Painting and Chasing Away Fly Fisherman

On By Margaret Parker BrownIn art, Downieville, Landscape painting, Northern California, pastel, plein air, watercolor, Yuba River

 

P1130612.JPG
painting #1 on Arches 300# rough 7 x 9 inches

I had this particular spot in mind for over a week and was very excited to paint here which I haven’t in years, the last time I did I painted it in pastel

 

1044276_10201430949597781_1851465527_n
Pastel on Wallis paper 9 x 12 inches

So as I was saying I had this spot in mind to paint for a while I come around the corner on Hwy 49  and there is a man and a truck parked, what????? that is MY spot! so I pulled up rather fast, you should have seen the look on his face. I got out of the truck immediately asking “oh are you planning to fish here”? “yes”…..I then say “I plan to paint here”, I didn’t ask him, I told him! then he says….”I will stay out of your way”! Haha! like I was the one who showed up first….anyway…..he lasted only 10 minutes fishing and then moved on up the road. I love it.

 

P1130525.JPG
My scene! I had to come back and edit it in, I forgot it.

 

 

P1130611.JPG
painting #2 on Arches 300# rough 7 x 9 inches

I completed this one later in the studio, I lost quite a bit of definition on the right side but that’s alright, it is a warm-up.

 

P1130609.JPG
painting #3 on Saunders 200# 11 x 14 inches

I really hate that hump of rocks, I am going to work on softening edges and the horizon line.

 

P1130615.JPG
painting #4 on Fabriano 300# 7 x 9 inches

I am thinking that I will work on now loosing up my water which actually means I need to soften up the edges of the water and rocks. I don’t like the cookie cutter look but I understand why I have been doing that because of the need to keep my lights but I know that I can have the happy marriage of saving my whites and loosen up with my edges. That is my challenge now.

I have been fortunate to continue painting as it is cooling down. Soon I might have to switch back to pastel work when my washes refuse to corporate in drying.

I stopped in Downieville to look at a new gallery in town Yuba Gallery and I ran into an old artist friend, Katie O’Hara Kelly who also taught art at the elementary school that my daughters had gone to. Her art is in the gallery and she is encouraging me to bring some artwork in to exhibit. The gallery is seasonal because the tourist trade drops during the winter, I am looking forward to next year to bring some of my paintings of the river and Sierra Buttes.

*A word about photos. The photos on my blog are mine, taken by me and copying them would be stealing from me. If you find a photo that you would like to copy or use, I request that you ask me for permission and I expect you to give me full credit for my own photo. Thank you so very much.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

40 thoughts on “Painting and Chasing Away Fly Fisherman”

  1. dawnmarie

    Hehe. Chasing off the fisherman. So, you are gonna take some art down right? I love the pastel you snuck in all sneaky like. I really like them all and where the water is coming over the rocks with all the whites. Movement. I can imagine it. Poor fisher guy. By the looks of them rocks the water was too rough to catch anything there anyway.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. Yep…..chasing them men….lol I took some photos of him fishing I had to milk for it all its worth. Yep, sneaky 🙂 it is amazing looking back at all the spots and years spent on the Yuba and I am extending that experience by going to watercolors. Now, when I get full on board with acrylics, wow…..I am a Yuba Girl for life! Yes, he didn’t really choose a good spot, see, I don’t feel so bad now!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      1. dawnmarie

        Giggle. Years of painting the Yuba is pretty amazing. I bet even with all your pictures you have painted you still haven’t gotten what you think is absolutely perfect…so you keep trying? The same subject over and over? That is what I do, so most likely I am projecting. I wonder why artists pick certain subjects and obsess on them vs others. So many reason I am sure. I am always looking for the perfect blue, the perfect yellow..the perfect red and when I think I have found it…I make it a little better and a little better and then I decide I want a different blue. Always obsessing and thinking about how to make those colors or strokes or whatever better. Seems the more pictures I paint, the longer it takes to finish them. Seems like I should be getting faster.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. I am not sure if I have a perfect painting as of yet because I keep trying and trying and having a blast in the mean time….unless I sit down and start analyzing it all! then I get bummed out! no fun…..yes, I understand searching for the perfect color or combination, ugh…..the life of an artist!

        Like

      3. just another artist’s view on painting the same subjects…. for me its not looking for a perfection, but the goal is “expression.”
        to communicate. to explore new and deeper ways of communicating a story about the subject. That is how it is with me, anyway.

