On the Edge of Field and Forest

Another winter day . . . snow, sunrise, warm and cold. Pointillism once more.

This time I laid in the background color, such as the blue of the sky merging into the gold of the horizon, blending them together with white. the same with the diagonal hedgerow and foreground snow. After that, I used a tiny, tiny brush, soft to the touch, and filled it with gouache paint I thinned down a lot.

The time to complete this painting was easily 2-3 hours (with time out for lunch and a nap, of course!). I think the color gradation, especially in the sky, has worked well with the usage of small points of color. I also tried to make the middle ground snow cooler and greyer than the foreground snow.

Ahhhh! It feels so good to paint!

Another Look Back

I try to paint every day, and in general, I seem to accomplish this.  I have been working mostly in gouache and watercolor.  There are times when I make studies – try to copy – the works of people I admire, or do an exercise in a “how to” art book.  You learn from both.  Other times, I just make something up or interpret something I have seen.  Landscapes are always my favorite subject.  These are some of the things I have done over the last two months, not in any particular order.

Repair

Coming from a family that didn’t take photos or have family heirlooms, I have always rather longed for them. As a result, over the years, I have picked up a few. As with everything, repairs are necessary. Yesterday I picked up my lap desk (ca 1840) to move it, and a strip of wood running along the bottom unglued itself. Luckily, my husband has a bit of woodworking knowledge – his dad used to build harpsichords all by hand, including each plucker – so we used some wood glue and clamps to take care of the strip.