Sequoia in Virginia?

Today was the last warm day for a while so I packed up and went back to the Botanical Gardens for another painting.  Yesterday I had come across a really beautiful tree with a red trunk that I thought was some type of cypress or cedar.  The tag beneath the tree identified it as a sequoia sempervirens, coastal redwood.  And I thought they all were in California!  This one is a baby, probably about 70 to 80 years old and almost as tall as the largest trees in the immediate area.  The Botanical Gardens were built in the thirties as part of a pubic works project and the sequoia was probably introduced then.
This painting is painted on a 9x12 hardwood board.

Spatterdock

Today I went out to the botanical Gardens.  This time I found a nice park bench and decided to paint sitting for a change.  The plants breaking the surface are spatterdock.  The bench faced a nice view.  I tried out a new canvas pad that is primed with what appears to be clear gesso.  The cloth is unbleached and makes for a nice tone to paint on.  the pad is 11x14 and if mounted, will probably be 9x12.

This is my cart with all my stuff that I cart around while I scope out a good painting spot.  I really love this cart!

The Fork

Today it stopped raining enough for me to slip in a quick painting.  And, I found another water view.  It too is painted on a 11x14 sheet of canvas to be mounted to a size of 9x12.  It was very soggy there!  I think it is soggy everywhere!  We have the biggest mushrooms growing that I have ever seen!

Rain

Rain, rain go away,
come again another day.
Oil and water don't mix!

Normally I don't wish rain away, but we have had enough lately!  I want to go outside and paint!!  I have an umbrella for my painting but not for me.

Yesterday's painting

I set up in the backyard yesterday and painted this small painting of the trunk of a crepe myrtle.  It was painted on a 5x7 canvas panel.  I as trying to paint small with big brushes.  After I painted the shadows, the sun disappeared which made it difficult to finish.

Waterview again

Today I made it out to the Botanical Gardens intending to paint trees.  I found this beautiful view and couldn't resist!  It was quite an overcast day.  I tried out a new painting surface.  I bought a canvas pad, primed canvas in sheets, and taped one to a board.  I figured if I get a decent painting, I can glue it to a board.  Space saver!  The pad is 11x14, convertible to 9x12 when mounted.

Change

Today, I went back to the Botanical Gardens.  I found a nice spot in the picnic area with a view of the causeway along the lake.  The first picture is of my setup.  I use the cart to pull my easel and bag of stuff around while looking for a nice spot to paint.

I could see the beginnings of fall.  There was a yellow tint to some of the trees.  I'm sure going to miss summer.

I painted for about two hours.  The painting is 9x12 luann gessoed board.

Plein air - Waterfall

Yesterday I went to the Botanical Gardens to paint.  After wandering around with cart in tow, I found a small waterfall I decided to paint.  The pinestraw along the bank of the stream (not to mention the rest of the painting) was very frustrating and I still am not pleased with the result.  I spent three hours in the Gardens.  The painting is on a 9x12 stretched canvas.

Limited Palette

Since I started back painting, I have been collecting tubes of paint.  I have so many beautiful colors, but I would never use them all in one painting.  Each painting I do, I might vary the palette somewhat.  Since I have been packing up , going out, and painting plein air I have tried to limit my pallet to just a few colors.  But still I change the colors when I go out.  I decided this past weekend that I would pick a palette, explore it, and stick with it.  So, I spent Saturday picking the colors and doing color charts.  I should have done the color charts much sooner!  Oh I have done color charts before: greens and value scales, but I have not mixed each color that I will be using together.  (Not all at once, just one to one.)

The colors that I picked to use: cadmium lemon, cadmium yellow, naples yellow, alz. crimson, cad. red light, d. purple, pthalo blue, ultramarine blue, viridian, raw sienna, burnt umber, paynes gray and titanium white.  I wanted a warm and a cool variety of each primary color plus a few extra colors thrown in for their usefulness or just because I like them.  I may vary from this in the future but it is good to become familiar with the way the paints react with each other.  Especially when you are trying to beat the sunlight!

I mixed the lighter colors together but when I got to the darker colors, I would add white to the mix.  Some of the mixtures surprised me.  I never realized that mixing paynes gray with lemon would make such stunning greens. I should have though!   And naples yellow mixed with anything is beautiful!

We are supposed to have rain for the next few days so I guess my painting outside will have to wait a bit!