My great-uncle told of his father, H. Russell Butler, travelling by train from New York to Santa Barbara in the early 1900’s. En route, he would sketch the passing scenery in pastel – beginning with the sky and horizon and filling in the foreground when a good one went by. I attempted this in the car -- it was messy and I became car sick. |
Working from photographs seemed the best way to go. Over the years, I have developed my technique of shooting "on the fly" research shots and then later interpreting them in the studio. My camera has changed from a Pentax SLR to a digital Nikon Coolpix . On a trip in the summer of 2000, I additionally placed a cam-corder on the dash and taped the entire trip. |
August 30th, when I hit the western portion of I-10 in Texas, was a particularly interesting day. The sky went through many changes, as it morphed from happy, puffy clouds to stormy to sunset to darkness. The Texas plains made a great foil for the huge panorama of clouds and sky. Whether observed from a train or car, the empty spaces remain full of inspiring vistas. |
