there enjoying the open spaces and will smell the fresh cut hay as it’s baled for some neighboring farmer.
Stop by later to see the watercolor painting and pencil drawing of this place that I observe as I am “Heading Home.”
Oh… the things I love about art. I love that in art everything is right and good. Unlike mathematics where two plus two is always four, art isn’t held to such a rigid and defined standard and in science you need to prove things before it becomes valid.
Not so with art. Our creative nature is emotional and intuitive. By using these intangibles we celebrate beauty in an effort to share our vision of the world we live in. The only limit is our imagination.
There are a multitude of ways to express ourselves creatively. I find great joy in painting and drawing but discovered today that I gain equal joy in making mosaic stepping stones from broken dishes and glass. And yesterday in the garden weeding and planting was pure creativity with the bonus of a meditative peace.
Once our creativity is unleashed the direction it takes can be planned or left to random discovery. Your choice. Like water winding its way through a riverbed our creativity can flow so long as the ego steps aside. I find when my ego shows up criticism tends to be right on its heels. With ego and criticism come fear and then all creativity is derailed.
There is helpful information all around us in books, teachers and fellow artists all of which are extremely useful and I encourage learning everything you can from various sources. The thing is nothing can replace hands-on experience, paint to paper, digging and planting, singing your song or playing your tune with great abandon while leaving your pridefulness out of the equation.
Become an intuitive explorer and remember that creativity has but one rule and that rule is … there are no rules. Like Nike you gotta just do it!
There’s just so darned much to learn! Please excuse my profanity, but there really is a world of things I just plain don’t know.
And when it comes to painting the only way to really learn is to practice - practice and explore new subjects. I tend to stick with things I consider safe; things I’ve painted many times before with relative success. My nasty little “safety net approach” to painting has held me back and I believe kept me from finding my niche artistically.
And after all these years of painting I’ve still many new frontiers to explore and since I’m not a full-time artist (yet) - I earn my “survival cash” as a secretary - it may take me a little longer to find my place in the art world.
One of many great lessons I’ve learned is that no matter how overwhelmed I may become about how much there is to learn there is no chance of Rainey giving up. I’ll paint and draw and read and learn from other artists with joy and anticipation.
The truth is I may never find my niche, but I’ll never give up the search. My intention is to enjoy my creativity and share what I can so long as I’m here on this earthly plane.
Creativity feeds my soul and brings peace when there seems to be none. Turning my back on this gift from God is not an option. I am grateful.
How much, how long, how old? What’s your weight, waistline and bank balance? What’s the time, how far is it and how long will it take?
Living life by the numbers is stressing me out lately and since I’m the artistic type I despise being restricted by rules like one plus one equals two. I much prefer abstract thinking and creative answers.
The truth is I’ve never been much for mathematics, which is quite an irony considering I’m a keeper of the books at my place of employment.
Lately though there seems to be no way of avoiding the numbers. Just last week when my friend SG and I met for dinner at The Cheesecake Factory we were surprised to find the calorie count listed for every dish on the menu.
I knew there was a new calorie count law coming down the pike that would require certain eateries to include this information, but why now - just as I was about to order the white chocolate caramel macadamia nut cheese cake!?
I spent more than ten minutes browsing the menu - not to choose a entree, but distracted by the number of calories in each and every dish on the menu. At the end of day both SG and I decided to ignore this helpful numerical data and dig in to our respective dinner choices followed by our 1220 calorie dessert. I suppose we could have split one dessert, but neither of us wanted to.
So as SG and I left the restaurant after having consumed at least two days worth of calories I can see that there really is no way of avoiding the numbers game.
I’m going to try though.For the next four days (I’m on vacation Friday and Monday) I intend to refrain from balancing my checkbook, weighing myself, counting calories and driving the speed limit.I’m such a rebel!And incidentially for me - won plus won always equals victory!
I’m trying something new and this is the first - a short snippet of my painting process. This is my first attempt at doing a video, editing and posting. Bear with me… next time I hope for a better quality video.
