Magic in Oregon

I was privileged this month to again be a part of the Alexander Art Silver Falls Painting Seminar in Oregon, and each year the experience gets better and better. This year, I had a "day off" from teaching classes and took a six mile hike around the Canyon Trail which afforded me the opportunity to shoot over 700 photos of the beautiful surroundings.

The painting shown here is of the "Lower South Falls" at the park, and was one of my favorite from the hike. The approach to the falls is from above and behind as the trail descends, then switchbacks to take you closer and eventually on walk behind the waterfall. I enjoyed the approach, as I could hear the falls growing louder and louder but couldn't see them at all, until all at once the trail takes a sudden curve and spits you out at this view. I began my hike in the mid-morning, around 9:00, so the lighting was terrific by the time I reached these falls around 9:45.

I began the painting on a lime-green acrylic primed canvas, then worked up the values in Ultramarine Blue and Burnt Umber before progressing with oils. I've grown to love working with acrylic underpainting and highly recommend you try this method!

One Track Mind

I've loved old steam locomotives since I first became acquainted with a "live" one almost twenty years ago. She thundered through my hometown and stole my heart as she demanded my attention, as well as that of everyone within ear-shot of her lonesome steam whistle. That old girl, number 1218, is now silent behind a chain link museum fence but the wonderful memories of her visit to Greeneville are still alive and vivid in my mind's eye. I became so enamored of steam locomotives, in fact, that I began working on them on a volunteer basis during my college years in Knoxville, Tennessee. It's only natural, I guess, that I wanted to paint these dinosaurs of the industrial revolution as I saw them; big, loud and beautiful.

The painting shown here depicts my favorite iron horse, the one and only 611 of the Norfolk and Western Railway. She was a stablemate of the 1218, her older sister, and she holds the distinction of being the downright sexiest machine I've ever seen. Whether sitting still or sailing down the main line at better than 100 miles per hour, this locomotive is a joy to behold. Her graceful lines and unique design have captured the imagination of thousands of people lucky enough to see her under steam. That "art deco" look was no accident, as she was born in 1950, on the tail-end of this popular design trend.

Painting the sheet metal exterior and glossy black paint under bright sunlight was a fun challenge, and afforded me the opportunity to revel in painting texture and detail. I love to simulate interesting surfaces, form and light in almost everything I paint, and the 611 didn't disappoint!

A subject like this may seem a little intimidating at first, but the trick is to relax and paint what you see. As obvious as that may sound, it's the best advice I can offer and some of the best advice I've ever received. When you choose a subject that features a lot of different textures, surfaces and highlights, you might begin by working from the image in black and white and establish the values and structure on your canvas first. Once you've created this "road map" of values, break the overall painting down into sections and begin building them up separately so as not to overwhelm your senses. You might work on a portion for a while then shift to another area that grabs your attention until the whole of the painting takes shape. Begin by painting "loosely" to establish large areas of color that are similar, then analyze and create the subtle changes in hue that create form and drama.

Always challenge yourself with your art; in the words of the very quotable Edgar Degas, "Only when he no longer knows what he is doing does the painter do good things."

Happy Independence Day everybody, and thank you to all our men and women in the armed forces.