LAST LIGHT STUDY

 

Some paintings come together nicely and at times, without too much effort - this was not one of them!! I saw this scene some time ago one evening when the setting sun broke through a dark layer of clouds creating a stunning vision. My initial attempt looked okay but seemed to be missing something. That was when the real work started - trying to capture on canvas what I had seen and envisioned in my mind. t think I must have repainted the sky at least three times, the foreground twice, but finally I got close to what I had hoped it would look like and I am calling it done. I still find it difficult to decide if I should give up on a painting, or whether is it worth the effort of repainting it in the hope that it finally works out in the end. Thankfully it was in this one. Size is 8 x 10 inches, oil on canvas.

WINTER MARSH IV

 

This is the fourth one in the winter marsh series, painted from almost the same spot as winter marsh III. Obviously it is set much earlier in the day than the last one, in fact, the sun has yet to rise. I focused on the dawn colors in this painting keeping the landscape part of it closer (and darker) in value where the sky is mostly mid-tone. I like the way the marsh seems to recede as your eye gets drawn towards the horizon. A few faint clouds help to give the sky a little more definition. I think I could take the sky even darker and it would still work - perhaps even more so than this one. One benefit from doing a series of smaller painting like this is that one can draw on the experience of working from a single area and finding new ways to portray the surrounding landscape. Each one builds on to the next and as I have access to this area almost any time of the day, going there for fresh ideas is always easy (and helpful). This is another 10 x 8 inch painting (20 x 25cm), oil on board.

WINTER SNOW STUDY

 

I was lucky to discover this farm not far from where I used to live and have done many studies and paintings of it over the years. Here, I walked around to the back early one morning and painted this view from across a low valley. These buildings are attached to the back of the farm and the silos and larger barns are out of the picture on the right. I focused on this section because of the more subtle rooflines with the melting snow that created patterns coupled with the bare trees that acted as a foil to the sky. Of course, the light was paramount as usual and contained a lot of warm tones due the the lower position of the sun that had just risen. I'm sure in the future I will continue to explore this area and try to capture more of its many changing moods. Size of this one is 8 x 10 inches, oil on canvas.

EVENING LIGHT STUDY

 

Walking back home one evening just before it got dark, I looked across the fields and saw a thin strip of light breaking through the clouds. This was a wonder to me and is this kind of thing that really resonates with me as an artist. So when I got back to the studio, I tried to capture what I had seen in this small painting. Even now, when looking at the study, I can still remember the scene clearly in my mind and it brings back vivid emotions of that moment. Size is 8 x 10 inches (20 x 26cm), oil on board

HOUSE SPARROW STUDIES

 

Downstairs from where we are staying is a small party of around 10 to 12 House Sparrows. We see them everyday no matter the weather (we have been getting some incredibly cold temps lately). So from time to time, I go down with my sketchbook in the hope of getting a few more studies. I think I wrote a while ago that I prefer the males in their winter plumage with their somewhat muted plumage. Their black bibs are mostly hidden by lighter breast feathers and their heads a little more diffuse than in summer. I think this is the first time I have painted a female. Anyway, I did these watercolor studies recently trying to capture their individual characteristics and especially their form which is usually puffed up on colder days - a look I like a lot! Size is around 12 x 9 inches (30 x 23cm).

WINTER MARSH III

 

This painting is one in a series of works that I have planned. The viewpoint is looking east across a nearby marsh and will focus on the quality of the early morning light from sunrise until around mid-day. This particular scene is around 11:00 or so with the sun behind higher clouds that are slowly breaking up. I'm hoping to capture a particular mood in each of these paintings with the receding marsh grasses and reeds being of a secondary importance. The marsh is only short drive away so I can be there at just about any time of the day, quickly set up my painting equipment and capture whatever the day has to offer. This oil on canvas is 12 x 9 inches (30 x 23 cm).

BAY OF FIRES

 

I have been working on this watercolor for some time and recently spent a day putting the final touches to it. I think I am happy with the painting although I'll probably find a few other things to do to it then I'll upload a better image. Studio work has been a little slow of late but now I am back in the swing of things and have a lot of work planned for the year. Hopefully this time I'll be able to condense a few of the ideas that have been held most important in my mind during 2024 and finally come to fruition - that will be reflected here on my blog. This one is a 10 x 8 inches.