It was too hot to paint outside today, so I did this little still life for fun.
Geoff Watson, "Battery," oil on canvas, 5" x 7," 2018.
Farm
It was 97 degrees here today, but that didn't stop your intrepid correspondent from getting outside and busting out the oil paints! What's more, I busted out a big canvas -- 18" x 24," absolutely huge by my standards. I worked on the picture about 3-4 hours. I like it, but I think I need to make the distant objects -- the trees, and the furthest red barn -- recede more by cooling down their colors a bit. I'll let it sit for a few days and think on it.
Geoff Watson, 'Farm," oil on linen, 18" x 24," 2018.
Brookside
This is a parkland area along Brookside Drive, a quiet local street. It was very hot and very buggy, but I did my best. The painting took about 3 or 4 hours.
Geoff Watson, "Brookside," oil on linen panel, 12" x 16," 2018.
View from poolside
It was a beautiful but hot day, so I decided to draw and paint at the swimming pool. I wasn't sure I'd finished coloring this piece when it was time to leave, but maybe less is more?
Geoff Watson, "View from poolside," ink and watercolor on paper, 4" x 8," 2018.
Here's a picture of the piece after I'd finished drawing, with just one thin wash of watercolor on one part of the roof. I love drawing architecture! If the weather stays this hot, I may draw this building a lot this summer.
Geoff Watson, "Drawing from poolside," ink and watercolor on paper, 4" x 8," 2018.
Primary Election Day
I voted and then spent a couple days hanging out at my polling place, talking to campaign volunteers and a couple candidates -- and sketching the proceedings. Here are some of the political signs in the parking lot:
Geoff Watson, "Parking lot on primary day," watercolor and ink sketch on paper, 5" x 8," 2018.
And here's the entrance to the polling place. There was a steady trickle of people arriving to vote, but at any given moment, there were more campaigners than voters.
Geoff Watson, "Polling place on primary day," watercolor and ink sketch on paper, 5" x 8," 2018.
Benches, day 2
I went back to my benches today. I made some progress, but I'm still not satisfied with the benches themselves, and I'm not sure if there's enough contrast between light and dark. The foreground is mostly in shadow, except for some light hitting the ground between the benches; but there is bright light behind the tree. I may try making it brighter. Unfortunately, this is a lousy photo; the actual painting is brighter.
Geoff Watson, "Benches - in progress," oil on panel, 11" x 14," 2018.
Just for grins, I applied some filters to add saturation. This image is lighter than the actual painting. My photograph needs work! I need to invest in better lighting -- and I need to find my camera tripod!
Geoff Watson, "Benches - saturated version," in progress, oil on panel, 11" x 14," 2018.
Benches
I started a plein air painting of these benches near my house, but thunderstorms interrupted my session. Here's the lay-in, after about 45 minutes of sketching and fussing. I did start to add some color after this point, but I got chased away by the rain. I plan to return tomorrow or Monday to continue.
Geoff Watson, "Benches," in progress, oil on panel, 11" x 14," 2018.
Swimming pool sketch
It's so fun to sketch at the swimming pool! It's relaxing and never too hot. Today was rather cloudy, but this lifeguard still had a few swimmers to watch.
Geoff Watson, "Swimming pool sketch," ink and wash on paper, 4" x 8," 2018.
Stars and stripes
This is too late for Memorial Day, so we'll consider it a warm-up for Independence Day! I just felt like painting the U.S. flag today, so I did. I had to wait for the breeze to die down so that I could draw it correctly. I used ink and gouache -- opaque watercolor.
Geoff Watson, "Stars and Stripes," gouache and ink on paper, about 4" x 4," 2018.
Sheba looking right
Today was my last life session until September. I didn't finish this little oil sketch, but I made good progress on it.
Geoff Watson, "Sheba looking right," oil on canvas panel, 11" x 14," 2018.
Saints Peter & Paul's - Day 3
I had another lovely day at Saints Peter & Paul's Antiochian Orthodox Church, this time including a fascinating meeting with the parish priest who leads the Church. He showed me the interior of the temple, and it was glorious. Then I returned to my spot in the parking lot and did my best to improve the painting. I still didn't finish; I'm going to let it dry so I can add the crosses, for example. But it's getting there.
Geoff Watson, "Saint Peter & Paul's," in progress, oil on panel, 12" x 16," 2018.
Women at the pool
I went swimming today, and I noticed this group of women by the baby pool. One dad did show up for a brief time, but other than him it was all women. I did this quick pen-and-watercolor sketch of the scene.
Geoff Watson, "Women at the pool," ink and watercolor on paper, 5" x 8," 2018.
SAints Peter & Paul's - Day 2
After a day off for my daughter's graduation -- woo! -- I returned to Saints Peter and Paul's Antiochian Orthodox Church in Potomac. I improved the drawing, though some verticals are still out of alignment. I hope to return at least one more time to fix those, improve the trees, add a cloud or two, paint some more windows and window trim, and -- above all -- to add the crosses to the domes.
