Painting Mt. Hood

April 29, 2015 / skyevans / 7 Comments

As part of my Wilderness of Women series, I decided to paint the iconic Mt. Hood. Judy Flexer sent me a fabulous photo of Mt. Hood from the PCT, and while I liked it, somehow living in Oregon and actually painting the one big iconic volcano in our state was… well, maybe too big of a project. I was so reluctant about the subject matter that I pretty much filed the image under “do not paint… like, ever!” in my mind and that was that. Until I was searching for my next project. And I kept coming back to that image, it was big, and bold and compelling as all hell.

So I wondered… why not? I proved to myself I had the ability, so what was stopping me? I couldn’t think of anything other than my own little fragile ego. If I compared my work to the quintessential hero of the landscape, Albert Bierstadt, I felt I was falling short of greatness. But why compare? He was a great painter, yes, and while it is true that he has a particularly nice rendering of Mt. Hood that happens to hang in the Portland Art Museum, surely that’s no reason. Intimidating, yes, but really, that’s a silly reason to not paint something. It’s not like the PAM is calling me anytime soon to ask what was I thinking?! Damn it, I wanted to do it just because at first, I didn’t. It may be a perverse kind of determination, but it’s how I spurred myself to get over myself and just do it already!

In Judy’s photo, Mt. Hood is bathed in sunset colors, the viewer stands between the sunset to the west and looks east at the mountain. The eastern sky is a deepening blue, as opposing sky lines often are; the foreground is shadowed, you only know it’s sunset because of the spectacular glow of Hood. The Multnomah Indians called it, Wy’east, and he was one of the sons of the great spirit. Wy’east is a big beefy volcanic guy and without his deep mantle of snow, we see all his orange, golden, tan and ochre tones. You can tell it’s late in the summer and the white cape he usually sports has mostly disappeared. Hood is pretty much naked in this picture… and something about that really appealed to me.

And now, for some other perverse reason, I decided to not only paint him, but document myself in a whole new medium to me, film. Well, digital anyway. Last time I made a film was in a class where we actually spliced real film! So, not only did I have to learn the software, I had to hang up my phone on a tripod and upload, upload, upload. Argh!! It tested my patience and because it was a distraction, I skipped filming portions of the painting. So, it’s not a great piece of movie making, but it is kinda fun and explains my delay at posting to my blog!

Without further ado, Painting Mt. Hood. A digital short by Sky Evans… enjoy!

Mt Hood

If you’d like to learn more about Albert Bierstadt and his amazing talent, here’s a quick link to his version of Mt. Hood: http://www.wikiart.org/en/albert-bierstadt/mount-hood-oregon-1865

The Wilderness of Women

March 27, 2015March 27, 2015 / skyevans / 6 Comments

This winter I’ve been collecting images from the wilderness; photos taken by women. I’ve made some wonderful connections with women hikers (good old Facebook!) and this has fueled my desire to get back to the back country. I don’t have much to say about it other than I noticed a trend in these paintings. That is, I seem to be recreating these images with intense, vibrant colors. Far exceeding the photos sent to me, the hues are saturated, brilliant, strong and deep. I suppose I am expressing my own personal intensity when it comes to these remote places even though I have not been to these specific locations. Yet.

Anyway, it all came together without the fuss and drama I had experienced with Spectacle Lake. I have no idea why! Maybe I was just in a better “head space” when I got into it… seems like life is on track right now and my own personal dramas have been smoothed out. So without much fanfare, musings or stray thoughts, here it is, Mile 2330 on the PCT. It’s the fourth in the series, based on the photo from “thru hiker” Jocelyn (Patches) Songer. Thank you my fellow Yankee!

Mile 2330 on the PCT Oil on canvas 12 x 16

In the Eye of the Beholder

March 8, 2015March 27, 2015 / skyevans / 4 Comments

Though the artist must remain master of (their) craft, the surface, at times raised to the highest pitch of loveliness, should transmit to the beholder the sensation which possessed the artist.

~Alfred Sisley

I’ve pondered these ideas… is the art in the eye of the beholder, or in the artist’s rendering of that thing, that image, that concept? Is it both or neither? Is it, as Sisley suggests, a vehicle of transmission? Art being the thing that carries the sensation, the feeling of the artist to the viewer who can then somehow share in what it was that possessed the artist?

