seaglass is joining the plein air painters of Hamakia Coast on the Big Island for a day of painting

tubular, totally tubular. in goes the good air, out goes the bad.

I just noticed that I made a bad typo. It's Hmakua.

damn it's geetinglworcer than bettah.

Hamakua Cost.

I was painting a series of scenes in a cow pasture and had a cow walk on my paint box becasue she was so damn curious. She came right up behind me and was standing on my watercolor box . It didnt break cause the ground was rather soft in the pasture and it was a thick plastic tackle box that I glommed at a yard sale. It had all my really good Sennelier and Blockx watercolors. I smacked the cow in the nose (stupid decision) cause this just caused her to swing her head and knock the drawing board right off my field easel. She was a heiffer and they can be a real pain in the butt they are always so curious and want to be right in your face.

Now, I take a dog with me and keep it tied near me. Cows are leery of dogs .


Ive already lugged all my **** into the field, set up , started working , only to have a sudden storm come up and drench my watercolors. I had a painting actually work really well with water spots all over. I quickly covered my papre on the drawing board and it dried with the water spots showing. They added some neat effects.

Where I live the weather is too inclement to paint outdoors unless you're on your deck, and even then, it's touch and go. Too windy, sudden squalls, too cold or too hot... lots of bugs getting stuck in the paint, bits of leaves, pine needles, you name it. So... I paint indoors.

What are you working on right now, you two? And what colour blue was that, Sglass?

My latest is a plein air of a scene in a rock quarry on a foggy rainy day. Theres a truck going into the scene toward a rock crusher. There are 2 layers of fog that define the truck (closest to us) and then the crusher (farther away). The third depthy element is a huge puddle defined by the truck tires closest to our eye and at the lower right. Its a watercolor so the puddle is left mostly white to show reflection. Theres a show coming up and Im entering this one. Its kinda small, maybe Ill do another bigger version since I have photos to reference from.

Sounds difficult - would you care to share a pic with me? Good luck in the competition!

I'm in Mary Cassett mode. I'm doing a pregnant nude nursing her first born.

I'm in Mary Cassett mode. I'm doing a pregnant nude nursing her first born.

We have a figure study group that paints every coupla weeks at the University of Delaware art dept and we hire models through the U. Its a helluva drive and Ive missed out all summer since we were away most of the time but ill start going back , and since I was away for awhile I will have to apply with a new portfolio and they have to "jury" everyone in, this in order to keep out the pervs who only want to gawk at the naked models. What the hell, Picasso was an artist AND a perv, so was Eakins, and Demuth was a gay perv.

I understand. I did most of my formal nude drawing and painting at Massachusetts College of Art. There were some male models but I prefer the softer lines of females.

I'm toying with the thought of opening a small academy. I love teaching and in retropect know that I should have made a career of it.

I really like buxom women for models

I dont paint but i once parked in a paddock to do some work and after unloading gear left the doors open. I worked my way around the paddock and was away from the vehical and was gone for some hours.
Damn heifers ate the rubber door seals and took a chunk out of the steering wheel cover. There were great big slobbery lick mark all over the Pajero.

I really dont understand cows. When I lived in Mt. View, I lived next door to a cattle operation. Anytime I had been gone for awhile and returned all the cattle would come to the fence and just stand there and stare at me.

I wonder why cows do that.

Creatures like you represent food handouts to a cow. Getting them into the barn for milking always involves training them with something they like, eg: sweet silage.

When Im out in a field I always carry a corncob so I can peel off somecorn to get a cows attention so they wont come packing in around you , they can cause injury just cause theyre so big and dumb. Cows are sweethearts , just stupid.

Bulls on the other hand,unless you are confident about how to control em, dont get in the same pasture, they can kill.

I like a lot of plein air painting and am pretty - eh? - on some of it too. In any case, I don't do it. I get too aggravated with flies, gnats etc. liking to check out the oil paint, wind, and then.. sand. Fuggedaboutit.

..Which brings up that I recently went through the Irvine museum again - big collection of california plein air paintings there, good to see, for me anyway.

I love the California plein air stuff and The Hudson River and Brandywine and Bucks County Stuff. The difference tween the CAlifornia and the others is that. The California plein air subjects are mostly all paved over, while those of Bucks County are still there because they are pretty much in areas where building CAnt be done.