Waiting for Fish #2

Last summer when we visited family in Vermont, we again stayed at a camp on Nelson Pond.  It is a lovely spot, right on the lake/pond.  The water is clear and beckons me each day to swim.

One afternoon when the grandchildren came over to be with us, nine year old Kieran decided he wanted to fish. He had found a rod and reel and was anxious to catch something.  We had no bait, but did have some hot dog buns...so we went the 'bread ball' route.  I made the smushed up balls and put them on the hook.  You could see the fish swimming around, finding the bait and nudging the hook.  There was an occasional nibble, but no real bites.  The bread balls would get soggy and fall off - we just fed the fish.

Kieran finally got tired of re-baiting the hook and just let it dangle in the water.  After all, it is fun to toss out the hook and reel it in. Suddenly I heard a shout, "I've got a fish!" And sure enough, there was a little fish dangling from his empty hook!  He was so excited - it turned out that was the first fish he had ever caught - VERY special.

Of course, he wanted to catch some more... I had taken several pictures of his first catch and then continued to take snapshots waiting for fish #2 - which did not happen that day.  But, I did love doing this pastel of him from one of those photos...as he waited and waited and waited. That is, after all, what fishing is all about - waiting with the knowledge that the fish are there and that just maybe...

Bricks and Stones

Apparently, the watercolor class in which I have been substituting voted a few weeks ago to work on exercises rather than turn out masterpieces suitable for framing. So, we have been practicing techniques - like negative painting.  That is, you paint around a 'thing' rather than painting the thing itself.  The space surrounding the object defines whatever it is.  Well, it does make you think!

We painted the stones first...then the bricks, but had fun imagining a display of all our paintings and calling it "Bricks and Stones" after the childhood chant that we all know..."Sticks and stones may break my bones..."  These exercises were not that easy...fortunately, no broken bones!

Well, we began with very wet paper (like the drip paintings that I wrote about on September 19) and dropped on color.  Then we worked on the negative shapes.  We were a little dismayed that we had potatoes or loaves of bread, not stones.  After working on the shapes, we were told to put them in context, so I thoroughly dried my paper and laid down some blue washes.  Voila!  The stones are under water! My head tells me that they can no longer be loaves of bread, because they are underwater...and I think the little pebbles help, too.

The following week, we tackled a pile of bricks.  Here is a challenge in perspective as well as the wet on wet, negative painting techniques. The bricks had just been brought inside and were dirty, broken, and had mortar stuck to some of them. Actually, when put in a pile, they were sort of interesting.

So, now I have two unsigned paintings...  They may get a signature - a sign that they are finished paintings 'suitable for framing.'  Who knows?  Maybe someday there will be a Bricks and Stones Show! As they say, "Stay tuned..."