An Instagram Update

-The Very Long Winter-

I'd like to give you a brief update on life here in my world.
Winter seems to have a strong grip on us.  We are weary of snow, ice, slush, and cold.  With serious effort, a positive attitude is being attempted so we can keep on with life.  We've had the most heavy and steady snowfall since a week prior to Christmas.  The amount of snowfall and wind have been a challenge not only here but worse in neighboring communities nearer the mountains.  We have had severe cold temperatures that kept the snow from being able to melt off at all.

The view through the windshield on Saturday as we drove south for a day out...out of the house and out of town. We are past ready for spring but doing our best to hang on until warmer days arrive in Montana. I will be so glad to be done with bundling up daily! Keep reminding myself that spring and summer and fall are worth freezing my bum off now.

A post shared by Christy Sheeler (@christysheeler.artist) on Feb 26, 2018 at 4:46pm PST

Beautiful colors in sky and land...shadows with snow are always eye catching to me. This was a county road which is why it's less travelled. It was great to take a drive and see wide open spaces.

A post shared by Christy Sheeler (@christysheeler.artist) on Mar 4, 2018 at 8:34pm PST

Snow as far as the eye can see. We enjoy every bit of blue sky...and sunshine. This was taken late afternoon yesterday. The amount of snow here is hard to describe. Ditches along the road are filled plus snow drifts are another 4 to 10+ feet high. So relieved and thankful for stories of people helping out neighbors with plowing often.

A post shared by Christy Sheeler (@christysheeler.artist) on Mar 4, 2018 at 8:40pm PST

I try to remember to keep my eyes watching for the beauty in what seems much like Narnia.

Having a bit of fun with the view through frosted glass window. Love the intricately laced patterns and just hints of the tree across the front lawn.like

A post shared by Christy Sheeler (@christysheeler.artist) on Mar 2, 2018 at 4:49pm PST

Outdoor temperature reads -14 F as I drove kids to school this morning. There are the most beautiful and intricately detailed etchings of frost on the glass in our front door. Trying to find the blessings in this new day. #thecreativelife #beautifulfrostyday #summermakesupforwinter #isitaprilyet #shemustmakeart

A post shared by Christy Sheeler (@christysheeler.artist) on Feb 9, 2018 at 7:59am PST

Local weather conditions: more snow. We had a couple of warmer days (30ish degrees for highs) with sunshine. Now this morning, snowfall has returned again. We're hanging on and believing spring will be here eventually. #snowonsnowonsnow #marchsnowinmontana #sonistiredofshoveling #goodforfarmers # goingtobeamuddyspring #springwillcomeeventually

A post shared by Christy Sheeler (@christysheeler.artist) on Mar 2, 2018 at 8:39am PST

There is a lot of wonderful detail in the frost, snow drifts, and shadows created in winter weather. Still, we'll be thankful to put the snow shovel away for a brief 6 or 7 months. Our first snow usually arrives in October.

It's much worse in other places, closer to the mountains. We live in town and on the prairies at lower elevation. More trees mean less drifting in our neighborhood. Thankful for our son's willingness to help with shoveling walkways. He's getting tired of the constant request though... #winterinmontana #snowonsnowonsnow #belowzerotemps #thanksforshoveling #cozywarmhometoday #springwillcomeeventually

A post shared by Christy Sheeler (@christysheeler.artist) on Feb 20, 2018 at 9:32am PST

I am now back to work as the nanny for a local family. My first week of full time adventure with three beautiful kiddos is behind me. It's the best kind of tiring "work" with lots of hugs and cuddles. This past week we worked on a leprechaun trap and I baked banana muffins. We played games and watched Sesame Street among many other daily activities.

Today is a very special day! We are making a leprechaun trap! Sparkle and bright colors are making this one hard to resist. Inside, the goodies, Lucky Charms cereal is our bait. We're almost done but now we wait for glue to dry.

A post shared by Christy Sheeler (@christysheeler.artist) on Mar 16, 2018 at 10:54am PDT

While youngest kiddo was napping today, I baked up banana muffins. It's really great to be back at work! Love this family and the friendship that's an added blessing. I'm grateful for having fun and laughs while I work as a daytime nanny. #marypoppinskindavibe #bakingismything #getmoredonewhilehenaps #reallythankful

A post shared by Christy Sheeler (@christysheeler.artist) on Mar 13, 2018 at 5:29pm PDT

Now, before you get all concerned about me losing out on my art creating time and space...I have been giving this some serious effort! I am staying hopeful that my creative energy will still get put to good use in the next few months. Are you on Instagram? You might want to follow me there because I'm most actively sharing what I'm painting on my Instagram account.

