Back-lit Trees

...Back-lit Trees...

oil on canvas panel - 6" x 6"

Painting the glow of backlighting can be difficult. But a glaze of transparent paint really captures the effect on these leaves. The ground shadows also are transparent as well as the shaded trees on the left. I made up a lot of this, so I hope it doesn't look too unreal. I'm not going to say what I changed, hoping you can just enjoy it as it is. 

Trout Pond

...Trout Pond...

watercolor on 140# paper - 10" x 7"

This is a plein air watercolor of our beautiful WV autumn. Well, at least I tried. I have not done any watercolor painting for a long, long time, and boy, am I rusty! But there is something about the feeling of it, the downright joy of the colors, that caused me to go ahead and show it online.

Watercolors force me think in reverse from the way I have to think when painting in oils. I have to paint negative space and work light to dark, which is really an incredibly good exercise in visual thinking.

Redo--

...November Earth...
oil on canvas - 18" x 24"

This is a painting that I did last year. I decided to repaint it so there would be more muted color in the distance and the sky. Adding a new layer (scumbling) of light blue or pink in places created a pearly effect that I really like!

Early Color

...Early Color...
6" x 8" - oil on canvas

This is another plein air painting, started in the field and finished later in the studio. The leaves seem to be turning early this year, probably because it has been so dry. It is easy to get too detailed in a painting like this, especially since there is so much beautiful detail in the scene. I tried to lessen the detail by making the tree trunk on the left the same value as the foliage behind it. Not sure if it helped--It's hard to judge your own paintings when they're fresh.

While I was painting, one of my friends took my picture. Yes, I am using an umbrella in the shade! It really helped, too. There was dappled light coming through the tree above.

"Quiet Water"

5" x 7" - oil on stretched linen

Another autumn scene while I wait for spring to arrive...

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"Brilliant Autumn"

6" x 8" - oil on canvas

Here is the Cheat River again. I paint it a lot. Autumn is the most colorful time of year, and I like to make the most of it by getting a lot of photos. I also kayaked here. The water was so shallow, I could see every grain of sand on the bottom. There are dangerous rapids just downstream. (I don't do rapids.)
I like this one. The evening light had a lot of orange in it. I toned the canvas orange, and was still adding it to almost every color.

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"Autumn along the River"

6" x 8" - oil on canvas

Here is another scene from just driving along the back roads of West Virginia. I just had to stop and take pictures. Can you believe this is the view from someones front yard? I'd like to do this one as a larger painting.

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