Great Basin Valley South of Ely, Nevada
Part 3. In Spite of Ticks and Other Annoyances
In my previous Blog I answered questions about how I handled paper, palette, brushes, and style changes. When I sat down to paint, however, I faced the real world with all of its happenings. Read on:
✔Ticks and other hazards: “. . . So I’m sitting across the way from the Hermosa Cliffs that are near Haviland Lake in Colorado. I love to sketch cliffs and slopes where trees line the ravines and spread down to the great forests of ponderosa and aspen. I spend quite a while getting that scene on paper. When I stand up, however, I’m horrified. My jeans are crawling with ticks. (I count eleven!) I stamp my feet and brush off as many as I can. I head for the trailer to change clothes and dispose of stragglers. Ugh. Paradise is not perfect after all. Where did they all come from? Range cattle, deer, and elk roam through here, all tick carriers. That was the worst I ever experienced.” (Excerpt from The Road to Beaver Park, p. 114)*
Then there were Deer flies–ouch. You cannot feel them when they land on you, just when they bite and then you have the welt for a couple of weeks. Loose dogs–those were Hippie days, and we found them camped in odd places; but it’s not only Hippies, many people are inconsiderate about loose dogs outdoors. If you camp with a dog, you won’t see much wildlife. Range cattle were not so much of a problem. If they were about I generally didn’t go near them, and I rarely crawl under fences.
✔What to wear while painting outdoors? No fashion statement here. This is the West. Cover up. Wide-brimmed hat, long-sleeved shirt, long pants. When you are outdoors all the time, the exposure is what wears you out. Observe the cowboys, they cover up head to toe. Sun, wind, dry air, temperature changes all take their toll.
✔So with all of the hazards, why do I do this? Whenever I am out there looking at the wonders of nature, I just itch to get it down on paper. I love to shape the contours of a form and then mark in the amazing detail of living things. I love the Flow of the brush. I love being out there enjoying the truly fresh air, temperature changes, life around me; there is always something new, something interesting. No high risk sports here, just exploring, observing, discovering, scribbling, drawing, painting, while Don was photographing and journaling. Of course the children were fishing, chasing lizards, collecting bugs, digging for fossils, etc.
✔Here’s an example of my paintings enjoyment as I sit on my art stool in a Bryce Canyon meadow: “Time and space stand still while I immerse myself in the color mixing, then pick up just the right amount of water in the brush. I savor the moment of impact on the blank page, the flowing freedom of the brush stroke; then assess the effect, which can hold surprises. That’s the challenge. I take a long look at my subject and try again.
“For me, the act of painting has always satisfied something deep inside, filling my inner artist, but now there is more. Now painting is a means to an end, an excuse to visit the outdoor world, and an activity that holds me there.” (Excerpt from Beaver Park, p. 143)*
As well, I value the spiritual values of being outdoors, those qualities that soothe and inspire the human spirit. This includes the silence, solitude, the wonders, the beauty, along with rest, re–creation, renewal, and often something more—a sense of otherness and mystery. Albert Einstein said this about nature’s element of mystery: “The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science.” Something to ponder.
Read more next week on Useful Techniques and Surprise Discoveries. . .
*Book available through http://amazon.com, http://barnesandnoble.com, https://www.indiebound.org/