Well, lots to think about there. And many have. For me, art is a very personal thing… you, and only you, know what you like. Sometimes you know right away, and sometimes it grows on you, but regardless which way you fall in the spectrum of like or dislike, no one should tell you what to like. It’s up to you to decide. For me, I gave up a long time ago trying to please my audience, because that’s an impossible task really, and so, I decided to please myself.

The other side of that same coin is, sometimes, in my own personal work, I may not care for a piece. If I hate it, I will paint over it so I can get some more miles out of a canvas. (Most artists are into recycling… even the old masters did it, it’s not a new concept.) Or I will stash it away as a reminder that not everything I do is gold… far from it! I really should get rid of some of the old crap, but I’m rather nostalgic about the old stuff… even the bad old stuff. So, I keep it for me, and show it to no one.

BUT, one day, a friend was in my studio and she gushed over an unfinished piece that I happened to think of as bad enough to recycle. There it was, propped up against the wall waiting for a coat of gesso so I could stop looking at it’s horribleness. I really disliked it. However, much to my surprise, she loved it! Something about the colors spoke to her and when I gave it to her she was thrilled. I made her day with something that meant very little to me, but meant so much to her.

Now, rather than focus on the part about me handing over something I had no attachment to (as if that makes my gesture less than noble and then less than worthy) focus instead on the part about Maria. She loved it. She was happy. She was so pleased to adopt this little wayward canvas and give it a home.

This was the third time this happened to me. It took this happening three times before the significance of the act held any meaning. And that was this: for me, even as a creator of art, am not the sole person to judge the value or beauty of my own work.

While I am making it, while I paint and create, I get something intangible. And if, at the end, that thing pleases me, then great. If it doesn’t, then that’s ok too. I still got something from the process. BUT that thing that I don’t care for aesthetically does not mean that it’s bad. In fact, someone else may love it. More than one someone… maybe even lots of someones!

Case in point, Purple Repose:

Purple repose

I hated this painting. In fact, I was planning on recycling it but while I was waiting for the paint to dry I changed my mind. My husband saw it and liked it, so, with a shrug, I kept it. I hung it in the house and after a while, it grew on me too. I came to like the blue colors, the broad strokes, the way the horse’s shoulder bumped out. Later that year, I included it (as a print) in a series of blank greeting cards. It became one of my best sellers. People loved it!

The same thing happened with Walker Pass, only in reverse:

North of Walker Pass

By reverse, I mean, this is by far my absolute favorite painting (right now). I LOVE this piece. It only got a couple of dozen Facebook “likes”. Granted, this painting has yet to make it out of the house, but still… my dog snapshots get more “likes”. I didn’t take it personally, because I truly believe in my heart and soul, that art is a personal thing. I may take it personally if you tell me you hate it and why it’s awful and say other mean things about the thing I love, but hey, I’m only human and that kind of behavior is mean spirited and small. You are entitled to your opinion, just keep the details to yourself if you hate something (or someone!) I love.

On the other hand, my next piece, I just didn’t love so much. It’s not recycle worthy, not by far… you’d never see it if it was. And I still wouldn’t post or show any piece I found embarrassingly bad, or trite or derivative or unworthy. So, just because I don’t love it, doesn’t mean I don’t like it. I may just think of it more as a second runner up.

But, it was a challenge. I worked hard on this one. The drawing was complex, the details, intense. It is the 3rd in my series of images from the wilderness, photos taken by women hikers on the CDT or the PCT. I’m calling the series, The Wilderness Of Women. Now, here is where I love social media. On Facebook, I asked women hikers if they would share with me (for the purpose of painting) photos from their hikes and I got an amazing outpouring of images to choose from. So, choose one I did (thank YOU, Judy Flexer) and got to work.

Sketch for Spectacle Lake

I thanked Judy online and somehow, I don’t recall how it happened, but Judy kindly sent me a high resolution image of her photo. I thanked her politely, but inside I was worried. All those details… how was I going to block out all those details? “Oh, buck up, Sky… you’ll be fine!” I told myself. But I was worried.

