Shady Cove

Shady Cove

A good sketch is a type of short hand for artists; they are actually about building observation skills and training your visual memory. 

Certainly any sketch or study can become the design or inspiration for a more complete piece. But I like to think of it as a fact finding mission, about learning to see as a artist.

Shady Cove is a 8x10 oil on canvas painting. It was painted at Lake Murphysboro State Park. A great site in which to paint with its gentle hills and shady shores, Lake Murphysboro is a popular retreat for anglers and bank fishing. Well worth a visit.

Lake Murphysboro State Park 

Prelude to Spring + Earth Tone Color Chart

Jim Serrett     Prelude to Spring     Oil on panel     8x10

The painting above was done over three sittings on location around mid afternoon. The first sitting was a simple washed underpainting of burnt umber to establish a tonal composition.

I approached this landscape painting with more of an indirect/layered method, a process of painting on top of a dry layer allowed for some dry brush and glazing techniques.

I have been working with a simple Earth Palette comprised of four colors, yellow ochre, burnt sienna, burnt umber, ultramarine blue, and white. These low key earth palettes will make you look closely at building color relationships and thinking about color saturation.

Much of the subtly in these color families can not truly be seen or appreciated unless you actually mix one of these charts. For example ultramarine blue mixed with burnt sienna or burnt umber produce two beautiful mixed blacks and an entire range of warm and cool grays. This is what I used in the study Prelude to Spring and in the chart for my mixed black or shade.

There is more info about the earth palettes on my studio site.






In the spring, at the end of the day,
you should smell like dirt.
                                                    Margaret Atwood
                                   

Explore – Question – Learn – Enjoy, Jim

Pochade Box Plans 2.0

I wanted to post a couple of interesting Pochade kits by other artists.

Georgie Rey - Pochade Kit - Mauritius

Georgie Rey is an artist living in Mauritus, a island nation off the southeast coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean. Georgie not only built her kit but even had to have the bungee fabricated, I find her ingenuity and resourcefulness inspirational.

“I modified it a bit by making it deeper (for paints). I also added a removable perspex palette with corks stuck in the corners so that the wet palette doesn't touch the painting when I close the box. I use a light tripod. All this goes in my rucksack. I squeeze my paint out onto my palette before going so as not to carry heavy tubes of paint.”

Link to her Pochade Box post

“I like being outdoors in wild places, walking and looking! When I see an interesting place I like to paint there with my Pochade box and my oils doing paintings which come from my emotional reaction to the spirit of the place.”
--- Georgie Rey

Christopher Clark has produced a excellent artist box that has all the amenities, paint storage, hand palette and wet panel carrier. Christopher has created a video on the details of his Pochade Box as he takes it for its inaugural test drive and posted the plans for this kit on his site.

Take some time and look around his site; this is a energetic artist with many ideas.

“I love capturing the drama of an everyday moment that could have happened down the street from my house, or on the shore of a vast foreign continent. I try to make each one of my works a living memory to share with others. Pouring these stories into a single painting is both exhilarating and heartbreaking. But I guess that’s what happens when you open yourself up to the world.” – Christopher Clark

Scott Ruthven is a artist living in Colorado, USA. I had to post this kit even though the only resemblance to a Serrett Box is that there is a bungee in there somewhere. This is a beautifully crafted kit with some great little innovations. The wet panel carrier in the lid and mechanics of how the painting panel is removable are just great ideas. You can read about Scott's kit on his Blog here and watch the video here.

“Painting en plein air forces quick decisions and makes me paint instead of over-thinking everything.  When I decided to paint outside in earnest, I researched Pochade box options and decided I could make my own, custom box....a downside of having to be creative in every aspect of my life.  Although it took longer to make and cost more than I thought, I have a nice kit for oil painting outdoors.

Check out Scott’s video highlighting the functions of his Pochade Box.

“I have been amazed by the natural world my entire life.  As a teenager, I realized that I saw the world differently than most.  Sadly, many people live fast paced lives with blinders on that preclude them from really seeing the beauty all around.  I on the other hand, am constantly exploring and discovering.  I walk the back streets, hike deep into the wilderness, drive through old, forgotten towns....anything to connect with the authentic experience of life.  I truly believe life is about the journey, not the destination.”