Hollyhocks in watercolor are very close to completion now. After I had focused on touching up whites and pulling out more dark details, I stopped for the day. There comes a point where more work is not really needed...and mistakes come easier. #thecreativelife #artstudiotoday #shemustmakeart #hollyhocksinwatercolor

A post shared by Christy Sheeler (@christysheeler.artist) on Mar 7, 2018 at 3:28pm PST

Painting on Yupo with watercolor is a great exercise in working more loosely with the brush. I am finding it more enjoyable each time I come back to this surface. It's not paper at all. It's a plastic surface and color lifts and moves so easily. #thecreativelife #artstudiotoday #shemustmakeart #yupopaper #montanasummer

A post shared by Christy Sheeler (@christysheeler.artist) on Mar 7, 2018 at 4:01pm PST

It's difficult for me to be away from my blog.  I enjoy being able to write about my adventures with watercolor.  So I'm so glad the number of views and comments continues to grow because this is my way to sharing with other creatives in this fantastic journey.  Hopefully, I'll be able to share my own spring views soon with vibrant green shoots of new life sprouting up from the earth.  The new blossoms will be bursting open to be loved and enjoyed once more.  I'll be able to capture these glimpses of the seasons changing from sleepy winter to sunlit spring.  Here in northern Montana, we're longing for the warmth and glow of sunshine, longer days, and easier travel from one side of town to the other.

Christy
She must make art.

Spring Mountain Views & A Virtual Hike

Two weeks ago, we made our first camping outing of the season.  The weather was beautiful, though a bit chilly and that's pretty typical of late May in Montana.  I can bundle up, that's no big deal.  I am so ready to escape to the mountains; a little rain and cold is nothing!  In my head, I know that the trees are leafing out, the snow is melting off, and the wildflowers are blooming.  It's happening now, as I share this with you.  More varieties of wildflowers are waiting their turn, for the conditions that coax them come to life.  I've got a huge collection of photos to share today!

Let's start by getting warm, because I shared the weather tends to be quite chilly...extra layers, knit hat, neck warmer kind of chilly.  When we commit, we stick it out and a bowl of hot & creamy potato soup hits the spot!  There was plenty of wood ready except it needed to be cut into smaller logs for the fire pit.  That's where our teenage son really helps out!  He stayed busy supplying enough wood to keep that fire going for our family.  Did you bring a warm jacket?  Would you like some hot cocoa?  We'll be listening to the fire cracking and popping soon!  There's just something so mesmerizing about watching the flames dance in the fire pit.  Marshmallows are at the ready...and of course, the graham crackers and chocolate bars, too!

Hey!  Why not really immerse yourself?  This would be the perfect time to get a Pandora or Spotify playlist going with nature sounds.  You'll hear the birds singing and get into the mindset of a visit to the mountains!  I would recommend George Winston's album, Forest or Dan Gibson's album, Wildflowers.  Oh, another great album: Going to the Sun: Glacier & Waterton National Parks.  Ready?  Okay, let's get away for just a little while and enjoy a mountain retreat!

Okay, so we have a water bottle, a hat, a jacket, comfortable shoes, sunscreen and insect repellent, bear spray.  (I must say, the bear spray is for spraying AT the bear, not on yourself...insert a good chuckle here.) A snack would be a great idea, too.  I guess you could throw the snack AT the bear.  Sorry.  I get a bit goofy now and then.  Let's head out and see what beauty nature holds for us!

I am always eager to scope out the wildflowers and noticed a trend of primarily purple, white and yellow!  I won't go into detail identifying them for you.  A few of them have me stumped, even the wildflower reference books have left me wondering.  The first, a type of clematis, was abundant as its vines wove throughout the tree branches.  Imagine nature's confetti decorating the tree limbs.  While those were easy to point out and others required a bit more work to see because of their size.

Columbia Virgin's Bower, Clematis

My Winter Views

15 Photographs of My Montana Winter

It's taking more effort to get back into the creative routines again.  November and December were so busy and activity filled; it was too much to fit in my art goals.  We have had a bout with head/chest colds here.  In the process of taking care of everyone else, moms catch the ick, too.  I was able to play with watercolors and Yupo synthetic paper for a few hours.  Such fun to explore what paint does on this plastic surface.  I will share more next week!

This week, I've got a series of photographs taken over the past few weeks.  I'm writing very little today.  The room I use as art studio is our family multi-purpose room.  Art supplies have been stowed away off to the side for a place to wrap Christmas presents.  It's going to take an hour or two to clean up, put away Christmas related items, and set up for art process.  This is the best I can accomplish this week.  

We took a few drives as a family across country roads last weekend.  The sun was low in the sky and lighting was not ideal but I was able to adjust for better contrast.  Maybe there is no snow where you are and I'd like to share photographs the views we have here.  I've been away for a few weeks now and I want to get back into the creative swing of things.  

