As noted in the previous post, I simplified my painting subjects … mostly.

The first day after regrouping, I painted my front door :) ! I liked the result and more importantly, I gained a bit of confidence. Also, a break from going out and about as I set up just off my front porch so could step inside and have a cup of tea waiting for layers to dry.

That’s the thing with watercolor … it is layers and if not left to dry, the result can be a mess. I was rushing things when painting from the back of the Jeep.

So, in addition to keep things simpler, I slowed down.

Still, I had days when I thought … “I have made no progress at all!”, i.e. I am not getting even a little better!! And days when I thought … “I am getting worse!”.

Yesterday (5/4/2024), I watched a video by one of my YouTube artist favorites and a Pleinairpril motivator: SarahBurnsStudio. Sarah is originally from the United States (Colorado). She married a Scot and has lived in Scotland for the last 7 plus years. She has been a professional artist for at least 10 years and went to art school … in her video of “5 really important things she learned from Pleinairpril” (this is her 3rd), she notes that the “no progress/regression” angst is common to all artists, including herself.

It was kind of funny … the weather in Scotland seemed to mimic the weather here in Northwest Montana … rain, snow, sleet, sun (minimal) and repeat. She had her share of painting out her house and/or car windows!

Still, as in the first half … I had ok, bad and downright awful results. I struggled some days with deciding what and where to paint. BUT, as soon as I started, I got lost in the process and even with frustrating results, I enjoyed. And I learned!

One of the biggest things I learned was to slow down, to observe and to think a bit before dipping a brush into the paint. For me, observation and really seeing shapes and colors and proportion … vs painting (or drawing) what I “think” is there is challenging. For example, a cup is round, right? Well, yes from the top down, but not from an angle. And that goes for structures and landscape.

I started using a bit of a trick … when I got things really wrong, I would print my reference photo … I always took a photo of what I intended to paint … and trace. Then compare the trace to my painting to see where I went wrong. I did a couple of “second try” paintings after doing that to teach myself. Some progress and I know that it will take a LOT of practice to get better at observation and translating that observation to a sketch or painting. Excellent brain exercising!!

So … second half paintings:

The top painting was from “real life” from the Jeep as it was raining and windy and with waterbrushes. I was not happy … The bottom is with my regular brushes from my reference photo and at my desk.

4/27 … super fail as noted.

4/29 … second try from reference photo. I didn’t hate the first but felt it could be better and felt like trying again.

The finale … ending like I started with “The road home”.

In addition to adjusting subject matter, I adjusted my kit as well … more detail on that in another post, but …

At “home”, I used a small household painting ladder … that got me thinking about some sort of transportable “easel” solution …

I received the above tripod mountable easel for the last 2 paintings. Also above is a Portable Painter palette. All evolving…

Sadly, on the 30th for the “Road Home” finale…

…alternating snow and rain squalls had me painting from inside the Jeep. Really inside as from the driver’s seat.

My absolute best experience was on 4/26/2024 when I painted at Wayfarer’s State Park in Bigfork. I used to walk here with Karl (Karelian Bear dog) almost daily. The thing that made the painting experience the best was that I knew I could park near picnic tables and I found a spot with a great view …

The option to set up outside similar to my at home desk setup was wonderful! And it gave me some ideas to be explored further.

Below are links to YouTube videos: my 2nd half video and SarahBurnsStudio video on the 5 important lessons.

Holy cow!! It has been a wild ride on the art train!

First, I am taking a Zoom art class. It is 2 hours long on Saturday mornings in April. The instructor is an artist I have followed on YouTube, primarily for her journaling style. The class is a combination of beginner drawing and watercolor with water brush.

I absolutely love how she teaches … the pace, the techniques … it is fun as well as educational. She teaches understanding underlying shapes and understanding those before diving into loose or freehand drawing.

As shown below, a circle is within a square. When the perspective changes, the square becomes a trapezoid and so the circle becomes an ellipse which is flatter on the top part and rounder on the bottom.

This approach really resonates with the programmer/engineer’s daughter … me!

