ESCAPING THE HEAT

Riverside Rocks, 8 x 10 oil

In this summer of endless dry heat, the river down the street from my house can be ten degrees cooler.  I can walk from the riverbank, across a gravel bar, and out to a sometimes island.  From there, I can paint with my feet in the water and a cool breeze.

OREGON RECIPE

Oregon Recipe, 20 x 60 oil

This is a commissioned painting, based on a smaller painting I did en plein air.  I fell in love with this 1 to 3 format, and plan to use a lot more of this proportion.  Oregon Recipe: Douglas Fir, blackberries, cottonwood, Willamette River, Mt. Hood, stir with a generous helping of clouds, and enjoy!

RIPPLES AND REFLECTIONS

Ripples and Reflections, 24 x 12 oil

The clouds are breaking up.  The river is mostly still, with a few ripples expanding as they come forward.  Nearer the front of the painting, I can see into the water in the shadow of the trees. This painting takes me two days, as I'm painting this larger panel all on location for the Lake Oswego Chronicle show in June.

WILLAMETTE CUMULUS

Willamette Cumulus, 12 x 16 oil

It is the first day of the Lake Oswego Chronicle paintout.  Several artists have beat me to the river in George Rogers' Park, but I think I have timed it just right.  The heavy morning cloud cover is breaking up, and some brighter light reflects off the river.  The spring greens are just about to turn into summer.  A great day to be outdoors.

SUNRISE

Sunrise Rose Blanket, 6 x 8 oil

Every morning the cloud pattern is different.  For today's painting "en plein car" I am sitting in the front seat of the van, peeking out at my glimpse of river.  The sun hasn't yet made it over the heavy fog to the east, but the river is full of light.  Sitting up front leaves me crowded with paint supplies, and I have to hold the panel in my hands.  Not exactly the most comfortable way to paint, but it is far too cold outside for me to be standing still.  Okay, Stapleton Kearns would not be proud.  He likes to paint out in winter wearing big thick boots.  I prefer summer and barefoot, but that's months away now.  And these sunrises are unique moments, each one a jewel across the string of winter mornings.

THE FIRST DAY OF RAIN

Oregon City Falls
8 x 6

October 12.  After two and a half months of dry weather it is raining for real.  The very air is green as plants open their pores to breathe in the moisture.  The rhododendrons in my back yard have lifted their leaves, scooping them into cupped palms to catch the water.  Breathe.  The waiting is over.

October 19.  I catch myself whining about the rain.

HEAT AND SHADOWS

Willamette Morning Escape
12 x 9

It is one of the hottest days of the year.  My plein air class has dwindled to a couple of die-hards.  In the morning, before it gets too hot, I draw them to a spot in George Rogers Park where the big-leaf maples create deep shade, and we begin working.  I'm drawn to the light on the river, and the glowing leaves of trees.   Back at our cars, it is 95 degrees by noon. Thank goodness for the leaves of trees, keeping us cool.

BEE CAREFUL

River Home
12 x 9

 I was sitting on the back porch meditating, when a bee came, crashed into my head, bounced off, and flew away.  It occurred to me that we really depend a lot on bees.  We depend on them to avoid running into us, to navigate with skill and agility.  It's never much of a surprise when one of their less intelligent cousins,  the gnats or mosquitos say, gets stuck in our eye, or inhaled during a downhill bicycle run.  But I've never before had a collision with a bee.

SUNRISE SWIRLS

Daylight Savings Time! The time when naturally late risers get one more chance to fit in a few more sunrise paintings. The sky looks very clear as I approach the boat ramp where I like to paint. But the lighter the sky gets, the more I can see a delicate, curled cloud that seems to hang over the river. A golden glow rises over the trees.


The boat ramp is busy today. It must be the start of some Salmon run. Boat trailers fill half the parking lot, and it is only 6:30. The fishermen passing by probably wonder what I’m doing, with my van door open and my easel just outside. I wish the van had an awning. But then it would almost be a camper–yech.

SOFT SUNRISE

Winter is the perfect time for a slugabed to paint the sunrise. Here above the 45th parallel, December sunrise is after 7:30, and anyone can manage to get up by 7 to go paint on a midwinter day... even me. Which makes it truly pathetic that I haven’t managed to get up even once this winter until this morning. So it would have been nice to have a spectacular show to reward me for my superhuman efforts. But no.
Still, it was a pleasant morning, a paintbrush in my hand, gradually lightening sky, peaceful calm on the river. Exaggerating the color a little, I managed to put some expression into the sky.
Now if you want me to get up other mornings this winter, let’s have some dramatic skies!

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