Wonderful to Paint Outdoors!

Alice Kelsey painting at Spring Creek

With the sudden onrush of spring, I've taken off to paint outdoors, and it feels great! I love the feel of the elements- sun and wind and a touch of chill, and exploring on foot until I come upon places that speak to me. Right now, there's way too many to keep up with! I've been painting with a friend, and fellow artist Jeanne McKinney at area streams, and we've been out a dawn a few times to catch that special morning light and atmosphere. Even while searching for a motif, I saw many special things that I miss on an average day- a sliver of a moon beaming above darkness, a bald eagle, kindly people interested in art and flyfishing, a spring so forceful that it made bubbly rushing sounds underground about twenty yards before it emerged.. We also hiked in several miles to a remote mountain stream and old growth hemlock- a special place. I brought several 'starts' back to the studio, and am pleased to see the essence of these places in the images.

In Between (Seasons and Creating)

Alice Kelsey sketching crocuses (and cat watching)

I saw crocuses blooming right off our back porch yesterday, and was happy to see these bright, colorful harbingers of spring! I was eager to paint them, and yet couldn't quite put all of the elements together. Here's how it went.

It was rather cold, so I put on a bunch of layers, and started sketching. I saw luscious color, and wanted to try to 'get it', so I grabbed my pastel box, and started a pastel sketch. Then it started to snow heavily, getting the pastels all wet (which dissolves them), so I retreated indoors and waited until the squall left. I then layered on clothes and collected pastels again, and returned to painting outdoors. Next there were cat problems- our barn cat (see in upper left corner of photo) kept climbing all over me purring, and walking around obstructing my view of the crocuses. So I put the cat in the house! And then it started to snow heavily again! The more that I looked at the crocuses, the more that I saw a fantastic hard-to-name purpley-violet spiced with the aliveness of something growing..... and yet I couldn't find it in my pastels. And I admired the delicate forms of the plants, yet couldn't find a way to convey this with hands which felt cold and clumsy, and my focus scattered and dissipated in so many logistical challenges.

So right now I feel 'in-between'- an inspiration which fills me, yet I do not yet know how to put down on paper or canvas. I'll go out with the crocuses again today, and am thankful for the sun. And I'll put the cat in the house! And maybe I'll take oils to search for that color. I guess that there are these shifting times, stepping back and forth, in the natural world as well as creative process. I hope to continue growing!