The end of another beautiful day looking across Beaver Lake as the sun slowly slips below the horizon. A fitting subject now as 2024 comes to an end as well. Thank you to viewers from all over the world who visited my blog during the year, wishing you all the very best for 2025. This oil on board is 8 x 12 inches.
This scene attracted me during a late afternoon of clouds, rain and sun. When the storm had drifted out over the sea, the dampened landscape came alive with colors especially when this stream reflected the clearing sky. I like the way the water draws the viewer into the painting and this study was done quite loosely, and with the possibility in mind of perhaps a larger version. Size is yet another 8 x 10 inches, oil on board.
Yet another small painting that developed from studies and ideas captured during our Alaskan trip. During a separate boat trip, we sailed into watery caverns filled with scenes like this. During the morning, mist predominated and the distant land was hazy, diffuse. Low-lying clouds hung in the air while the surrounding shores and densely wooded hillsides created an ethereal feeling. There were a few whales about but not a lot of eagles - we saw around 20 or so along with a few Ravens, and a huge flock of hundreds of crows! The size of this smaller work is 8 x 10 inches, oil on canvas.
Here are a two studies of resting Laughing Gulls. In winter, they look quite a lot different from their summer (breeding) plumage mostly as they have lost the dark chocolate brown color on their heads. Also the bright red bill has darkened to black although some birds still have remnants of red. Still, I enjoy the mottled pattern of dark on the heads which varies from bird to bird. Here this bird is not very heavily marked.
This sleeping bird was part of a larger flock that I singled out to paint. I liked the subtle shadow on the breast which warmed and deepened as it crept under the belly. Also the shadow as it undulated over the uneven surface of the sand. Although it was a sunny day, all of them were facing into the cool stiff breeze - most birds do this. Both these watercolor studies were done in my sketchbook, sizes are about 6 x 9 inches.
