A Portfolio of My Chestnut Ridge Park Drawings
Philip Koch painting and drawing at Chestnut
Ridge Park, May 2015
In May of 2015 I took my first official trip to Buffalo, NY as Burchfield Penney Art Center's Artist in Residence. I asked Scott Propeak and Tullis Johnson, two of BPAC's Curators, where I might go to get some panoramic views of the area. They both suggested Chestnut Ridge Park, an area south of Buffalo that had been a favorite of Charles Burchfield's when he worked on his landscapes. Their suggestion was right on target.
I began at the crest of the hill in the Park that commands a view looking north toward a distant Lake Erie. A whole series of drawings ensued. Though I had grown up in nearby Rochester I had never done serious art in Western New York State before. These repeated views from Chestnut Ridge reflect my delight in finally working from the landscape where I grew up. I just wanted to keep doing drawing after drawing.
Philip Koch, Chestnut Ridge: Lake Erie, vine
charcoal, 12 x 9", 2015
I often do pastel drawings back in my studio based on my on site charcoal drawings. The charcoal above led to the two pastels that follow.
Philp Koch, Chestnut Ridge: Lake Erie Blue,
pastel, 10 x 7 1/2", 2015
Philip Koch, Chestnut Ridge: Lake Erie Orange,
pastel, 10 x 7 1/2", 2015
While making a drawing is considerable faster than my usual medium of oil painting, it's still time consuming. But I like that. It gives you extended opportunities to sense other possibilities out of the corner of your eye. The longer I stay in a place working the more apt I am to discover something else I have to do a new composition about.
Philip Koch, Chestnut Ridge: Spring Trees,
vine charcoal & white pastel chalk, 12 x 9",
2016
Philip Koch, Chestnut Ridge Panorama, vine charcoal,
10 1/2 x 14", 2016
Philip Koch, Chestnut Ridge Forest, vine charcoal,
13 x 13", 2016
Philip Koch, Chestnut Ridge May, vine charcoal, 9 x 12", 2015