Feb. 25, 2012 - Logging Site at the End of Carpenter Hill Road, Pownal, Vermont

Logging Site, West Carpenter Hill Road, Pownal, Vermont.  West Carpenter Hill Road winds its way along one ridgeline, down into a deep hollow and then back up onto a high ridge where it dead end’s at a point where there is a spectacular 180 degree view, east, south and west over the Green, Berkshire and Taconic Mountains.  I ventured out this morning with the idea of getting a nice sketch of this view with the newly fallen, light snow on the fields.  Instead, at the point where the road ends, I found that some timbering had occurred and the harvested trees were neatly stacked and waiting for transport. The topsides of the logs were dusted with snow. Early morning sunlight was catching part of the snow and leaving other in shade.  Rather than getting the vista, I sketched the stacks of logs, and the subtle changes in the color of the shade and shadow on their snowy tops.
Contact me if you have an interest in this or any other paintings on the site. Email me at tc@tonyconner.com or by phone at 802-375-5548.

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Feb 24, 2012 - Farm On Middle Pownal Road, Pownal, Vermont

Farm on Middle Pownal Road, Pownal, Vermont. Seems that I’ve been visiting Pownal, VT a good bit recently.  This small quick sketch was done looking at another farm in Pownal, this one along a dirt road known as Middle Pownal Road.  Like my previous two sketches (Feb 22 & Feb 23), this one takes a minimal approach and puts more emphasis on the effect of light and overall design than it does on capturing reality.  The color palette for this sketch is a return to the one from Feb 22 with cad red and thalo blue dominant and the addition of cerulean and raw sienna.  Although this is a much less finished work than many others in this series, it’s simplicity brings focus to the main theme which is the bright, winter morning light striking the side of the barn. The sketch is built with all of the elements supporting that single theme – light struck trees, long shadows and snowy fields also capturing the bright sunlight.
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Feb. 23, 2012 - Pownal Farm, Simplified

Pownal Farm, Simplified.  In a continuation of the theme from yesterday’s sketch, this work was also condensed to simple shapes in the form of a vignette.  Like yesterday, this sketch was done early on a clear, sunny morning.  From my vantage point, the farm buildings were backlit and cast large, long shadows into the forground.

Unlike yesterday’s sketch, the colors in this one are more realistic grays and browns, with liberty taken in the placement of cool and warm temperature passages to create interest through contrast.

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Feb. 15, 2012 - Marie Hill Farm, Andover Vermont

Marie Hill Farm, Andover Vermont.  This farm sits on a hill along the north side of Vt Rt 11, between Londonderry and Chester, Vermont.   I travel along this route often and notice the farm everytime.  On this day, the scene struck me as being particularly “wintery” during a year when we’ve really not had much of a winter.

The sketch itself was done with very fluid washes applied quickly and directly.  The colors are from my four-part “winter palette” plus a little cerulean blue.

I did this sketch in a Canson Montvale Watercolor Field Sketchbook.  It’s the first time I’ve used this sketchbook for this series, and had forgotten how much I really like it for plein air sketching.  The paper is not all that absorbent, but has a soft, slightly textured surface which is terrific for flowing washes and direct work.
Contact me if you have an interest in this or any other paintings on the site. Email me at tc@tonyconner.com or by phone at 802-375-5548.

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Feb. 10, 2012 Beechwood Road Looking South, Hoosick Falls NY

Beechwood Road, Looking South, Hoosick Falls NY.   I’ve painted this location twice in the past – both times as autumn scenes.  This time the scene also resembles late autumn even though it was actually painted in mid-February. There should be lots of snow on the ground, covering these farm fields but, as I have reported in earlier posts, it has been unusually mild and snowless all winter long.

I found this scene both dramatic and simple, with clear sky, bright sunlight and large expanses of field and woods.  In one way, this was a watercolor painters dream scene, with all the elements laid out in large, simple shapes, and a nice balance of warm and cool hues.

My aim was to transfer the simplicity to paper.  I tried to emphasize the large shapes and warm/cool contrasts with simple, flat and hard-edged washes.