---- Scott Ruthven

Keep those cards and letters coming!
Explore - Question - Learn - Enjoy, Jim

Rim Rock Trail Oil Sketches

 Sketches from Rim Rock Trail.

Clouds at Rim Rock Trail,  5x7,  oil on panel
This work is available – click here for purchase information

We have been having some usually warm weather lately. And seemed like the perfect opportunity to hit this trail.

Rim Rock Trail is in the Shawnee National Forest about nine miles east of the Garden of the Gods. While not as well known as Garden of the Gods, Rim Rock /Pounds Hollow Recreational Area  is just as scenic and a unique hiking experience.

 

 The Rim Rock trail meanders along a prehistoric Native American wall, winds along the rim with impressive overlooks and vistas leading to a large observation platform. From there you can descend down into the rocks through narrow passageways among massive cliffs and huge boulders. On the lower trail you can explore Ox Lot Cave, immense sandstone canyons and hike on to Pounds Hollow Lake or work back along the base of the bluffs to the parking lot - trail head.

The bare trees offer a great view of the bluffs and one gets a understanding of why this area was called “the pounds” by early settlers meaning “some sort of enclosure". And why early Native Americans used it as a fort.

 

 The rock formations and geology offer endless compositions and inspirations for a painting. However, what really caught my attention were the cloud formations moving across the rim of the bluffs with the winter trees along the horizon. There was a real sense of vastness and grander looking up and across the canyon that I wanted to capture. Inside of which you could not escape the feeling of being in a special and primitive place.

Rim Rock Ridge,  5x7,  oil on panel
This work is available – click here for purchase information

Overall, Rim Rock is just a spectacular piece of nature and a truly amazing trail.

A artist could find inspiration for a thousand paintings in just this one location.

We finished up this trip by stopping at the Garden of the Gods for a world class sunset.

Spectacular

 

"Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better". 
                                                ~Albert Einstein

Check out the links below for more info.

Explore - Question - Learn - Enjoy, Jim 

 

Trail notes from Gary Marks at Shawnee Hills Outdoors.com

Directions to Rim Rock by Illinois Sierra Club

Map from the US Forest Service

Shawnee Forest: Illinois Hidden Gem

Thanks for Listening II

Another year over, wow, is time accelerating? It seems to have gone by so fast and

has certainly been quite a year, one filled with the deepest sorrow and greatest joy.

I guess the ying and yang of life.

I just want to take a moment to express my appreciation to all.
Thank you for your support and interest in my work.

As I look back over the year’s efforts, the paintings that succeeded and those that did not. I ask myself the questions, have I improved? What have I said visually? Do I resonate those qualities I admire in painting/art? What I do know for certain is that the more I learn about painting the more I need to learn. It is the continued ongoing study and observation; of the nature, of the visual world that makes art so fascinating and intriguing.

It has been a great year.

Those of you that purchased work, my sincerest gratitude.

 Happy Holidays and have a great New Years.

Jim

"If I could say it in words, there would be no reason to paint."
Edward Hopper

“For last year's words belong to last year's language and next year's words await another voice.”
 T. S. Eliot

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Creative Commons is a nonprofit corporation dedicated to making it easier for people to share and build upon the work of others, consistent with the rules of copyright.

There are no facts, only interpretations

 Changes, oil on panel, 5”x7”

This work is available – click here for purchase information

 I have always liked the quote, for me that thought works on many levels. In both my artistic and personal life, it is a good maxim to have.

 December on Cedar Lake, oil on panel, 5”x7”

This work is available – click here for purchase information 

These winter sketches are all about interpretation, reducing the subject matter to a simple and truthful sketch. And with the rapidly changing weather conditions you really do not have much time for even that.

 

Dusk at Cedar Lake, oil on panel, 5”x7”

This work is available – click here for purchase information

So as a painter must you go for the “large” truths and “big” facts of the image.

And then you can follow these dictum's.

“Get your facts first, and then you can distort ‘em as much as you please.”
- - MarkTwain

"There are no facts, only interpretations."

  - - Friedrich Nietzsche

A nod is as good as wink to a blind horse.

