LEATHER BOUND EDITION to be released early October, 2019
SAVE TIME WITH DIRECT LINK: select Leather Option https://www.acclaimpress.com/books/back–roads-memories/
Upcoming Release!
The time has finally arrived to announce the upcoming release of Back Roads and Memories, the Art of Don Rankin. The large format book, 9″ x 12″, will contain at least 200 images of my work spanning the past 5 decades. There will also be a leather bound edition, autographed, signed and numbered limited to 300 copies.
For orders please contact www.acclaimpress.com or call toll free 1-877-427-2665
In Loving Memory
Geneal M. Rankin June 1944- January 2019
A number of you have wondered why this site has been vacant. For the past 27 months my wife was seriously ill. Geneal suffered from complications of Type II Diabetes. She had been diabetic for a number of years. Finally the complications began to pile up with her suffering complete kidney failure that led to dialysis. At first we trained for home dialysis and that worked for about 18 months. In May of 2018 that suddenly failed and we had to go to Hemo-dialysis. The complications continued with amputations and a series of surgeries. Our battle was over on January 24.
I chose this picture of a happier time when two beautiful strangers graced our deck for part of a day. Sasha and Sitka decided to leave their fenced in back yard. Someone left the gate open! After about two days of wandering they swam the creek and came knocking, literally, on our front door. We decided to bring them into our backyard with our two dogs. Praying that no one would claim them, we knew we had to call the local vets. Sure enough their owner came around later that day.
I will resume posting paintings soon
Meanwhile you can see work at don_rankin_watercolor.com on Instagram.
Painting Memories
B
Morning Mist, Boundary Waters 22″ x 30″ watercolor
The older I get the more memories I tend to paint. I did some of my final graduate research work in the Boundary Waters not far from Ely, Minnesota. My mode of transportation was by canoe and hiking. Ever carried a three man canoe up a steep cliff? It can be exhilarating! That is, if you don’t fall. In those days we could portage and paddle into Canada; no questions asked. 9/11 changed a lot of things. These days my travel is limited but my sketchbook is full.
We would take turns paddling and dead heading. Dead heading was the term we used for the fellow in the middle who sat while the other two worked the bow and stern. I got a lot done when it was my time to rest. I had plenty of water all around and my small travel kit of paints and brushes. Now I find myself poring over old sketches and photos from those days. Time has acted as a filter and helps distill the images I recall so well.
Maybe the color is a bit more intense or maybe I’m a little more generous with it these days. I still have other images to refine. Imagine, if you will, leaning against the trunk of a pine tree, peering over the edge of a stone cliff at a sea of blueberries glowing in the dappled light of the sun. I can still see those berries. Thankfully, at this stage I don’t have to concern myself with momma bear who would bring her cubs to dine on the succulent treasures. I’m not sure which one of us liked the wild berries more.
This tree in this painting, like an old friend, was one of our sentinels that marked our way and let us know we were nearing camp on our return. I hope it is still standing. It stood on the far side of the lake adjacent to our camp site. These days I’m living on another lake and I am blessed to enjoy the ever changing light and the glow of evening as well as morning. These are the subjects that lend themselves so well to multiple layers of watercolor washes.
Want to know more about watercolor glazing techniques?
Mastering Glazing Techniques in Watercolor, Vol I by Dr. Don Rankin is available direct from the artist at www.createspace.com/3657628. A revised edition of the original classic.
On-line classes coming soon on a new platform:
The new classes will be available in two versions. Students will be able to choose to participate in a fully interactive version or a view only version. We are in the editing phase of all new content. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
Now on View
Taffy II, watercolor 35″ x 25″ unframed
A lot has happened since my last post. I’ll not bore you with all of the details, except to say I have a new studio, not yet fully operational, recovering from two surgeries, a new home and a new email provider. Taffy II is an older work that has never been publicly exhibited nor offered for sale. Why you may ask? Well it just wasn’t. Taffy was the first of many cats to grace our home and she was very special. In fact, all of our pets, cats and dogs, have been individual family members; all with their own unique personality. I recently posted a shot of the painting on my Instagram site. Ms. Barbara Moore of Barbara Moore Fine Art Gallery in Chadds Ford, PA saw it and requested that I send it to her. So if you are in or around downtown Chadds Ford be sure to drop in.
New Gallery/ Familiar Faces:
I have known Barbara for quite a while, dating back to 1985 as I recall. Barbara was Director of the Chadds Ford Gallery in Chadds Ford and has over 40 years experience in specializing in Wyeth works. She recently opened her own gallery and will be hosting her usual Christmas in Miniature exhibition carrying on the tradition. If my memory serves me correctly she is the lady who inaugurated the Christmas in Miniature Exhibitions that seem to be popular across the country these days. The exhibition will open on the evening of November 29, 1-8 PM. The Gallery is located at 1609 Baltimore Pike, Chadds Ford, PA. (barbaramoorefineart.com Tel 484-776-5174.
