End of the Day --Reworking an idea

End of the Day, 9x12" pastel on Wallis paper by Adriana Meiss

    I tried fixing so many things in the painting from the previous post, but the more I worked on it the worse it got. The grit of the board was gone in some areas and even though I tried applying pastel grounds, some dark shadows couldn't be covered with light pastel.

    Very frustrated, because I wanted a painting with lots of yellow for the show, I started this new one, using the same reference. I still got into trouble in some areas simply because in my hurry and desperation I didn't "think it through"  before starting so I had to do that halfway into the painting and change gears. The hills in the distance for example, were an afterthought that was needed to break the tree barrier and give distance. I know this one doesn't have the same mood of gold evening light but I like it.

   The other one, I had to wash it off completely--believe me, it hurt. I applied a mix of grounds and pumice to restore the tooth of the board so it can be reused.  I'm a little bit angry at myself for having ruined something that had some good things but  for the moment, an "Aglow" painting is still in the works in my head.

Aglow, 9x12"

Aglow, pastel on board by Adriana Meiss

This painting is based on the same shed of two posts ago, but his time I wanted to play with the yellows of the sunset on the trees.  The foreground bush was an afterthought as I felt something was needed there to give  more balance to the scene. I'm still debating about it's shadow...

This one will be included in my exhibit next month. My goal is to have 15 new paintings and I'm almost done.  I have 4 large ones almost finished, and one that I haven't started yet that I've been ruminating in my head for some time. In general, I'm happy to see there is cohesion in the selected work.

Art by the Lake -en plein air painting

Sheds, 12x9" pastel on Colourfix paper by Adriana Meiss

Yesterday was the Art by the Lake at the Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown. My friend Vicky and I participated as plein air painters. There were also fine art vendors under a huge tent and I was impressed by the quality of the work.  We had all day until 4:00pm to paint to our heart's content, but the heat and my heavy set up (why do I always carry more than I can handle?) were a factor in my not being able to produce more than two paintings.

Not being familiar with the area, it took me half an hour to find the best locations to paint. Also, because it was so hot, I wanted to paint under the shade of trees.  What to paint first? Here I had to estimate or foresee how the light/shadow patterns were going to change in the next two hours and decide whether I should wait till the afternoon when the light might be more interesting. At first sight, I was tempted to paint the lake but the water and the sky being of similar value meant problems so I decided instead on the sheds.

Path by the Lake, 9x12 pastel on Wallis paper by Adriana Meiss

At about 11:30 am I started my second one, Path by the Lake. At this time the shadow pattern changed considerably but only in the distant path so I was able to work without major problems.

After lunch I took a long break to see the American Impressionism exhibit and to talk with vendors and other plein air painters. Then at 3:00pm, the  lake looked just perfect for painting: deep blues an greens. Although the water wasn't smooth I swear I could see the pinks of the big clouds reflected on the water. I hurried across the expanse of lawn to get my gear but by the time I reach it any little energy I had in me had left me. It was time to call it the day.  The area is so beautiful that it's in my list of places to visit again and explore with more detail.