Grammar Road Oil on panel 7 x 9 in
This work is available – click here for purchase information

Quick studies and oil sketches are about expressing the essential features of a subject without getting hung up in the details; it is concerned with building observational abilities and information gathering.  I've driven this route many times and always liked the lay of the land, but on this day I was inspired by the patterns in the sky against the curve of the road.

 The Valley Tree Oil on panel 5 x 7 in
This work is available – click here for purchase information

Sketching with a Pochade is a very personal act; it is in connection with developing a good visual memory in front of nature through observation, experience and study. This is another location I've observed numerous times, the rolling pastures and lone group of trees has become part of my visual library.

.

 Cedar Lake Dutch Ridge Oil on panel 7 x 9 in
This work is available – click here for purchase information

I don’t think it is important to attempt finished looking work when field sketching because it is not about a “masterpiece” but has more to do with a learning experience and honing my skills.

Often just capturing color and form and leaving the details to suggestion is enough to convey the spirit of the landscape. I've spent countless hours on Cedar Lake in a kayak, but am always amazed at how different the interaction of sky and water can be, unlike history the landscape never repeats herself.

I think that many plein air groups today are missing this idea and more concerned with the “plein air persona” and producing finish work than honest painting. And that is why so many plein air paintings look so homogenized. 

  Art is not a group activity.

Interesting read here by Daniel Grant on the plein air debate.

  First Fall Oil on panel 8 x 10 in
SOLD

Anyway back to the oil sketches, a good oil study may stand on its own merit or becomes a reference for a large scale studio painting. But the best studio landscapes are composed from the combination of those field studies and personal observations relying on, to a large extent, visual memory. Working on location will help train those painting muscles by forcing you to see simply and commit to memory deeply, your response to the subject. Either way it will build your personal connection and understanding of the character of the landscape.

 Which brings me to the title of this post, 

"A nod is as good as a wink to a blind horse."

Meaning: A very small hint is enough to convey our meaning. It is not always necessary to say what we want explicitly.

 

I look at the sublime simplification within a Sargeant, the ambiguity of a Turner, the strength of design in a Payne, the light and movement in a Constable or that sense of space and emotional drama in a Duran.

And I say, they knew what Leonardo da Vinci meant when he stated,

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” 

“An artist must be curious.”   

 -- Leonardo  da Vinci

Cedar Lake Quick Studies

These small studies force you to “Keep It Simple” and concentrate on shape, color and composition. In the end simplification is about creating the feeling of the place without actually providing a lot of detail in the painting.

Suggesting a subject with a series of abstract marks is challenging and provides a great opportunity to explore and experiment. And I think you can learn as much from these small 4x6 thumbnail paintings as larger studio works.

Using one large No 6 or 8 bristle brush will force you to work on brushwork by varying the pressure and angle, using the width, broad end, flat edge and corners of the brush.

I like to refer to this as the brush dance, but it is probably closer to ballet or fencing.

 

Small studies will help you think abstractly and develop your color sense. The results can be the inspiration  for a larger studio painting or they can stand on their own merit.

Either way there is no better teacher than pushing paint around.

Cedar Lake is a 1,750 – acre (7.0km) reservoir in Southern Illinois located at the edge of the Shawnee National Forest, southwest of Carbondale. 


Although the primary purpose of Cedar Lake is to provide water to the residents of Carbondale, this scenic reservoir provides recreational opportunities to visitors beyond Jackson County. Because the Shawnee National Forest borders the southern portion of Cedar Lake, about half of its 30-mile shoreline is owned by the U.S. Forest Service. Hardwood forests, cedar trees, and sandstone bluffs line the shoreline.

 With 100 foot sandstone bluffs rising directly out of the water and abundant wildlife viewing opportunities, it is our favorite lake to kayak in Southern Illinois.

 

This is a pretty rare scene; a copper head, easily over two foot long in the water below the rock cliffs. It seemed to be hunting the small fingers of the bluff, we watched it for sometime before we lost track of her.

Oddly enough when we arrived at the swimming hole everyone was a bit apprehensive about diving in.

