More Charcoal Sketching and Focus

 Focus is something I've always struggled with in art.  I had another episode of "focus-strugglitis" this week.  I started the week with my usual charcoal landscape sketching and then suddenly veered away to do some pen and watercolor sketching of cars and trucks and today after a disastrous start to a pen sketch I went back to the charcoal.  Did I return to charcoal solely due to failure and frustration?  No, I don't think so, or at least not entirely.  I think I was really just in the mood for charcoal sketching and that's one reason the pen sketch didn't go as planned. However, a pro artist should be able to overcome "moods" and distractions right?  Maybe it's just human nature to wander, but I also think I need to work on this and gain some focus.

Here are some charcoal sketches made since my last post.

This sketch is based on a photo I took while hiking on the Red Pine Lake trail in Little Cottonwood Canyon.  Mountain streams are always interesting to observe and sketch.

This sketch is of a spot in the Middle Provo River in the Heber Valley, however in the photograph the shed on the other side of the river is actually a restroom for a trail head.

This is another sketch of the Middle Provo River in the Heber Valley however this this case the river is on the background on the other side of a marshy preserved nature area.

I don't remember where I took the reference photo but this kind of scene is fairly common in rural Utah, I did add the small barn on the left.

While driving down a local suburban street this reflection from a pool of water in an otherwise empty irrigation canal caught the corner of my eye.  I quickly found a place to pullover and park and walked over to examine the scene and take a photo.