I'm Tired

I’m tired of
being manipulated and herded
 
I’m tired of
having notices, ads, opinions, etc.
shoved in my face constantly
 
I’m tired of
politicians telling me
what I should believe
and what they believe
we, the people, need
 
I’m tired of
them spewing pretty words
and making false promises
knowing people believe the do-gooder words
and do not pay attention to the actions
of those who say they are protecting us
 
I’m tired of
hearing the word “free”
big corporations/organizations don’t do things for free
someone, somewhere has to pay,
and it’s usually the taxpayers and consumers
 
I’m tired of
all the fundraising campaigns
because big business,
including the medical profession and insurance companies,
have such exorbitant pricing
that people can’t afford good services
and can’t get the help they need
 
I’m tired of
having freedoms disappear
in the name of protection
and good will
 
I’m tired of
society becoming so automated and impersonal
that personal human interactions
are disappearing behind masks and machines
 
I’m tired of
having to talk to a machine when I make a phone call
or having to listen to the automated answering service
ramble on how much they care about my business
while trying to upsell services or products
as I wait for the “next available rep”
who then can’t help me
 
I’m tired of
seeing people so pulled into their devices
they’re forgetting how to think for themselves
and really live their unique, interesting lives
 
I’m tired of
so much scamming and criminal activity
I don’t know what or who to believe anymore
 
I’m tired of
all this stuff taking up precious time
and taking me away from the things/projects
that bring me joy
 
I’m tired of
feeling I can no longer
trust or rely on anyone but my self
and sometimes, not even that
 
I’m tired of
feeling like I have to hide
that I have to be careful of showing the real me
 
I’m tired of
losing the peace and quiet
in a neighborhood now devoted
to loud machines with roaring engines
 
I’m tired of
feeling like I can’t live
a good, simple life…
my way – writing, painting, gardening
without annoying interruptions
of tedious chores or have-to-dos

What do I do Next for a Painting?

April 17: I was in a quandary on what to do next as I’m close to finishing “Lost to the Misty Mountains.” Then Duane posted his morning photo, and I was captivated. My eyes were immediately on the river and how it disappears on the horizon. The outcropping of trees and rocks on the left gives shape and closer, the tree-reflected water on the right with its ripples creates movement.

My eye is also drawn to the leaning birch trees along the right-hand bank. There’s a tinge of red around the tips of the bare branches hinting at spring.

I edited (lightened to show detail) the photo and printed including a grayscale and cropped versions. I made a few notes in the margins as I contemplate how to tackle this as a pastel painting. What do I remove or add to create a better composition?

Part of me is tempted to crop the left, but part of me likes those evergreens in the far background. I’ll make the decision when I do the initial sketch. At the moment, I’m not playing around with rule of thirds. At the moment, I'm calling this "Ready for Spring." Next I'll have to do an initial drawing to see how to work the composition.

While working with that photo, I saw I’d already had this one in the For Paintings folder. Oh, this is lovely, too! I printed these photos and start planning the painting. I'm calling this "A Glorious Dawn."

The colors of this glorious orange dawning over a meandering river with morning mist rising off the water is so captivating. Of course, the printed versions are not as brilliant as the original and my mind works at getting the feel for how I will pull this together.

My eyes immediately are taken in by the sky, but then my view drops lower, past the beautiful mountain, and I’m drawn to the vanishing point in the river. I pull back and take in the rest of the scene with its contours, shapes, lines, etc.  I begin to get an idea of what I’ll be able to do with this and I’m excited.

I almost feel the black and white version is prettier and more interesting. As always, I thank Duane Wheeler very much for providing such stunning photos!

 

Journey in Pastel Painting: three more days' work

April 11: I changed title from “Towards Misty Mountains” to “Lost to the Misty Mountains.” The new title gives it more emotion. Then, I spent  another hour in the studio working sky and mountains. I tried different colors. I took a soft charcoal pencil and worked lines. Not as satisfied today, but when I step away, it doesn’t look bad… as long as I’m not comparing to the photo.

