The view of Horsefly Mesa from Burnt Mill Mesa is one of my favorites. The patterns that the grass fields and forest groves make are striking, as is the interplay of the many shades of green. And the spectacular colors shifts that take place as the sun and clouds move make deciding on a final scheme a wonderful challenge.
We were a multigenerational group yesterday as we painted under the ponderosa pines. This sketch shows two of my nieces working, perhaps some of the younger or older ones will show up in a future post.
I found a place where I could see a row of juniper trees leading off to Mount Sneffels, some 30 miles from here. The repeating shapes of the rocks, the trees, and the mountains, contrasted with the meadow in the foreground. I took some liberties with the colors but think that overall it is true to my view.
This is a gouache painting on a 13 x 20 inch sheet of black Bristol paper.
One of my favorite subjects here in Colorado are juniper trees. Their round, irregular shapes catch my eye. In this vista, I really enjoyed their look along the edge of the meadow.
The many shades of green in the Colorado San Juan Mountains shift as the day changes. This sketch is from the late afternoon on Saturday. The deep greens from the forest are set off by the spring greens of the scrub oak on the forest floor, so different from the greens of San Diego.
I come from a very large family and this sketch shows the camping spots of the first arrivals being set up along my brother’s road. Already there are many more tents and campers spread out in all directions.
We are off to spend a few weeks on my brother’s 80-acres in Colorado. I sketched in the bumpy front seat as we left San Diego, and felt so happy to be on the road again.
This is to be a socially-distanced reunion with twenty or so relatives. We will spread our campers and tents out and eat separately. And with our masks, we will hike, socialize, play games and paint together. Our camper is packed with supplies and we should be good for a few weeks, as long as we all arrive without COVID, that is.
The Zoom model tonight had a reflective air about him and I tried to catch his expression in this sketch. I also liked the simple shapes of his face and worked to show those too.
Deliberate Sketching 