Slope in Moonlight, 5x7

Slope in Moonlight, pastel on board by Adriana Meiss

This small pastel was done from an old photo reference and from recollection of colors during early evening. It was painted in November for the Plowshares show, and sadly, I have not painted in pastels since.

This winter has been too cold to paint comfortably in the studio- the electric heater I bought for that purpose did not help much this time. Also, for the first time in years, the cold really got to me and painting was the last thing in my mind. However, In February, after weeks of non relenting cold, a trip to visit family in Costa Rica, and lots of photo references from there, I decided it was time to paint. Since the kitchen is the warmest place in the house due to the wood burning stove being there, my only option was to paint there with oils. The ceiling fan that distributes heat to the rest of the house would have distributed pastel dust all over, so pastels in the kitchen were out of the question. Now I'm interested in seeing how two of the scenes I've painted in oils would turn out in pastel, where I feel I have more control. The last three days have been warm and I hope to be back in my studio soon!

I almost forgot to mention that the winter issue of  Life in the Finger Lakes Magazine has an interview with me done by Tina Manzer.  Here is the link if you want to read it (pg 72 and 70).

Alfalfa and Corn, 11x14"

Alfalfa and Corn, pastel on paper by Adriana Meiss

Last Tuesday afternoon I went painting with my friend Marybeth to Otisco.  This is one of my favorite areas to paint and photograph. The variety of crops and the hilliness of the terrain add so much color and interest to the landscape that everywhere one looks there is a nice scene ready to be painted.

We found a field on Bailey Rd. and after being granted permission to park in the property by the owner's son, who was about to start mowing the alfalfa field nearby, we wasted no time exploring and setting up. We knew we had two hours at most before the daylight faded. This view attracted me right away because of the good feeling of distance and because it offered the opportunity to deal with orange foliage.  I have always found oranges to be very difficult as those colors can overwhelm a painting if used in large areas.

I used a black sheet of Richeson Premium Pastel Paper because it was the only surface I had in the size I wanted, and was surprised by how much I enjoyed working on it. The surface feels more like fibers rather than grit, but it's definitely coarse as you might be able to appreciate below.

Using Richeson pastel paper.

Enshrouding Fog, 12x9"

Enshrouding Fog, pastel on board by Adriana Meiss

This is one of the paintings included in the A Dialogue with Nature exhibit, and this post is about how it came to be.

The original painting (below), was started on location during the third day of the Adirondack Plein Air Festival in July.  The painting was progressing well until the cloud blanket broke up into puffs that kept on changing the sunlit and shaded areas. My struggle with the changing conditions became so bad that midway I just quit. I saved the painting simply because I knew I could finish it at home.

Original painting done en plein air

 Once home, I saw things differently. The composition bothered me mainly because there were two equal masses of trees on both sides. So I started brushing off trees and  the idea of a foggy scene germinated.

Playing with the painting...

 During that trip to the Adirondacks I saw so many foggy bogs and marshes that I really wanted to paint, but couldn't because of  a bad location (too close to a main road) but also because how fast those conditions change. So I took the opportunity to develop this idea. In the stage below, you might be able to see the ghost of a dead tree I was considering placing on the left,

Getting a better idea of where I'm going with it...

I'm happy I was able to save the painting, and also happy for having taken pictures at different stages of the process, because I still see some good things from the original composition that might be worth developing some other time.

In Hiding, 18x24"

In Hiding, pastel on board by Adriana Meiss

This is a studio painting done a few months ago for the Onondaga Art Guild Show. It's from one of my favorite places in the area, Meadowbrook Pond. Who's hiding?

Changing the subject, it's official now, I'll be showing at Baltimore Woods Nature Center this fall with my friend Maureen Barcza (oils). The title of the exhibit is A Dialogue with Nature. I gradually learned to converse with nature when I started painting outdoors. These conversations continue in the studio until the painting is finished. The funny thing is that now, even when painting from a reference photo, it is normal for me to engage in a conversation with the photo and my memories of the place.

Twilight by the Pond, 12x12" -SOLD

Twilight by the Pond, pastel on board by Adriana Meiss

 Here is another version of a scene I have painted before. When  painting from photographs I like to take lots of  liberties, and in this case I transformed the creek into a pond to emphasize the quietness of twilight.

  This painting is currently on exhibit at the St David's Celebration of the Arts until next Sunday. I was informed by a friend that my other painting there, Winter Sunset has sold!

Marina at Raquette Lake, 12x12

Marina at Raquette Lake, pastel by Adriana Meiss

   This piece was started several years ago, inspired on a camping trip near Raquette Lake. The intended format was vertical. At some point I started having trouble with the evergreen branches closer to the top. and after removing and adding pastel several times, I finally gave up on it.

   Recently, thinking about what to submit to the Adirondack Pastel Society show, this piece came to mind, and remembering also that I had some gold frames in a square format, I just put one in front of the painting and, voila! With the square format the area that was overworked could be removed without detracting from the focal area!  There was some more work done, mainly on the trees, but I was happy to finally say that the painting was finished.

Field Sentinels, 10x8"

Field Sentinels, pastel on board by Adriana Meiss

 
   This is the second paintings based on the same field of the previous painting.

   I'm really enjoying painting when I force myself to imagine different weather conditions and light for a scene. There is always a lot of thinking involved and one has to experiment with colors; and even if things don't work, one is likely to come up with a pleasing color combination that could be used in another painting.

