April Snow at the Old Barn

At 4am, there was no snow to speak of and I went back to bed thinking it would be a normal day.  By 6am there was a lovely blanket down and more falling from the sky - so I started rearranging my day to paint early!  The temps were too warm to allow the beauty to stick around, but little did o know it would be vanishing before my eyes while painting!  So glad I got right out there!  If I'd gone to the gym first, it would have ALL been melted!  Painting number 3023 in 3023 days. 

Looking up the Lane

With so much to do on this Valentine's Day - it was hard to sneak in a painting before sunset!  Love this snowy look up the lane - and I'm happy to capture it before the snow melts again! Just a sliver of sanity in a crazy day full of family and packing!  Painting number 2606 in 2606 days!

Sunset Over the Portage

With the foliage off the trees, sunsets over the Portage River can be very dramatic this time of year.  Ice has jammed up on the lower land, keeping it's snowy look.  I wish I could get down there for some fabulous compositions, but I dare not.  There is still flooding on that plane  under all that ice, and I don't want to sink in that icy water!  Painting number 2227 in 2227 days.

purchase here

Turning Creek

Grabbing panels in a hurry before heading to northwestern Ohio, I have a mixed bag of primed surfaces!  I used to use this orange surface all the time, switching to a cool blue tone last year.  With the dark winter landscape as of late, I thought it would be fun to use one of the old orange substrates for such a scene.  It is!  Little bits of that primed surface pop through here and there, giving an energy to an otherwise cold winter scene.  I'm working small today - only 5x7, and using my Guerilla Painter thumb box easel. I love this easel for quick paints and traveling, and I use an Altoid tin for my palette inside.  Super convenient!  Painting number 2223 in 2223 days.

purchase here

Dark Winter Creek

I am SO drawn to these dark, snowy scenes this winter.  The contrast and quiet drama of this place is very appealing, and so soothing to my soul.  A place to be still, and just let the painting unfold, this is truly art therapy in action.  With extremely low temps coming in the next few days, I will definitely be seeking shelter.  Painting number 2217in 2217 days.

purchase here

Yellow Barn in the Snow

purchase here

Dad built this shed when he first came to northern Ohio, many years ago.  After a fresh coat of snow overnight, I am painting the long shadows stretching across the lawn.  Love those cool violet blues against the warm golden sunlit patches.  Clear all day, the colors absolutely sparkled.  If only I could get down to the river, but that sheet of ice is holding me back.  I've heard stories of people getting stuck down that steep hill, unable to climb out, and I don't want to be one of them!  Painting number 2216 in 2216 days.

What a difference lighting makes! 

Portage River in January

 purchase here

There was a fresh coat of snow overnight, and the sun was out briefly this morning.  Every day, I look to see how the river changes.  It has many moods.  The flooded plane is now an ice rink, and the new snow covers it like a blanket.  The water level has dropped, and ice chunks aplenty flow quickly downriver.  I had forgotten how light changes swiftly over Lake Erie, and the scene before me changed three times before completion.  Following my mantra of not chasing the light, I stay with my original vision.  I switched back to my Richeson oils with yesterday's painting, making the process so much easier.  I've grown used to the palette, and pulling my small tin out that I've loaded all willy-nilly was messing with my flow!   Can't wait to see what the river does tomorrow.  Painting number 2215 in 2215 days.

Winter River Rising

With yesterday's rain across the region, the Portage River is out of it's banks!  Loving the belts of snow left as the water rises, it is my subject this morning.  So cool to watch the river rise as I'm painting - the land is quickly disappearing!  I'm using my Guerilla Painter thumbox and a 5x7 panel this morning, along with my Altoid tin palette.  I am missing my Richeson paints this morning.... think I'll have to load a new tin with their oils for this pochade.  Painting number 2213 in 2213 days.

purchase here

Ohio Barn in January

Traveling through the back roads of the Midwest all day offered so many painting opportunities!  Rainy and snowy, farms dotted the moody landscape - and you know I can't resist a vintage barn!  I did leave my extra ink and fountain pens at home, so I will have to make stretch what I have!  Yikes!  I now wish I hadn't taken those last two pens out - without replacing them!  I've used a Pilot Varsity for the ink work, and my newest 42 watercolor travel set for the color.  Only the second painting I've used these for, I LOVE exploring the palette!  I'm finding some of yellows very similar, even though the pan color looks different.  I just mix to get what I want when I find one lacking.  I also find I'm mixing into the greens, as they are not quite what I want.  To be fair, are greens out of the palette ever just right?  No, they aren't.  The best greens are mixed.  With 42 options, their are unlimited mixing possibilities!  Painting number 2212 in 2212 days.

purchase here

Dusk at Winter's Creek

purchase here

Each snowy day, the landscape shares with me another secret.  Perhaps a way to turn an edge, a color shift within the depths of a bank, or maybe the stillness required to REALLY feel the surroundings.  These snowy days have been still indeed, with hardly any birdsong.  The robins clustering in the wooded areas, they follow me when my phone "calls" to them, my text sound a robin chirp!  With only a few days of concentrated study, I am SO very comfortable with the colors of snow now.  I'm looking forward to the many snow days ahead near Lake Erie!  Painting number 2209 in 2209 days.

