Sunday, December 3, 2017

Gathering material for the winter months of painting.

I spent October and November going out at dawn walking through our parks looking for scenes that will translate into paintings.




Some days I just take the camera while other days I 'll take the painting equipment and do oil sketches trying to familiarize myself with the color I see in the scene.What I'm searching for are scenes that have mood to them, whether it is clouds lit up as the sun starts to show, or a field covered with a layer of mist, and even getting shots of wildlife if you are quiet enough.





I was having trouble with a section of a painting and went out the next day to do a sketch of this field
to get a better understanding of it, as I was setting up my easel I noticed two ears sticking out of the grass across the field. A half hour later a fox got up and started walking around.


My paintings are about discovering of the joys of the outdoors. 


It can be as simple as coming across a tree that is still holding its color when you thought fall was done, or when you are in the woods when it is snowing its so quiet that you can hear the snow hitting the branches, and suddenly some chickadees appear their song sounding like they are laughing without a care in the world.

I find the outdoors is a great diversion from all the problems that life can throw at you.