I’ve been experimenting with eliminating earth pigments—burnt umber and yellow ochre—from my palette. It is something Len Chmiel had suggested years ago. If he needed to, Len could make his toned-down hues by muting the intense colors like the cadmiums. I’ve also found I can make rich darks with French ultramarine and a red (and a Cad orange for a warmer black.) I had justified my use of the earth colors as a quick way to less intense passages in a landscape since they were already toned down, but it seems to me that this was affecting the brilliance of the whole picture. I think it was holding me back from getting the full range of possibilities.

I’ve also made a habit of holding my lightest and darkest values in reserve and then not using them. In these paintings I’ve tried to address both issues.

Back on July 3rd, I posted a piece called A Daunting Task that was to be continued about the renewal of my 40-year-old tired and frayed studio. Well, it’s done! Almost everything is back in place. I vowed to eliminate 1/3 of the clutter and succeeded. The walls and ceiling are patched and freshly painted by me. Joe Rocco’s company Artistic Floors by Design put in the beautiful new hardwood floor that replaces the old paint spattered and worn out wall-to-wall carpet. Joe was highly recommended by my neighbor who builds custom homes. Joe was a pleasure to work with. There are still a few pictures to hang, but I’m finally painting again and feeling as refreshed as my new surroundings.

 Here is a video of Ann playing her 15-pound Atlantic salmon to the net. Watch for a classic jump. This fish put Ann on the board. She didn’t want to be the only one to not catch a fish. She handled it just right, putting on pressure when the fish tried to rest and giving line when it wanted to run. There’s no stopping a fish that wants to go, only some bruised knuckles, a broken leader and a lost opportunity. This salmon took a Green Machine, one of the most reliable wet flies. You’ll see, when the fish is netted, it is quickly photographed and released.  

ann’s salmon from Eldridge Hardie on Vimeo.