Weather pattern

05/07/12, 2:30 pm, looking southwest

This weather system moved into Central Virginia on Monday, May 7th with big, fat cumulus clouds and average seasonal temperatures (74 degrees F). The scattered clouds blew along and formed interesting gray and white shapes and gaps of pale blue sky.


By the following afternoon, the sky was overcast with layers of gray cloud punctuated by light breaking through in places. The day had warmed to the upper 70's and the humidity was thick.

05/08/12, 2 pm looking northeast

Wednesday was slightly cooler with 100 percent humidity. The air felt thick and heavy. By afternoon the dark and threatening clouds spawned heavy showers with thunderstorms overnight. The total rainfall reached almost an inch.

05/09/12, 4 pm looking west

 The next morning was cool and clearing with a clean fresh feeling and a nice breeze. Little disorganized stratus clouds with higher cirrus above them covered the sky. The cool front had swept through and brought a lovely day. 


The weather system was complete--a cycle of clear, cloudy, rain, clearing with a warm to cool temperature change.

05/10/12, 11:45 am looking east

Clouds low on the horizon

03/28/12, 3 pm, looking northwest

These mixed stratus and cumulus clouds seemed to collect low in the sky to the north. With a crazy range of temperatures on Wednesday--high of 83 degrees F and low of 41--the contrasts of spring continue. 


Clear in the morning? Just wait, there will be thunderstorms overnight. Longing to plant the garden? Still too cold at night for tomatoes, beans and squash. Spring continues with bright breezy sunshine and chills in the shade.

Sunset silhouettes

03/12/12, 7 pm, looking northwest

Here is the end of a warm spring-like day with long, thin and low stratus clouds silhouetted in front of a pink overcast sky. With a high of 73 degrees F, this day was about 20 degrees above the normal temperature for March 12th. 


We are at the beginning of a warming trend for the week with rain forecast for overnight. Even warmer temperatures are in the cards for tomorrow. Everything is bursting into bloom; Bradford pear trees are in an early full bloom. Daffodils. tulips and hyacinths are also blooming.

Two directions at sunset

12/18/1, 4:45 pm, cumulus clouds, looking west

12/19/11, 4:30 pm, stratus clouds, facing north

Here are two little sunsets about 24 hours apart and in two directions. The Sunday December 18th sunset has a low cumulus cloud in the west lurking in the rosy glow of the setting sun. 

Sunset two in the Monday twilight looks north. The sky has no sunset glow although the clouds reflect the lavender color. The sinuous clouds streak across the sky ans seem to dissolve at the edges.

Breezy, lots of clouds

12/15/11, 10 am looking northwest

A cloudy night turns into a warm (65 degrees F) and breezy day with cirrus, stratus and altocumulus clouds scattered and layered in the blue. The wind must be very strong in the upper altitudes because after these altocumulus layers passed over by about 11 am, wispy cirrus clouds were revealed teased out like giant downy feathers.

A lovely day of warmth and open windows before winter makes us batten down the hatches. The sunset was a spectacular blend of blue violet and orange.

Clouding up

12/14/11 10 am, facing northwest

This morning the clouds moved in after yesterday's crisp clear skies. This is a warm front coming in advance of a cold front later in the week. By noon, the sky was overcast with little blue visible. There were a variety of cloud types including stratocumulus,  altocumulus and stratus.

Today and tomorrow are forecast to be warmer than normal with the promised cold front arriving on Friday with possible showers. Lots to paint!

Pink stratus wedge

Sunday's (October 23rd) eastern sunset was a wedge of pink stratus clouds with a blue-gray sky above. This was the appearance at about 6 pm after a mostly sunny day with few clouds. There was little wind and the air was cool so that in the shade it felt chilly.


The maple trees still have beautiful orange, red and yellow leaves attached, but it will take only one good windy rainstorm to strip them. The fallen leaves are gathered in great drifts that come halfway up one's calves. Even the fallen leaves are still lovely colors, faded versions of the trees' glory.

Low stratus clouds in the west

On Friday October 7th the sky was clear for almost the entire day. In the afternoon, in Doswell, Virginia, a low bank of stratus clouds formed in the west which dissipated by sunset. The golden sunset glowed brilliantly in the west until the star appeared in a crisp black night sky.


The stars were no match for the lights of the State Fair of Virginia which glowed with frenetic energy from Ferris wheel to midway to cattle shed. Sheep bahhed, cattle bawled and doves cooed. It was a beautiful day!

Thunderstorms from the west

Big beautiful cumulus clouds moved in yesterday evening a gave us a delightful thunderstorm in advance of hurricane Irene. Again these cumulus clouds were underlaid by thick stratus "dinner plates".


The day was breezy and warm but there was a hint of changing seasons in the air. Plants that looked thoroughly dejected revived in the rain and lifted their leaves.


Note that there is no earth visible in this watercolor, painted about 6:30 pm while facing west. The more solid forms in the lower third of the sheet are also clouds.

From earthquake to hurricane

August has been an eventful geological and weather month. As we still feel the aftershocks of our earthquake, we prepare for hurricane Irene who will come visiting on Saturday. She is projected to be a category 2 hurricane with winds of about 100 mph (that's about 160 kph). Since central Virginia is not on the projected path, our forecast is for wind and rain as the lady brushes by.


Perhaps due to the changing seasons or the weather phenomena we had very interesting clouds this morning. Fluffy cumulus clouds sitting on thick white porcelain stratus dinner plates. Higher cirrus clouds streaked away up high beyond the cumulus. The effect is entrancing.


This was painted about 10 am facing northwest.

Cold press, hot press and rough?

I paint on Arches French watercolor paper which has great surface quality and is very durable. One can scrub, rub, erase, load it with water and pigment and still it survives and looks great.


Watercolor paper is available in three surface textures: hot press, cold press and rough. I never paint on hot press paper. It has been rolled smooth and is excellent for detailed work which isn't what I am interested in. 


I like both cold press and rough paper. The surface texture of cold press preserves the tooth that is smoothed flat in hot press paper. This surface texture creates small puddles of pigment and allows a more broken area of color on the sheet. The rough texture is my favorite because of the uneven surface which creates all kinds of opportunities for happenstance color interactions. After the painting has dried, ridges of color collect around puddles and form fascinating little bits of paint.


This sunset was painted yesterday on cold press paper about 8:20 pm facing west with low stratus clouds looking almost like distant mountains. For contrast, I'll use rough for the next painting.