Five Miniatures of mine will be shown:
Quiet Stream
Paradise Creek..AKA Marley’s Place
Acadia
Old Hackberry Lane
Callie in Sunlight
All five pieces are framed ready for hanging. Framed and matted they measure around 14″ x 12″. Feel free to contact Barbara for more details.
Want to know more about watercolor glazing techniques? Mastering Glazing Techniques in Watercolor, Vol 1 by Dr. Don Rankin is a revised updated version of the original best selling book published by Watson-Guptill. Available at http://www.createspace.com/3657628
2017 Recipient of the Marquis Who’s Who Lifetime Achievement in Art and Art Education
The Surface Makes a Difference
Have you ever noticed that some watercolors by the same artist have a different look or impact? While there are many possible variables there is one element that can have a profound impact on the effect. All else being equal, that is the same quality paint and brushes, the choice of paper can really change the dynamic. Most painters paint upon either cold press or rough watercolor paper. A few adventurous souls work on hot press and/or plate surface paper. What is the difference? Basically, one is more absorbent than the other. Hot press and especially plate surface or finish paper is slick. The moisture and the paint have a tendency to crawl and creep across the paper rather than blooming or blossoming across the paper in the usual expected way. A slick surface brings on a whole new series of effect. Some of it can be quite magical while for some painters the whole thing becomes a nightmare.
My first encounter with the idea of painting watercolor on a less absorbent paper surface came about while learning to paint with egg tempera. While the gesso ground for traditional egg tempera is absorbent to a degree; it can be modified by the degree of polish one produces on the surface during the layering of the gesso. By the way this is NOT the canned gesso you buy in most art supply stores. Traditional gesso is a mixture of hide glue and and ground chalk with or without pigment and requires a rigid support to prevent cracking. Very often beginning painters develop their painting skills on plate finish papers using watercolor washes. After a few maddening hours, if the student is willing, they began to see some intriguing results.
I would encourage any watercolor painter to work with hot press and plate finish papers and boards for the effect that can be achieved. Yes, it is different. I’m going to share a few examples of watercolor on hot press boards. I keep a decent supply of the paper in my studio for those times when I want to get a different feel to a subject. Often the color is brighter and more vibrant. The reason is that the color dries mainly on the surface and has less tendency to sink into the sheet. One word of caution. Since the paint is on the surface it can easily be disturbed and create mud. Melting Off , 16″ x 7″ (40.64 x 17.78 cm ) Watercolor on High Surface/ Plate Finish paper board. From the Collection of Sonat, Inc.
The palette was simple combination of vermilion, thalo blue with some gamboge and a dose of black India ink in the foreground, with much of the tree line poured onto the dampened surface and allowed to blend and puddle.
Compare that with the following effect on a traditional sheet of watercolor paper with a coldpress surface.
March, 18.5″ x 32.5″ (48 x 38 cm) Watercolor on 140lb. D’Arches paper. Private Collection
While the palettes are similar the dark passages are softer, the blending is more subtle, creating a quieter image. The basic message is that the paper surface can contribute to making a big difference in the presentation and the feeling in a work.
The Quarry, 10.5″ x 21.25″ (27 x 54 cm) Strathmore hot press rag illustration board. Artist Collection
The mood and the palette are different. But note the sharp edges in defining the rocks on the edge of the waterline. If you look carefully you can see hints of Gamboge in the upper edges of the treeline and in the limestone rock of the quarry’s edge. The colors in this work are Thalo Blue, Gamboge and Winsor red blended in with blue to create the darker passages.
Want to know more about watercolor glazing techniques?
Mastering Glazing Techniques in Watercolor, Vol I by Dr. Don Rankin: BUY DIRECT at http://www.createspace.com/3657628
ON LINE WATERCOLOR COURSES: Join Don and learn more about watercolor glazing techniques at your own pace in your own home. Level I covers the basic techniques for developing wonderful glazing effects. The course is designed using simple exercises to acquaint you with the underlying principles of watercolor glazing. It also directs you in the better choices of color selection and the proper sequence of application. You can stop the video, do an exercise, master it and continue or review as you wish.
https://www.Udemy.com/mastering-glazing-techniques-in-watercolor/
Level II is a full (real time) demo in the artist’s studio. The only editing is the omission of the drying time between some of the washes. See the progression from beginning to end.
