Friday, September 28, 2012

right now

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 "right now" staying focused on the present, mindful and in the moment, an image from the week, that acknowledges the "right now".  If you would like to join me in this mindful weekly exercise, put a link in the comments for this post to share your "right now" image.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

sketchbook Tuesday :: pumpkins pick you

The first sketch on the first page spread of my newly made autumn sketchbook. A fresh beginning to welcome the autumn season. Kiddo picked out the pumpkin from the grocery. I chose the squash and will be cooking them sometime this week.

On our way into town there is a field with a pumpkin patch where they are selling pick-your-own pumpkins. As you round the curve there are signs placed along the road on each side of the entrance to the field, one for each word, "You", "Pick", "Pumpkins".  As you approach the pumpkin field entrance from either direction the signs read as I suppose they are intended, "You Pick Pumpkins". But, after you pass by, the signs read in reverse, "Pumpkins Pick You". We get a chuckle out of that thought every time. Because yes, when looking for a pumpkin, we suppose they really do pick you after all.

Friday, September 21, 2012

right now

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 "right now" staying focused on the present, mindful and in the moment, an image from the week, that acknowledges the "right now".  If you would like to join me in this mindful weekly exercise, put a link in the comments for this post to share your "right now" image.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

painting skies

September Afternoon Near Bamboo Gap
watercolor on cold press
7.5 x 9.5 inches
©Ann Thompson Nemcosky
 
Have I mentioned that we have had the most incredible skies here lately? Well, we have. The kind of brilliant blues with big puffy clouds that make you stop and remark, "would you look at that!". The changing patterns of light have been breathtaking. It was on a recent drive home from town (I wasn't driving, so don't worry) that I snapped a few photos just because the sky was so remarkably beautiful. One of those photos was inspiration for this watercolor.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

sketchbook Tuesday :: acorns and clouds

Acorns are falling. The big oak tree just at the lower part of our drive has been dropping acorns steadily for a couple of weeks now. The noise can be startling. Sometimes we think it sounds as if some angry squirrel is throwing the acorns down from the tree. Plunk, when one hits the asphalt drive. Ping when one strikes the wheel barrow at the base of the tree. Thud on a wooden fence post. It's as if we are under an acorn assault.
The clouds in our skies have been quite dramatic lately. Beautiful autumn blues with big puffy clouds. While Kiddo was at tennis I sat under a tree and attempted a sketch of the clouds over a nearby mountain view. The afternoon was just too pretty to sit in the car while waiting.

Friday, September 14, 2012

right now

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
 "right now" staying focused on the present, mindful and in the moment, an image from the week, that acknowledges the "right now".  If you would like to join me in this mindful weekly exercise, put a link in the comments for this post to share your "right now" image.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

clarity

Grandfather in Summer
watercolor on cold press
7.5 x 9.5 inches
©Ann Thompson Nemcosky

I have come to the conclusion that what I like the most about painting with watercolor and drawing with colored pencil is the ability to achieve a clarity of color. I suppose it's because both media have a measure of transparency that allows for a sense of light coming through the pigment. I have tried colored pencil on colored supports and can never quite achieve that same clarity of color. The same goes for painting in oil. The opacity of the pigment can muddy the color. As I learn to watercolor with restraint, I am delighted by the richness and subtleties in color that the paint allows.

Above is a view from the top of Grandfather Mountain, captured with my camera this past July. Of course I played with the color just a bit when making this painting. Such fun. I am also playing with putting a watermark on my images that I post on the web. Cause, well, you know. One can't be too careful these days. But I really don't like seeing my name plastered across the image. What do you all think? To watermark or not to watermark?

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Sketchbook Tuesday :: press pause

Taking a moment to pause, refresh, and do a quick sketch.

Friday, September 7, 2012

right now

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
 "right now" staying focused on the present, mindful and in the moment, an image from the week, that acknowledges the "right now".  If you would like to join me in this mindful weekly exercise, put a link in the comments for this post to share your "right now" image.

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Sketchbook Tuesday :: Blue Moon and August fog

In celebration of August's Blue Moon, we went for a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway after sunset to look for the full moon. There was a good deal of cloud cover yet we did manage to catch a glimpse of the moon peeking through the clouds. It was very dark up on the Parkway. I did snap a few fuzzy photos to help me remember the scene for sketching later.
An August ritual in our Southern mountains is to collect beans in a jar, one for every fog in August. Local weather folklore says that for every fog in August there will be a snowfall that coming winter. Every August we collect beans in a jar. And remove a bean every time there is measurable snowfall that winter. Taking into account that weather conditions can vary widely depending on what side of a ridge you are on, or your elevation, or even if you are in the Eastern or Western part of the county, and all of these factors put together, our bean count from observation from our house, has always been very close to the measurable snowfalls we see in winter. By the 30th of August there were 8 beans in our jar. But then we had a fog later that day. And again on the morning of the 31st. So I was a little too eager to declare a final bean count this year, hoping, I suppose, for not too many snowy days this coming winter.

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