*** we worked from a reference photo she had of the McDonald’s coffee cup and a muffin.

First class we did the drawing and practiced shapes.

Second class we painted. And before painting we did a lot of paint mixing to understand the colors we would use. Becky guided us through the process as well as the shading.

Tomorrow (Saturday, 4/20) we move to a more detailed drawing. In addition to the Zoom class, the class is recorded and posted so I have been able to review and retry things.

AND, it is helping in my Pleinairpril waterbrush painting … getting better color contrast and shading.

So.

Pleinairpril first half: 4/1-4/15. My expectations of going out and about in the Jeep to some of my favorite photography spots and painting small landscapes turned out to be very challenging physically, mentally and artistically (my beginner skill set!). I had anticipated weather challenges and planned on painting outside close to my house when the weather was bad … even that was often tiring. There were many days when I just wanted to paint in my office at my comfortable art desk in my supportive chair.

Also, my results were pretty horrible. But one of the “rules” of Pleinairpril is to focus on the positive: getting outside, adventurous outside art … “the journey not the destination”. I was able to find a little something in each painting that I felt was something done ok and newly learned, but there was still some frustration and discouragement.

However, I regrouped yesterday morning and decided to keep things simpler for Pleinairpril: the 2nd half.

Overall, despite the frustration and disappointment at my results and the physical challenges … I am enjoying the challenge!

From the first half:

On 4/5, there is no photo in the journal. I received a call late on 4/4 that windows I’d ordered and were to be installed in May … were in and the company had a cancellation for 4/5 … would I like the last minute install? YES, I would!!

Emmett, Oscar and I were gated into the kitchen and living room to give the installers access to the office and bedroom. I did not want to leave them with all of the commotion, so I painted at my kitchen island from a reference photo.

It was a fun reprieve from the outdoor kit and conditions and totally worth it … I LOVE the windows, especially the awning windows in the office:

The windows open out from the bottom for air flow but there is no obstruction of the view or light. The sunroom has 2 more windows plus the sliding glass door. There is not a day since the install when I have not marveled at the view through these windows.

So … 4/6 – 4/9. 4/7 … masking fluid disaster. YIKES. I decided to try masking fluid with no practice :(

On 4/15, I was not feeling 100% and decided on an inside still life of a few pansies from the 4/11 painting.

Ultimately a varied experience and a lot learned!

Most days, I set up my Insta360 X3 and took some video of my location and setup. The video below has a montage of days 1-15 after an introductory summation of my experience and plan for 4/16-4/30.

Meanwhile, Emmett, Oscar and I enjoy the Northwest Montana Spring of warm, cold, snow, rain, sleet and repeat!

Pleinairpril is an annual art challenge to paint or make art, out of doors, every day in April.

As a very new, beginning watercolor, ink and wash, sketch … artist, I did not think it was something for me at this time.

But I did want to do some out and about, i.e. Plein Air art. To that end, this past week, I made an art kit for making art away from my home art desk.

THEN.

And I decided to JUST DO IT!!

So …

Right.

I do not anticipate any masterpieces.

I hope to see improvement!

Whatever, I will have fun!

Yesterday (3/10/2024) was “Spring forward” in the U.S. … Clocks ahead for Daylight Saving Time.

While I wish we would do away with the whole time change thing … in the whole scheme of things, and with the way the U.S. political scene seems non-functional … not holding my breath!

For me it is a 5-minute update of the few devices, appliances and car that do not automatically update. As a long time “work from home” person, my relationship with the clock is to be on time for meetings and appointments. Otherwise, I eat when I am hungry, sleep when I am tired and go for walks when Emmett signals that it is time! We roll in sync with actual daylight/nighttime.

I will say that this year, Spring forward was very welcome. I fell on the ice a little over a week ago. Not really bad, but enough that some stiffness and soreness disrupted my sleep for the first 3 nights. And then … my sleep routine turned a bit upside down and for the last 4 days I have been going to bed 7:00 p.m. latest and so getting up 3-4:00 a.m.