The warm burnt orange of the fields was pushed in both the foreground and distant fields.  The actual local color was more in line with the color seen in the left part of the middle field.  Why do that?  Catching light on the middle field required that it be contrasted with similar elements.  Depicting  light striking one object requires a visible difference in intensity, temperature or both.  In the case of this sketch, the foreground field is also catching light but painting it in the same manner as the middle field would have left this very large simply painted shape with very little visual interest.  By “pushing” the color – increasing its intensity –without cooling the color – changing its temperature.  The contrast in intensities between the fore and middle ground convinces the eye that, while both are lit, the middle ground is catching a great deal of intense sunlight.  At the same time, the foreground stays warm enough and light enough so that it has visual interest and so the addition of fence post shadows in the foreground left are visually credible as well.
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"On The Point"

This watercolor painting depicts the gradual and subtle changes that occur as winter changes to spring.  During this time of the year the light is slowly becomes brighter and warmer, earth that has spent weeks under layers of snow begins to reappear and streams thaw and begin to visibly run at the surface again.

This scene is late in the day with bright slanting light and it’s associated long shadows.  Like many of my works, this watercolor painting emphasizes warm/cool contrast in its color scheme – perfect for depicting the everchanging balance of cold and warm weather.

 
Contact me if you have an interest in this or any other paintings on the site. Email me at tc@tonyconner.com or by phone at 802-375-5548.

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"End Of Season"

My latest landscape painting  began as a demonstration for my current “Landscape Painting in Watercolor” class. The class focuses specifically on the most efficient and effective techniques needed for painting watercolor landscapes.  Since the class is held indoors, we are working from photos.  The two reference photos  are shown below.  In this particular class, we combined images from the two photos while simplifying the subject and focusing on large shapes and in applying three basic kinds of watercolor washes – flat, graded & variegated.  By the end of class, the large foundation washes had been applied. I finished the painting in my studio principally by adding the touches of value, color and especially the textures needed to depict that time in autumn when the fields have been harvested, the leaves are gone and frost has removed the life and color from any remaining vegetation.

The reference photos are from scenes that are near but across the road from each other.  The sweeping, quiet rhythm of the fields from the left photo was attractive to me but I felt it needed more focus.  Adding the farm buildings and road from the right photo added the point of focus needed.

As is my tendency, the color in the finished painting has been enhanced with additional “chroma” or intensity and the field shapes along with the road enhance the feeling f movement.  I’m attracted to both the rhythm and contrast of open fields – both cultivated and uncultivated.  As mentioned above, farm fields – after the harvest – and open fields in the time after frost have unique textures.  Suggesting these textures is a visual cue as to the season – despite the color that is more expressive than realistic.

The content of the current class, plus some additional information, will be offered again in “Watercolor – the Essential Techniques” on the weekend of November 6 & 7, 2010.

Contact me if you have an interest in this or any other paintings on the site. Email me at tc@tonyconner.com or by phone at 802-375-5548.

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Plein Air sketch - Hillside tree line

Three sketches completed during my weekend class “Painting the Autumn Landscape in Watercolor”.    On Saturday, the first day of the class, we climbed a hillside behind the Taraden Bed & Breakfast in North Bennington, VT to paint the the visible from that spot.  It was a beautiful early fall day – just warm enough and with bright sunshine interrupted periodically by one of the fluffy and fast-moving clouds.   From our spot, it was possible to view the a great deal of the  peaks of the Green Mountains – from the north east to the south.  To the south and west, the distant Taconic Range was also visible.  I did these sketches during the day.

The first sketch was done earlier in the day, when the sky had relatively few low clouds that cast their shadows over the mountains. Because they were moving, we could watch the shadows race over the surface of the hills and mountains.  One of the biggest challenges when painting “en plein air” is handling the constantly changing conditions, especially the light and shadow conditions on the ground.  The solution is to sketch, in pencil, the main forms and then watch for an attractive pattern of shadow. Once it appears, quickly add the shadow shapes in pencil.  Once you start painting, you can refer to the light areas of the mountains and hills to get the local color, and watch for more cloud shadows to get that color.

