The Loons are Calling

Today I begin by working on the Loons. Growing up in the south, I’d never heard of Loons until 1983 when I saw the movie, “On Golden Pond”. Oh my goodness! I immediately fell in love with them and their wonderful warbling calls. Kim said they always had a pair out on the water nearby their lake home and would hear their distinctive cry at dusk. Her family enjoyed watching the loons’ chicks, or loonlets, grow up.

If you’d like to see any of these pictures larger, all you have to do is click on the image!

Kim laughed when she told me her mom named the loons, Claire and Clarence d’Loon! SO…I’d like to introduce you to Claire and Clarence d’Loon! The mother loon carries the tiny loonlets on her back, so I’ve added one hitching a ride. A second baby will be swimming along nearby.

The fall foliage of the birch trees is painted with mixes of Cadmium Yellow Medium + a bit of MUD (2 parts Ultramarine Blue + 1 part Alizarin Crimson), Cadmium Yellow Medium + MUD + Cadmium Orange, Cadmium Yellow Medium + Alizarin Crimson + White and Cadmium Yellow Medium + a tiny touch of MUD + White.

The grassy bank has been blocked in with several mixtures of Ultramarine Blue + Cadmium Lemon Yellow + White. Then, Viridian Green + Ultramarine Blue + White is used for the canoe.

Wild Irises grow in the shallows along the shoreline. Their graceful leaves are made by pulling the brush upward, over the grass behind them, with combinations of Pthalo Blue + Cadmium Lemon Yellow. The stems at the base of the plants are made with some of the rusty colored paint left over from the birch leaves.

The lavender blooms of the Irises are painted with various mixtures of Dioxazine Purple + White.

The dark centers are Dioxazine Purple + Liquin Original, while the Yellow Signals are made with Cadmium Yellow Medium.

I paint around the shapes of the Water Lilies with a variety of mixes of Ultramarine Blue + MUD + White and MUD + Cadmium Yellow Medium + White, to give the impression of the lake bottom glimmering through the shallow water.

I’ve combined several of the greens used throughout the painting to make the Oval Pads of the Water Lilies.

The blossoms are mixes of White + Ultramarine Blue, White + Ultramarine Blue + Cadmium Orange and White + Dioxazine Purple. The final step will be to drag a mix of Magenta + Liquin Original over the base of the petals. You can see the finished result in the next picture.

“THE LOONS ARE CALLING!” 16 inches x 20 inches

Can’t you just hear Claire and Clarence d’Loon calling, “It’s beautiful out today. Jump in the canoe and paddle out to join us on the lake!”

Thanks for visiting my online studio and following the journey of this painting. Please come back again. With Appreciative Hugs,

ALL SENKARIK IMAGES PROTECTED UNDER INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT LAW

© Senkarik 2024

www.senkarik.com

Lazy Fall Day

We begin painting with the sky as it establishes the mood for the rest of the piece. It’s a beautiful fall day, soft clouds lazily drift across the heavens above. The upper portion of the sky was covered with a mix of White + Cobalt Blue, while the lower part is White + Pthalo Blue. The clouds are lightly pulled over the blue with two shades of White + a touch of Cadmium Orange + a tiny bit of MUD (2 parts Ultramarine Blue + 1 part Alizarin Crimson).

To see an enlargement of any of the images, just click on the picture!

The mountains along the distant edge of the lake are blocked in with lighter mixtures of Pthalo Blue + Cadmium Orange + White and Ultramarine Blue + MUD + White. The Pines on the peninsula jutting out into the water are then painted with darker shades of the same mixes.

Those darker shades from the previous step are used to indicate the tall pines on the opposite shore. Birch Trees, decked out in their fall finery, are added in with mixes Cadmium Yellow Medium + Alizarin Crimson and Cadmium Yellow Medium + a little MUD.