Geoff Watson, "Saint Peter & Paul's," work in progress, oil on panel, 12" x 16," 2018.
Saints Peter & Paul Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church
Yesterday I started a painting of this impressive church in Potomac, Maryland. I set up in the parking lot behind the church because I liked the light here best. I arrived late, so I didn't finish. Here is my initial drawing, about 30 minutes in.
Geoff Watson, "Saints Peter & Paul Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church," in progress, oil sketch on panel, 11" x 14," 2018.
Next, here's the painting with the darks blocked in. A bit less than an hour in.
Geoff Watson, "Saints Peter & Paul Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church," in progress, oil on panel, 11" x 14," 2018.
As I was getting ready to block in the lights, the sun suddenly came out. I'd been planning on an overcast-day composition, so I wasn't sure whether to change my plans. I sketched in some lights and decided to decide when I return to the scene early next week. In the meantime, here's where I left the picture. I've left empty white spaces for trees. Also, some of my verticals are so crooked they look like they were drawn by a drunk. I'll fix that next time.
Geoff Watson, "Saints Peter & Paul Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church," in progress, oil on panel, 11" x 14," 2018.
Here's a look at my setup in all its glory. My traveling road show.
Geoff Watson, "My plein air setup," iPhone photo, 2018.
Washington Capitals fans!
My family finally got to see our beloved Washington Capitals capture the Stanley Cup last night! I've sketched a few Caps fans in honor of the occasion. First, the biggest Caps fan I know, my daughter. I drew this a few days ago, when the Capitals' fortunes were more in doubt.
Geoff Watson, "World's Best Capitals Fan," ink wash on paper, 5" x 8," 2018.
Next, a couple random fans who rode the Metro with us back from Game 4, which the Capitals won 6-2. These fans did not sit very still, so these sketches are rather ... sketchy.
Geoff Watson, "Capitals fans on the Metro," ink on paper, 5" x 8," 2018.
I've been to several golf major championships, but I'd never been to the finals of any professional team sport like baseball, football, basketball, hockey, or soccer. So seeing a Stanley Cup playoff game in person was a thrill. It was even more thrilling when my team won! Alas, I did only one sketch of the proceedings, and it's not very good; we had nosebleed seats, and I was juggling drinks and fries and worrying about dropping my pen and sketchbook. But I WAS THERE, so I'm posting this lousy sketch to prove it. :)
Geoff Watson, "Lousy sketch of the Capital One Center before the start of Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals," ink on paper, 5" x 8," 2018.
Pool sketches
I wandered around in the heat looking for a spot to paint, got overheated, and decided to go swim instead. Fortunately I had my pens and watercolors with me! I did a few quick sketches and watercolors in my sketchbook. Here's a page from the book -- with a couple of doodles edited out.
Geoff Watson, "Pool sketches," ink wash on paper, 5" x 8," 2018.
Friendship Heights Metro
The rain held off today, and I managed to get in 2-3 hours of plein air painting. I'm really out of practice, as I've been doing mostly pen-and-ink and watercolor work for the past month, since I can do those things indoors (away from all the rain!). So I set my expectations low and resolved to do a loose urban sketch.
The painting depicts the Friendship Heights metro stop on the DC-Maryland border. I was most interested in the area on the left, and I should've zoomed the picture in more on that; I didn't spend much time at all on the right half of the painting. I still like it.
Geoff Watson, "Friendship Heights Metro," oil on panel, 11" x 14," 2018.
Swim team practice
The highlight of this swim practice was when the coaches insisted that little kids demonstrate dance moves while standing on the starter block. It was so cute! But dancers are tough to draw, so I focused instead on the coaches, who mostly stayed still.
Geoff Watson, "Swim team practice," watercolor and ink on paper, 5" x 8," 2018.
At the pool
I spent the afternoon at the pool and did some sketching and watercoloring. Apologies for the glare in this first photo. I can't re-take the photograph because I accidentally blotted the picture after I photographed it! So this will have to do.
Geoff Watson, "Pool sketch," watercolor and pen on paper, 3" x 8," 2018.
I did an ink wash sketch, using blue ink, of a woman sitting at the pool.
Geoff Watson, "Sketch at the pool," ink wash on paper, 4" x 5," 2018.
And a lifeguard. It's a bit out of proportion, but it's still kind of fun.
Geoff Watson, "Sketch of a lifeguard," ink and watercolor on paper, 4" x 6," 2018.
Bethesda Lane
Bethesda Lane is a lovely pedestrian mall sandwiched between two busy streets in downtown Bethesda. Its defining feature is this graceful arch. People come to eat at the various outdoor cafes or just to sit and relax.
Last week I did a watercolor study at this spot, and today I returned to try my luck with oils. I had an easier time drawing the scene this time, and I was happy to get some people into the action. Unfortunately it was rather a dreary day, and the lighting conditions weren't great. I'd like to return one more time to try to capture more vibrant colors. I love this spot, so I shall return!
Geoff Watson, "Bethesda Lane," oil on panel, 16" x 20," 2018.