A Chance of Rain, 12x9" en plein air

A Chance Of Rain,  paste on board by Adriana Meiss

  An oldie from last year, when our plein air group went to Stone Quarry Hill Art Park, Cazenovia, NY. This was actually the second piece I painted that day.  The first piece (here) was done under sunny skies, but by the time I was half way done with this one, threatening clouds were moving in. Fortunately, I had captured enough of the mood to recently finish it at home.

  I used one of my own prepared masonite boards, and the rough surface seems to work well for cloud reflections or even to indicate rain drops on water --hum, that's giving me an idea...

Farm in Pompey Center, 11 x 19" - reworked

Farm in Pompey Center, pastel on paper by Adriana Meiss

This is another reworked pastel. The original painting, done on location in 2009 is below, and you can read more about it here.

original pastel, done on location

 The first thing one notices is that light in the original pastel is too blue, but that was my fault when taking the photo. The real problem which, I did not see at the time, was that the rows of corn stubs in the foreground pointed to the plowed field in the distant left, thus guiding the eye outside the picture plane. Once I knew what and how to fix it, it was really fun to work on it.

The following are the main changes done:

• the plowed field in the distance was  removed 
• the color and value were adjusted in the distant row of trees 
• ochres were added to the closer row of trees to indicate late afternoon light
• blue and turquoise were added  to the barn
• the direction of the rows was slightly switched to the right in the middle ground to guide the eye towards the barn

So far I think it works and I might frame it soon.

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!

Below the Lower Falls, 19x27"

Below the Lower Falls, pastel on paper by Adriana Meiss

    This is one of two large paintings I finished last week. Both were based on several photos taken at Letchworth State Park, south of Rochester, NY. This place is where they do portaging. At the time of my visit there, I had the intention of painting on location but to get to this point I would have had to carry all my heavy equipment for more than a mile, so I had to content myself with taking photos. It was quiet and beautiful, and we all in the family still remember the tiny water snakes and frogs we saw near the shore.

   Here is a progression:
First Stage. I decided to to use a sheet of Colourfix paper in terracotta to complement the greens. I started by blocking in the main masses-- I like to start with the sky because it helps to set the mood/temperature of the painting. Strokes are applied in different directions just to fill in the spaces.

Second Stage.  I began to define the masses. It's a good stage to look for areas that need corrections. This painting is all about the water, so I had to carefully determine what colors I was going to use in the different areas, and in what order so that I wouldn't end up with muddy water.

 Third Stage. At this point most of the pastel application has been done with the side stick.

Fourth Stage.I did a lot of blending, first with packing peanuts, then with my fingers. I loved working on that transition in the reflected sky, from cerulean to blue-violet, then to sienna. I had to wash my hands very often to prevent dirtying this area.

Fifth Stage. Rocks aren't a favorite subject to paint, so I took my time experimenting. I used color pencils and Nupastels for the submerged rocks. Almost done...

Final Stage (this is the same photo as at the beginning of the post). While I liked the color intensity in the stage above, it did not reflect the humidity of midday, so I grayed/dulled some areas. This was followed by more reflections on the water, some ripples and softening of  edges.

Dusk Reflections, 12x12

Dusk Reflections, pastel on board by Adriana Meiss

    I learned today that this painting and a larger one were accepted in the Northeast National Pastel Exhibit at Old Forge!  It was just the kind of good news I needed, after two disappointing rejections, one from another show and one from a plein air event. 

   

 My work has been rejected many, many times, and even though I try to take things in stride, somehow when rejections come one after another they amount to a big blow and I usually begin to question my art, at least for a little while. This time I did not have time for that. I've been busy working on two large paintings and can only think ahead, to when they are finally finished. It's something to keep in mind next time I submit work to a competition.

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.

Rainy Day. 9x12

Rainy Day, pastel on paper by Adriana Meiss

   This pastel was started a long while ago, then became part of my pile of unfinished work. A few days ago, wanting to participate in a juried show, I thought that perhaps I could finish something instead of starting something  new. This spring scene from the Adirondacks, spoke to me; perhaps that was because I'm so eager to see bright spring green on grass and branches! The good thing is that this time around I deviated a lot from the photograph. Trees were removed, others created, and the white blooming tree that was in the foreground half hidden by the conifers, found a better place in the distance along with a new companion, becoming a point of interest.

   My new goal for studio paintings is to study at least two possibilities a scene has to offer before jumping to paint it.