AFTERNOON SKY, BLACKWATER

 

This is one of my older paintings so I'm not sure if I have posted it here before. Anyway, it was getting later in the day during an extended painting session at Blackwater when I saw these clouds drifting in over the water so I did a quick study there and then. Later back in the studio, I created this smallish painting working on the sky first since that was the whole reason for the painting. I tried to capture the effect of a still bright but lowering sun and its effects on the clouds. I especially liked how this created a highlight all around the edges of the upper clouds and since I was looking into the light, I kept the landscape relatively subdued. Size is 9 x 12 in (23 x 30 cm), oil on canvas.

EVENING SUNDOWN SERIES

 

This was probably the fist evening sundown scene I painted many years ago. I wanted to try and capture the light and feel of a particular day just as the light was fading from the sky. I set the scene nearby above a somewhat distant horizon along with the streaked clouds seen at that time. Surprisingly there was a little mist which I included in this study. This further helped create a little more depth. The foreground was a mass of young white pine trees and I kept the details there simplified so as not to detract from the sky. Surprisingly, I am still working on this series and currently have a few new ones on the go at the moment. Size is 9 x 12 in (23 x 30 cm), oil on canvas.

HARRIERS AT BLACKWATER

 

Whenever out in the field, I am always open to whatever sights, sounds or opportunities I experience. In this case I was painting a study looking across the water when two Northern Harriers appeared. Usually they are seen singly on migration or in winter so I was happy to see them flying in front of me. Later I decided to incorporate them into a painting. This oil is one of my medium-sized paintings and out of this, and the study I was working on at the time, came a much larger work. I think the size of this one was 18 x 24 in (46 x 61 cm), oil on canvas.