Afternoon Plein air

I stopped off at Core Creek Park on the way home from work today, I had my cigar box setup with me and painted this sitting on the back of the truck. This is painted on a 5x7 canvas panel.
With the constant winds we had today the clouds were zipping by and the sun kept playing hide and seek so I would have to wait for the sun to reappear to paint things that were in sunlight. I liked how the row of  bushes in the foreground were top lit separating them from the stand of  trees farther back in the distance. The clouds were changing by the minute so I fixed a group in my mind and painted away.

Green is such a challenging color to paint but it forces you to look harder for things like  color intensity, values, and tests your color mixing on the spot. At least I have a whole summer to practice.

Falls Twp. Lake

Maria and I went up to Falls Twp. Lake after dinner to do a little fishing. I didn't catch any but Maria caught two smallmouth bass this one being the biggest one.

A couple minutes before sunset the opposite side of the lake was bathed in a orange/green light and the trees on the point of land on the left caught a little of the light on the tops. I took a couple of pictures capturing this brief moment.
Below is the painting of the end of our night. I used a 4"x12" stretched canvas.

Feeding Deer on the Hill

This is a small (tiny) oil painting 3"x8" done on 300lb. watercolor paper primed with acrylic paint.  We see these deer on our evening walk at a nearby park that is used for exercise. I had taken a picture with my camera phone as we passed by them, and when we got home I did this small painting while the image was still fresh in my mind using the picture to help me capture shapes of the scene. I added a little extra color and lighting to make the scene more interesting.

During our walks we are passing by different scenes so I do mental exercises taking note of colors, values, what objects look like when they are in shadows. When an object stands out I look behind it to see how the background has influenced it. Its a constant learning process that doesn't stop.
This painting stuff is really addictive!

Young Womans Creek

Young Womans Creek  12x16  oil on RayMar canvas panel
This is an 11 mile long tributary of the West Branch Susquehanna River. It is heavily forested with a thick canopy which helps keep the water cool to the trouts liking.

Welcome Shade

This is an image showing the interaction with people and their pets. After a run in the afternoon sun a little  rest in the shade is a welcome relief.
I tried to loosen up a little bit and keep it more painterly, concentrating on value and color. But more important is the emotional impact a touch on the dogs head can have. You can sense the concern she has for her dogs.