Another morning painting

I went back again on Thursday. The smoke has switched direction for a couple days so the sky was back to normal this morning with pastel colors in the sky and a golden sun as it rose, no longer an ominous red ball. Here's the latest painting. Purple Dawn, 9 x 12

Another Red Morning

Sunrise is a full 30 minutes later than it used to be earlier this summer when I first started doing this early morning painting routine. So - I get to sleep a bit later.  Getting up at 5:45 is way better than 5:15.

The smoke from the west coast continued to fill our skies throughout the weekend.
On Monday I went out to paint again and the sky was really dark - the smoke makes it darker than it ought to look in it's pre-dawn state. When the sun did come up, like the last time, it was a fiery red ball emerging from the horizon. This time since I had a view of the lake it was quite spectacular with the sun reflections and all.  Mondays aren't the best time to go there I found out - all the sprinklers are in full force so I got a little wet navigating around the sprinklers trying to find a place to setup that had a view I liked.  Red Sunrise, 9 x 12.

A Smoky Dawn

Friday smoke moved in from the distant California fires and the sky has been murky ever since. I went out to paint on Friday morning not knowing what to expect from the dawn. The sky stayed rather dark, not getting light and pastel colored like it usually does before the sun appears. Suddenly the blood red sun rose in a purple sky. There were no clouds and the light cast an orange glow. It looked rather unworldly. Here's my take on the subject - Red Dawn, 9 x 12.

Sandstone Cliffs

After breakfast I went to Sandstone Ranch, my favorite and close place to paint. This place has a lot of varied terrain, everything from farm buildings and fields,  to rocky cliffs, to ponds, to the river and a small bit of woods. The light was good on the cliffs so I worked on that and set up near a pond. The sun hadn't come around to light up the cliffs yet so they were partially in shadow.
Sandstone cliffs, 12 x 9. 

Morning Glow

Here's a painting from last Friday morning. There were very few clouds on this particular dawn so I knew the sun was going to be excessively brilliant when it rose into view. I decided to position myself behind some trees that would give me some cover from looking toward the sun as I painted the sky. It worked out well and I particularly liked how the light looked as it began peeking around the trees and spreading across the grass. Morning Glow, 9 x 12.  Painting seems to go in spurts with me - I'll do a few I don't really like and then go through painting a few I do like so I never know what I am going to get. Since this one worked out well I decided to go out again after breakfast and do another. I'll post that one tomorrow.

Sunrise

Back to Hamm's Pond again on Friday - there is such a great view of the horizon, and so close to home. This time I got there pretty early - it's easier since the sun is coming up later in the morning. It was still fairly dark when I was setting up so I got a good start before the sun actually jumped above the horizon. That's the trick in these dawn pictures - get it all laid out, get some colors mixed and when the sky hits that point that you want it at, hurry up and get it in there before it changes or gets too bright. Then fill in the ground and foreground last. An occasional early morning dog walker comes by now and then but it's mostly quiet and uninterrupted.
Sunrise, 9 x 12.

Farm Buildings at Dawn

Going out at dawn to paint is so nice I am continuing to do it a couple times a week. It does involve a little sleep deprivation  which I have to make up somehow with naps or sometimes even going back to bed after painting. I usually get done around 6:45 or 7 so it's easy to get back to sleep again.

I went back to Hamm's Pond which has a pretty good view of the eastern horizon with a patch of Union Reservoir and painted an old farm building that sits along the road. Sometimes when there is no cloud cover in the direct spot where the sun is coming up it's way too brilliant to paint or look that way so that was the case this day - instead I focused on the view to the southeast.
Dawn Highlight, 9 x 12.

Paintout

The PAAC ( plein air artist of colorado) paint-out was last Thursday at a local place called Coot lake which has lots of water/pond scenery,  and also some views of the Flatirons looking toward Boulder. It was followed by a painting demonstration by Marc Hanson and critique of the paint-out paintings. I couldn't get there early in the morning when it started and missed most of the critiques but did get to do a quick painting and watch the demonstration, which was very informative. Here's my painting from the day.  That building is a dam control building.  The dam is just off to the right and below the horizon. Flatirons, 12 x 9, sold.

Also here's the painting I did a week earlier at Rabbit Mountain. House with a View, 9 x 12.