January Snow at Home

purchase here

Each day this week, I have explored the subtle color shifts of snow.  With so many overcast days, the pink grays, blue grays and brown grays have covered most of each panel.  This winter wonderland sky color started with Richeson's ice blue, pushed lighter at the horizon and deeper at the edges.  These Richeson paints are really serving me well, especially as I'm only using their palette now.  With each painting, I gain the knowledge of exactly how their paints combine, to express my personal experience in the field.  Love when the results match my experience!  Painting number 2208 in 2208 days.

Winding Creek in Snow

purchase here

The quiet beauty of the day was calling to me.  As I headed to the gym, it called.  While dropping artwork off at the Buttonwood, it still called.  Once free from my obligations, I stopped at a favorite creek on my way home,. Knowing the melting snow would now expose very wet ground, I could not wait to paint the inky darks against that cool gray snow.  Love the mood of this place, I am SO glad I stopped!  Painting number 2207 in 2207days.

Snowy Evening at Home

purchase here

I've been wanting to try my hand at nocturne painting in the snow, so what better chance than now?  With vintage Edison lights strung along the front porch, a soft warm glow vibrates against the cool blue violets as twilight fades.  I'm using an ultramarine violet and Naples yellow on the Richeson palette today, just out of the box.  With a like cad orange to warm the glow, I get my first look at these new colors.  Every brand is different, but I like the buttery texture of these so far.  All of these snowscape paintings have used these paints, and I'm really getting a feel for them now.  We're supposed to get freezing rain overnight, perhaps I'll paint ice tomorrow!  Painting number 2205 in 2205 days.

Home through the Snow

Another day of exploring the shades of snow - and finding how quickly the color cools off with the sunset.  What pushed towards warm at midday, turns cool blue gray in the evening!  I need so much more practice painting snow!  Perhaps I'll get to perfect it with another snowfall coming Friday!  Painting number 2203 in 2203 days.

purchase here

Snow on the Walnut Tree

This walnut tree was once a little start that popped up in Grandma Bessie's flowers.  Coaxing me to take it, little Tiffany helped plant it.  It's a little unruly and drops walnuts beneath it's boughs, but it is a little slice of life on this old place.  I love how there has been no wind during this show, and a blanket still lies heavy on each branch.  With this study, I am looking for all those nuances of color in the masses.  I can only hope the snow stays long enough for me to paint all the paintings I want to around here!  Painting number 2202 in 2202 days.

purchase here

December on the Trail

The only local snow I was in town for, melted before I could really take advantage of it.  Finishing a painting in the studio is so challenging for me.  So comfortable in the field, where all of my references are before me, I am a fish out of water when inside with only photos to assist me.  Perhaps I simply need more practice.  Painting number 2193 in 2193 days.

purchase here

Winter Sunset Over the Creek

I started this one nearly a month ago on one of those glorious snowy days.  The snow was nearly melted the following day, so I put it on hold for the next snow.  Well, the next snow never came, so now I am finishing it in the studio.  I find it SO MUCH harder!  My photo of the scene was terrible to work from, with all that back lighting, and the colors were not at all what I painted from direct observation!  I have painted on it multiple times since then, and am now going to let it rest, to see if I any truly finished. I think I will have to live with this one for a while before calling it good.  Painting number 2190 in 2190 days.

Children with Sled

The days are filled with family activities as the hours race by.  So many details to keep track of, I find I'm dropping balls right and left.  I'm so thankful for those keeping me on track!  Perhaps I need a little more painting time..... my mind is ever so clear and focused when I'm in the paint.  The real world fades away and all that exists is the process.  Maybe tomorrow.  Painting number 2156 in 2156 days.

purchase here

Winter's Song

purchase here

Hard morning at the gym, lunch with family at the Tea Room, shopping at a favorite spot - Cockrell, and finally I'm home with my paints!  Painting number 2154 in 2154 days.

Bringing in the Tree

purchase here

Sometimes, it is soothing to find a cozy chair, my favorite paints and brushes, and a few canvases.  Perfect setup for some art therapy, easy chair style.  With all the Christmas activity, it is easy to get lost in the details.  A little quiet time is just the right thing to get me back on track. Pairing number 2152 in 2152 days.