A Little Peace

Charcoal Pencil on Paper

Here's how I used to draw. They're simple pictures. Pleasant pieces done quite a few years ago. They aren't things that delve into the challenges of the human condition. There's nothing wrong with doing that, of course, but it's not what these drawings are for. At some point I'd like to deal with more challenging subjects, but when I do I hope I can deal with difficult things in positive ways. In the mean time, one of the qualities of these drawings, and something that I think works it's way into most of my finished pieces, is a sense of peace.

It encourages me when others describe my paintings and drawings as peaceful. Installing peace in my artwork isn't something I consciously set out to do, but I think it just happens. Perhaps deep inside I feel a personal need for greater peace, and that attitude finds its way into my work.

There are some deemed “artists” who create extremely obnoxious and even repulsive works which, they say, “push the envelope” and “open dialogues.” Such sensationalized works usually tend to polarize dialogues rather than open them. They wallow in the kind of misery that damages lives and degrades communities. We see sensationalized misery in the entertainment industry and in news reports. We might witness it's effects firsthand. Sometimes we might even feel it's toxic effects in our own lives.

Graphite pencil on Paper

It's been a quite a while since I moved out west. The last few years I lived in Pennsylvania, my parents allowed me to set up an easel in the corner of the family room where I could work on graphite, charcoal and color pencil portraits and drawings. These drawings were my only source of income during a time of economic hardship in an economically depressed town. While at the easel I was able to tune out everything else and focus on commissions that came in from people throughout northwest Pennsylvania. At least, I could tune out most things...

My mother knew a woman in town whose family was very poor. Her husband was disabled, and they and their children struggled with health issues and a lot of other problems. They didn't practice good hygiene and the resulting smell made them hard to be around. As far as I can remember, any conversations I ever tried to have with the woman's husband were unsuccessful because he seemed to live in a world of his own. Mom was one of the poor woman's only friends. Sometimes, it seemed, the only friend she had.

During this time my Dad took a few of my smaller drawings to work and showed them to his co-workers. One man he showed the drawings to commissioned a 22” x 30” graphite drawing of his three children sitting at the beach.

Graphite Pencil on Paper

It was one day when my nearly finished drawing of the three children was on the easel that my mother's friend came to our back door and was invited in by Mom. Something was terribly wrong. The woman was crying hysterically. Her husband had just been arrested for molesting her daughters. Authorities had placed her two children into protective custody. She paced around between the kitchen and family room, inconsolable, as Mom tried to comfort her. This unsettling scene of pacing and crying went on, it seemed, for several minutes. I knew nothing to do but stay out of the way.

Then, as the distraught woman continued to cry and pace around the family room, she came to the easel with the drawing of the three children. She suddenly stopped and quieted. She gazed at the drawing of the three children – children she didn't know – for several seconds. To my surprise, a slight smile came to her tear streaked face. For the first time since coming to our door that morning, a small measure of peace seemed to come to her. Mom continued trying to help her poor friend as best she could. The remainder of her visit the woman continued to pace and cry at times, but returned a few more times to look at the drawing, and momentarily quiet herself.

My drawing wasn't going to fix this poor woman's terrible problems. It couldn't rebuild family ties that had been undermined so terribly and collapsed so catastrophically. But it had eased her misery, even if only a little.

This story might be an extreme example of what kinds of trouble people experience, but everyone struggles with whatever kinds and levels of problems in their lives. Works that deal with serious issues in positive ways can positively enable people. That's something I hope to do in the future with some of my own works. In the mean time, to whatever degree it might help, I'm happy to spread a little peace.

Hiking and Sketching, Part 2 - Plants and Critters

Charcoal Pencil

These are a few more sketches from the two 6" x 8" sketchbooks mentioned in last weeks post. From it's appearance the sketch shown above could be a picture of a juniper tree or cliff rose, but it's a Gambel oak. Another time I went back to the same spot and did a plein air painting of that sprawling tree.

Next is a sketch of a little cottonwood sapling. 

Graphite Pencil

Below is another line drawing, this time of a willow branch, and some unidentified leaves in the upper right of the paper.

Graphite Pencil

This page from one of the sketchbooks is kind of a three-fer. It has a line drawing of some leaves, and also a bunny and cliff face; animal, vegetable, and mineral.

Top, Right, Graphite Pencil
Lower Left, Charcoal Pencil

I'm fascinated by the lines leaves have, but sometimes I'll add a little shading. These are leaves of a box elder tree.

Graphite Pencil

The following page from the sketchbooks has a couple silhouetted trees. The one on the left is a cliff rose. On the right is a sketch of a fir or spruce tree.

Charcoal Pencil
(Except Duck, which is Graphite Pencil)

At the top of the previous sketchbook page is a quick line drawing of a duck. As you can imagine, sketching animals is a little more challenging than trees and bushes. Trees and bushes don't move around very much. Not only can animals move around - a lot, they can disappear. Often all I can get is a quick gesture sketch of whatever critter I want to draw. The ducks in the sketch shown below were at a local city park I visited. They came up to me quite eagerly, but wandered away when I began sketching instead of throwing bread crumbs to them. Before they left, I got as many quick gesture sketches as I could.

Graphite Pencil

One day down by the lake, I got close enough to a few Sandhill Cranes to get these studies. The day had early springlike weather, and was quite pleasant, except maybe for the little spiders which kept crawling on me.

Graphite Pencil

The snail shell in the next image was found along a bicycle path by the lake. The cows were sketched at a different time in the same meadow I had seen the sandhills in.

Charcoal Pencil
(Except Snail Shell, Graphite)

On another day near the lake, I came across a small group of magpies and made these studies of them.

