A Room with a View: "Rocky Mountain High"



"Rocky Mountain High"
7" x 5" Ink and Watercolor Sketch.

 

This little sketch was done on our first morning in Boulder, CO, at the venerable 100-year-old Boulderado Hotel next to the Pearl Street Mall. From my window I could view the "Flat Irons" of the Front Range of the Rockies. Gorgeous tilted rocks thrust into the air, inspiring the name. I drew with a micron pen, painted, then added some additional line, especiall in the rocky areas, using the Elegant Writer Pen. This EW pen is not waterproof, but I did not care as I applied it to dry paper. I've also seen some marvelous work where the artist allowed the ink to run.

Tis a very exciting time with Bob's youngest daughter getting married on Sunday. The grooms parents from the East Coast hosted a family get together, so East could meet West. We had the pleasure of meeting the future in-laws a few years ago in NYC, so it was fun to see them again.

Monday Morning Drawing Class: Another Plastic Bag

"Plastic Bag and Fruit II"

16" x 14" Pastel

This was my most satisfying pastel to date. I did the whole thing with just one mid-drawing suggestion from instructor Bob Semans. When he did the final critique, he told me that this was my best pastel to date. The challenges for me are making the bag appear translucent, creating the fruit so the viewer can determine which pieces are inside the bag, and pushing my values.

Fun with Google Bicycles

"Searching for My Ride"

10" x 12" Watercolor

I have been very remiss at doing blogger lately. With a mini vacation in Mendocino and many life activities, I've had little time for art or my blog. I did manage a couple things and I am working on a large piece.

This painting was inspired by some photos I took when son Jason was here in April. We visited many high tech hot spots, including the Google campus in Mountain View. Google has a entire fleet of brightly colored bicycles, including a large conference bike that six people can pedal while meeting. If you drive past during the lunch hour, the employees go flying by on one of these bicycles. They are used throughout the day, though. The colors are, of course, the Google palette.

When I designed the picture, it was a half sheet. I was not happy with the design, but I really liked this part, which was actually the heart of the painting. I cropped it and may do a larger piece one of these days.