Have a great day, make great art.  Jim Serrett


Links:
The Shawnee Forest Illinois Hidden Gem
The Shawnee National Forest

Kinkaid Lake Trail Studies

There is a great series of trails at Kinkaid Lake, the trickling creeks and moss-covered rocks present a nice set of visual challenges. The flowing water creates a variety of hard and soft edges, the light beams breaking through the forest canopy sparkle and shimmer across the water, that all combines to create a pattern of light and movement that has a musical abstract quality.
That is what I hoped to captured in these studies.

Have to say the no-see-ums, and flies were terrible.

Kinkaid Lake Trail -   Length: 15 miles (24 kilometers)

Kinkaid Lake is located in Southern Illinois at the northwestern edge of the Shawnee National Forest just west of Murphysboro. The trail can be started either at the southern end next to the dam or at Johnson Creek Recreation Area off State Route 151.
To reach the dam area, take State route 149 west of Murphysboro for six miles. There is a turnoff to the north just beyond Kinkaid Creek. Follow this gravel road to the parking area by the dam and spillway.


To reach Johnson Creek Recreation Area, continue on Route 149 to the junction of Route 3. Turn north on Route 3 and proceed to State Route 151. Turn north on Route 3 and proceed for four miles to the site entrance. There are three trails to explore separately or together and a couple of waterfalls, but are best in early spring.
The Shawnee Hills Outdoors site has some of the best information you’ll find anywhere on the forest and parks of Southern Illinois, fantastic images and great resources on the area.
This link has a pretty good map.

I would rather teach drawing that my pupils may learn to love nature, than teach the looking at nature that they may learn to draw.

(John Ruskin)

Pochade Box Plans

How to make a Pochade Box - Serrett Box
It’s been a while since I posted any Pochade boxes, so I thought you might enjoy these stellar Serrett boxes by some very talented artists.

Mark Reeder, is a realist artist from Canada.
 "I am devoted to Realism, depicting the subjects I choose to paint as I see them in nature."

Although Mark states that he is mainly a portrait/figure painter his landscapes and still lifes certainly do not take a back seat. His pieces "Still life with Apples" and "Daffodils in the Studio" are top notch work. Well worth the visit to his blog, take some time and look through Mark Reeder's work and check out the Pochade box he made here. Some great photos and hints on how he made his kit.

 Josef  Sy, a artist also from Canada describes himself as, " Full time 3D animator / part time fine artist - instructor / full time Dad."

You'll find some interesting Classical portrait demos on his blog and a link to his web site for more work.

Josef built a fine looking Serrett Box, see more about his pochade and art work at this link  Josef's Corner.

Jeremy Sams  a North Carolina artist that voices his connection of faith and art.
"It is my goal as an artist to replicate the beauty of God's creation and capture the majesty of His handiwork through painting. He is the ultimate artist and it is my obligation and privilege to honor Him with my work."

He is a member of Charlotte Plein Air Painters and features the beautiful
Carolina country side in many of his plein airs. He made several innovations on the basic Serrett box, probably most interesting was the use of friction hinges. Jeremy provides several photos and instructions about his pochade here on his blog.

Ron Guthrie - This is the second time I posted a kit by Ron on this site, he built a
beautiful box over a year ago and more recently built another Serrett box for larger sized panels.

"The pochade box came out pretty cool. A lot bigger than the 9"x12" box but then again that box can't handle 11"x14" or 12"x16" panels. This bigger 12"x16" pochade can handle all of them from 12"x16 down. I could also do a vertical 16"x20" too although I've never attempted to do something that big plein air."

Ron Guthrie is a artist from Solvang California, is a member of The California Art Club, Oil Painters of America and involved with the Coast Guard Art Program. Ron's work is "clean", as I like to call it, others refer to it as honest, as of just speaking to the subject with the essentials, but I like clean, the very sincere efforts to express the image in front of him. He has a growing reputation, check out his work.


Again thanks to everyone who has been involved in the Serrett Box Pochade Box world take over. Your innovations, creativity and the generous sharing of your ideas will help open the doors of painting from life for artist everywhere.  Keep building and painting.

And with that let me say that the rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated.
So here is my Serrett Box on the trail at Kinkaid Lake.


A lot of life (good and bad) has gotten in the way of my posts here.

Explore - Question - Learn - Enjoy, Jim