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.