En Voiture

Hello, friends,

Thanks so much for joining me again this month. We’ve had a lot going on, but I still managed to find some time to paint. The joy of seeing a subject interpreted in watercolor never dulls. I hope that you’ll drag out your paints and give it a go.

Spring is finally here. It’s so much fun to see the flowers starting to bloom. Today I picked my first rose. It was the only bloom on the bush, but the lovely Mlle Cecile Brunner rose came through for me once again.

The painting I am here to share with you this month comes from a delightful experience Vern and I had in Point Arena. One Saturday we decided to jump into the Miata and head south down the coast to see what we could see. I packed my paints and away we went.

Our first stop was, of course, Mendocino. That village always lifts our spirits and brightens our day. It was a gorgeous, sunny day and it was great to be alive.

Here I am all bundled up for the ride.

As we rode along we reveled in the beauty of the sky and ocean. It was a clear, crisp day, and the ocean was sparkling far below the craggy bluffs.

We finally arrived in Point Arena and eventually drove to the pier. Just as we entered the wharf, I spotted a perfect painting subject. Vern was tired, so he was willing to take a snooze while I pulled out the paints.

This is the subject through our windshield. I was immediately drawn to this boat and the contrast it made with the barn. I think the pier in the background, the salty sea air, and the ocean roaring not far away just filled me with delight.

This photo gives you an idea of my setup. I was painting on an Arches watercolor pad, 140 lb., 14 in x 20 in.

This is a photo of the watercolor pad I was using, just in case you’d like to do a little of this type of outdoor sketching yourself.

This watercolor sketch is the result of the afternoon. It’s quirky and fast. I had fun just experiencing the vibe of the moment, knowing that later I would create a studio painting. Vern suggested I call this experience “en voiture” instead of “en plein air” painting. I thought that was a fun idea.

“I’m constantly painting the landscape in my head as I drive along, and when I see something that refuses to give way to the next scene, I stop the car and turn around.”

— Gay Falkenberg

“I set up behind my van and tried to paint for a while but it was so windy and cold I gave up after 20 minutes. Only later did I discover a spray pattern on the van from the wind blowing paint off the palette!”

— John Fitzsimmons

I couldn’t resist sharing that second quote with you. Somehow it captured the feeling of crazy that goes along with painting outdoors. Most of my sketches are wild and woolly, and I can’t really believe I’m sharing one with you.

Perhaps I’m becoming more carefree. I know that I’ll have a chance to recapture the scene in the studio, and the attempt out of doors is the thing. It is a fast and furious, throwing-caution-to-the-wind kind of fun that I can almost recommend at this point in my artistic journey. LOL!

The first step back in the studio was to create a thumbnail sketch. This is a fairly new addition to my painting process. I am finding that it is true that it helps to work out some of the compositional ideas and helps you to think through lighting and tonal values.

You can see that the painting is quite different from the original sketch and even from the thumbnail sketch. The painting has a life of its own and is a process of addition and subtraction. I’ve added the people that were actually there in the original photos and raised the pier so that you can see the ocean below.

What I’ve tried to retain is some of the vitality of color and movement from the original sketch. I think you’ll see in the final painting I’ve added shadows and thrown around some wonderful color. These additions add to the exuberance of the day and the excitement and cheerfulness of the painting.

So that’s it for this month from Fort Bragg, CA. I hope that you’ve enjoyed a glimpse into my watercolor experience, and once again I want to encourage you to continue on with your own personal creativity.

Thank you for joining me. And a huge thanks to those of you who have been brave enough to leave me a comment here on the blog. I will always read them and will respond to each one.