Drawing

Painted with Nashville Plein Air this morning and we painted on a pedestrian bridge that crosses the Cumberland River at Two Rivers Park. This bridge connects the greenways on one side of the river to the greenway system on the other side. I think ultimately they are going to connect them all so you may be able to walk the entire distance of the Cumberland that runs through Davidson County. It was my first visit there and it is a very impressive bridge. Very attractive.
Anyway, to stand where I stood and paint the view I did (it was the only shade) was a perspective lesson. I had to really pull out all the perspective skills I could muster. It seems everytime I paint, each painting presents its own challenges, whether it is values, colors, edges, etc. etc. there is always that one test, that one thing you notice that you really have to work at (sometimes it's more than one). In this painting it was those wonderful geometric shapes and curves that all fall back into points in space. Those tricky little proportions and shapes and lines that make it " look right" spatially. I spent more effort in the drawing than the actual painting.
I hope eventually they are able to build the entire greenway system that they have invisioned. By the look of the number of people that were on it today, it is something wanted and needed in our city.

Duck River

I spend quite a bit of time in and around the Duck River. If you've been keeping up with my blog I think you can tell.
I can remember as a kid when it would flood it would just inundate my home town of Shelbyville. We had a floodgate system there that would be pulled up and pumps turned on that would pump the water back over a levee and into the west side of town. I can remember standing at the old bridge below the 1st National Bank building and seeing the west side. It looked like an ocean, as far as you could see. We would also play in the water that had accumulated behind the floodgate. After they built the Normandy Dam the flooding was not near as severe.
After having gotten back on the river in the upper part recently, the thing that strikes me the most is the difference in the river from Bedford County to Centerville and below. The river is much larger in the Hickman County area and the gravel bars and shoals are much more substantial. When we floated and painted in Bedford County it was actually hard to find a gravel bar or shoal to paint on. Even the trees and the growth around the river was much different. There are some massive trees in the Centerville area, especially some of the Sycamores, that we just didn't see in the Bedford County area. But for canoeing there is a constant current that you just can't beat and lots of rock formations and little bluffs everywhere. It is a very beautiful part of the river.
We are very fortunate to have this resource in our state.

Canoeing the Duck

Scored a canoe and Jason Saunders and I went canoeing on the upper end of the Duck River. We floated a stretch from Dement Bridge to Three Forks Bridge in Bedford County. It was an easy float that was short enough to allow a few attempts at painting. The hardest part was the actual painting. The river does not give up its paintings easily. It is incredibly hard painting. There is so much out there. Dappled light, water and all that goes with that, rocks, etc., etc. There are so many different shapes and values and I won't even go into the compositional issues. I tried twice to paint sunlit grassbeds and twice made a miserable mess. I could not get that wonderful illumination. There was a color and intensity there that I could only get close to without ever making it work. I think in the last blog I mentioned pushing the values up hoping that would do it but again it wasn't the answer to the problem.
The only tight moment we had was when I, as navigator, missed a submerged stump and we centered it. The canoe stuck and rocked a bit. We tried to get off the stump with paddles but ultimately started rocking in unison and slid it off. After you do something like that there is always a bit of paranoia that someone saw it or worse, videoed it.

Again With The Values

Painted yesterday morning at Williamsport WMA again. I struggled with this one. I couldn't get the light right, it just was not working. So I took a little break, cleared my head and approached it again.
It took one value change.
I had the value for the key of the willows too dark. I was working under the assumption that if you make the darks darker and the lights lighter it will look like lumination, light. I think sometimes I tend to push my values out to the ends of the spectrum and a lot of times this is not the answer to the problem. It is still not as luminous as I saw it out there but you should have seen it before the change. Man, it was flat.
I am going to try to get back out there next week and hopefully be able to get 2-3 more paintings off this little lake for the Brazier Fine Art show "Waterways". We shall see.

Red

I usually carry very small tubes of red and have a very small area on my palette for red because as a landscape painter I use it mostly as a compliment to all the green. Yesterday was not the case.
I painted in Williamsport after I had tried to find something in the Williamsport WMA. I went to my favorite pond there (see post below) and it was full of fishermen and what looked like duck weed so I moved on to Williamsport. The very first thing that caught my eye was this giant red barn that sits on the road already composed. So I squirted out a little extra red and had at it.
Later that afternoon Jason Saunders called and said,"let's go." I asked where and he said he had a place down the road. Lo and behold another red barn.
All in all I enjoy painting barns in the landscape. I am so used to seeing them around here on the farms and in the fields it almost feels like something is missing to see a big farm without one. The only trick is the perspective on some of those angles on the pitched roofs. They are like snowflakes. No two pitched roofs are ever the same.