I think part of my problem is I made the mountains too big. And the trouble with opening the photo full screen on the computer, I can see nuances which I can’t figure out how to put in the painting… not that that matters because no one will really know unless they’re comparing the painting to the original photo. I didn't take a progress photo.

April 12: Tried adding some white to create mist and fade the mountains. I don’t know if I’m getting it right. Then again, it doesn’t have to look exactly like the photo. I used a soft charcoal pencil to define some shapes. I’m in a dunno stage. 

April 13: Another hour in the studio. I again worked with color of the mountains and the mist. The photo is so vibrant, but I know I can’t have that for the painting. The distance needs to be softer and faded. I used a Mount Vision for the mist. Still not sure about the mist. I need to make it fluffier.

I spent most the time working the horizon line, trees and foliage. I also began adding some depth/darkness and color to other trees to get a start on setting the stage for along the river. This helps me see if the depth of the distance. I need to fade it more to give it that distant feel. It will come together.

Journey in Pastel Painting 22-005; Starting the Pastel Work

April 10: While doing morning pages and writing about yesterday’s work, more ideas and thoughts came to me. I cropped the original photo into thirds (left, middle, right) to let me see more detail. I printed each as 5x7 image size and made notes and with a black pen, defined shapes that are somewhat otherwise more subtle... but I still need to be able to see them and put the detail in the painting. (I should have done this before starting the drawings.)

Later, I Spent 1.20 hours in the studio. I put pan pastel on the sky, mountains, trees, and water. 

Then I moved the paper and photos to the DT easel to do sitting work. But as I worked the sky with Sennelier and Mount Vision pastels, I realized I shouldn’t put color into the trees until I do the sky as it’s difficult to keep the green out of the sky as I blend.

Also, I once again had trouble getting the right color. I went back and forth to the pastel trays a few times searching for colors that will work. As usual, I have to do my own thing. In the end, it’ll work out.

I worked and worked the sky. I gave up trying to make it look like the reference photo and worked at making the sky dramatic and realistic.  Mostly I only worked the left side to the edge of the right-hand trees, and, of course, once I put the treetops and mountains in, that will help.

I was actually surprised when I stood up to quit and realized the sky doesn’t look too bad. Yes, there’s still work to do.

The challenge now will be getting the clouds on the mountain tops and the mountains themselves in and looking good. 

Journey in Pastel Painting 22-005: The Beginnings of Another

Photo courtesy: Duane Wheeler

I was just starting work on the fourth painting of the year when my friend, Duane Wheeler, posted another absolutely stunning photo on March 19, and I couldn’t resist it. (He’d given permission for me to use any of his photos for reference.) I was too far into the other to let this one take precedence, but this one called to my soul.

The stormy sky, misty mountains and distant trees, and the river flanked by trees and bushes along the shore totally drew me in. I couldn’t even find words to describe how this scene captivated me. It pulled at my heartstrings.

Even though it was an editing workday, I took time to print two 5 x 7s (one in color and the other in grayscale) and one 8 x 10. These gave me details and perspectives and help me see nuances.

Initial 5 x 7 drawing 

The original photo, printed as 8 x 10 image size, actually measures 4 x 10. This creates a challenge when I use papers of different sizes. My preferred sizes to paint are not the popular sizes and are more rectangular than the panoramic view his photos depict. I have to play around with the composition to fill the paper while still keeping the scene realistic.

I did an initial drawing on a 5 x 7 sketch pad using a sketching pencil and vine charcoal. Then this was put aside while I finished the other painting.

I'm calling this "Towards Misty Mountains," but I'm not sold on the title.

Setting the scene with shapes and values

On April 9, I was ready to work on this one. The paper I chose measured 9 ¼ x 14 ½ when I taped it to the board. I measured out approximate thirds on the original photo and the paper and again, using a sketch pencil and vine charcoal, sketched the scene, set shapes, and values.