Lisa McShane Art

Road into Fog. Pencil on Arches Paper. 7" x 9". It's been an interesting week, having neither paints nor brushes. I find myself sketching for hours every day. Trees, landscapes, bits of things I see. And doing thumbnail sketches for paintings. The above is a little larger, somewhat more complex study for a possible painting.

There's a valley in eastern Washington that has arresting geologic features. At the bottom is a dry riverbed, but the hills that surround it vary from tipped table tops to rounded forms with strange patterns of erosion. The scale of it all is huge. You can see the trees at the bottom of the valley in my lower sketch. I've been sketching this valley now for days, trying to arrange the elements in a way that conveys what catches my eye while still conveying the place itself. And getting the scale right. I'm still not sure I've nailed it. Here are some initial sketches, I'll be working on more today.