And so, I bucked up and promptly fucked up. It became a horrid mess of tiny, detailed, muddy strokes of paint. Not the sure and swift flight of color that signified I was “in the groove.” I bravely soldiered on, slogged up one muddy hill and down the next… madly mixing, swiping, swooping, adding, subtracting and aaarrrggggg!!!! Nothing was working. I was in utter despair. So I did the only thing I could do. The thing I have never done before. I almost couldn’t believe what I was doing. I took it off my easel, laid it flat, and poured turpentine over the entire painting. I took a rag and wiped it clean. All of it. Even the sketch. Gone.

I waited two days to go back into the studio. I just couldn’t bear to look at it. I had never scrubbed out a canvas before, it felt like a failure. But two days later, I was ready to get back to work. I followed the faint leftovers of pencil lines that were under the first orange outline and redrew the sketch. Instead of the high resolution image, I went back to my original Facebook clipping. That picture, I altered to be bolder, more saturated in color than the photograph Judy had taken. I made it small and took off my glasses to blur the details. I needed to see blocks of colors, not every single rock and tree. I put on a favorite CD and lost myself in Spectacle Lake.

This second go round was tricky… I still had some issues and some personal demons to slay, but it finally came together and I was satisfied. I signed it today, so that pretty much means it’s done. It may not be a favorite, but it’s good, I’ll say that. And when I posted it to the woman hikers page on Facebook…. well, it got 75 likes, right off the bat. Goes to show you… beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Spectacle Lake on the PCT
Oil on canvas, 14 x 16

The Inspirational Stretch

January 27, 2015 / skyevans / 2 Comments

Where does inspiration come from? One can never tell, really. I like to think of it as weather… a storm that blows in strong and unexpected or a misty rain that slowly seeps into everything. Sometimes you see it coming and can shape it to bond and meld with your own will. Sometimes however, there are bolts of lightning that make the hair stand up on your head and scare the bejeezus out of you. I like those moments of inspiration, they are electrifying, thrilling and exciting. But I also love the slow seep, where an idea builds and builds and before you know it, you’ve created something magical out of nothing.

$Inspiration is where you find it. this frozen puddle makes a cool fractal!$

Inspiration is where you find it. This frozen puddle makes a cool fractal!

But lately, I’ve been all over the weather map. It’s been raining, sunny, stormy, foggy. And since our Western Oregon weather pattern has been matching my inspirational mood, I’ve been spending a great deal of time outside. I’ve been hiking and testing equipment and getting ready for a return to backpacking.

That’s me in the corner… getting in touch with my hiker self.

Maybe it’s all the hiking… or all the thinking and research I’ve been doing, but my muse has kinda skipped out on me. It seems as if I didn’t have a single idea. Well, that’s not exactly right… I have ideas but what I want is lightning bolts.

So, when in doubt, clean. I straightened the studio, scraped off the old paint on my palette and checked my inventory. That’s when it hit me… I was out of canvas! How did that happen?!

Ok, so I know how it happened. I’ve been painting. Duh. I thought about getting on line and ordering a new batch but I came across some stretcher bars I bought on sale and decided to do something I hadn’t done in quite some time. Stretch my own canvas.

What’s that you say? Stretch… canvas?? Well, well, children, gather round. Way back when granny was poor as… well, a starving artist, she learned how to stretch her own canvas so she could paint. Nowadays, she usually buys pre-stretched but she still knows how! All you need is canvas, a wood frame and a staple gun. I used to grip my canvas like a mad demon, but then I discovered canvas pliers which made all the difference in the world.

Tools of the trade… so to speak.

You can use regular duck canvas you buy at a fabric store (if you can find a heavy enough weight for the job) or you can order specialty artists canvas. They even make pre-gessoed canvas. Gesso is the sizing that is painted on a raw canvas to prime the surface for paint. More about that later.

First things first, the frame. You can build your own, or buy the premade and ready to put together “in whatever size configuration you like” kind. These slip together at the ends with some clever tongue in groove joints… a couple of taps with the hammer and you are good to go. Cut the canvas to size, (larger than you need, obviously) then, starting in the middle, staple to the frame.

Canvas pliers doing their job.

Canvas pliers have a nice wide mouth and a foot to pry along the edge of a frame or stretcher bar. They grip the canvas, you roll them over the edge of the bar and pulling tight, staple the snot out of it! I couldn’t hold the camera, the canvas and the staple gun all at the same time, so you’ll have to use your imagination. I staple each middle section, turning the canvas as I go, then work the corners in turn. To get an even stretch, you need to put in a few staples, turn the canvas, do a few more and so on. Rotation is the key to an even stretch.

