Abby, 7 Years Old

Abby, 7 Years Old, 2015

© 2015 Susan M. Lohse.  All rights reserved.

Must you?  I'm trying to take a nap!

Outdoor Sketching

Francis Hopkinson Smith c. 1903
Courtesy of the Library of Congress via Wikimedia Commons, LC-USZ62-98127

Francis Hopkinson Smith, author, artist and engineer, was a contemporary and intimate of many of the art masters of the 19th century and witness to the rapid development of 19th century through early 20th century art.

In 1914, Smith gave four lectures at the Art Institute of Chicago, where he talked about his methods, his views on realism (“detailism”) versus capturing one’s first impression, and art criticism of the day.  The lectures, compiled in a book called Outdoor Sketching, is available for free download at Project Gutenberg.

Smith is at turns poetic, humorous, self-deprecating and insightful, although his take on Winslow Homer’s The Cotton Pickers is jarring to the 21st century reader.

Artists and art lovers alike will enjoy reading these lectures.

Abby, 5 Years Old

Abby, 5 Years Old, 2013

© 2013 Susan M. Lohse.  All rights reserved.

The lovely and stately Abby, on the occasion of her fifth birthday.

When the sunlight hits just so, her eyes look like moonstones.

Red-winged Blackbird I

Red-winged Blackbird I, 2011

© 2012 Susan M. Lohse.  All rights reserved.

Artistically, I most admire photos with a shallow depth of field.  The focal point of the composition pops because visual background noise has been minimized.  When I get the depth of field right, my photos look more professional. 

Here, I got lucky using my auto settings.  At the time, I hadn’t learned how to consciously use depth of field to my advantage.  Now, I keep my digital camera set to Aperture Priority so I can change the f-stop settings on the fly.  Occasionally, I even bracket several shots, using different f-stops to help get the shot I’m looking for.

Eagle-eyed Grackle

Eagle-eyed Grackle, 2011

© 2011 Susan M. Lohse.  All rights reserved.

Obviously, it was an overcast day when I took this picture, but if the light had been brighter, I doubt I would have captured the beautiful and stately eyes of this Common Grackle.

Caesar’s Brother Iris

Caesar’s Brother Iris, 2013
Ink and watercolor on paper
6 x 4 1/2 inches

© 2013 Susan M. Lohse.  All rights reserved.

One of the most beautiful irises I’ve ever seen is the Caesar’s Brother Siberian Iris.  It spreads quickly after the first year’s planting and does best in moist soil.

This tall and vertically spiky iris looks great planted in large swaths along a lake or other water feature, but is just as lovely in a landlocked garden.  I highly recommend it.

Autumn Walk

Autumn Walk, 2013
Colored pencil on paper
2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches

© 2013 Susan M. Lohse.  All rights reserved.

Noodling around with my relatively new palette of oil-based colored pencils.

Red Rocks of Sedona

In my last post, I featured some of the artwork that can be found at the Chapel of the Holy Cross in Sedona, Arizona.  I thought I’d also share a few sample shots of the magnificent scenery that surrounds the chapel.



Cathedral Rock, located in Coconino National Forest.



The two rock formations at the far right are known as the Two Nuns.  The third rock formation from the right is called the Madonna and Child.

View Toward Eagle Rock, Sedona, Arizona, 2012

This is one of my favorite shots.  The sun was behind me, so the lighting was just right, and the color turned out perfectly.

I recommend using a polarizing filter, as was used here, to help achieve this kind of vivid color.  I also adjusted the standard picture style on my camera, increasing contrast by one and saturation by two.

All photos © 2013 Susan M. Lohse.  All rights reserved.

Chapel of the Holy Cross

I recently took a trip to Arizona and visited the Chapel of the Holy Cross in Sedona, which was commissioned by artist Marguerite Staude (1899–1988).  I thought I’d share some of the artwork that can be found at the chapel, especially since there isn’t much information about it online.



A bronze sculpture of St. Francis of Assisi by Bruno Groth (1905–1992) can be found along the path to the chapel.



This mosaic, designed by Staude, is located just outside the entrance of the chapel.  Lots of contextual iconography here:

The dove symbolizes both the Holy Spirit, with its flaming tail and wings depicted with red tiles, as well as the Dove of Peace, with the olive branch in its beak.  The receding of the Great Flood is suggested by the colors of the tiles in the negative space:  blue (water) and green (land).  The curved swath of deeper blue tiles bisecting the mosaic suggests water more forcefully, referring to the sacrament of baptism.  The juxtaposition of Great Flood and baptism iconography alludes to the deluge prefiguring the sacrament.  One could also argue that the mosaic more broadly represents the Old and New Testaments.

To the right of the entrance is Staude’s Madonna and Child sculpture.



To the left of the entrance is a 15th century Mexican sculpture of St. Michael the Archangel.  Notice the heads of the damned under his feet.



On my way out of the chapel, I noticed this lovely architectural detail.

All photos © 2013 Susan M. Lohse.  All rights reserved.

Watercolor Practice

© 2013 Susan M. Lohse.  All rights reserved.

Working on staying loose, wet into wet, and lost edges.

