Bog Meditations, Part 2

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**Authentically Human! Not Written by AI**

1:3 Notan, Value Study for my Bog Painting

I'm continuing to work on my bog painting project.  (You can read my previous post about it here) After last week's foray into the field for photos, color sketches and some pencil drawings, my next step was to create a series of design explorations or notan studies.

For this, I used watercolor, sticking to just one color (red) so I could focus on value shapes.  Not sure of what size I'd finally end up using, but knowing I wanted to stick with a landscape format, I pencilled in 4"x8" (1:2) and 3"x9" (1:3) rectangles on 300-lb cold-press paper.  I laid down tape around each of these so I could have a nice, crisp border, enabling me to see the design better.  I used a Chinese calligraphy brush so I could get expressive strokes.  (Maybe not the best choice, as I found it held more water than I needed, and I was constantly squeezing out water before dipping it into color.)  Here's what I came up with, besides the one at the top of this post:

Next, even though I'd made some field studies, I felt I didn't have a good grip on the forms of some of the trees I wanted to include.  So, back to the bog I went.  I took more photos plus made a pencil study:

Finally, I had enough material for the next step, which was to explore color.  Using the same format and size as the notan studies, I used gouache to explore some color options.  (For this, I decided the 300-lb paper was too pricey for just quick sketches, so I opted to use cheaper 150-lb paper instead.)  For the final painting, I am thinking about a foggy day, but I wanted to include a sunny option as well, just in case I change my mind.  Here's what I did:

So now I have lots of material to refer to when I start the actual painting.  Will I go back to the bog for more reference material?  Undoubtedly!  The bog is a beautiful place.  But it's also generally empty of other humans.  Few people visiting the park go there, preferring the beaches or rocky cliff trails with ocean overlooks.  The bog has become my quiet place.  Yet it's not just a visual treasure—it's a full sensory experience, complete with boggy smells, bird song and a moist breeze.  Even if I don't take pictures (it's hard not to, though) I'll certainly saunter and enjoy the moment.