Snow flurries

As I was sketching the other morning, snowflakes started to swirl around me. They fell in the pools of black ink in my drawing of the water in front of me.

I had to leave before the ink dried and when I opened up my sketchbook at home, the pools of ink had dried and smeared. It almost ruined the drawing and I thought I should fix those parts that were diluted by the added snow and the blotting that happened while I walked home. But, after reflection, I decided that I liked the result: the finished image displayed the balance between my intelligence (such as it is!) in the world and the world itself. We have détante here between order (such as it is!) and the benign chaos of Nature.

This makes me think of Jackson Pollock who asserted that when made his famous "drip" paintings he became Nature itself. I'm not so sure. But then, I'm not sure of many things. In the end, it's a philosophical question and these, we know, have no answers. Best to just enjoy the ride.

03-28-15
ink

03-28-15
work in progress

03-28-15
ink, crayon, melting snow

detail

Office Hours

Welcome to my office: a stone wall covered with snow.

March 21, 2015
ink, crayon

 Spring is officially here and with it more snow. But we don't care. There's a river to draw. And reflections and patterns of water, snow and ice. Before long I'll be complaining about the leaves, hot sunlight and pollen.
So, I go to my office and get to work!

I started this picture with a light pencil drawing. Then I started working in ink.

Corn snow was falling and accumulating on my paper

The snow melted and diluted the black ink.

March 21, 2015
ink, pencil

warming up with a cup of coffee at Charles River Coffee Shop

A Snowy Day

It was windy too. Hooray for binder clips!

South Natick Dam with ducks and snow
charcoal, watercolor
Jan 27, 2015 

charcoal, watercolor
Jan. 27, 2015

I skied to the dam this morning and did a couple of snowy views of the river.

Pine Forest

Snowy forest at Broadmoor Audubon Sanctuary
Valentine's Day 2013

Fool in the Rain

Jan. 15, 2013
crayon, charcoal, watercolor

It was lightly snowing when I walked to the dam yesterday to draw the landscape. However, as soon as I set my coffee cup down and opened my sketchbook, the snow seemed to pile up on the open paper. Quickly, water was pooling on the page and snowflake-floes were glacially moving as I tried to draw the snow-covered log on the top of the dam (above).

It was difficult making the waxy crayon stick to the wet paper so I switched to charcoal. As I scrubbed, dirty piles of charcoal-plowed snow accumulated around the places I was drawing. I gingerly flicked them to the ground and tried not to smudge my beautiful artwork. Finally, the charcoal started running and the brilliant white patches for the snowy log turned gray as the snow and rain took over my artistic project. How silly of me to be drawing out in the snow sleet and rain. Even the mailman thinks twice about that nowadays!

Before leaving, I made one more quick drawing and resolved to add some watercolor washes and try to clean them up once I got back to the studio. Here's the second drawing (right).

The drawing below was done a few days ago when it wasn't snowing. All was still and the far trees were reflected in the cold sluggish river. It's all very beautiful regardless of the weather.

Jan. 13, 2013
crayon, charcoal

Gla gla weather

ice covered branches of the cherry tree

Another snowy day. A gla gla kind of day that is bone-chilling. We've had a lot of storms this winter and it's beginning to take its toll. Today was a bit warmer; I was able to draw in my sketchbook outside without gloves. Of course I was standing in snow up to my knees and there was a mixture of snow and tiny ice pellets falling.

The sleet made drawing very interesting. It melted on the paper and my crayon slid over the wet spots and caught and gave a good black in the drier patches. Maybe I'll try to replicate this in the studio: wet the paper discontinuously and work over it with waxy and greasy media.

The South Natick dam | Feb. 2, 2011 | litho crayon on paper

A detail view showing the resist caused by the melting snow on the paper

I was heartened to see a flock of mallards feeding in the calm of the eddies at the base of the fish ladder. Maybe this means that food is not so plentiful elsewhere. A recent spell of very cold weather has limited the open water and they are congregating in smaller areas. Maybe. They looked "happy", cooperative  and very active dipping and dabbling in the swift current. I don't know how they survive.

All in all, it was a nice day to spend indoors working on special projects.

I'm working on a children's book. Here's a spread with a flap and die cut

The die cut hints at the surprise (a bright red balloon) underneath

Snorri and Cupcake

I'll write more about this project when it's farther along.  I'm early in the process of developing it and hope to have it ready for my agent next week. Stay tuned!

I think the cats had the best strategy for a gray, gla gla afternoon.
:-)

Hoarfrost

Lake Waban, Wellesley College is on the opposite shore

I walked around Lake Waban several days ago. Another snowstorm was predicted and I knew this would make the path impassable. The heavy Boston snows this winter have constricted my sketch outings so, with my art supplies in hand and a few dollars in my pocket I headed to the lake which is a short walk from my house.

There's a large wetland area which had the only open water. It was congested with ducks, Canada Geese and a few swans. There are cottonwood and alder trees here. Their willowy young branches painting the gray skies with a cheerful promise of leaves and nesting opportunities for the migratory birds.

I took these crude photos with my cell phone. They remind me of the French Impressionist painters Alfred Sisley and Camille Pisarro

The trees in the wetland were covered with hoarfrost. It was so beautiful (and I was getting very cold) that I couldn't attempt a drawing. I guess I didn't have the nerve. I'll try again before the winter is over.

the white trees in the middle distance are coated with hoarfrost

branches are festooned with fine dendritic ice crystals

Hoarfrost is caused by moist air moving over cold surfaces like tree branches and stalks of sere aquatic plants. You find it in many other places but there needs to be this gentle flow of moist air. The ice crystals form on these surfaces. The crystals are lacy and very delicate. Imagine the branches covered in snowflakes. It's as if the snowflakes come from the trees!

I did do one drawing of the young trees. I need to return to this spot.

12º F

The temperature was about 12º F (-11º C) this morning. With the frigid weather, the ice is creeping along to the very lip of the dam. Ducks have been congregating on top of the structure and have left tracks in the snow.
Drawn with a black litho crayon in my sketchbook.

After drawing the first picture, I warm up over a cup of coffee and returned to draw this observation of the snow-covered water with a pair of dog or coyote tracks. It's bitter cold; the sky is totally blue and the shadows of the trees are a deep blue. I drew this with a blue china marker.

The Swan

This forest is down at the end of my street. After digging out after the blizzard this morning, I walked down to see the river.

I crossed over the brook and on to the main road and ended up at the park where the river goes over a small dam. I've sketched it many times in the summer and I've wanted to sketch it in winter too; just to keep the relationship alive.

Here's the Charles River in South Natick. It's flowing over the dam. The heavy snow has turned into a layer of icy slush. The blue circle is…

…a solitary swan that appears to be mired in the slush.

I drew the swan and the river. It took about 25 minutes. It moved around a little and would make a few honking sounds.

I did this drawing too. I finished it in the coffee house across the road where I warmed up. When it was time to go, the swan was still in the river looking stuck as ever. I called the Animal Control office and had to leave a message. I returned to the scene before dusk expecting the worst.

But there was no sign of the swan. It must have gotten out on its own. Maybe it just waited for the slush to get a little more solid so it could walk on it and fly away. I can imagine all kinds of scenarios; can't you?!

Snowy Night

…Sweet dreams…