Values, Values, Values

I said it before and I will say it again. It's all about values.
This painting was an exercise in getting the values right. I, for what ever reason, seem not to be able to stick my values perfectly the first time I put them on. It always takes a lot of adjusting as I am painting to get them right. I think I have to get everything on there first and then I can see them in relation to each other and start making adjustments. Anyway, this was a value nightmare. It took a lot of tweeking to make it work.
I painted this one this morning at the Williamsport Wildlife Management Area. It used to be settling ponds for the Occidental Chemical Company and they cleaned them up and donated them and about 2500 acres to the state wildlife agency. It's a great resource to have.
I think this painting is going to Brazier Fine Art for a show they are having the end of June through July. The paintings have to be water related, anything with water. I will post the dates on my website when I get them.

Cityscapes Anyone?

I painted this morning with Plein Air Nashville. We had set out to paint Musica but after I got there and looked at all the figure drawing required I turned around and looked behind me and saw a beautiful skyline of Nashville so I threw my effort into it. It made me realize how hard cityscapes can be. My hat is off to Anne Blair Brown and all the others who make it look so easy. I think the biggest problem I had was deciminating the info before me and trying to get rid of everything but what you actually need to make the paintng work. There is so much going on in a city that to try and paint it all in one alla prima painting is virtually impossible. I think the trick is to know what to parse down to get to the bare minimum and still have a nice painting.
Anyway here is my attempt. I think if you look at it you will notice it is not quite as finished as most of my paintings. With all I had to get down it didn't leave me much time to clean it up. I was just mixing and applying, mixing and applying.
Now I have a cityscape under my belt. On to Venice.

Another Roundbale

I thought I would show another roundbale painting since I have been painting them so much lately.
When I painted these and other roundbales I took some photos and compared them to what I see out there. There is a dramatic difference in what you see. The photos loose so much color and those real nice temperature changes, especially in the shadows. There is just so much information out there that you can't get with a photo. If you don't believe me, try it.

Water Rats

This is my lovely daughter Sarah Beth on the right and her friend Neale on the left. I had intended to paint here but as you can see I thought better of it. This is the Duck River at the end of the boat ramp where the May 8 entry was painted.
I thought the water at this time of year may have been too cold for swimming, but I remember when I was a kid, and I don't think at that age the water ever gets too cold for swimming.

Hay Fever

For the last few days I have been living on Benedryl, Starbucks and Repel tick spray. It is that time of year. It seems that my allergies are worse this year than previous but there are roundbales on the ground so I have to take benedryl and push through.
I have been painting roundbales in the Totty's Bend area. They have hay cut and rolled everywhere. I have been getting into the fields right after the roller and right before the fork and kind of moving with them as they move from field to field. They are trying to get it up by first of next week so the window of opportunity is small.
The painting I have posted is from a small hayfield on the Duck river. A friend of mine gave me a bit of history on the field and said that a gentleman by the name of Baird was injured in the battle of Shiloh in the Civil War and came back to Totty's bend and started a ferry that crossed the Duck river at this field called Baird's Ferry. Apparently, toward the end of the war he ferried Union soldiers across who camped here. It's hard to imagine what this field would have looked like full of Union soldiers.

Real Plein Air

Ya' know, a lot of people say they are tried and true plein air painters but their deepest foray into the wilds is stepping off their back porch and painting the neighbors garden. Not Plein Air Nashville.
I was asked to try and find a place on the Duck River for them to paint this morning and having been to Henry Horton in the winter the views were everywhere and very accessible. I knew the trees and vegetation would be a bit thicker but I underestimated the thickness at this time of year. So to get to the river took a bit of an effort not to mention the rain and mud issue.
They rolled off the river bank like Green Berets.
There was so much equipment and so many people it looked like Hannibels army crossing the Alps. Fishermen would come down the bank from time to time, look around, and then just turn around and go back up.
I think all and all there was quite a bit of very fine art created by the group today and some of it may be sold for the Nature Conservancy fundraiser we are participating in in the fall. It really is a good group to paint with. They are very laid back, skill levels from A to Z, and will apparently try anything. I think the next time I am asked to take them to a spot it is going to be somewhere that requires snake boots, firearms and machetes.