The water is blocked in with the sky mixtures. Reflections are like a mirror, so essentially I’m painting the sky upside down! The area below the horizon line is left unpainted, we’ll deal with that in our next step. I’ve made sure to paint very carefully around the loons that were sketched in the previous session. I’ll come back to work on them later.

Reflections of the mountain, pines and fall birches are pulled straight down into the wet paint of the water below.

The same technique is used to make the reflections of the closest pine trees. After the greens are pulled down, some horizontal strokes are made to give the impression of movement in the water.

Water Lilies grow in the water along the shoreline. The oval pads glow against the dark reflections of the pines above them.

Wild Iris hug the canoe on the grassy bank. The lavender blossoms are made of Dioxazine Purple + White and Dioxazine Purple + Ultramarine Blue + White.

A canoe isn’t any good without oars, so I make sure to throw a pair in.

We’re done for today. I really appreciate you following along, please come back for our next session! With Big Hugs,

ALL SENKARIK IMAGES PROTECTED UNDER INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT LAW

© Senkarik 2024

www.senkarik.com

Back to Clear Lake

I’m beginning another painting of Clear Lake, Minnesota that will be displayed with “GENERATIONS OF MEMORIES”, completed in my previous post. CLICK HERE to see that painting. My sketch for the second piece is shown above. The vantage point is from down at the edge of the lake where a canoe patiently awaits, ready to be paddled out on an adventure.

Please remember as you read through my blog, you may click on any image to view it larger!

First the horizon line is established, then the basic elements are sketched up on the canvas that I’ve primed with Liquin Basics Titanium White Acrylic. A brush, dipped in a thin oil mix of MUD (2 parts Ultramarine Blue + 1 part Alizarin Crimson) + Liquin Original, is used for this step.

Evergreen Trees at the edge of the lake are washed in with an oil mix of Ptahlo Blue + Cadmium Orange + Liquin Original.

Oil washes of Cadmium Yellow Medium + Alizarin Crimson + Liquin Original and Cadmium Yellow + a little MUD + Liquin Original are used to block in the fall foliage of the Birch Trees.

Wild Iris grow along the edge of the water. The distinctive blossoms are indicated with an oil wash of Dioxazine Purple + Liquin Original.

We absolutely had to add a family of loons on the lake!

Water Lilies will grow in the shallows along the water’s edge. We’re ready to begin working in opaque oil paint in our next session. I’ve enjoyed having you visit my online studio, please come back to follow the progress of this painting.

To make it even easier, I’d like to invite you to subscribe to my blog. You’ll receive an email every time I publish a new post. CLICK THIS LINK and scroll to the upper right side of the page. You will see a heading EMAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS. Just click the button “Sign me up!”  It’s easy. Please keep in mind, to move through the blog when you get the posts, just CLICK on the small titles at the top of the page. The one on the right for the next post or the title on the left side for the previous session.

I appreciate you subscribing to my blog! With Colorful Smiles,

ALL SENKARIK IMAGES PROTECTED UNDER INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT LAW

© Senkarik 2024

www.senkarik.com

GENERATIONS OF MEMORIES

The distant portion of the hillside, covered with Purple Asters, is blocked in with mixes of Dioxazine Purple + Ultramarine Blue + White and Dioxazine Purple + White.

Kim shared a wonderful memory of these Red Pine trees. When she was just a little girl, Kim and her mom stealthily snuck down their road and dug up several small pine saplings. Sneaking back home with their bounty well concealed, they planted the baby trees around their home. These trees hold many heartwarming remembrances.

As you read through this post, please remember, you may click on any image to view an enlargement.

So I’ve decided to ‘carve’ the initials of Kim and her husband, Rick, into the trunk of the closest tree. And add those of her Mom and Dad as well.

More Purple Asters are planted as we move closer to the foreground.

Hoary Vervain is another wildflower native to Minnesota. The tall blooms are painted with Magenta + White.

