City Mouse vs Country Mouse

December is a good time to soak up the hustle & bustle of NYC ...

then come back to my studio to connect with nature. The wonder of it all!

SKETCHING CONNECTICUT RIVER

"Long Tidal River", the region's Native Americans called it when they first explored the "Connecticut" thousands of years ago. It starts from the Canadian Border. It then runs thru the heart of New England. I'm at the very end of the Connecticut River. The mighty river empties into Long Island Sound. The 410 miles journey ends here.

On my next post, I will talk about the steps for this plein-air sketch.

TIMELESS CONNECTICUT RIVER SKETCH

Timeless quality of a beautiful location, thru the use of lights & darks. By squinting, it's easy to see the contrasting shapes.

Once again, I prefer to start off with charcoal tone paper.

My kneaded eraser gives me the lights of the sky & river. I finish the sketch with a dark charcoal which define the shadows of the marsh & tree.

HOW TO PAINT AN OIL TURPENTINE

For a quick sketch, choose a scene with just a few simple shapes. That way, you can limit your color palette. For this sketch, I use soft blue for sky, the white of the clouds is from the paper.

A wash of Oxide Green was use to convey the shape of the meadow & trees in the distance. Naples Yellow to highlight the honeysuckle in the foreground. A thin wash of Ultra violet for the water. By mixing my existing green & purple, it gives me a deep green for the shadows. 

Charcoal pencil to define the fence.

An oil turpentine wash dries instantly on paper. I love to use pastel over oil on the paper.

texture of this paper works well with this landscape sketch

NEW ENGLAND FARMS

Cruising the backroads of scenic Connecticut. A farm is a place where the human soul finds connection with nature. Happy Labor Day!

NEW ENGLAND BARN

Finishing up on a Summer garden with pastel. I like the immediate result with a few strokes of color.

DAIRY FARM

With the fine weather, it's easy to cruise up to my local farms. Owner at HARPERSFIELD CHEESE name everyone of their herd.

I like the fact that my cheese comes from happy cows. The lavender has just the right balance of herbs, my favorite is definitely the Lapsang Souchong Black Tea.

I've been cooking with wild leeks. The wild leek pesto on the crackers is a nice balance for the cheese.