Monday, November 15, 2010

COLD IMPRESSIONISM


(Phil to left by Gary)  It's Nov. 15th the temperature these mornings are below 50 degrees and getting colder each day as we finish out the year. Today Gary is coming with us. Actually, he is driving so we have to stop and get me which he has already done then Tim. Gary is a "decent!" photographer. That means he is serious about his work as Tim and I are about painting. 
   (Tim to the left by Gary)  Gary gives workshops out in West Virginia with Jim Clark, a nature photo- grapher.Gary has website. It's above on the list of websites on our blog. Check it out. We are headed for the auto junkyard in New Waverly if we can find a place to park and walk in. The last time, we parked where we thought Bob Canfield said we could, who owns the junkyard. But we parked in a place when this old grouch comes out and tells us this is his land "like we were going to steal it." So we drive around and after knocking on some doors then we give up and head for France Park on the west side of Logansport.




       Gary knows the back lake area because he has been here several times with another friend of his also a 


(Gary's images)




photographer.We stop at the pay station at the ranger cabin but he knows Gary and waves us on back.Gary follows this winding road just as wide as his truck and no bigger when we finally come onto a 100+ acre lake. Reeds, cattails, Canadian geese and wood ducks are sporting around on the lake. Nice!, we all agree. 


      Tim and I walk over to a creek fed by the overflow from the lake which has cut through a limestone sea-floor rock ridge creating a pass onto another further back area which winds back into the deeper woods. I like this immediately but take a few trial pictures with my Iphone. Gary's setting up his tripod and connecting telephoto lenses. When he is done it looks like a small cannon with a large bore on one end. Can you see the moon with that thing? That would be cool. Gary wanders off and Tim and I head for the little creek and set-up and sit down. I arrange my easel on the flat crooked slab of stone facing down the creek but one leg is too short. After piddling with it and grunting and groaning getting up and down, Tim says he hasn't heard me make so much noise setting up.
     Well I finally plant my ass on my carrying bucket with paints laid out and my palette open. I start squeezing out color which goes all over the rock in front of me which I try to wipe off and it smears larger and larger like ballpoint ink . Damn it! I'm still trying to get color arranged in my lidded palette. I have enough squeezed out from last time to brush on a random under-painting which will help put the distances in their correct place. I also brought my black oil sticks which make for a great easy and quick lay in drawing . 


      Tim and I get to laughing over the grunting and groaning we both are making from the cold and just getting setup to work. I took off my heavy winter coat and now have on a T-shirt. Without spoiling the sponateity a sweatshirt and cottongloves gives.
After settling down we get quiet with an occasional sniggle now and then. Both of our fingers sound like dry twigs mine trying to hold brushes Tim's trying to grab soft pastels. "Plugging on...." is what we do till one of us says the magic words..."I can't go any further I'm ruining it." Then you gotta stop or throw it away,Tim agrees. About that time Gary comes around the edge of the lake and looks in on us. I don't know how you guys get done so fast. "Well, what have you been doing, Gary?" When we pack up he walks us over to the area he has been shooting with and 800mm power zoom lens. I could see  a good clear cratered moon on a half or quarter moon night. Pretty impressive but you have to have a tripod to steady the viewer. We load up and climb in his club cab and enjoy the soft bench seat after sitting on 5 gallon buckets and Tim a camp chair that folds up to a small  3x5 X- slung canvas.
Gary said he'd send me one of his photos via email so I'll check to see if he has...maybe later. He did. Yeah okay, Laaaaaater y'all.

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