The Wedding Tree at Thistle Meadow Winery

If you need a break from the heat, wander up to the mountains to the Thistle Meadow Winery in Laurel Springs NC. It is about an hour and 1/2 north of Charlotte. You can have a picnic there under this tree next to a stream and sip some of their great wines. Many couples have gotten married under this tree over the years. This is a color pencil sketch. 

Three Interpretations

 

On one of my favorite hikes along the Mountain to Sea Trail, I ran across this tree besides the trail. I've interpreted the tree in three ways to date. One is a straight drawing, one a realistic watercolor painting and one is a simplified colored pencil drawing. Fun to add and subtract limbs and details in the various images. 

Nature Reconsidered Exhibit Juror's Statement

 

It was nice to win 1^st Place in the Nature Reconsidered Exhibition. The Juror's Statement by Myles Calvert, Assistant Professor – Printmaking, College of Visual and Performing Arts, Winthrop University is very well written. 

Considerations such as warm paper hue, make this graphite drawing / textured rubbing, a stand out work. Gestural marks, which are seemingly spontaneous are, in fact, carefully considered and logically placed. Areas of intense detail allow for a restful area of photographic calm, before moving to texture-heavy offerings of what a tree should feel like. The drawing allows for artistic freedom but does not fall short of pairing a refreshing use of positive / negative space and stimulating the mind to what branches may even smell like. A familiar image ratio combined with unusual cropping, dictates a contemporary expression of a truly explored and historical subject.

This statement reminds me of how my friend Don Michael can write about art! 

 

Pencil Sketches as part of my Tree Series

I am excited by the pencil sketches that I am doing as part of my tree series. I just love the simplicity of pencil and paper. I am also enjoying teh hikes I am taking along the Mountain To Sea trail as part of my "research". 

 

Mountain to Sea Trail Drawing...is it finished?

I have considered this drawing finished a few times. Here is my 1st stopping point. The grass in the foreground is still very light; no clouds and the barbed wire disappears behind the trees. This wonderful field is along the Blue Ridge Parkway where the Mountain to Sea trail runs besides it. 

Returning to it a second time, I added the nails and other hardware to the fence post, then darkened the grasses. I thought I was done, again. 

I spent some time with the drawing again and decided it was not complete. I added the clouds and blended the foreground grasses together in some places. I then added more discarded hardware and the Mountain to Sea Trail blaze to the tree. Am I finished...we'll see. 

 

Mountain to Sea Trail Color Pencil Drawings Part 2

Just having a great time with these pastel sketches. They are 7 x 10 inches, so an easy small size. I am trying to complete in one or two sittings at my studio. For this one, I got down in the weeds or wildflowers so to speak! 

Mountain to Sea Trail Color Pencil Drawings

Maura and I went hiking along the Mountain to Sea Trail near Sparta, NC. This is where the trail runs along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Easy access! Then we went to the Thistle Meadow Winery in Laurel Springs for a glass of wine! Wonderful day. 

These are fun patels in my sketchbook. More flat areas of color than my normal paintings. 

Mountain to Sea Trail painting

This scene was so beautiful that I had to paint it. It is hard to do as a watercolor because the light green field in the mid-ground. But what the heck, I tried it anyway! The filed was full of a grass with a purple or lavender bloom. This is along the Mountain to Sea Trail where it runs along the Blue Ridge Parkway. A double whammy of greatness. 

Foggy Landscape - New paintings!

I went hiking on the Mountain to Sea Trail as it goes along the Blue Ridge Parkway and came across this beautiful field. The layers in the painting above came out really well. The front logs on the forest floor have a great mood!