All finished stapling and trimming the excess canvas. I like to wrap my canvas around the edge of the frame and then paint the edges of my work. Eliminates the need for frames.

Probably the trickiest part besides the stretch is how to fold the corners. How? Trial and error, my friend, trial and error. Just do the same thing on each corner, and make your folds as even as possible. If you are not handy enough to make a neat corner fold, then canvas stretching may not be for you. No worries though… it is kinda a pain in the ass to stretch canvas. There is a reason why I don’t usually do this anymore!

Next step, Gesso!

Gesso… two types. Cheap and the not so cheap.

Gesso is just fancy primer. You can use regular wall primer but it is usually very thin unless you buy a top of the line product like Benjamin Moore which has some nice primers. Artist quality gesso is made with high quality materials such as titanium, plaster, clay, gypsum and marble dust suspended in an acrylic polymer emulsion. They will be thicker, cover better, and have the ability to be tinted. But several coats of the cheaper stuff will most likely do the job.

I use a wide brush that is dedicated to primers as the thick material is hard to wash out and will ruin my finer brushes.

If I had ironed the canvas before stretching I probably wouldn’t have this fold shadow in my fabric. I thought I could stretch it out, but alas, it is still there. The Gesso process will eliminate it, since as it dries, the sizing (glues and acrylic polymers) will shrink, further tightening the canvas.

I paint several coats in perpendicular strokes. Even though this image shows a diagonal stroke, it was just to lay down the Gesso before smoothing it left to right. You can see how thick it is.

As I was writing this post, I stopped to do a little online research on Gesso and was surprised to find a number of YouTube sites that showed how to make homemade gesso with white glue, titanium paint, plaster and of all things, baby powder. You can save $$ by making your own gesso, but I wouldn’t suggest following unreputable sources. Some of the videographers couldn’t even read the label on the Plaster of Paris box, which threw all credibility out the window for me. However, they are on the right track. Gesso in it’s most simple terms is white stuff and glue… painted on a surface so you can then paint on something white. Done poorly, it will flake off and ruin your work. Done well and it will last hundreds of years. Keep in mind those old masters of yesteryear didn’t have access to the wealth of materials we can find in our local home improvement store. So, really, in all probability you are going to be ok no matter what you use!

Finished canvas ready to rock and roll!

Best part of stretching my own canvas… I can make a non standard shape (this one is about 16″ by 34″ something you cannot find anywhere) as well as the satisfaction of DIY. And I saved about $35. Ten paintings later, that’s $350 so not too bad in the savings department. Oh yeah, and I also found my inspiration for my next piece! That lightning bolt was lurking about waiting for me to stroll by. So stay tuned!

Alone in a field of poppies

January 10, 2015 / skyevans / 5 Comments

Seems like the holidays always throw me for a loop. It’s such a social time of the year and I get wiped out by all the parties and visits and, well, people. I like people, just spaced out and in smaller doses. I’m pretty good at the small talk, it’s not like I’m in the corner with a wild eyed stare, but after a few months of seemingly endless events, I need a break. The American holiday season seems like full bore, pedal to the metal intensity. I like to move at a much slower pace and sometimes find myself white knuckling this time of year. Classic introvert, that’s me.

I finally got a chance to get into the studio and took the opportunity to take a trip down memory lane. I was hunting through my snapshots for something to paint and came across a wonderful photo. I took it last year on the fourth of July.

Since my son was small, on every Independance Day, we would drive to a local field to watch the annual fireworks display. In the beginning, it was just the 3 of us, in the bed of our pick up truck. We’d arrive early and eat a picnic dinner while waiting for the summer sun to set and the show to begin.

A few years back, we invited some friends to join us and it turned into an event. We all park in a row, set out a pot -luck picnic, lawn chairs, a cooler or two of beer and it’s an instant party. The kids set off store bought fireworks on the road while we laugh, eat and have small town good time on the edge of the farmer’s field.

The field in question has been, in turns, planted with mint, grass and last year, of all things, poppies. It was stunningly beautiful and really added a new dimension to our annual 4th of July lawn party. I took this picture of my friend’s daughter, just before the sun began to set. It’s been a favorite of mine ever since.

