A Winter's Afternoon at the River

Lower Provo, 5 1/2" x 8 1/2"

Cold and flu season has kept me grounded for a while. In spite of that I took a paintbox down to the river last Saturday. However the cold, overcast and drizzly weather convinced me to just do some sketching. The sketch shown above was done with charcoal and white pencils on gray paper. It was kind of disappointing to not paint, but it was good to be out sketching and doing something. Besides that, any and all sketching contributes in positive ways to the next painting.

Color for a Dreary Day

12" x 9" Pastel on  Gray Coated Paper

The weather here has been hazy, snowy, smoggy, cold and gray for several days now. Speaking for myself at least, some brighter, more cheerful colors would be welcome. Here is a pastel sketch I made a few years ago at the weekly drawing session. Doubtless the model had no idea the bright colors she wore might later provide some relief to eyes wearied by the dreary blur of some mid-January. Glad I got out the bright colors that evening.

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

WHO modeled yesterday?

Great Horned Owl, 12" x 9" Charcoal Pencil on Paper

WHO, WHO indeed!

There've been many models in the weekly portrait drawing sessions over the years. We've drawn and painted people of all kinds and from all over the world. Yesterday, though, was a rare opportunity. A woman who runs a wildlife rehab sat for the class. She brought with her a great horned owl, which sat fairly patiently, tethered to the woman's gauntleted arm. This was a wonderful opportunity to combine my love of the natural world and drawing! Drawing a live wild animal is - of course - challenging. The owl's head frequently swiveled around, and halfway through the session the owl hacked up an owl pellet. If you're going to draw live animals you learn to deal with the challenges. But to see the fine textures and patterns in the owl's plumage and hear the soft, resonate hoot of the owl was amazing! The charcoal pencil drawing shown at the top of this post is my effort from last evening. Hope you enjoy!

After all, how often do you get a wild beast to "pose" for it's portrait?

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