PATH THROUGHT THE WOODS

This small study was recently completed and is of a pathway through the woods that I usually follow on my way home from the reserve. The snow was relatively thick on the ground at that time reflecting some of the evening glow of the setting sun behind me and hence is lighter than the sky. I especially liked the contrast between the darker foliage and lighter ground/sky areas along with the abstract quality of the scene. A few stars added some interest to the darkened sky.
I haven't done many night scenes but finishing this one has opened up a new direction for me to explore. I was pleased with the outcome although I struggled to get a good photo of the finished painting and it still isn't right. For one thing, the stars are a little brighter and there are also more subtle details in the darker areas. It seem that a lot of these finer details in my work are being missed when I photograph my work and is a problem that I have been aware of for some time. I am experimenting with various lighting methods and hopefully I'll soon have it figured out.
While continuing with this series of small studies, I am becoming more aware of how many different ways there are to paint a picture - one of the reasons that I am continuing with them. Within these studies though, I'm not only looking for ways to tackle a certain idea but also working in the hope of getting something that perhaps wasn't there in the first place. This of course, is more related to my feelings about art and design rather than to the scene itself. Wyeth got around this problem by making many studies both in pencil and watercolor of his intended subjects but for me, I have to be careful as too much of this and I can lose interest. It becomes instead a feeling of having already created the painting (in a study form) then I want to go onto the next one without having done the larger painting. Path through the woods is 7 1/4" X 5 1/4".