"Out the Back Door", Glenn Gay Ranch, MT

"Out the Back Door"

Gay Ranch, Powder River, MT

Montana Thanksgiving 2015

5"x8" original watercolor

140 lbs. cold pressed paper

Pentallic Aqua Journal

I painted this standing by the back door of the ranch house.
It was 11 degrees Fahrenheit outside. BRRRR!

It is in my favorite Pentallic Aqua Journal.

Watching Bird

"Watching Bird"

5.5"x 8.5" graphite on 90 lb. paper

I got The Urban Sketcher by Marc Taro Holmes at Brushstrokes last week.  

It is so well thought out and inspiring that I had to rush out and get a new "sketch" book.  

The quick sketch above is my first.  I like the idea of the old binoculars with the paper mache bird. 

Most of my sketch books are for water media, so this paper feels really smooth. 

Below are pictures of my subjects and the new sketch book and the new book.

Ice Carving, Lewisburg Ice Festival

Ice Carving Sketch

Watercolor on Pentalic watermedia sketch pad. 5"x8"

Tried my hand at plein air painting in 20 degree F temperature. 

The sketching was a little sketchy because I kept my gloves on to start.

I thought the paint would work better because I had a water-filled brush.  The paint was freezing as I tried to apply it to the paper making flat flakes of slush that could be brushed off.  I quit when the paper got too cold to accept any paint at all.