The Art of Chris Froelich

The Temple - 8x10 gouache  This represents me trying to not be detailed. I used only a 1” brush until the end. Then I went to town. I really enjoy the work of Mike Hernandez and have been watching his tutorials. Even though he teaches in gouache, good principles for any medium. I went way warmer with this than I usually would and I increased the color in the shadows.  Value block in Starting the determine the color. Much warmer than I usually do. 

In an attempt to escape the heat, I made a day trip up to the Virginia Lakes area. I’d been here before on a photography trip, but failed to make any interesting photos. These lakes are at about 8,400' and crystal clear. The biggest lake has two small waterfalls that fill the lakes.  I brought a small sketchbook and gouache hoping to try some plein air. When I arrived it was 72 and sunny. Perfect!  I hiked around for an hour or so, ate a lunch, then went find a composition I liked. When I arrived it was perfect weather.   I didn’t have an easel or anything. I just sat on a rock with my sketchbook in my lap. I was just starting to sketch in my first painting when thunder rolled over my left shoulder. I wasn’t far from the car and it was still sunny so I continued on with laying in values.  Value sketch in gouache.  After about 5 minutes it started sprinkling then switched over to a full rain.  Since gouache is water soluble it’s not a good idea to combine it with rain! It took about

I picked up a small 4x8 watercolor block. I like the panoramic ratio and works well for the eastern Sierra mountains. A little study inspired by Maynard Dixon. I used only a 3/4 synthetic squirrel dagger brush. I must force myself always to simplify.  Inyo Study - 4x8 watercolor

I tried a small study working on simplifying shapes and making interesting marks and color. Gouache has a tendency to wash out. It’s hard to layer colors. I like the values though. 

Painting  Misty River - 4x8 Watercolor  I haven’t posted here for 6 years. In that time, I put down my camera and picked a paint brush. In the short couple years I’ve peen painting I’ve discovered that painting is almost the opposite of photography and yet also the same. It’s the same in that your trying to represent reality in a stylistic manner that may or may not represent the “truth”, but it does it in a way that evokes a response from the audience and artist. They differ in that painting starts as a blank canvas that you fill with meaning but photography is a process of capturing the world on film by finding a way to eliminate all the distractions and unnecessary elements diminishing your vision. Painting is additive and photography is subtractive. At least to me.  Hope Valley - 10x8 pastel on sand paper. Similar to photography in that my subject still manages to be smack dab in the center of the composition.  I started out my painting adventure by picking up a Koi watercolor set.