Smethwick

Smethwick, 2012
Colored pencil on paper
14 x 7 inches
Private collection

© 2012 Susan M. Lohse.  All rights reserved.

Is it a drawing or a painting?

Colored pencil artists sometimes refer to their work as paintings.  Works in pastel are often called pastel paintings.  Jo Wood, a bead embroidery artist, describes her work as painting with beads.

Regardless of where the line is drawn, so to speak, I feel as if I’m painting when I use oil-based colored pencils, which were used for Smethwick and Between the Drive and the Boulevard.

Abby, 4 Years Old

Abby, 4 Years Old, 2012

© 2012 Susan M. Lohse.  All rights reserved.

Abby the Tabby turned four this month, and this is her birthday portrait to mark the occasion.

She’s giving me the stink eye because I lured her into position by running the faucet, but didn’t run it at the trickle she prefers for playing and drinking so I could maintain her attention long enough for the shot.

Contrail Sunset

Contrail Sunset, 2010

© 2011 Susan M. Lohse.  All rights reserved.

This was another instance of being in the right place at the right time with my trusty camera.  All the elements were in place for a spectacular sunset on this early November evening, and I almost couldn’t have taken a bad shot if I had tried.

I thought this picture was a good example of the photos I took at the time, as I caught a representative aircraft in the shot, the cause of all the contrails in the sky.

Alien Fruit

Alien Fruit, 2010

© 2012 Susan M. Lohse.  All rights reserved.

On a glorious late-October day, I was walking the neighborhood, testing my new polarizing filter.  These perfect, bright red tree berries against the deep blue sky, the colors made more vivid by the filter, called to me.  The combination of intense color, unusual angle, shallow depth of field and isolated subject matter made the image look otherworldly to me, hence the title of this photograph.

North of the Boulevard

North of the Boulevard, 2012
Graphite on paper
6 5/8 x 5 1/2 inches

© 2012 Susan M. Lohse.  All rights reserved.

This drawing represents a step in the direction I’d like to take my graphite work.  I took a lighter hand with the graphite, and left white space to allow context, rather than rendered detail, to tell the story.

Entrance I

Entrance I, 2012
Ink and watercolor on paper
6 x 4 1/2 inches

© 2012 Susan M. Lohse.  All rights reserved.

Recently, I’ve been researching pen and ink artists and their techniques more intently.  As part of my studies, I re-read a free e-book from Artist Daily:  Pen and Ink Drawing Techniques:  Drawing with Ink to Create Art with Strong Contrast and Surprising Subtlety.

The e-book offers a great deal of insight into how different techniques render different results.  Especially helpful is the explanation about the difference between the European and American pen and ink traditions. 

Pen and Ink Drawing Techniques gives examples of each of these styles, but there are two contemporary artists I study that illustrate the difference, as well:  Nicole Wong usually follows the American tradition, where her hatch marks run along the form to suggest volume.  Tommy Kane follows the European tradition, where he uses hatching and crosshatching around the form to model his images.

While I’m an admirer of the European tradition, I’m drawn to the light, fresh and (deceptively) simple look of the American tradition.  Neither style is better than the other, of course.  Whichever one an artist chooses to use depends on personal preference and the results he or she wants to achieve. 

I highly recommend the Pen and Ink e-book.  To download a copy for yourself, you’ll need to register at Artist Daily, but it’s free, painless, and you’ll have additional access to information that will enhance your practice and knowledge of art.

Patio Garden

Patio Garden, 2012
Ink and watercolor on paper
6 x 4.5 inches

© 2012 Susan M. Lohse.  All rights reserved.

I’ve been working on an intensive colored pencil project, so it was nice to take a break by doing something quick and loose.

Fuchsia

Fuchsia, 2010

© 2012 Susan M. Lohse.  All rights reserved.

I couldn’t resist photographing this fuchsia, with its vivid colors and elaborate folds.  These exquisite flowers remind me of Georgian ball gowns, complete with panniers and furbelows.

Between the Drive and the Boulevard

Between the Drive and the Boulevard, 2012

Colored pencil on paper

6 x 4 inches

© 2012 Susan M. Lohse.  All rights reserved.

After trying several papers over the years, I think I’ve finally found my preferred support for colored pencil:  bristol board with a vellum finish.

Bristol vellum has just enough tooth for adequate layering, but not so much that the tones look overly grainy without burnishing.  (Depending on the subject matter, I often prefer a little graininess when working with pencils.)  I’m also able to achieve what I want to with more defined pencil strokes.

Light graphite erases from bristol vellum relatively easily, and I’m able to adequately lift color with a kneaded eraser.  My kneaded eraser is as important a drawing tool as any pencil, so the latter benefit is important.

The other side of the bristol vellum I’ve used has a smooth finish, although I found that it’s too smooth for adequate colored pencil layering.  However, I understand that a smooth surface like this works well for photorealistic graphite drawing, which I have yet to test for myself.

It's Abby's World

It’s Abby’s World, 2012

© 2012 Susan M. Lohse.  All rights reserved.

I’ve always enjoyed seeing the studio mates of my fellow art bloggers (see here, here, here, here and here).  I hadn’t intended to share photos of my studio mate, but I couldn’t resist taking and posting this picture of Abby the Tabby today.