https://www.Udemy.com/mastering-glazing-techniques-in-watercolor-level-II/
2017 recipient of Marquis Who’s Who Lifetime Achiever Award in Art and Education
A Place Remembered
Le
December Mist Watercolor 40″ x 25.5″
Perhaps this painting needs a bit of explanation. This goes against the old maxim that if you have to explain it, its no good. There is a story here, at least for me. I have painted at least three pieces on this site. Each one is connected to the place. This area was once a bustling American Indian community. Portions of this stream was lined with white clay and the running water was clear. I recall being shocked at finding the white clay tile lining a portion of the stream. Who put them there? Was it done by the original community? Questions for which I have no answers. Many of the trees are magnificent Beech trees. Their bark is smooth, yet rugged, and in some ways resemble concrete pillars. The light changes with the season and the time of day. Time and water has eroded portions of the stream bed wall revealing a network of roots that nourish the growth along the banks. There is a presence here. You can feel it if you quietly sit or walk among the giant trees.
Even in the dead of winter the Beech trees often hold on to a few of their summer leaves. At times they curl and become almost transparent in the winter sun but they hold on none the less. I see them as a silent testimony to the original people of this land. They remind me of the ones who did not get swept away in the Trail of Tears. The ones who still call Alabama their home.
I was there on a chilly winter morning with the rising sun burning through the morning mist with only the sound of the quietly running water as it slowly made its way through the old camp.
Want to know more about watercolor glazing techniques?
Mastering Glazing Techniques in Watercolor, Vol 1 by Dr. Don Rankin buy direct at http://www.createspace.com/3657628
ON LINE COURSES: Join Don and Learn more about watercolor glazing techniques at you own pace: Level 1: https://www.Udemy.com/mastering-glazing-techniques-in-watercolor/
Level 2: https://www.Udemy.com/mastering-glazing-techniques-in-watercolor-level-II/
2017 recipient of Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award in Art and Education
Revisiting Old Paintings
Milking Time 27″ x 14.75″ watercolor
This painting is a part of a larger story. The actual piece had its beginnings a little over 30 years ago. I just recently finished the work but I think there is a valuable object lesson to be shared. From time to time in my career I have been involved in painting portraits. One of my most unusual as well as gratifying opportunities came when a land owner commissioned me to do a portrait. Not an usual request. However, there was one exception. This “family” member was a prize bull. I accepted the challenge and the painting was well received and was hung in a prominent location in the house.
During my time in the pasture I had an opportunity to see the light change and create many wonderful shapes as it played across the ground and the cattle. Milking time was inspired by that portrait session. Even though these cows had nothing to do with the bull and were kept in a separate pasture I was attracted to the light and the shapes they made as they patiently awaited milking. A few weeks later I began to piece together my sketches and ideas and began the painting in my studio. After a few days I just seemed to lose energy and questioned my original idea. I set the watercolor, still secured to one of my plywood boards, aside.
Losing the energy:
As I wrote in the beginning that was a little over thirty years ago. Perhaps the rest of the story will support my wife’s contention that I suffer from packratism! Thirty years is a long time to ignore a piece of work that just somehow wasn’t clicking. At least in my mind I just couldn’t get up the enthusiasm to finish the painting. A few days ago I discovered the old watercolor after I had completed another work. It was patiently waiting, still secure and no worse for the wait. I looked at the old piece and decided that it did have some potential after all. I began to apply new washes with a great deal of intent. After a few days of glazing and dry brushing I consider it finished.
Milking Time in it’s beginning stages.
This photo was taken before I added any more work to the piece. It is a good opportunity for everyone to see what happens as more washes and refining strokes are applied.
The Moral of the Story?
While I don’t really recommend waiting thirty years to solve visual challenges in a painting; it is often good to put a painting away for a bit of time. I recommend this if you are having a problem trying to figure out what is going wrong in the work. Putting a piece out of sight for 2-3 days can do wonders for your process. If you are terribly impatient placing your painting so you can see its reflection in a mirror will help you see areas that are not working. If you are a painter don’t be too hasty to trash a work just because you are having trouble solving your visual puzzle.
Want to know more about glazing techniques in watercolor?
Mastering Glazing Techniques in Watercolor by Dr. Don Rankin is available direct from the artist at http://www.createspace.com/3657628
Online watercolor instruction about the watercolor glazing techniques with Don Rankin available: LEVEL I: Building a foundation in watercolor glazing techniques with short and simple watercolor exercises. Learn at your own pace. https://www.Udemy.com/mastering-glazing-techniques-in-watercolor/
LEVEL II: mDesigned for students who want to see the application from start to finish on a more complex level: https://www.Udemy.com/mastering-glazing-techniques-in-waterolor-level-II/
Marquis Who’s Who Award Recipient 2017