First Norther

First Norther
Image Size 9"x13"
Paper Size 10"x 14"
watercolor
Early Monday afternoon, the summer-like skies turned to gray. We heard reports of heavy rain and flooding to the north as a cold front rushed across Texas. I haven't heard this particular front designated as a Norther, but the wind did come from the north, and the temperature dropped considerably. However, there were storms as the front raced south and I'm not sure that there is rain, thunder and lightning with a true Norther. They may just include those fronts that are dry with strong winds and a big temperature drop.
We kept the news and weather on tv and the computer, to watch the progress of the storms.
I've been wanting to paint a Blue Norther for about 20 years now, but we haven't had one, that I've seen. I even asked the local weatherman, "Whatever happened to Blue Northers?". It seems that we now have fronts come in, but they either happen at night, with storms, or, in the daytime, they arrive as storms. (That doesn't happen with a Blue Norther) I think that we have had maybe 3 Blue Northers since I got the idea, but I was in class and couldn't paint then. I thought that, surely, one would come along on a day when I didn't have to teach. After all, I've been seeing them all my life. It hasn't happened, so I guess that I will just have to paint this as one of my memories, if I am going to do it. I really wanted to paint one, and get the colors and the feeling, as it happens.
Through the north side windows yesterday, there were gray clouds, then spots of rain. I took my clipboard to the south side windows and sketched the interesting clouds that were forming there. As fronts from the north go over us and head south toward Houston and the Texas Gulf Coast, the cold air, hitting the warm coastal air probably create these boiling clouds. When there are storms and floods in the Houston area, 100 miles away, we can usually see big thunderheads from our south windows.
I wanted to paint a Blue Norther, still, but this looked like the closest thing I was going to get to one, for now. I took my paper to my drawing table, and did the watercolor above.
Of course, as I started to paint, the electricity went off. I opened the blinds to my wide , north windows and kept painting. So this one was painted, basically, in the dark.
I like to paint when it rains. I seem to have more energy in bad weather. I think it has something to do with the barometric pressure, or it's just the way I am. I get sleepy when it is sunny, wide awake at night and in bad weather. Or maybe it has something to do with the need to be alert for self-preservation.
I may have painted the tag that hung from the bottom cloud a bit heavier than it actually was. My grandson thought it looks like a tornado. It wasn't a tornado, but it was a part of the cloud that looked like one, with little puffs trailing .
"First Norther" shows that time when the cold air from the north, collided with the warm air to the south, with hints of thunderheads and blue skies above the distant trees. Cold, yellow light peeked through the dark clouds. The security light shone through the darkened trees around the neighbor's house and shed. The weeds and grass were still light green and brown. The rain had not started.
Once the heavy rain started, however, the ditch in front of the house filled quickly.
You can't help but be a little on edge about nature when you live in a mobile home. After the lightning strike nearby a couple of weeks ago, we're still a little more nervous than usual when bad weather threatens.
With that big crash, one of my windows cracked and the shelves in my closet, next to the window, fell. We were watching tv when that lightning bolt hit. I saw all the pictures on the wall, fly out from the wall. The hooks held them, but every picture in the house was crooked. I'm just so glad that it didn't hit the house. The family thought it had and went outside to look for damage. My poor, elderly cat, Bitsy, was scared to death, as she always is when it rains. (My weatherforecaster!)
Hope you enjoy this one. "First Norther" was painted with Winsor Newton watercolors on 140 pound Arches watercolor paper.

To see more of my posts on Macular Degeneration, look in the Archives or under Older Posts. Those are all prefaced with the word "Vision".
Also, check out http://www.gretawire.com where there was a conversation on Macular Degeneration. She has an interesting blog, anyway, but I was glad to see the comments on AMD. That would be in the older posts, now.
Enjoy the links on my sidebar.

Some things coming up:
Brazos Valley Art League Show College Station, Texas Entries due Friday Oct. 19
Calhoun County County Fair Art Show Port Lavaca, Texas (entries were due yesterday)
"Last Year On The Farm" show of Virginia Vaughan's recent works Manor, Texas Oct. 20
Chemistry Department Open House and Demos Texas A&M University Oct. 20
(That should be fun and educational for the family)
Downtown Art Auction Bryan, Texas Entries due by Oct 19 Auction Nov. 2
Arts for the Parks National Competition Entries due by Nov. 30

Thank you for your comments and support. Let me know if you see something of interest to you. And thanks for sharing my work with others who might be interested.