Here’s the sketch:

Laying in some color:

And the final:

Alone in field of poppies

Getting back to work… the lifesaver!

December 9, 2014December 9, 2014 / skyevans / Leave a comment

What do you get when you mix one month of intensive novel writing with a “holiday” that requires extensive cooking by moi, (all self imposed slavery, I assure you) another upcoming “holiday” that requires more extensive shopping, cooking, as well as decorating and even some furniture rearranging, and an online workshop, and 10 acres of land with livestock to maintain as well as a new obsession that requires tons of research and gear trial? You get an artist who can’t get into her studio to save her life.

Last night I realized that working in the studio is a life saver in many, many ways. Mental health being first and foremost, creating art allows me to unravel and unwind my mind from the things that don’t matter and channel that energy into something productive and beautiful.

So I managed to get lost in the studio for a few hours where I made a mandala to get my brain back on track for creating art. After finishing that last painting of Hope Pass, I wasn’t sure what I was on to next. Drawing a mandala helped me focus and voila! This morning I knew what I wanted to paint.

Here’s the magic mandala for now; and off I go, back to work!

Hope Pass

November 6, 2014March 27, 2015 / skyevans / 3 Comments

I heard back from my thru hiker. (She’s mine, I claim her!!) The photo she took is of Hope Pass. I love this name, it’s so full of promise and the whole time I’ve been working on the painting, I feel happy and uplifted by the image. So of course I have to rename the painting. A rainy day kept me indoors and I finally got everything right that I thought was wrong with it. Here is the completed work: Hope Pass

Hope Pass, Colorado

Upside down?

September 30, 2014 / skyevans / 4 Comments

When I paint, especially non-objective art, I am seeking a balance of design. Simply put, the shapes and colors can’t be too heavy or light or bunched up in one corner… as if they had substance and would tilt the painting just by looking at it. Even if a painting is asymmetrical in composition, it still needs to be balanced. The shapes, colors, shadows and lightness of the composition should lead your eye through the work and not off it’s edge and out of the frame. Roads should lead in to the point of interest, arms should tip your eyes back into the frame, curves should lead you back, not out.

Often times I take my work and rotate it on the wall or easel and step back for a wider perspective. I turn them upside down and on their sides to see if it all works. Then I adjust accordingly. It should balance out no matter which way you hang it. Paintings with subject matter need a top and bottom, sure, but they ought to be balanced in shape and color.

Does my latest fractal painting work regardless of orientation? I test it out, but still, my mind finds a top and bottom… somehow it just resonates with me to be hung a certain way. Here are two images… which way do you prefer?

Upside down?

Or right side up?

Finally, I decide. Somehow, I just go “aaahhh” when it’s oriented this way. True North! So for me, this is it:

Now that’s more like it!

What’s in the past….

August 20, 2014 / skyevans / 2 Comments

Stays in the past, right? Well, sometimes it percolates to the surface. Especially if someone loves it and won’t let it die. Seems like our memories are the last link to something real. If the real thing is gone, then the memory is all we have… when they go, that’s it I guess. If the thing is forgotten, does it cease to exist? It does until it is rediscovered… which makes all of this sound very much like the tree falling in the forest scenario. Let me tell you, a falling tree makes a sound, no matter if you are there to hear it or not. Someone, something, somewhere heard it. And falling trees are pretty loud.

My “falling tree” was a painting I did in my college days. It needs a little background to understand. But first, let me point out that the someone who loves it is my niece, Kathleen. Currently in her 20’s, she is exploring all the nooks and crannies of ones mind and is searching for answers. I know that road. I trod it myself for awhile. This post is for you, my dear!

Me, back in the day.

Back in my 20’s I was soaking up all sorts of information. Not only from my classes at school, but from alternate (read: not mainstream) versions of reality. I read everything I could get my hands on about metaphysics, past lives, pyramids, crystals, aliens and their subsequent alien abductions, psychic energy, eastern and native religions, tarot, numerology, even lucid dreaming. I slowly collected a stack of books that filled it’s own bookshelf in our home for years. The day my son called this shrine to alternate realities “Mom’s Crackpot Books” was the day I had a good laugh and really took a hard look at my self and my beliefs.