Notice the Red Pine Trunk just above my hand. One of the other tiny saplings Kim and her Mother planted was closer to the house. It became so large they had to build their deck around it. Kim’s Dad named the tree ‘Gertrude’! So I’ve carved ‘Gertrude’ into this trunk to commemorate him. This was accomplished by etching the letters into the wet paint of the tree with the brush shown above, dipped in a thin oil mix of MUD (2 parts Ultramarine Blue + 1 part Alizarin Crimson) + Liquin Original.

Centers of the Purple Asters are made with Cadmium Red Deep, Cadmium Orange and Cadmium Yellow Medium.

As strange as it may seem, the Yellow Black Eyed Susans are first blocked in with several shades of Red: Cadmium Red Deep + Magenta, Cadmium Red Deep and Cadmium Red Light. The leaves are different mixes of Pthalo Blue + Lemon Yellow.

Basically three steps turn the red blobs into the Black Eyed Susans. #1. We begin with the blocked in red flowers surrounded by the green foliage. #2. Yellow Petals are added with Cadmium Yellow Medium + a touch of MUD, Cadmium Yellow Medium and Cadmium Lemon Yellow. #3. The distinctive dark centers are then delineated with MUD + Liquin Original.

A zippy Hummingbird has decided to visit and feast on the Hoary Vervain!

The Magenta blooms provide plenty of sweet nectar for our welcome friend.

GENERATIONS OF MEMORIES 16 inches by 20 inches

How many sunsets have been enjoyed by Kim, Rick, their parents, siblings, children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews? Only Our Lord knows the precise number. However, I pray this painting will bring GENERATIONS OF MEMORIES of lots of wonderful times at the lake to warm the hearts of Kim and Rick.

ALL SENKARIK IMAGES PROTECTED UNDER INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT LAW

© Senkarik 2024

www.senkarik.com

The Setting Sun

My oil paint colors for the sky are mixed and I’m ready to begin painting. But first, let me tell you my recipes for the Sunset Hues. #1. White + Pthalo Blue + a touch of Cadmium Orange. #2. White + Pthalo Blue. #3. White + Cobalt Blue. #4. White + MUD (2 parts Ultramarine Blue + 1 part Alizarin Crimson). #5. White + MUD + Alizarin Crimson. #6. Two shades of White + Cadmium Yellow Medium + Cadmium Orange. #7. White + Alizarin Crimson + Cadmium Red Light + a little bit of MUD.

If you’d like to see an enlargement of any picture, just click on the image.

The oil washes, comprising the foliage of the trees that were completed in our previous session, are now day. The opaque colors of the sky and clouds are carefully painted around the leaves of the birches and needles of the pines.

The setting sun illuminates the surrounding clouds. The glowing orb is highlighted with White + the tiniest bit of Cadmium Yellow Medium.

The luminosity of the sun also warms and lightens the slope of the hills below.

The brilliantly colored leaves of the Birch Trees are made of Cadmium Yellow Medium + MUD, Cadmium Yellow Medium + MUD + Cadmium Orange and Cadmium Yellow Medium + MUD + Alizarin Crimson.

Pine boughs are blocked in with several combinations, in various proportions, of Sap Green + Pthalo Blue + White and Sap Green + White.

The autumn colors of the trees on the opposite share are painted in more muted tones so they will fall back.

Reflections of the hills and sunset sky have been painted into the water behind the swinging bench. Its sturdy frame, chains and wooden seat are drawn into the wet oil paint.

The rest of the reflections of the hills and first layer of clouds snuggled along the top of them are also pulled down into the lake at the horizon line. Next, the area of the water closest to the foreground is painted with mixes #1, #2 and #3.

Now the reflections of the setting sun are dragged horizontally into the blue water, mirroring the sky above.

At this time the trunks of the Birch and Pine trees are delineated. Painting the reflections of the sky first, then pulling the trunks over the wet surface, allows the water to appear smooth and glassy.

