PATH TO THE LAKE

 

I started this smaller work when we still lived in the old house. This view at the bottom of the hill looking east was one we would see during our usual evening walk down to the lake. There we would watch the return of hundreds of geese as they came in to roost for the night - along with a few ducks. Lately I found this small work again and decided that it still needed a little work. So after an hour or so gently modifying some of the tones and adding a bit more color to the sky, I declared it finished. This is an oil on canvas, 7 x 7 in (18 x 18 cm).

DEEP SNOW STUDY

 

It took me more than a week to finish this painting - not because I was working on it for so long but that I had to set it aside for awhile each session as I tried to capture the tones of the scene. The sky was kept simple so as to keep your eye to the strip of winter trees and hills just behind. I liked how they contrasted with the much lighter almost pure white snow. I may develop this study into a series of winter paintings especially now that it started to get cold in the mornings around here - winter must be just around the corner!

EVENING SKY STUDY

 

Another sky painting! This view is one of looking out of the window across a dark and somewhat distant landscape. A thin strip of water can be seen. I kept the lower part of the painting without many details intentionally as I wanted the focus to be on the sky. This small and necessarily quick study doesn't have the finish of my larger painting but then, I was trying to capture what I saw in front of me before the effects of the light and cloud shapes disappeared. This one is an 8 x 10 in (20 x 26 cm), oil on board.