This morning I set aside one hour to make my “painting of day.” I decided to experiment with sepia conté crayons- the lovely warm tones of which I’ve always loved. Playing around on a 300 lb Arches water color paper, I used my waterbrushes to make washes and layered on brown, sepia, and white crayon. To solidify my whites, I added some white gouache was well. I had such fun with my first morning painting that I made four more larger (8″ x 10″) pieces. I’ve been planning some new greeting cards and prints and I think these may make a nice series. Working with the warm tones is a nice break from the blues of ice and I like the classic feel of sepia- it reminds me of old paintings and resonates with how the polar and glaciated regions as we know them today are quickly (shockingly so!) becoming historical record.

Iceberg from Pleneau Island, Antarctica. 7" x 5" mixed media
Iceberg from Pleneau Island, Antarctica. 7″ x 5″ mixed media
King Penguins from South Georgia, 8" x 10", mixed media
King Penguins from South Georgia, 8″ x 10″, mixed media