Same place

I 've painted at the same locations, different times of day, different seasons, and they've all come out a little different, and the last painting I posted was one of them. Also my plein air style has gotten looser. Cold weather and the added pressure of a quick moving sunrise are some of the reasons that has happened. The choice is work fast or lose the scene. Just thought it might be interesting to compare a couple from the same general location.  These three were at Peschel Open Space, slightly different vantage points, different seasons. Here they are: Overcast Dawn, 2014, sold;  Late Afternoon at Peschel, 2014;  Warning, 2015.

Dark Skies

It warmed up a bit ( low of 29 ) so it was warm enough to go out again at dawn and paint. The sky had a heavy band of dark clouds with a glowing red stripe below along the horizon.  I had a short time to get it painted before the sun emerged and the dark clouds faded to white.  I named it after the old adage " Red sky at morning, sailors take warning".  Later that day a cold weather front moved in and we've been having a little snow each day since last Wednesday.Warning, 9 x 12.

It's looking more like winter.

We had a little snow last week and this latest plein air painting shows some of that. It was a bit too cold to paint at dawn,  so the morning after the snowfall I went for a walk at sunrise and took my camera - a gorgeous morning with the new snow. Maybe some of those photos will end up being reference for later paintings.

On Sunday it warmed up a bit I went out a little later and did some plein air painting. Thus this painting - "Frozen over", 9 x 12.  Most of the snow is melted by now but more is forecast for tonight - a Thanksgiving present.

Actually I am pretty thankful that I've had a great year of experiences painting outside, many, many nice mornings. I have become especially enamored with sunrises - which is pretty amazing since I tend to gravitate to staying up late and sleeping late. Now I can't wait to get out there and paint, even when it is freezing. The infinite variety of sky and color is just amazing. The changeability that occurs at such a rapid pace during sunrises and sunsets is a real challenge to catch. I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to get faster at painting outdoors.  Happy Thanksgiving!

Lakeshore

Here's a studio painting I finished this week done from reference photos I took at Brainard Lake. This is a high country lake up near the peaks, and not too far from the tree line, but fairly easy to reach. The road in was closed for the last two miles so we had to hike in.  They had a couple snowfalls up there, and several more since I visited, so the lake edge was patched with remnants of the snowfalls, and the first set of winter ice around the edges was starting to form. I liked how the beach looked with the dark trees in the background.  Lakeshore, 12 x 16.

I managed to get in a pair of plein air paintings but didn't like how they turned out. You'll see them in the future with something else painted over them.

Cold Morning

It was a cold morning last Tuesday when I was out painting at sunrise. I didn't have much time so I didn't go far - just back to Hamms Pond.  This might be one of the last actual sunrises I paint in the rest of 2015 since temperatures are starting to hit the low twenties in the pre-dawn hour. I have a lot of difficulty keeping my fingers working right, without smothering them in big clumsy gloves that can't open paint tubes, etc.  I don't know what the current great famous plein air people do to keep their hands warm, I guess I ought to ask some of them. If anyone has some suggestions, let me know. Meanwhile, here's the painting - Cold Morning, 8 x 10, sold.

Waning Afternoon

Here's a painting from last weekend, the last bits of autumn color still clinging to some of the trees and bushes, done at Sandstone Ranch. It's amazing how fast the afternoon fades away. I left home around 2 to go paint and as I finished up the sun was dropping behind the mountains already. Even so, I started another but it started getting too dark too fast, so I'll have to finish it another day. Perfect weather for painting. Waning Afternoon, 9 x 12.

Autumn Sunset

Here's a painting I have been working on in the studio from some sunset photos I have taken. It gets dark so early and I don't usually have time to go out at sunset and paint, much as I'd like to. Now that the weather is getting colder plein air is getting a bit more difficult, or at least takes more planning to be prepared. There's a trail we like to walk on that's still partly closed from the flood two years ago, but you can see some great sunsets from there and this was one of them.  Autumn Sunset, 12 x 16. 

Painting last Friday

So, last Friday I painted near some small lakes. It was a scheduled paint out with a local plein air group. The morning dawned chilly and with a small sprinkling of rain. I decided to go anyway thinking the rain would probably clear up, and although it wouldn't be sunny, it might be a good morning to paint. A lot of the trees are turned color and with the water and reflections it might be very nice. Nobody showed up. Don't know if they thought it was too wet, or too cold or too dark? But it was fine, the rain quit by the time I got there. But here's the thing. There are 4 outcomes that could happen when painting.

 1. You feel like you are on a roll - the painting pours out of you and comes out fine, pretty good. You are pleased with it.

2.  You are not sure/don't feel like you should be painting that day, but you get into it and the painting turns out pretty good. You are pleased with it.

 3. You are not sure you should be painting that day, and the painting turns out awful.  You wipe it off later. You figure it was good practice and are glad you at least got out to paint.

 4. You are really into painting, happy to be there painting, but little by little the painting goes downhill, turning out awful. You give up, go home and wipe it off later. You think - what went wrong?  You figure it was good practice and are glad you at least got out to paint.

This was a number 4 day. Nice scene, nice morning, weather okay, but not so good outcome. You never know what you're going to get.

Hunter's Moon

Last Tuesday was the October full moon, sometimes nicknamed the "hunter's moon".  I wanted to paint the moon as it was setting in the morning so I went early to Hamms Pond and got a good view of the moon over the city heading towards moonset over the mountains. The mountain in the background is Long's Peak which conveniently sits over the city and now has a new coat of snow on it. Hunter's Moon, 8 x 10.

Distant Trees.

So last Sunday morning, I went down very early near the river and painted. It was still fairly dark when I got there, and it was a cloudy morning also, which made it even darker.  I set up quickly and started painting, getting the shapes in and the composition established. I was working on canvas mounted on gator board, toned tan. This particular gator board had a tan back also. As the light got a little brighter it suddenly became obvious that I was working on the wrong side of the panel. Somehow in the dark I had set up the panel backwards and never noticed, color being pretty much the same. So, that was that. I pulled out a different panel and started over, choosing a slightly different view. Actually I like the second picture better anyway.  So maybe it was a good thing.  I wiped the back of the old one clean and will use it another day.
Distant Trees, 9 x 12.