Sunday, July 5, 2009

Greytone study: Old Corner Maple

Old Corner Maple
acrylic on matboard, 6x6 in.

I decided to just do some casual studies for a while when I am working with acrylics. Today I laid out some black and white, mixed up a series of greytones, and did this small, quick study of the old maple at the corner of my property, using a single largish brush. This was done on a piece of matboard, sealed, gessoed, and lightly toned with a glaze of terra rosa to give it a little warmth.

There may be hope yet.

Had a great 4th of July. Friends and family joined me for the parade, and we had a great spot on the island with the Civil War memorial. Brandon has one of Vermont's best (and longest) home-town style parades, very famous-- so many people come from all over every year that the village swells with crowds and every side street is crammed with cars.

The Brandon parade has never been rained on or rained out. It looked for a while that this year might be a first: as people assembled, it started drizzling. But our record held. Just as the parade was announced, the sky began to clear, and by the time the parade reached us, it was bright and sunny.

Afterward, we all headed back to my house for potluck and conversation and at the end of the afternoon, lots of hugs.

Hope your holiday, whichever one you celebrate this time of year, was as rewarding.