That’s it for this session. Thank you for all your kind and encouraging comments. I really appreciate you! AND PLEASE, always feel free to ask questions. See you next time! With Big Hugs,

ALL SENKARIK IMAGES PROTECTED UNDER INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT LAW

© Senkarik 2024

www.senkarik.com

Off to Minnesota

I’m staying in my studio but we’re heading to Minnesota on my easel. My collectors had a lake home there that’s been in their family for a few generations. They recently sold it and wanted a couple of paintings to remind them of all the good times experienced there with family and friends. One of their favorite activities was to watch the magic of sky reflections on the water as the sun set at the end of the day.

Please keep in mind as you read through my blog, you may click on any picture to see it larger.

Here’s my pen and ink sketch.

The horizon line and distant shore of the lake are drawn first. Then the tree trunks are sketched with a brush dipped in a thin oil mixture of MUD (2 parts Ultramarine Blue + 1 part Alizarin Crimson) + Liquin Original.

This is going to be a fall scene, so the leaves of the birch trees are washed in with combinations of Cadmium Yellow Medium + Alizarin Crimson + Liquin Original and Cadmium Yellow Medium + Liquin Original. Because the sky will be bright, I plan to make the birch trees dark to provide contrast. They’ll be more yellow when I paint them later but will still remain darker to accentuate the sun warmed clouds.

Pines that have been washed in with Viridian Green + Sap Green + Liquin Original nestle on the slope below the bench swing.

Dioxazine Purple + Liquin Original is used to indicate the Purple Asters blanketing the hillside.

Red Pines grow in the foreground. Their needle like foliage is made of Sap Green + Pthalo Blue + Liquin Original and Sap Green + Liquin Original.

Verbena Stricta or Hoary Vervain is a native Minnesota wildflower that blooms in the fall. The tall blooms are washed in with Magenta + Liquin Original.

I’ve washed this piece in with more color than usual. Just wanted to get an overall feel of the fall foliage and flowers before starting to work in opaque oils. Now we’re all sketched up and ready to begin painting in our next session. Hope you’ll come back to my online studio and follow along!

To make it even easier, I’d like to invite you to subscribe to my blog. You’ll receive an email every time I publish a new post. CLICK THIS LINK and scroll to the upper right side of the page. You will see a heading EMAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS. Just click the button “Sign me up!”  It’s easy. Please keep in mind, to move through the blog when you get the posts, just CLICK on the small titles at the top of the page. The one on the right for the next post or the title on the left side for the previous session.

I appreciate you subscribing to my blog! With Colorful Smiles,

ALL SENKARIK IMAGES PROTECTED UNDER INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT LAW

© Senkarik 2024

www.senkarik.com

Hill Country Homestead

Wisteria drapes over the barn next to the old home. Combinations of Dioxazine Purple + Ultramarine Blue + White and Dioxazine Purple + White are used to paint the wispy flowers.

If you’d like to view any of these pictures larger, all you have to do is click on the image.

Hollyhocks made of Permanent Rose + White line the split rail fence. The leaves are mixes of Ptahlo Blue + Cadmium Lemon Yellow.

Cadmium Lemon Yellow stamens are added in the deep centers of the Hollyhock blooms adorning the tall stalks.

The upright risers of the stone steps, curving up to the wagon wheel gate, are painted darker than the upper, flat surface. That’s because sunlight hits the top of the step directly while the riser receives less illumination from above.

Grape vines tumble over the fence below the Lavender Wisteria.

Red Corn Poppies hug the base of the Grape Vines. The brilliant blossoms are combinations of Cadmium Red Deep + Magenta, Cadmium Red Deep, Cadmium Red Light and Cadmium Red Light + White.

Puffy, dark centers are delineated with an oil mixture of MUD (2 parts Ultramarine Blue + 1 part Alizarin Crimson) + Liquin Original.