Montana Big Sky Farmlands Watercolor Painting Part 1

Big Sky Farmlands  No. 1 Watercolor Landscape

This artwork began as a view from the car, on a road traveled often.  There's something about the dramatic clouds that had me in awe.  Living in the rural areas of Montana...well, it's pretty much all rural...there's a lot of driving to and from as a part of everyday life.  If you've never been here, it will be hard to comprehend.  We spend a lot of time in the car on a regular basis.  The views of land and sky go on forever.  Each day holds a new striking view of the surroundings.  My favorite sight is the many strips of green crops against gold stubble fields against bare dirt becoming a great mosaic.

The first photo is the original that I began with and the second shows an HDR filter added.  With the filter applied, I have a greater contrast for values.  I see the light and dark areas clearly.

My sketch is drawn with consideration of the details I want to keep for the final artwork.  The sketch (on tracing paper) is layered over graphite paper and watercolor paper.  A binder clip holds it all firmly in place on a masonite board.  A harder 2H pencil makes the transferring of the sketch more effective.

The pigments are mixed up and sampled on a scrap of  watercolor paper.  The first soft washes are placed into the sky.  Direction and motion are very important.  A barely damp brush lifts color back out to create the light beams breaking through clouds.

Lush Fields of Teton County in Watercolor

Painting a View of the Front Range

Montana has won my heart!  The breathtaking views offered daily are more than an artist could ever capture.  Whether it's a brightly colored sunrise, a gentle frost on the tree branches, or a purple mountain range that seems to go on forever, it's a land of inspiration.  One of my most recently completed artworks was inspired several years ago.  

After watching the annual Independence Day parade in Choteau, Montana, we were driving home.  We topped the hill and then I saw this fantastic sight.  The fields were such a verdant green and in the distance I could see bright yellow flowers, perhaps mustard.  The sky was clear, no haze at all, and just sooo blue!  The mountains in the distance were easily visible.  The well worn tracks along the fence line drew my eye to the mountains.  I was mesmerized and picturing how it could become a painting.  My camera was close at hand and we pulled off onto the side of the road.  

As I've said many times, my husband and children are more than understanding and patient.  They know how much photography means to me.  Over the years, they have become accustomed to a camera being in my hand.  It's very seldom that they hurry me along or distract my focus.  I am indeed blessed.

The photo by itself is not that awe inspiring, I must admit it's just okay.  It's bones are nice though.  The elements of design being used here make it work; it just needs a little tweaking and it will be exactly what I need.  The basic composition is made up of sky, mountains, fields.  The mountains are not cutting through in the center of the frame.  This creates more interest.  Add to that, the horizontal planes are divided unevenly.  The wheel tracks and the fence line both break up the lower plane at eye pleasing angles.  See, I've been working at this long enough, it's planned out pretty well when the photo is taken.

Watercolor Paintings In Progress This Week

Watercolor Painting Update!

I am popping in today because I just want to share these photos today!

This is an update to Quick Glimpse of Watercolor Progress, the previous post from Monday. 

Tomorrow's post is waiting to be completed so not much time to chat...

I've had such a positive response to this sky!  The fields are really popping yet the most distant hills still need a little bit more definition.  I've had such a blast choosing the color mixing combinations throughout this piece.  

I decided to work between all three paintings during my last work session.  I think this is out of caution, stalling myself from jumping ahead too soon.  Taking a pause from working on a specific painting is a very good thing.  I don't want to overwork the painting and have regret later.  I'm finding that seeing paintings photographed and on the monitor helps a great deal.

The colors of the mountains are so light and loose, suggesting the landscape without a lot of detail.  The fields are still too bright so they will have more color washes and detail added.  For the life of me, the fan brush is giving me a challenge.  I'm going to have to do a little practice on the side.  I'm not completely satisfied with my technique yet.  The road may be getting a little spatter or sponge to give a tad more information on its textures.   The fence posts need a lot more color and definition.  The fence wire hasn't been added yet; that will be one of the last details added.

So this piece gets to be last for whatever reason...not sure why.  I believe the sky is done but I'll see how it looks as a whole later.  I believe this painting is now in its awkward, challenging stage.  The fields are getting their base washes of color that are the foundation for colors and details yet to come.  The bold golds will give a richness to to dark greens that come next.  I'm pushing myself to be more free with the fields in the foreground.  The washes in the foreground popped more before it dried.  I'm seeking to be sure the fields do not compete with the sky.  The fields and sky need to work together well or it will be confusing to the viewer's eye.

So, have you answered Monday's question?

I'm so curious to find out about how others channel their creative energy.

If you missed the question and you're curious, here it is again...

Quick Question:

If you were to use paint to capture a scene in your mind, what would it be?  What type of paint would you use...or what other medium would you choose?

Okay, so now I'm off to get the post ready for tomorrow.  I'll be sharing the photos taken, beginning to finish, of one of the completed landscapes.  I'm so excited to share them!

-Christy

because she must make art.