Mandana Farmland, 13x13"

Mandana Farmland, pastel on paper by Adriana Meiss

On my way home after the Finger Lakes Lavender Fest, I slowed my car down and took photos of this field. I have actually seen it many times before and have taken shots of it, but somehow after this time I really felt the need to paint it right away.  I decided to be more creative with colors though and I'm happy with the results. I hope you like it too!

The Overlook, 7x5" - Sold

The Overlook, pastel on board by Adriana Meiss

    I have been painting a lot but almost everything needs still more work to even consider taking pictures of it.  That's why I'm posting this little study which I did for last month's OAG sale. I'm happy that a friend of mine owns it now.
    I'm working on a larger version of it, but as my tendency is to paint night scenes too dark, now I'm at the stage where I have to carefully push the lighter values so that  I don't end up with a dark rectangle on a wall.

The Red Pine, 10 x 8"

The Red Pine, pastel on board by Adriana Meiss

   This is a very simplified scene from a very busy reference photo, which had willows and bushes in the background and lots of joe pye weeds in the foreground.

   For some reason I just wanted to paint the crooked pine with the open field behind it. To give it an air of mystery I added the cloudy atmosphere and subdued colors. To me it speaks of comfortable loneliness. I'm interested in knowing how it makes you feel.

Pompey Sunset, 9x12" - A Progression -Sold

Pompey Sunset, pastel on board by Adriana Meiss

This Friday is the opening of the St David Celebration of the Arts, and this is one of my two submissions.

When painting, I often get so immersed in what I'm doing that I forget to take photos of the progress. In this case, I was working with a very dark photo reference which forced me to work slowly and to take shots now and then to see if the painting was working. So, below are the main steps.

1. Getting rid of the white

 1. The main areas were first barely sketched with a light Nupastel. When working on a white board, the first thing I do is to get rid of the white by using broad strokes with the side of the pastel sticks; then I blend the different areas with packaging peanuts.

 

2. color scheme

2. At this stage, I took my time selecting the colors and figuring out how light I could push some of the greens.

3. The foreground, the composition

 3. If I had done a good sketch before starting, I probably wouldn't have had so much trouble with the foreground. This is the point where I can check if the composition is really working: the row of trees in the middle ground had to be shortened.  Looking back, I think that more earth tones would have been nice...well, that will have to be another painting.

Evolving Style

      

The Backyard II, pastel on watercolor paper by Adriana Meiss

  Once in a while I feel compelled to take a photo reference I have used before and paint a newer version just to see how I would handle it this time. The painting aboves is my latest example. The reference came from a Wet Canvas challenge from 6 years ago, and below is my first version for comparison.

The Backyard, pastel on paper by Adriana Meiss

   It makes me feel I have come a long way, but the funny thing is that I remember feeling so proud at the time because never before I had used purples and blues on the trees.

   It's so easy to look back and feel embarrassed of some of the things I produced years ago, but I have to accept that those paintings represent a different stage of me as an artist and without them I wouldn't be were I am.

Variations on a Theme

Finger Lakes Vineyard, Adriana Meiss--SOLD

  A while ago, while fixing and old painting done on location the possibility of painting some other scenes based on that one came to mind ( see here). I liked the idea of middle ground with the path disappearing into what seemed to be a valley, and I also wanted to experiment more with yellows and oranges. The ones below are the two resulting paintings, but once you are having fun with something you just continue and that's how Finger Lakes Vineyard  above came about. While the reference is from the recent trip to Canandaigua, the color scheme is the same as that of the two previous paintings.
  I like it a lot since it doesn't have much detail. My plan was to trim most of the sky area, but I found a frame that seemed perfect for it and I ended up extending the edges instead. It sold at the Lavender Festival this past weekend!

Henneberry Field #1, Adriana Meiss

Henneberry Field #2, Adriana Meiss

Cirrus Clouds, 19"x25"

I've decided I'm finally done with this one. It will be be in the cover of the invitations to the exhibit.

There was a lonely, bare tree in the middle of the field, but I removed it to intensify the feeling of big sky and long expanses of land, so typical of the area. Actually, the truth is that I did not feel like dealing with bare branches at a time when I'm in a hurry. There! It's so easy to justify our actions...

Next week I hope to be doing only framing, but I know a new painting will try to sneak in somehow.

Good news: I am now represented by Gallery 54 in Skaneateles!

After the Rain, 5"x7"

It's not nice to start the new year with a cold but that's exactly was has happened to me. I'm recovering though and even started a new painting that I hope to finish very soon. I'm being extra careful though about pastel dust as it can make things worse.

For the time being, this is one of the small paintings I did in November, based on a reference photo from the area. The place is located on Rt 175 and I wonder how long it'll be before this pasture is gone and new houses are built there.

I want to thank all the people who are following my blog. You guys keep me on my toes!

Madison Gold, 8" x 16"

Madison is the our neighboring county to the east. This large corn field with Oneida Lake in the background caught my attention.

I had this prepared masonite board a friend had given me and thought it was just the right surface for this painting.

Last Days of Fall, 8" x 10" - sold

This year I had a ball painting fall scenes.
I used to shy away from yellows, ochers and reds because I did not know how handle those colors, but as with almost anything you try, you gain confidence after a few failures.