Back on the Duck

This is another Duck River painting. It is actually on the lower end, around Centerville in an area called Totty's Bend. A very good friend of mine owns about 200 acres on the river there and has built a boat ramp on the river. This is the view from the end of the boat ramp. I have painted this exact view about 10 different times, some keepers and some not. What is nice is to compare the old ones and the newer ones. Sheesh, I can't believe the quality of some of my old paintings. I still have a long way to go but man, it has come a long way.
Lately when I paint I have had Bald Eagle sightings. About 2-3 years ago I used to see them regularly when I would fish and then no sightings. The last three times I have painted in the area I have seen them again. I think it is 2 mature birds and a juvenile, not sure. Haven't seen the nest yet but I saw one a few years ago at Cheatham Lake and it was bigger than most apartments.

Back to Normandy

Went back to Normandy last week to paint the Duck River again. Painted the tail waters at the dam and at a bridge with a public access area. I have painted the tail waters there probably 5 or 6 times now and you would think that after you paint the same view a couple of times it would get repetitious and easier and a bit predictable. Well for me it doesn't. Everytime I paint it it is a struggle and I never know if it will turn out to be a keeper. If you look a few blogs back you will see the same view but two very different looking paintings. Also, the spring weather has really changed the look of things from the last painting to this one. I have also noticed the number of fishermen has increased in direct relation to the weather.

Photography

I have to say I think I am the worst photographer in the world. My images are never square and the color is usually miles off. It has been the most frustrating thing about a blog and website. I have tried every lighting situation available to me (without buying high end equipment) . The best thing I have found is direct sunlight with the art angled just right so the sun doesn't blow out the darkest darks. Anyway, I re-shot the art in the previous blog. I think you may notice a difference.

Mud, Mud, Everywhere

After the constant rainfall we have had of late it seems like everywhere I try to paint I have had to deal with mud. My backpack is covered, my truck is covered, and my boots stay covered. The painting I have posted here is usually a dry ditch. When it has water in it it is very attractive. However, as I painted either my feet started to sink or the water level started coming up. The ground was so saturated there that by the time I had finished I was wading in about a half inch of water where previously it had been dry.
I have also set it in a 6x8 frame I had laying around that I think is a favorite frame of mine. These gold frames make a predominantly green landscape look really good. I am getting these frames from Ric Guthrie so if anybody needs his number e-mail Studio@kevinmenck.com and I will hook you up.

To The Bone

Painting in the cold can be very difficult if you are not prepared. Painted this morning with Plein Air Nashville (The diehards, Bitsy, Brenda, me and Doug). I had prepared for it to be in the 60's and sunny. Didn't get anywhere near it and a north wind was howling. I had on a fleece jacket with a t-shirt underneath and when I looked around it looked like everyone else heard the same forecast I did. I have painted in snow, 15-20 degree days, painted while Alberta Clippers have blown through, but I don't think I have ever been that cold. It went" to the bone" as they say. I think it was the lack of preparation. Those other days I mentioned I was prepared for cold, I knew it was going to be very cold and I got myself mentally prepared and dressed appropriately. I was not nearly mentally prepared for today. Anyway, we painted in Centennial Park without sun so I was semi please with my result.

Normandy

I spent the last two days of last week in and around Normandy and Bell Buckle. I did Thursday and Friday morning at the Normandy dam painting the tail waters that are the Duck River. It is a great place to paint. The river is small and accessible everywhere there. Thursday I was the only person around. That morning the trout stocking truck from Dale Hollow Fish Hatchery showed up and dumped trout in the river. The next day was Good Friday and I am sure word on the trout got out so there were a few fishermen in the river but they seemed to be too busy fishing to even care I was there. The only question I was asked was by a lady who pulled up in a beat up pick-up and asked if I had "caught anything yet." I didn't want to try to explain what I was actually doing so I said,"nope, not yet."

Henry Horton Park

The Chestnut Group is teaming up with the Nature Conservency to paint the Duck River Watershed to raise money for the restoration and preservation of the Duck River. After I painted in Mount Olivet I drove to Henry Horton State Park that afternoon and the drive is not that bad. It is a straight shot down Nolensville road and takes less than an hour from the heart of Nashville. The river winds around the park and is very accesible almost everywhere in the park. They have a walking trail that runs along the north side of the river with some beautiful views. There is quite a bit there to paint. Got one done Saturday afternoon and plan on going back for a full day soon.
If anybody in the Chestnuts has a question about it, e-mail.

