Cold Snap

A couple winters ago there was a cold snap and anything liquid froze in the Columbia River Gorge. During the below freezing temperature, I ventured into the gorge with my camera and tripod. I visited a couple of the popular waterfalls and have been thinking about transforming them into paintings. Today I took the plunge, especially since I hadn’t used my Christmas present yet, a size 14 Round Paul Jackson’s Elephant Sable. I only used that brush for my paints, plus using the masking fluid and brush soap purchased from Paul Jackson during his Oregon Workshop. And of course I used a different brush designated for my masking fluid.

I started this little 8” x 10” watercolor around 10 am and worked in layers. Between photos 2 and 3, I actually took a brisk 30 minute walk with Kona and Coal, then got back to work with utilizing a hair dryer as needed with the extra wet washes. And before I knew it, 3 pm rolled around and I decided that my first painting of 2018 was complete.

I might have started this painting with something specific in mind. The Keizer Arts Association has a monthly art show and I knew this month’s theme is Pacific Northwest. I thought about painting Mt. Hood for this show or using older paintings, but I knew I could create something different yet familiar. So after I finished my watercolor, framed it, and then brought it to KAA for their January show.