Friday with friends

more thumbs today at the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge

bald eagle and prey (duck)

water, birds, trees
a perfect refuge!

random scarecrows

delightful gestures

I am fortunate to have good art friends. Today we spent time at my favorite spot, the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge. Sketching, talking, laughing, enjoying the landscape, listening to bird calls, more talking. It was a fantastic day.

How about you?

In the Studio yesterday and today

Yesterday was a good day. I painted en plein air at Cresap Bay with my friend, Suzanne. When I came home to my studio, I painted the piece you see to the left. From a photograph I took in the Woodland Bottoms. I like this painting. It has a crisp fall feel to it, just like the day I took the photo. Yes, yesterday was a good painting day.

On the other hand, today was a tough one.

You've heard the word "homicide" to describe the action of killing another human being. If that human is your father, it's "patricide." If your mother, "matricide."

What do you call it when you kill innocent paintings? I am going to have to think of the right word for that, because it describes what I did today. I killed three paintings. In fact, it seemed that I could do no right in the studio.

I will not post crime scene photos of these grisly murders. I will just let you imagine the mayhem of gross dismemberment of value, composition, temperature, color harmony, and so on.

I'll take out my shovel and bury these bodies in the yard.

And hope for a better day tomorrow.

Woodland Bottoms

The Woodland Bottoms, between I-5 and the Columbia River in Southwest Washington.

Pasture lands, corn fields, dirt roads, a railroad trestle, cows and horses. I think I'll just keep painting it as often as I can because there are rumors of a new Wal-Mart. More rumors of aggressive industrial development.

For some people, it looks like a good place to build something. For me, it is a place to rest my eyes and mind.

Until they pave it. And put in a parking lot.

Woodland Bottoms, 22 x 22, watercolor.