Coreopsis blanket the garden bed in front of the Pink Hollies. The cheerful flowers are blocked in with a mish-mash of color: Cadmium Yellow Medium + Cadmium Orange, Cadmium Orange + Alizarin Crimson, Permanent Rose + White left over from the Hollyhocks, Cadmium Yellow Medium and Cadmium Yellow Medium + Cadmium Lemon Yellow.

Sunlight dances over the Coreopsis blooms bobbing their heads in the gentle breeze, splashes across the stone steps and comes to rest on the Red Corn Poppies, illuminating their scarlet petals. Makes for a true Texas Welcome to this Hill Country Homestead! I so appreciate your kind and encouraging comments, my readers are the BEST! With Big Hugs,

ALL SENKARIK IMAGES PROTECTED UNDER INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT LAW

© Senkarik 2024

www.senkarik.com

Roofin’ and Rockin’

My initial oil wash sketch has dried and now I’m ready to begin painting. The sky is completed first, then the trees are blocked in, wet-into-wet, over the blue field. Mixes of Ptahlo Blue + Cadmium Orange + White are used for the old, Live Oak Trees.

Please remember, you may view an enlargement of any picture by clicking on the image.

Next the tin roof is made with several combinations, in different proportions, of Ultramarine Blue + Cadmium Orange + White. The metal has rusted in several places. To indicate this, mixtures of MUD (2 parts Ultramarine Blue + 1 part Alizarin Crimson) + Cadmium Orange + White are dragged into the wet paint of the roof.

Rugged rock walls of the ranch house are made of several shades of MUD + Cadmium Orange + a tiny bit of Pthalo Blue + White.

One of the things that drew me to paint this scene is the wagon wheel gate. I’ve never seen one like it and feel it’s quite charming.

Mixes of Cobalt Blue + White seemed perfect for the windows and door.

That finishes us up for this session.

WELL…..BUT WAIT. Upon taking a second look, I decided the barn roof is too bright. It distracts from the main structure which is the focal point of the painting.

The tin panels are darkened and aged with rust. Now the viewer’s gaze will go to the star of the show, the old rock building. I really appreciate you following my blog! Please feel free to ask questions.

With Big Hugs,

ALL SENKARIK IMAGES PROTECTED UNDER INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT LAW

© Senkarik 2024

www.senkarik.com

On the Way to Wimberley

Recently I delivered some paintings to Pitzer’s Fine Arts, the gallery that represents my work in Wimberley, Texas. I love driving the back roads, you never know what gems you’ll find. Meandering along Ranch Road 32 I came upon this old rock ranch house, just crying out to be painted.

Please keep in mind, you may click on any image to see an enlargement.

I begin sketching the basic architecture of the structure up on the canvas with a brush dipped in a thin oil wash made of MUD (2 parts Ultramarine Blue + 1 part Alizarin Crimson) + Liquin Original.

The openings of the windows are washed in with the MUD mixture as well as a combination of Ultramarine Blue + Liquin Original.

The mass of green indicating where Grape Vines will cascade over the fence has been washed in with Sap Green + Liquin Original. An oil mix of Alizarin Crimson + Liquin Original is used for the Red Corn Poppies growing along the walk. The green behind the crimson flowers will make them glow.

The remaining flowers are labeled and we’re ready to start painting in our next session. As you can see, I haven’t followed the original building exactly. I moved the door, which I think I’ll make blue, because I want it to show through the wagon wheel gate. Hope you’ll come back to my online studio and follow along!

To make it even easier, I’d like to invite you to subscribe to my blog. You’ll receive an email every time I publish a new post. CLICK THIS LINK and scroll to the upper right side of the page. You will see a heading EMAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS. Just click the button “Sign me up!”  It’s easy. Please keep in mind, to move through the blog when you get the posts, just CLICK on the small titles at the top of the page. The one on the right for the next post or the title on the left side for the previous session.

I appreciate you subscribing to my blog! With Colorful Smiles,

ALL SENKARIK IMAGES PROTECTED UNDER INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT LAW

© Senkarik 2024

www.senkarik.com