Summer Fog

Rapid watercolor and gouache landscape study. It was interesting to to see the frosted cream colored glass lamps be the lightest value in the scene and the grass beaming an intense viridian green under the overcast sky. This was painted in the spirit of the Dutch – Hague school (extreme in its greyness).  Starting with a cool grey gouache base I worked over this with additional washes and color notes.

Fluid brand watercolor paper block –cold press –  4 x 8 inches.

Finding the fog and wind was not hard today at Golden Gate Park, and wow it started to get cold. My daughter worked alongside me wearing a winter coat to brave the elements. This would be her second run with oil paints; using a small pochade box I gave her for her birthday as a mobile art studio. Once she was finished she was running around and rolling on the grass! How great to be seven.

Finding the unusual is something I like to seek out when sketching, especially when nature tries to make a comeback in disturbed or abandoned areas. In this case an active bunch of bamboo is over taking a shuttered sailboat rental hut. All varieties of old tech sprouting on the top of the structure breakup the boxy shape.

Materials: Carbon pencil, dip pen, brush, sepia ink and M.Graham sepia watercolor. Pitt pen and small additions of white gouache on Fabriano (Classic Artist's Journal) sketchbook cream colored paper. (6"x8" per page)

As a note anyone visiting NYC area this summer should see the Sargent watercolor show, amazing work in person! This is at the Brooklyn Art Museum and will go on to Boston's MFA this fall I believe.