        Liked by 1 person

      4. dawnmarie

        Oh yes! Absolutely. I think that is a great way of stating that. I don’t do realistic so perfection is out for me. I think when I say perfect, I mean what I see in my head and I know it will never happen. But I keep hoping!

        Liked by 2 people

    1. Probably and I didn’t help by asking if I could take photos! and I had the audacity to ask if he is wanted by the law! oh yes, I was hamming it up. I got some quick photos of him before he got out of there…. lol I guess getting older is making me braver 😉

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

  3. In painting #1 I love the way the water highlights sparkle, The piece reminds me of fly fishing for trout when I was young, I know they are in that water! The pastel also is beautiful love the greens in the water!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. I need to include that more and more, I have an artist journal that I used to take with me to write down notes and info but since I am watching how much I pack in, I have been leaving it behind. I was just thinking today that I will be taking it with me again. 🙂 thank you by the way! I think that you missed a photo of my scene that I just edited it in. It was such a lovely spot on the river.

      Like

      Reply

    1. I will be going back to my pastel work as soon as it is too cold for my watercolor washes to dry. I am so in love with watercolor right now, poor pastels! I should try it out…..watercolor underpainting and then pastel! good idea. I am hoping to get to the level that I am at with watercolors as I am with pastels, sometimes I compare them and get a little discouraged but it does take a while with watercolors….aww…thank you Rebecca for your comments….by the way, my husband said that I should have asked that fisherman if “he plans to eat those fish or just torture them?” lol I thought that was a funny one….next time 😉

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      3. Lol, we get like that in the forest, it’s quite funny actually we have a name here for non locals, I grew up knowing the word, and thought that everybody used the word for when holiday makers were in their area,

        So one day at university, I had, had a horrible drive in, due to the amount of people driving into the popular areas of the forest, for the start of the summer. I arrived late for a lecture, flustered and annoyed ‘ it’s all those damn GROCKLES on the road, so sorry I am late’ I said…..they all looked at me confused, ?? I only drove from the forest to our nearest city, about 25 miles to get to uni each day. I then realised it was a very local forest word, that only we seemed to use. I believe other areas have their own words for such intruders, lol…..but we do need these GROCKLES, some areas of the forest really benefit from the tourism trade.

        Liked by 1 person

      4. See! hehe…..yes, we need those locals and especially the little town of Downieville because it wouldn’t fare well at all without the tourists. They have a thriving mountain biking tourism and that alone brings in a lot of money. During the winter everything drops down to a crawl. Oh and our own little community would also feel it because we have the tourists stopping in on their way to Downieville and beyond. So, yes, we need them

        Liked by 1 person

      1. ha! I should had threatened him or something, I am planning to do a painting of him fishing, all you see is his back. He seemed to know what he was doing but if he is going to really get serious, he needs to learn how to not be a push-over, stand his ground and fight for fishing rights at the spot he chose! lol oh well, he was kind of young, maybe in his old age he’ll get tougher.

        Liked by 1 person

  8. I had tears, running down my face!! the visual of the whole experience you described was sensational Margaret, loved it! beautiful paintings again…. scenery is just divine.
    my fav I think, is that pastel.
    it pulls me. its Water, Dark and Cool, so nearly blue to the left transitioning smoothly to warmer, lighter to the right – is Dynamite! WHAT a great Post! 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. aww thank you Debi! funny how yet again that pastel took a while for me to warm up to….in my old days of being too hard on myself and now I look at it with a little gleam in my eye. 🙂 I am gearing up to return to pastels once the weather changes, but I need to buy more paper! thank you again for your comments and encouragement, it feels like I get a blood transfusion when I get feedback like yours.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  10. These paintings are dynamite, Margaret, you just keep getting better and better, lady! Wow, so impressed! Hard to pick a favorite. Love the sparkling water and everything else about the first one, love the deep contrast and life I’m feeling in the painting #3, and that pastel is really tremendous. I hope you will combine pastel with other medium(s) at some point, I’d love to see what happens when you do. Beautiful stuff, PW!! 💜💜💜

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. I know that would be cool to have a watercolor underpainting with pastel on last, looking forward to trying that out. 🙂 I keep thinking that I’ll need to write you a message in Goodreads, I will when I can. I am going out to plein air paint today and I’m going with my daughter and my Granddog….lol yes, I have a Granddog! lol thank you for your comments. I was looking at my paintings the other day and lamenting that they are so so, I have such a hard time with liking something, hopefully that will get better as time goes on. 🙂

      Like

      Reply

Leave a comment