Anyway… as you can see I’ve continued to apply layer upon layer of color (watercolor washes) always referring to my color study as a guide in my color mixing process.
While some artists are confident enough to apply dark, splashy washes with only one or two applications of paint, I tend more toward the “building process.” Building by applying one wash of color over the next (drying each layer thoroughly) until I get the desired dark value.
The beauty in creating art is that there’s no right or wrong way to get where you want to be. It’s all a matter of personal preference and style. I suppose that’s what I like best about art - in math 2 + 2 is always 4, but when I’m painting the answers are what I want them to be!
Once I have my foliage and such as dark as I desire I will then remove the masking fluid by erasing or rubbing it. I find using an eraser is cleaner as the oils from your skin can leave a residue on the paper that is hard to remove. Once those whites (your unpainted protected areas) are exposed then it’s time to paint those lilacs and make them bloom (as seen in this video)!
Something important to remember is that while our brain knows these lilacs are made up of hundreds of small blossoms in each bunch we need only focus on painting a “shape” that says “bunch of lilacs.” I have found keeping that in mind - paint a shape that says what we want to say - is freeing and keeps me from getting caught in fussy little details when a shape and color is all you need to say what needs saying.
What I wanted to say with this painting is, “Wow I just saw this beautiful, old country home with mature lilac bushes in full bloom. So vibrant and beautiful! Here look . . . see what I mean?” That’s my message. Can you smell them? Can you feel them tickle the end of your nose as you take in their sweet aroma? That’s my message. Sharing what I see and how I see it through my painting.
Will This Tiger Change His Stripes? (Watercolor Sketch)
I understand that Tiger Wood will be making a statement today in an attempt to restore his reputation in the golf world, regain some semblance of dignity to his public persona and perhaps begin to rebuild his golf empire.
After having Tiger’s numerous extramarital, sexual escapades revealed last November and humiliating he and his wife I just don’t know if I care about an apology. Truth is we are not the people he needs to apologize to. Let’s face it apologies are cheap - it’s the behavior (past and future) that tells the tale and then to provide a defense of sex addiction . . . well I’m just not buying it.
Now if Tiger came forward and admitted a powerlessness to say. . . Chocolate Eclairs or a big ole bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos he’d have my sympathy and I would encourage Elin to extend him forgiveness by saying, “Elin, forgive the man. How could anyone resist that creamy custard filling and delicate, flaky pastry glossed with chocolate icing!” That I can understand, but SEX addiction. . . Come on now, that’s one weak excuse.
I admit to never having been a golf fan or Tiger fan to begin with so I cannot provide the most balanced opinion here. Whacking a little white ball around a big field hour after hour just doesn’t sound like fun to me. So given my lack of objectivity, I posed this question to some avid golfers and non-golfers both men and women. Here are the questions and a few of their responses.
Question: How do you feel about Tiger Wood now that he’s been exposed as a cheater and man-whore? Will his apology influence your feelings about him?
“His wife is a Swedish swimsuit model. . . What is his problem?”
“He may be the world’s greatest golfer, but he is such a man-whore that I have lost all respect for him as a person!”
“Great Golfer with NO Character!!!! Makes you wonder….if he cheats on his wife does he cheat at golf? Character SHOULD matter. On golfers and presidents.”
“I still see him as a great athlete, but on a personal level, scum.It will be so interesting to see him play again, with all the added pressure and see if he can still perform.”
“He will always be scum in my eyes. Just another rich athlete thinking they are untouchable. I will still watch him play golf…in a different light.”
or comments made in jest…
“He’s my hero.” or “He’s my idol, what a pimp.”
and some gleaned some wisdom out of a very sad situation…
“If one proves he will walk on the edge of truth you find he will frequent in familiar territory.”
Today’s interview with TW I liken to an accident on the interstate - you may try to resist, but in the end you just have to slow down to see what ’s going on. So whether you consider Tiger a hero or a lecherous cad let’s settle in with our favorite refreshments and watch another spectacle unfold.
