Author: AlwaysWanderingArt

Icebox Falls – Watercolor 18×24”

Art, Hike of the Week, hiking, Outdoor Adventure, watercolor

Icebox Falls – watercolor 18×24”

The mind never stops churning, even on a relaxing weekend upstate in the Catskills (NY). The Glen Falls House is where we stayed and everyone was super nice. There are short nature trails on the property, some of which, lead to one of the most beautiful waterfalls I’ve ever seen. It’s not a big waterfall, but the surrounding rock formations are hypnotic.

Painting this was FUN. I worked on it a couple of hours after work for a little over a week. The water was the biggest challenge but the scene already offers great contrast between the light coming in through the trees and the darkness underneath the rocks. The Eastern Hemlock stand at the top of the falls really hit home. I love these conifers and who knows how long until they are destroyed by the woolly Adelgid. Finally, I went for more glow and stronger color to depict the funky vibe I feel from the Catskills.

Not Just a Mosquito Breeding Ground – Watercolor 14×20”

Art, Outdoor Adventure, watercolor

This place is not far from home. A swamp, a wetland, a breeding ground for a myriad of organisms. Some we consider charismatic, some consider us their host, and some we don’t recognize. It’s hard to walk by without noticing things here, especially, in the fall. What was a sea of green is now a textury color kaleidoscope. This season seems more fleeting than the rest. So little time, so much to paint.

Man Mourns Oak – w/c 10×14”

Outdoor Adventure

I’m driving to work. It’s September and the weather is kind of muggy already at 7am. Right before the light there’s an old abandoned village, or so it seems. This obscure place has become a resting place for a giant white oak that must have died a while ago, but fell not too long ago. I wondered if this tree was special to someone.

Man Mourns Oak – w/c 10×14”

Morning Light Winter Watercolor

Art, hiking, Outdoor Adventure, watercolor

On a recent woods walk, I took a photo of this slope. The gnarly old tree or snag probably caught my attention. But, when it came time to paint it the scene changed completely.

slope

First, I decided to put a stream through the middle of the painting. I felt the lighting needed a little jazzing up. The gray background in the photo might have been a bit bland for the painting. Never fear – the gnarly old tree made it into the scene!

Laying out the scene

We end up with a somewhat moody little scene, depicting early morning, perhaps. I like the way the rocks on the top left came out. Rocks of Harriman State Park are typically that shade (from what I recall, anyway).  It has a calming quality to it. Hope it calms you, the viewer too.

Thanks for looking.

-Kirill

Morning Light Winter Stream Painting

Maine Coast Painting Timelapse – Part 1

Art, Outdoor Adventure, watercolor

​This past September we had the good fortune of visiting Acadia National Park in Maine. Acadia is a wonderland of forests, granite peaks shaped by glacial events, and as depicted in this painting – rocky beaches. During our time on this rugged Atlantic coast, most days were very foggy and overcast, but rapidly changing, so I was inspired to paint a moody sky in transition. Toward the end of the timelapse, I also start to show some the kelp sprawled along the beach, which becomes a very prominent feature in the bay during low tide.

I hope you enjoy part 1… I will post updates as the painting progresses!

 

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