I’m still deciding how to represent the effects of snow on the landscapes outside my window.
These are two sketches from the snowstorm on Saturday evening.
I’m not sure if either of them is a completed work… yet.
The first is a piece that I thought I’d completed, but the more I look at it, the more I’m tempted to do more with the two sides… something very subtle, probably.
(The photo at left isn’t very good, in my opinion. My paintings are created to look their best from about 20 feet away. This one really doesn’t convey in a close-up photo.)
Here’s how that painting began:
I was looking at the hillside as the colors changed from vivid, sunny hues to something a little more lilac-to-muddy-lavender with the approaching storm.
My first thought was that I should have picked up some skinny canvases (10″ x 20″ or something like that) to do a narrow, vertical painting capturing the range of colors. To me, that’s odd. Generally, I’ve always worked with more horizontal images, not verticals.
Then, I decided to create a similar effect using areas of clearly divided color. The colors on either side of the sketch were intended to pick up the approaching darker clouds.
After scrubbing those in, I painted the center panel of the work, capturing the sunny and pastel shades before the storm arrived.
Finally, I used some deliberate brushstrokes to accent the side panels. You can see them in the close-up (actual size of the painting) at right.
Now, I’m thinking of doing a monochromatic (and very subtle) representation of the rest of the landscape on either side. The color would remain the same lavender-ish shade, just lighter & darker to represent the scene.
I’m going to let this painting dry before I decide.
It’s a 9″ x 12″ oil painting on stretched cotton canvas.
The second sketch
After painting the paneled piece, I wanted to capture the more monochromatic imagery after the sky darkened but before we were in nearly white-out conditions.
At left is the result. It’s another oil sketch on 9″ x 12″ canvas.
I’m not sure if it’s finished, either. I mean, it’s a good color study, but it’s not quite an actual painting.
I’m thinking of adding one of the buildings that’s part of the real view outside my window.
(Though I generally paint nature, and that’s all, my view includes a parking lot, two streets, and a couple of buildings between the hills and me.)
I’m pleased with both of these.
My next works may be more Tonalist. I’m not sure. I feel as if I’m pushing my artistic boundaries, exploring extremes that appeal to me. Somewhere in the in-between, I think I’ll find what expresses me most uniquely.
Or… well, my art may take several paths. I sometimes joke that I’m “short attention-span with a paintbrush.”
No matter what’s ahead, I feel that my work is becoming more passionate, expressive and energetic.
I like this!