Plein Air Nashville

Plein Air Nashville is back in action. We painted Saturday at the Mount Olivet Cemetary. I had never been so I actually didn't know what to expect. There is so much to paint there you would never get it all. The history there is also worth going for. We were just standing there talking and I turned and read the first one next to me and it was Acklen, the lady that owned the Belmont Mansion before it was Belmont University. Names that you recognize are everywhere, old Nashville names. There is also a number of Confederate soldiers and generals buried there. I think the nicest thing about the place though is the artistic quality of most of the monuments. It is almost like walking through a sculpture garden.
Anyway, I was rather pleased with the painting I got. It was backlit with a lot of reflected light and real close values. When you looked at the monuments they were all gray but some were more green, some more blue, some more red, etc., etc. The difference sometimes was more of a temperature change in the color than an actual change in the value. I think it was the struggle more than the finish that made me appreciate this painting so much.

Road Trip!

There is nothing in the world like a road trip. New places, people. I find it hard though to paint in a place I have never painted , it always seems to take a while to get acclimated to the landscape.
I went to Brazier Fine Art in Richmond, Virginia. Loryn and Tammy Brazier own and run the gallery there and have graciously decided to represent my work in that area. I spent last Thursady with them and took a little time to see Loryn's studio. It's sweet. A place up front for classes and workshops and studio space in the back. It appears from looking around that she is a very high caliber portrait artist. There were some incredible pieces hanging in the place. I am looking forward to being in their gallery.
After that I went back to Staunton, Virginia to stay and paint the following day. If you have never been to the Shenadoah Valley and the Blue Ridge Mountains, go. It is beautiful. There is a highway that runs along the bottom of the mountains (I think 320) and parallel to Interstate 81, right through the Valley. It is small towns seperated by vast stretches of farmland with the Shenadoah River laying all through it and mountains all around it. There is just way too much to paint. The houses and barns all look 200 yrs. old. So much character to everything. Anyhoo, got 3 done on Friday and took a ton of photos and may attempt a painting from some of them. Like I said, too much to paint.

Middle of Nowhere

Another painting out of Bedford County. I think I was in Bedford County. I was somewhere between Gossburg and Bradyville. Someone correct me if I am wrong.

Navigation

Went painting with Jason Saunders recently. Our method for finding a place to paint was to hook up a Garmin Navigation system and start driving. We wound up at the Rock Island Natural Area which is right below the dam that is right below the convergence of the Caney Fork and the Collins Rivers. My best guess is that it is the old river bed that was exposed when they dammed the river. It is all rock and the tail waters run through it and create tons of waterfalls and rushing water that cuts through these rock formations. I found it very challenging with the moving water and the texture of the rocks. That and the fact I was painting with Jason. He is a machine. By the time I got one keeper he had 3! It's intimidating to paint with someone who, everytime you look up they are loading a new paint panel. But I still enjoy painting with him because you never know where you might end up painting.

15 Degrees

Last Thursday I think I set a personnal best. I have painted in temperatures as low as 20 degrees but Thursday it was 15 degrees when I started. The biggest issue was the thickening of the Titanium white. It needed liberal doses of terp to perform properly.
Also, 15 degrees is not too cold for muskrats. I had a couple that were swimming the river back and forth about 10 feet in front of me the whole time I painted. I am not sure what muskrats have to do that would make them so busy, but they were getting it done.

Winter

The winter is actually my favorite time to paint and be outdoors. I can't remember where I read it but some artist said that "in the winter you can see the bones of the landscape." The land looks so much different in the winter.
Lately I have been painting in Bell Buckle and in the Yanahli Wildlife Management Area in Maury County. For those who haven't been to Bell Buckle and Beford County it's a painter's paradise. Rolling hills and tons of backroads. Be prepared though because they are not accustom to seeing painters and you will be asked," what'cha doin'?"

Belle Meade Show Update

The show that the Chestnut Group is having at the Belle Meade Plantation has been extended until the end of January. If you haven't been, stop by. There is still plenty of excellent art left.

Belle Meade Show

I will be participating in The Chestnut Group's "Belle Meade Small Works Show" from December 6th through the entire month of December. All pieces must be of Belle Meade, no larger than 8x10 and must be executed en plein air. They will hang in the Plantation Giftshop which will be a great place to Christmas shop.

The Chestnut Group

I have recently joined the Chestnut Group which is a group of local painters whose members donate a lot of time and money through volunteer work and proceeds from shows to land preservation in the area. They will be having a show at Radnor Lake beginning on Nov. 1 with a reception that evening from 5-8. Above are 2 of my images for the show. Please drop by, I think you will enjoy the show.

The Month of August for a Plein Air Painter

Below are some of the images I produced in the record setting month of August. It was the hottest month we have had on record in Tennessee and it made painting out very difficult. I think you will notice though, a lot of creek paintings. It was the only way I could manage.