Each of these sketches is about 6 x 8 in size and each was completed in less than10  minutes.  For me, the key to lively plein air sketches is working quickly.  The other advantage is that it will train you to see both the shape and color of the scene you are painting very quickly, which translates to greater skill as an artist.

Contact me if you have an interest in this or any other paintings on the site. Email me at tc@tonyconner.com or by phone at 802-375-5548.

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"Armstrong Road"

Another painting done during the Billsboro Winery Plein Air Festival – and my personal favorite from the weekend.    For a plein air work, it is large – 14″ x 21″.  Generally I work at quarter sheet size, or smaller, when I paint outdoors.   I chose a larger size for this work mostly because of the nature of the landscape.  The geography of the area around Geneva, NY is mostly flat with some rolling hills and very large farm fields.  Unlike my home state of Vermont, this area features roads that stretch out straight toward the horizon, hardly broken by curves and turns.   The format of a half sheet of watercolor paper emphasizes the horizontal and seem particularly appropriate for this scene.

I wanted to capture the road stretching into the distance and the expansive fields of crops interrupted only by a few farm structures that, though vary large in reality, are dwarfed by the rest of the landscape.

The painting would suggest that it was a rainy day.  It wasn’t rainy, but the sky was moving and moody.  The puddle to the far left was not actually there.  The ditch was, but I felt that the ditch without a pool of water would be a bit uninteresting so I added the puddle and reflections.

It was also very breezy – I had one hand on the easel for most of the painting session.  During those times when I stepped back to take a look – I had also to be prepared to sprint to catch the easel from being blown completely over.   Just to show that plein air painting can be hazardous, it once blew over and whacked me upside the head while I was looking away – a week later, I still have the wound on my temple to show for it!

Why is it my favorite from the weekend?  Not totally certain but it came out fairly well given the trying conditions and the mild headache delivered by my easel halfway through the session!  This kind of subject always appeals to me – rural landscape, moody sky, the contrast of color and value.  This work was especially fun and challenging because of the variety of greens needed to separate one field from another.   I completed three other works during the weekend – “Lady in the Park” was posted earlier this week and the other two works “Balmanno Glass” & “Rose Hill Afternoon” can be seen on my facebook page.

Contact me if you have an interest in this or any other paintings on the site. Email me at tc@tonyconner.com or by phone at 802-375-5548.

I enjoy welcoming visitors to my Studio Gallery. It is open by appointment – please contact me to arrange a visit.

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"Equinox Road"

This painting was posted shortly after it was completed in April 2008.  In that post, I talk about this work being metaphorical and composed just to communicate the way I sense the change of season between winter and spring – more about this painting can be found here.  A large cool shadow area covers most of the bottom third of the painting. Below are some other newer and older works that feature similar compositions.

"Deep Autumn"

"Winter Light"

"Cape Time"

"October Blues"

So, how come?  Why does this compositional convention show up so often in my landscape paintings.  The answer I gave during the demo is true – it works well as a compositional tool.  Beyond that, I have an affinity for the play of light in nature.  In a painting, the only way to convey light is to contrast it with shadow or shade – meaning that there must be some variety of darker values near the lights.   As I alluded in the earlier post, and as I try hard to convey to students in my classes, the composition of value shapes is what provides structural strength (or weakness) to a painting.  Personally, I like a solid visual step at the bottom edge of a painting, which is the reason that I so often include it in my work.   What would Sigmund Freud think?  Something deep, dark and troubling no doubt!    I prefer to think it’s just my best efforts at good composition. That said, perhaps I’ll mix things up in work to come – stay tuned!

"Park-McCullough View"

"Breaking Light"

"Afternoon Farm"

"Golden Afternoon"

"Rural Route"

Contact me if you have an interest in these or any other paintings on the site. Email me at tc@tonyconner.com or by phone at 802-375-5548.

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