Return to the Studio

I've been doing a lot of standing in front of canvas and pastels, surveying them and trying to get back into painting and nothing. Today I broke that trend and I can't say enough how much it felt like getting back to an amazing place you never realized how much missed.

I started with pastels and the idea was to just enjoy it, not too many details, not too much care, just enough to get the idea across. It was an enjoyable afternoon as the images again spoke and directed themselves.

The first pastel is an ocean scene-a very uncomfortable kayak ride complete with sharks and swells so high it felt like we were skiing. I also lost a fishing rod and was showed how much I haven't mastered kayaking the surf-see A seasoned kayaker is bested.

 I am still finishing the image but wanted to try and keep the basic idea of movement and water without making it too detailed and overworked. The feeling I was trying to convey is the feeling of being one with the giant swells and yet the feeling that you could be discarded with little effort as I later discovered. Ocean 1, kayaker 0-by the way my brother, nephew and son all came into the shore without being tossed out of their kayaks-it was quite embarrassing for me.

The next pastel I worked on was an old one of Lake Texoma-when you are out there on a clear day, the sky and water are so pristine. This was from the time before last when the water was so still and the sky was just an amazing deep blue. We didn't even catch anything but being out there is sometimes all we need to feel that moment of, it doesn't get much better than this-that was one of those perfect, pristine days.

The last pastel I worked on didn't get that far but I do like the basic idea. It is a fire from past weekend at Beavers Bend Oklahoma. I liked the way the light lit up the trees and I wanted to capture the forest with a feeling of mystique. I look forward to perfecting the depth and the atmosphere while leaving much of the details to the viewers imagination.

I am excited about finally getting back to the studio even if it's just for a few hours. I really enjoyed getting out to Hagerman National Refuge and between finally getting to feel better and having a bit of nature for inspiration, I think the spark is back. I can't wait to get some of the images that have been sketched out to be real. Stay tuned.