After Springing forward, I find that I am on a more normal-ish schedule … not that it matters, but if I get up in the wee hours, Emmett gets up as well and I feel I need to get out with him … and 3-4 a.m. is kind of the witching hour for nighttime predator critters. I confess to being a bit more anxious after the mountain lion my security cameras caught at 2:30 a.m.-ish… BUT, I check the cameras, light Emmett and me up, turn on the outside lights and we go. My theory with lighting both of us up is twofold: we know where each other is AND we hopefully look strange to a lion or coyote, i.e. most prey for those critters do not have LED lighting!

I also throw the thought to the Universe that Emmett and I mean no harm … we respect and love all creatures.

So far, I have spent many hours in the woods at night with no problem and no fear (MOSTLY!)

Back to Spring Forward.

To celebrate, I made Spring Forward Sunday Sourdough Bagels – YEA!!!

I completed my last software development contract in late January. I do not intend to do more “programming for hire”.

I also do not intend to retire!

My new “job”:

I moved to this part of Montana in February 1994 … nearly 30 years ago … HOLY COW!

I grew up in Northwest Ohio, moved to California in 1979 … first years in East Bay/San Francisco area and then in Los Angeles area until leaving California in late 1993 to find a spot to call home … small town in the west. The criteria were skiing, sailing and mountains.

And here I am!

The first Winters in Montana always had two weeks: one early December and one in January of super cold. Super cold being -teens/20’s (F) overnight and below 10F daytime. Then things moderated to not have those weeks of super cold, less snow and some hotter summer weeks. THEN, the last 2 years … all “normal/semi-normal” kind of out the window.

Enter this year’s Polar Vortex with record setting lows and wind chills. At my house, the lowest low was -27F and no wind although when the front whooshed through on Thursday afternoon, there was a LOT of wind as well as white out … at my home! Kind of funny as in an earlier work Zoom when discussing weather with the gang, I said: “there is a wind chill warning but I don’t usually get much wind at my house because of the trees.” The lesson: never taunt Mother Nature!

As of this writing, Monday (1/15/2024) afternoon, power has not been out. The internet was sporadic in and out on Friday and Saturday … I am guessing some towers were down and up and repeat. So, it is mostly business as usual except that Emmett and my outings have been very short. He has done very well with that.

From our super cold days:

On Saturday, the morning that started at -27F … when the forecast said the high would be -9F, I said on my Instagram, that if it did get to -9, I would snowshoe to my east property boundary to see the mountains … it was so pretty that it was agonizing not to be able to go outside very much. It was -11F at 3:45 and I knew it would not get warmer AND would soon start getting colder again.

I bundled up, put wax on Emmett’s feet and out we went!

The actual distance was maybe 1000 feet round trip. The above photo is from the video I shot and I did not get the camera out until the last 100 feet. I wasn’t sure how long the camera would operate as it was below “operating temperature”!

But I got a bit of video with my Insta360 OneRS One Inch … I am very huffy and puffy: 68 years old, first snowshoe, 2.5 weeks post some sort of respiratory thing that prohibited much cardio and -11F!!! Anyway, here it is:

Today, Monday … after looking at the weather forecast … wind and snow (4-11 inches) due Wednesday … I made a quick trip to the grocery store … mainly for Vaseline for Emmett’s feet. The wax I have is years old and has not seemed very effective. The internet has some votes for Vaseline (petroleum jelly) so we’ll give that a try. Also got a few fresh fruits and veg, chocolate milk for my mochas (!!!). Pantry, frig and freezer are full of food for all of us.

In addition to keeping the firewood stocked up close to and in the house, the pets entertained, the last bits of my programming, baking bread and rolls, making soups and stews … I am LOVING my daily art sessions: watercolor painting, sketching, line and wash, colored pencil … so much fun and I see bits of improvement and then oops, but it is all enjoyable to me. This past week, I started an illustrated journal: think blog on paper with ordinary drawings, paintings of ordinary things.

Below is my Instagram post with how and why I was motivated to start an illustrated journal.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Liz Summers (@easummers)

To my fellow U.S. followers …. stay warm and safe! I don’t think there is much of the U.S. that will be spared unusual cold and conditions.