Well, the sky is a beautiful blue and the sun is out in full force. The weather man is forecasting a winter storm - rain - snow - wind. Also the long range forecast for the Southwest is a possible repeat of the 1930's "Dust Bowl Storms!" It never ceases to amaze me that on average the weather forecasters of today even with all of their fancy computers and NOAA and satellites and balloons and...and...and... They can't seem to forecast the weather accurately for TOMORROW let alone months and months out. I think someone sat there and said "Well, the Southwest has been in a serious drought for 10 years now - some parts worse than other soooo I think I will predict dust storms equal to or worse then those of the 30's!!!"
They probably got a government grant of $4 million dollars to make this prediction!
OK enough of them and onto US!!!
I played around this morning with a small painting 8 x 16 on heavy linen paper.
I used my TVH brush - I love that brush --- and I used a hog hair Fan brush. Hog hair is some what stiff and here is a photo of the two brushes I used for this painting.
My TVH big brush was used to put in the "winter" sky wet into wet with a blending on the wet surface of blue and grey paint, done very quickly and the painting surface had been pre - wet with lots of water to make a hazy winter sky. You know how the sky in winter has color but sort of looks hazy - of course you do!
The rest of the painting was done using only the fan brush mostly in a "dry brush" technique - which I'm sure most of you can remember means the bristles on the brush are only slightly damp - NOT WET.
I find this technique to be very useful for creating "ground clutter & cover" as well as the sense of a "Dusting of Snow."
To accomplish this, I use very short upward staccato motions with the tips of the bristles - in a sense just tickleing the surface of the paper.
OK this is a small 8 x 16 painting so I won't go into the blah-blah and just do my thang - which is creating.
My main thrust from this point on is to develop ground clutter/cover that looks real but (NOT DETAILED, YOU ALL KNOW MY POSITION ON DETAIL - LESS IS MORE!!) as well as a look that it has been dusted with snow.
BY JOVE --- I THINK WE ( I'VE ) GOT IT!!!
Have a great day my friends - enjoy life.
JR :>)
