Migrating With The Fish

As summer warms up the increased in water temperatures starts the clock ticking for that last of the stocked trout waters. Too warm and fish don't want to eat as the O2 levels decrease as the temperature gets closer to 70. Together with the spin casters harvesting the fish, there is fewer and fewer fish to catch.

In these conditions I start my migration to higher creeks and into the wild trout waters of the GSMNP (Great Smoky Mts N.P.) and locally. There will still be fish but they will be smaller as these creeks and streams are smaller and rocky.

This latest drawing is from a barn known to the ABA (Appalachia Barn Alliance). Lots of character in this one. I've got a couple more to get done before Sandy (w/ABA) will select 5 for their Note Cards at the Art fundraiser. I should also be at the show with some of my drawings.

I did see some fishing news in the west that is telling of the times. In Yellowstone that are stopping fishing in the afternoon because the water temperature is also getting too warm and stressing the fish. This is the first time I've heard of this happening as the west is getting warming and dryer. Not a good story to tell.

Here is another small drawing of mine you may enjoy.

Comments

A Process

Once in a while I take photos of a work in progress. This is for me as well as others as the work moves from stage to stage. And it is done in stages with defined processes for each step. On this walkway overpass up in Spruce Pine, I've done both an ink / marker and an Ink / Wash on the same piece. This is the finished watercolor of the work. To start the process I did an ink drawing of it and then took a tracing from that. It's the tracing where I did another ink drawing but this time on watercolor paper. Tracings of a work is done with standard tracing paper. I get mine from CheapJoes.com and use the 8x10 size as that covers most of my needs. The tracing is done with a 0.3 ink pen (Winsor & Newton Fineliner). Once I have the tracing I can then use it for other paper or to do another work of the same subject. The tracing is just a start as I still need to get it transferred onto other paper. For that you need a very bright light...

3rd Try is a Charm

I've been trying to draw / paint these barns for a couple of years but never felt or got them right. This time I think they turned out right. So What went wrong before and what's right now with this drawing? This time, the light was right. It's coming from the upper right and the shadows just looked right. The other thing is the corn field on the left had to "be in season", otherwise it's just a plowed field. I had taken other photos from different angles but they never felt right. This angle has the road, power lines, corn field, etc. all leading to the right. The shadows on the lower right helps fill in that corner (don't forget about the corners!). The last part is trying to draw (ink paint maybe) the trees in the background. Not so easy when they are kind of a blob is green shades. So yeah, it's composition that is king. Many times I just don't see it until the drawing / painting is finished and when it's right it feels goo...

A Trip Abroad

Just back from our trip abroad as Asheville continues to recover from the hurricane. This trip has been planned for a long time and we almost didn't make it because our dog sitting business will be closed for a while. But make it we did and now we are back. We love Amsterdam. What a fun place to visit. So many things to too and do there. The weather was not the best but it did not have an impact on our visit. Just bundle up. Got some quick painting in while on the boat (i.e., Viking) as we moved from port to port. This painting is of a garden at a heritage site of windmills. I thought it looked nice. Nice time on the trip to de-stress from what was happing back home. We were fine back home but not everything is well with many others.

A Person, Artist, Software Engineer, Geologist.

Search This Blog