Graphite Pencil

Small garter snakes will sometimes risk their life to sun on the paved bicycle trail. I make a point of chasing the snakes I find off of the trail before a cyclist runs them over. Except this one. This Garter snake sat still long enough for me to make this sketch of him. Afterwards I shoo'ed him off the trail, too.

Graphite Pencil

Hiking and Sketching, Part 1 - Landscapes

Early Spring in the Valley, Graphite Pencil

Most every time I go on a hike or take a walk that will last for more than, say, ten or fifteen minutes, sketching supplies go with me. Taking time to sketch on hikes and walks sharpens drawing skills, helps explore potential painting subjects, and provides a different way to observe things outdoors.

Maple Mountain in Summer, Graphite pencil

Some might think sketching in nature would be relaxing, but it takes putting forth the effort and focus needed to draw as you do things like: sit on hard, bug infested ground, or stand in the snow, fingers stiffening and eyes watering as icy winds try to freeze them. If that's relaxing to you, more power to you. Whether or not it's relaxing, sketching outdoors is an important part of being a plein air painter.

Summer Cottonwood and Ranch, Graphite Pencil

The sketchbooks I take with me on hikes and walks vary in size, from little 4" x 5"s to 9" x 12" pads. The images in this post are selected from a couple of 6" x 8" drawing pads. They're only a small portion of the sketches I've made over the past few years.

Wasatch Front, Graphite Pencil

 Some of the sketches are less than a full page. One page in the sketchbook might have two or more different sketches on it.

Charcoal Pencil

The next sketch is a half page sketch of outcrops on a mountainside. The mountain was the one that's front and center in the "Wasatch Front" sketch (fourth image from top), which is also a half page sketch.

Outcrops, Graphite Pencil

The next sketch is of a column of steam from a power plant. It was sketched as I stood on an ice covered lake.

Graphite Pencil

Next is another sketch of Maple Mountain, done this time with the low angle of winter light.

Graphite Pencil

Here's a view from a mountainside trail, looking up Slate Canyon.

Graphite Pencil

The next two sketches were made looking west across the lake. The first one is looking toward the Oquirrh Mountains in early spring, the last one is a study of summer clouds building over the Lake Mountains.

Graphite Pencil

Graphite Pencil

Read the Labels!

12" x 9" Graphite pencil on Paper

This is a pencil sketch from one of last week's live portrait sessions. Any sketches I make using dry mediums - graphite, charcoal and sometimes pastel - are sprayed with something to make them smudge resistant. That something is workable fixative. A light coating of fixative helps protect the drawing, and allows you to work on the drawing more if you want.

Damar varnish, which also comes in spray cans, is a heavier application used to protect dry oil paintings.

When I went to spray the sketch shown above with fixative, I accidentally grabbed the varnish instead. I realized the mix-up as soon as the drawing was sprayed. No harm done, really, but I probably should check the labels of whatever I'm using before one day I mistake damar varnish for something like air freshener or deodorant. It has that fresh piney scent, to be sure, but damar varnish isn't something you want a lot of personal contact with!

For more about drawing sessions, go to "Labels" on the side bar and click on "sketching" or "drawing."

Graphite Pencil Sketches

12" x 9" Graphite Pencil on Paper

Normally charcoal is my medium of choice when making monochromatic sketches from live models. This week, however, a graphite pencil in my sketch box seemed to be demanding my attention. Graphite is an interesting medium. Dry, yet slippery; dark, yet reflective - graphite's darks are not as deep as charcoal's, but it's silvery smoothness brings certain qualities to sketching and drawing that other mediums don't naturally bring.

12" x 9" Graphite Pencil on Paper

There's another reason for hopping from one medium to another. The techniques are different (at least how I use them). With charcoal I work from a middle tone to build both dark and light tones. Graphite pencil works are - for me - strictly light to dark. I start with white paper and build up darks bit by bit. After using one technique for so long, I risk taking certain methods for granted and losing focus. Having to build a drawing using a different method helps me to refocus on the structure of the drawing.

Besides, graphite drawings are cool.

For more about drawing sessions, go to "Labels" on the side bar and click on "sketching" or "drawing."

Arches National Park

12" x 9" Oil on Panel

A trip to the four corners area of Southern Utah to visit relatives last weekend also provided a chance for hiking and painting in the desert. Arches National Park isn't a place I'm really familiar with, but last weekend the National Park Service was allowing visitors into the park for free. I didn't want to pass up that opportunity.

After exploring around Saturday, I settled on Balanced Rock for my subject. In spite of it being the middle of February, I can't imagine better weather to paint in! When the painting was finished I explored a little more around the park, finally leaving after sunset.

Monday I returned to Arches N.P. for more painting. Unfortunately, and in spite of weather forecasts of sunny weather, I found the Moab area socked in with rain and snow squalls. I wandered around downtown Moab until the weather began to break, then headed back into the park. By then it was late in the day and the weather remained unsettled, not really clearing until shortly before sunset. For those reasons I left my painting gear in the car when I hiked to Delicate Arch. 

Up on the slickrock rim where Delicate Arch sits, a cold wind blasted all those visiting the iconic rock formation that afternoon. Twice tourists' hats blew past me and off into the desert. The hats blew by too quickly to catch. People from all over the world were there visiting the sandstone celebrity. Several photographers with their expensive equipment sat waiting for just the right sunset moment to trip their shutters. Time and conditions weren't conducive to plein air painting, but there's always time to sketch. I sat on the slickrock, pulled out a little sketchbook and a no. 2 pencil, and made a quick sketch of Delicate Arch.

4" x 6" Graphite Pencil on Paper.

I don't think I'm done with Arches N.P.