New Fallen Snow

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[Further Note: Remember that this is following on from my last posting which took place in December.]

C1579

"Ponderosa & Sagebrush beneath New Fallen Snow"

(Warner Mountains, Oregon High Desert)

Oil Sketch on Ampersand Gesso Panel

5" x 7"

SOLD

Just after I crawled into my sleeping bags, at 22:30 last night, a car went past on the road by my camp and up the mountain; where were they going at that time of night, and in the rain?!  I awoke at 01:30 … light rain … and again at 03:36 and snow, and by the time I arose and was out there were 3 or 4 inches of accumulation.  This was one of those mornings when I would use my loo seat (with legs), in a light snowfall … I did dig my hole beneath a Ponderosa Pine, but flakes nestled in on me nevertheless; I did not flinch.

At 08:30 a car came past and headed further up the mountain, and 45 minutes later came back down with a Christmas Tree strapped on top … did he poach it, since we are in a National Forest?  I wonder … I will never know.  Not another vehicle for the rest of the day.

I stayed put during the day and oil-sketched the snowy landscape.  The view in today’s sketch is slightly to the right of yesterday’s rainy scene, and continuing the Ponderosa grove to the right in that painting.  To those of us raised in the boreal forests of the Upper Great Lakes, it is always surprising to see a snowy desert landscape, but of course the High Desert is neither the Mojave nor the Sahara, and this scene is one of normality in the Pacific Northwest east of the Cascades; much more normal than a snowfall on the North Cornish Coast, where I experienced but one good one (and a couple tiddly ones) in the 23 years I resided there.  A pleasant day enjoying the snow, painting it, and strolling about looking at the various tracks that the passing animal citizenry had left during the night or morning.  The snow stopped for most of the day, save for a few flakes now and again.

No Imprimatura, just the white of the acrylic gesso priming on this sketch; the Pigments used the usual Rublev Blue Ridge Yellow Ochre, Italian Burnt Sienna & Lead White #2, with Winsor & Newton Venetian Red and Cobalt Blue.

Camas Prairie Wind & Rain

(Take Note: for those of you who have signed up to be notified by email of new postings to this blog, you have been receiving not just a notification, but an actual copy of the new blog posting as the email.  As this does not show the images of the paintings in the best possible light, you should click on the title of the latest blog posting at the top of the post, and not the title of the painting itself; this will open up the actual blog itself, and you may then enjoy the paintings at their best.)

C1578

"December Rain over Camas Prairie"

(Oregon High Desert)

Oil Sketch on Ampersand Gesso Panel

5" x 7"

Click here to make this your Own

After observing some rather large Elk footprints on the road near my overnight camp, I left the little quarry pond and the Ring-necked Duck to themselves and headed for Lakeview, stopping occasionally to take photographs of Gearhart Mountain on the way.  It was December 10^th by now, and I had been away for a while and was approaching the true open High Desert … but not just yet.  I needed to patronize the local Laundromat in Lakeview, and wash my mud stained clothes, and top up my supplies before the next, and more productive phase, painting-wise, of this foray into the Wild.  Lakeview … tallest town in Oregon … at 4796 feet above sea-level it is the highest town in Oregon; and a surprisingly pleasant little place it is, nestled below the Warner Mountains to the east.  Surprising, since it is unexpected way out here, just above Goose Lake and the extreme northeast California border and with Nevada also only a few miles away as well.  I did not expect it to be as large as it is.  I guess I also expected it to be a dusty poky little place … it is not.  Of course I’ve only been here in Winter, since I first passed through on Thanksgiving Day in 2012 on my way to Oklahoma; and now this time in December. 

The soap dispensing machine was out, and as I was steeling myself to have to buy and carry around a large bottle of soap from the local Safeway, a kindly elderly lady offered me the use of her soap bottle … very kind.  My Carhartt insulated jeans will need another washing or maybe two to get all the ingrained mud out, but at least they are clean enough for now (it actually took only one more washing).  After topping up my supplies and posting my annual membership dues to the AAA (American Automobile Association), I left town at 16:00 with cloud coming in from the southwest, after a lovely sunny day it had been thus far.  The rain and gales from the California coast were on their way, and this time I believed they would reach this far.  The rain had come in off and on since I had left the coast a couple of weeks before, and the wind had been threatening to come, but never had amounted to all that much, but it felt different this time. 

It was late in the day so I only went a few miles to just inside the National Forest boundary, and spent the rainy windy night there.  The next morning I found I had parked near a coyote kill or scavenged site (probably); only bones were left, gnawed and mostly in one spot, but with a few satellite remnants within fifty yards, or so.  This is why I believe it was the work of coyotes; I visualize one or more of a group dragging off a leg bone or other part to feed away from the main kill.  I will say I don’t know this for sure, but I file it away to compare with anything similar I may find in the future.  There was no skull to be found, but by the size of the bones, I believe it was either a young deer or possibly a calf … I found no hooves, so I did not have that bit of diagnostic to go by either … file it away, Spock.

It was still windy and rainy, so I only drove a few miles from the coyote (?) kill/scavenge site, across the valley and up into the Warner Mountains, and found a campsite overlooking Camas Prairie, from which arises Camas Creek.  Here I painted the above Oil Sketch, trying to capture the waterlogged day, over the Camas Prairie.  Evidently the weather is vicious down on the coast, 200 miles away, and once this Pacific Storm blows I look forward to getting out into the open High Desert, even though I find it pleasant here within the Ponderosa Pines.

Imprimatura was W&N Venetian Red, with the Pigments used the usual Rublev Blue Ridge Yellow Ochre, Italian Burnt Sienna & Lead White #2, with Winsor & Newton Venetian Red and Cobalt and Ultramarine Blues.