SUMMER TIME

Four boys came careering down the road on their bikes. With glee and speed, they exulted in their summer freedom. With school out, they had time for adventures. They surprised me as they passed as I walked on the Iron Horse Trail.  It is unusual these days to see boys wandering around town by themselves with no adult supervising their actions. I smiled to see them fly by me.

Digging Project

With August here, a new school year is fast approaching. Those boys will soon be sitting in hot classrooms trying to concentrate on their studies while longing to be outside instead. As they begin their new school year, what advice would you give to them?

I think of the words and phrases that I try to live by:

Be Kind

Reach Out to Other People

Check Your Privilege

Find Joy

Remember Hubris,
that excessive pride that may lead you
 to think you are better than other people.

Reuse, Recycle, Repurpose

Keep it Simple

What wisdom would you offer to those boys?

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During July Watercolor Month, I tried to complete a small painting a day. I didn't succeed every day, but I used some of the photos from Norway to make quick sketches. 

I had started with a stack of miscellaneous watercolor papers. As I used them, once again I realized that with watercolors the paper makes a big difference. Some of the papers, thin and with little tooth, did not permit me to push the watercolors around much. I had a harder time mixing in colors on the paper than I do when I use either Arches 140 Rough or Fabriano 140 Rough. 

The type of paint matters too. I tried using Kuretake pan watercolor for the first half of the month. Though I liked the feel of the paint, I found they were much harder to move around and to make corrections than with tube paint. For most of my painting, I'll stick with Daniel Smith or Winsor Newton non-staining colors.

 I also felt that I had a breakthrough to make my sketches work better. For example, I finally made a sketch of water that looks like water. I hope I can use that knowledge with larger pieces.

Norway sketches and painting mat

Sometimes the mats that I use underneath my paintings become interesting in themselves. I like the abstract landscape that resulted from a month of painting off the edge of the paper.