Rocks & Water

I’ve been looking closely at rocks and water lately – REALLY looking. And when I do that, I paint them. Plein air painting makes me REALLY look…notice the color shifts, the hard, soft and lost edges, the planes of the rocks, the warm highlights, cool shadows, etc.  And when I notice all those subtle variations, a true appreciation soaks in.

As an artist, I want to capture that appreciation on canvas. No, I’m not trying to paint every crag, every crevice, every ripple in the water – I want the FEEL. I want the rocks to feel solid and the reflections in the water to feel transparent. When you’re working ‘plein air’, there’s not time for the minuscule details. You go for the essence....the feel.

A few of my plein air excursions, focusing on rocks and water, from this past week....

"Point of Rocks" - My photo of the scene on the Yellowstone River north of Gardiner.

My plein air study....
I really enjoyed painting the reflections in the water. If I would have painted them from the photo (above), I never would have seen all the colors in there. (Shadows in photographs appear much darker than we see them in real life.)
 

My photo of Beartooth Butte - a gorgeous spot above Beartooth Lake.

My plein air study....
I kayaked across the lake with my painting set up to capture this one on canvas. A challenge - both logistically and artistically!, but I had to try to paint those beautiful colors in the cliffs. 

My plein air study of the Yellowstone River at our property....right below the Gallery. This one is 'easy access' for me and a GREAT place to 'practice' rocks & water

Around here, we're not lacking for rocks and water. It's incredible the options there are within a short day trip. There will be more....

One does not make one's living as an artist;

One makes one's life as an artist.

   (adapted from a quote by Ann Zwinger)