an arting life
I’m ambivalent about spring. Oh, I love the warmer weather. New England winters are lovely to look at… through a window! The other three seasons are among the reasons that we live here. Anyway, as an artist, I’ve noticed that winter and summer are when the clouds are most dramatic at sunrise. As spring approaches,…
It was a cloudless morning. The colors were lovely, but I’m most inspired by the startling colors that flash across the clouds when the sun is coming up. So, I decided to try a color study instead of anything as dramatic as my usual morning sketches. It’s a smaller work — 8″ x 10″ —…
Since I didn’t paint at all yesterday — and really missed it — I was hoping that today’s skies would be more inspiring. (Yesterday was one of those flat, gray-looking days.) At sunrise this morning (6:15 a.m.), the sky was not inspiring. However, I sat by my window and kept watching. This process can be…
Never underestimate the speed, grace or brilliance of a sunset. I learned that yesterday. I’d overslept in the morning, and missed the sunrise. So, even if it was raining, I was committed to painting at sunset. I’m eager to maintain a productive painting schedule; I feel as if I missed many opportunities in the past…
This morning, the sunrise flashed some spectacular colors… but only briefly. Fortunately, I was poised by my window with my palette and brushes in hand. Though snow is still on the ground, the colors of spring are emerging! This oil sketch took about 10 minutes. The vivid colors were visible for even less time, and…
As I’m writing this, this part of NH is under a blanket of pristine, white snow. It’s “winter wonderland” time again! Initially, I looked at the mostly white landscape and thought, “Okay, not painting this morning.” However, the longer I looked at it, the more I saw the subtle colors in the sky, the snow,…
The sun is back! When I woke up this morning, the skies and the weather map looked like the sunrise would be dismal. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to paint en plein air. (Of course, I had a Plan B ready.) Instead, the clouds broke and the sun came through the clouds, at least…
Among the many things I love about being an artist is the joy I take in colors. Whether they’re the vibrant shades of spring and autumn, or the subtle greys of winter and the sizzling whites of summer… I love color! This morning, the skies were heavy with rain. The colors were similar to yesterday’s…
There was no actual sunrise this morning. Not that I could see, anyway. I wondered if my neighbor, Lesley, was thinking, “There’s no way she’s painting a sunrise this morning.” But… I did! Okay, I’m calling it a “snowrise” because it’s not sunny at all. The could cover is heavy, and as soon as I…
My White Mountains painting is still in progress. Every time I work on it, it energizes me. However, I’m not sure if yesterday’s changes will be evident in these photos. The differences are subtle. However, those small changes are making a big difference in the emotional content of the painting. At left is how the…
Yesterday, I started painting sunrises again. They’re simply oil sketches… nothing formal or fancy. Yesterday’s is on the left, and described in more detail at A New Morning. Generally, I grab whatever smallish, blank canvas is nearby. Today, as yesterday, that’s a 10″ x 14″ canvas board. Technically, these paintings aren’t quite en plein air…
Yesterday, I found a quotation that made me feel much better: “I’m in a foul mood as I’m making stupid mistakes… This morning I lost beyond repair a painting with which I had been happy, having done about twenty sessions on it; it had to be thoroughly scraped away… what a rage I was in!”…