Peaceful Pond

Peaceful Pond
Oil on panel, 6x8

This quiet little spot is a wonderful escape from the daily grind.  Peaceful and still, the water is hardly moving.  The dead grasses of winter have turned gold and reddish - the perfect compliment to a clear blue sky.  I have been playing with different blue paints this last week, and today I find myself reaching for my trusted ultramarine blue.  The pigment strength is so much better than the others I have been playing with.  I simply can't mix the darks I want with these other colors.  This is day 10 of the 30 day painting challenge - 1/3 of the way through!  I am finding that my life is just too full to easily finish a painting every day.  Yesterday, I did not even find time to eat until 7:30 at night - but I got my painting posted!  By sheer will alone I will see this through - trying new techniques and learning from each panel painted.  I am also working on a large piece - which is still not ready.  Each night, I think it is finished, and in the cold light of day - I see that it is not.  I will let it rest for a day or two - and look again with fresh eyes.