When I looked out the window this morning, the sky was a mix of pinks, blues, whites and yellows. Snow is on the way.
The colors were vivid for a very brief time… maybe four minutes. They faded within seconds. I dashed to my easel and quickly scrubbed in the colors while they were fresh in my memory.
I’m pleased with the colors. They convey the soft drama of the rural NH landscape, from the fading grasses to the blue-grey hills and mountains to the blustery skies.
It’s been awhile since I made time for these early morning oil sketches. I need to get back in the habit of capturing colors as I see them. I have some more formal paintings in mind, and — after I finish the White Mountains painting I’m working on — these color references will be important.
This sketch is on 8″ x 16″ canvasboard with my usual underpainting of cadmium red.
I’m painting with an Ott light for accurate color; the light has a flexible neck so I can angle it “just so” for my work.
Then, I photograph the completed sketches in natural light by our patio door.