Some winter studies

I just realized it's been 2 months since I've updated the blog. Time flies! I have been working on larger studio paintings this winter and have several in various stages of completion. The sizes are not huge, ranging from 14x18 to 16x20...but definitely larger than I'm used to painting. I'm finding this to be more difficult than I expected but hopefully I'm learning from it. I should have some images to post very soon, and need to get them done and out of the way as outdoor painting season is about to heat up.

Because of the studio work, I haven't painted outdoors much this winter. The days I have gotten out to paint have featured challenging weather - with associated time constraints and pressure. It's either been snowing (or raining), or about to snow...so dealing with snow or rain getting into the paint, or changing atmosphere...and the resulting paintings have not been overly successful. I've been challenging myself to paint the "atmosphere" associated with rain or snow, and not worrying about composition so much. I figure I can work that out in the studio later on...

First painting: "Grain Bin Through Snow", 6x8 oil...Light snow was falling this Saturday morning, and even though we were set up under a park pavilion, snow was blowing onto the palette...making the paint difficult to work with. Colors were very muted and there was beautiful harmony in the scene.

Second painting: "Wet Marsh", 6x8 oil...it was raining lightly, which again provided great atmosphere with all the moisture in the air. I was standing in knee-deep snow on a frozen marsh...didn't see much there in terms of composition so concentrated on the color and value relationships especially between the sky and distant tree lines.

Third painting: "Approaching Snow, Genesee County", 8x10 oil. The sun was barely peaking through the thickening clouds this morning, and as we painted the distant hills gradually disappeared in the approaching snow. I really was drawn to the sinuous tree trunks and limbs in the foreground and could envision something like this as a larger painting.