[2/20/2010 SIDE NOTE: I watched TW's public apology yesterday afternoon and did not want to leave this post unfinished. Unfinished in the sense of perpetuating the notion that poking fun, judging and ridiculing anothers' indiscressions is acceptable. It is not. I wish TW and Elin well, and agree when he said, "It's not what you achieve in life that matters, it's what you overcome." We all have different challenges in this life. The difference here is that his challenges play out in the public arena and how he behaves carries a huge responsiblity. At the end of my day TW owes me nothing, but he does "owe" those who made an emotional or financial investment in him to be the "standup guy" they all thought he was - not perfect, but not consumed by the darkside of life and all its temptations. May God soften his heart and guide his journey from here.]
Last of Winter, Watercolor, Image Size 3.25 inches x 2.25 inches (Miniature)
Sitting here in my upstairs perch I watch as a cold, bitter wind tosses snowflakes in swirls past my window. The gusting wind and snow started yesterday evening and today at 5:34 p.m. it’s still snowing. Days like this remind me just how lucky I am to be an artist, albeit part-time, but an artist nonetheless.
I wet my watercolor paints and grab my favorite brush with the knowledge that my art can transport me to any place of my choosing. Only this morning over coffee I’d “stood” on a hilltop taking in the distant mountains while observing the last remnants of winter snow sure to be gone in a day or two (see “Last of Winter” above).
And then this afternoon I choose to get away from the cold winter wind and head to Vermont for a walk through a field of wildflowers. As I recall it was last July, during a visit to Jonathan and Calico’s, and I’d taken lots of photographs hoping to later use them as reference for some wonderful paintings. I can’t think of a better time to “walk” again through the fields of lupine, daisies and ferns to escape this bone-chilling winter day.
As I began to paint - building one watercolor wash over the next - I’m there in that field. It rained on and off that day and as we walked droplets of rainwater dampened our hair and clothing. No room for worries though as the rain fell softly on the field of wildflowers. It sure was nice to get away to Vermont for a while this afternoon. Today Vermont, tomorrow who knows.
The wonderful thing about being an artist, reading a fine book or writing a short story is we can create our own reality. We can go anywhere, do anything, be anyone. The only limit is our own imagination. So today while outside it was harsh and bitter, inside my head there were fields of daisies and the warm summer sun.
Remember that the reality you create is yours alone to conjure. I’m glad to be back at the drawing board where anything is possible.
Living by the Numbers
Thursday, April 8th, 2010"For the Birds," Watercolor Sketch
How much, how long, how old? What’s your weight, waistline and bank balance? What’s the time, how far is it and how long will it take?
Living life by the numbers is stressing me out lately and since I’m the artistic type I despise being restricted by rules like one plus one equals two. I much prefer abstract thinking and creative answers.
The truth is I’ve never been much for mathematics, which is quite an irony considering I’m a keeper of the books at my place of employment.
Lately though there seems to be no way of avoiding the numbers. Just last week when my friend SG and I met for dinner at The Cheesecake Factory we were surprised to find the calorie count listed for every dish on the menu.
I knew there was a new calorie count law coming down the pike that would require certain eateries to include this information, but why now - just as I was about to order the white chocolate caramel macadamia nut cheese cake!?
I spent more than ten minutes browsing the menu - not to choose a entree, but distracted by the number of calories in each and every dish on the menu. At the end of day both SG and I decided to ignore this helpful numerical data and dig in to our respective dinner choices followed by our 1220 calorie dessert. I suppose we could have split one dessert, but neither of us wanted to.
So as SG and I left the restaurant after having consumed at least two days worth of calories I can see that there really is no way of avoiding the numbers game.
I’m going to try though. For the next four days (I’m on vacation Friday and Monday) I intend to refrain from balancing my checkbook, weighing myself, counting calories and driving the speed limit. I’m such a rebel! And incidentially for me - won plus won always equals victory!
Tags: Bird Watching, Commentary, watercolor painting
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