I had already moved beyond much of that, and I could see where I no longer needed this reading material to collect dust at the end of the hallway. So I passed on a large box of the books to Kathleen who is currently winnowing through the chaff for some truth of her own. I am still open and willing to believe in something… we can’t really know the cosmos and what’s behind the scenes. God, the Universe, the Great Spirit, the Force, Destiny… whatever you want to call it, I’m sure something is there. But I have chosen to not worry about it and instead pour my energy into being the best person I can be right now.

This painting that Kat loves was a direct result of my exploring days. And probably all the other paintings I did back then. I posted several a few weeks back (Dark Shadows). This painting depicts another world. A world of shallow water. It’s all they have to export and they do, to many other worlds. The pyramids they build are beacons, and docking ports for ships that travel the cosmos. Think of it as an interplanetary airport, and I’ve illustrated the “tower”.

Keepers of the Runway. Oil on Masonite board. 1984

Keepers of the Runway. Oil on Masonite board. 1983

Here’s a close up of the keepers themselves:

The keepers up close. One in the boat, one on the dock. Welcome home, honey!

The past may be just 31 years ago (dear GOD how did that happen so fast!) or it may be last week. Either way, time is relative, right? Someone smarter than me said that. And to quote one of my “crackpot books”, Be Here Now. Now is all we have.

The Doldrums

August 12, 2014 / skyevans / 7 Comments

Well well well, it’s been about 3 weeks and still no work to post. Every week rolls by and I think, I’ll get there! I’ll finally get a painting finished and then I can post it! Ok, today! Oh wait, I have to do this…, so, not today. Ok, tomorrow! Ok, well, not tomorrow either. Something has got in the way every… single… day. It’s disheartening and has really taken the wind out of my sails. The really shitty thing is, that I actually have a painting on my easel. But it’s a few hours from being done. And I don’t want to post it until it’s finished.

This isn’t like my wings projects… those were lengthy and time consuming and absorbing. They were interesting and a new process and there just seemed to be loads to actually talk about.

Fun in the sun.

This painting is small. And unobtrusive. And somewhat mundane. But that is exactly what I like about it. Even though I am currently wasting time in my dining room, typing my uninspired thoughts instead of finishing the damn thing. So, I like it, and I can’t get up the gumption to finish it.

Like a sailor on the sea, I am stuck in the doldrums waiting for a fresh breeze.

To be fair, I have been off doing the other things I do… keeping busy with summertime social obligations and activities. I am coming to see the ebb and flow of the creative process that seems (for me) to be very weather dependent. Rainy days are good for getting inside work done. I am not a plein air painter. If you read my last post, you know why I need to be outside. So, needless to say, the horses have been getting a good work out and so has my social skills. Seems like everyone wants to throw a potluck or a barbeque or a wine tasting party. Which is what summer is all about.

But I sure am jonesing for the rain to come back so I can hole up in the studio with a good book on CD, a sleepy dog, a blank canvas and a fresh palette.

Must I finish this little experimental painting? Sigh, I must. Here’s why: It speaks to me. It’s all about the mundane. It’s about elevating the mundane into art. You see, a few weeks ago I was doing a chore I find tedious. The laundry. I know, some folks love it. I find it boring and dull and insipid and all sorts of bland little adjectives. But I was doing it because I have to. Just like most everyone in the world. Unlike many, I am lucky to have my own washing machine and a nice one at that. Unlike some, I am unlucky in that I don’t have someone to do it for me. Dang it.

Anyway, long rambling aside, I was standing there staring at the washer when it occurred to me that the machine itself was actually a lovely bit of design work and I really should be more appreciative of it’s lines and what it can do for me. So I took a picture of it with my phone, went to the studio and using the digital image I sketched out some rough lines and got to work. A total departure from my usual pattern, but I was on a roll. Here’s where I left off:

NOT finished… why is this taking so long???

I thought about it quite a bit while I was off doing other things in between whining to myself about NOT working on it and drinking another glass of wine. But then there was tonight. It rained a little bit… I sat down to waste some time drafting my post. No intention of actually posting since I didn’t have a finished piece. Went out to take a picture of the unfinished project and you know what happened? I picked up the brushes and got busy. SO, after much ado… and lots of silly ramblings… here it is: The Washer. A Thing of Beauty.