A tentative step in the right direction

Backyard I, 4" x 6", watercolor on paper

Something about working on the squares and looking at Dove again just pushed me to do this. This is the second attempt--too much was not right with the first. This is better, but after doing this I realized I was not happy with the brush I was using. So I spent some time trying out brushes. There will be another version, but for now I needed to get something up that pushes me in the right direction. Which this does.

I don't yet know how to get full intensity watercolor on the paper without it being mottled; that's why I think it's a brush problem. When I get rid of the mottling, I think I'll be happy.

The palette for this was Cobalt Turquoise, Permanent Alizarin Crimson, and Cadmium Lemon. There is a tiny bit of Prussian Blue in the deep shadows.

Dove, Marin, and Hopper

I decided to post about well-known artists that make me sit still and look. Three of them are American.

Arthur Dove: Sunrise, 1937

Arthur Dove: Untitled, 1942

How I found out about him is detailed in this earlier post.

Many years ago I saw Hopper's Nighthawks, and like the rest of the world, was stunned and fascinated by it. Since moving back into art I have educated that fascination and find his work mesmerizing.

Edward Hopper: New York Movie, 1939

Edward Hopper: Rooms by the Sea, 1951

And finally, John Marin--again revisited in depth where I discovered his landscapes as opposed to his bridgescapes and cityscapes.

John Marin, Big Wood Island, 1914

With the addition of Cezanne's landscapes and most all of the Canadian Group of Seven, these are images which swirl in whatever part of my brain works with visual things. As much as I still love Nighthawks, I think, as an artist, I am more fascinated by Hopper's Rooms by the Sea: the shape of the light outlined by the shadows is riveting, that shape made even more powerful by what seems a simulacrum on the wall of the next room.

Merging of Blogs

In the interest of "getting it together" I have merged three of my other blogs into this one. If you were one of the few followers of

Vermont Directions (my Art of Action blog)

Vermilion Hue (my painting blog)

Clair Dunn PHOTOGRAPHY (my, duh, photography blog)

Their contents have all been moved to White River (you are here!). I am posting this because I don't know if Google transfers the followers along with the posts. My artist's web site however remains the same at:

clairdunn.com

Underground and Surreal

Two stunning images appeared today on the New York Times site. Both are by Richard Barnes (for the New York Times).

Both are beyond words.