After contemplating adding some wildlife to the foreground, I decided to go with the atmospheric mood that developed during my first session on this painting. I think all the critters are hunkered down after a heavy snowstorm that hit the high country. I developed the mountains in the background and the snow-covered rocks in the foreground. After a bit of tweaking here & there, I decided to be done with this landscape. I really surprised myself, because this painting crept out of my imagination and the memories of the trips to Colorado the past few years. The process was a dance between the intuitiveness that comes from letting the memories flow and the voice that kept reminding me of composition, value & such. When I haven't painted for a while, I start to get nervous that I won't be able to make another painting that I'm happy with. That the last painting that I was pleased with was just a fluke.
I'm not saying that I'm completely happy with any of my work, but I can see that I have been making progress. And I don't think a painting must be perfect to be enjoyable.
I took the photo this evening & the lighting wasn't optimal. But I've got to get it in the frame I selected after work and take it to
Chocolaterie Stam in
Ames on Thursday. This weekend the downtown
Ames merchants are having their Christmas shopping season kickoff. There will be special events all weekend. On Saturday afternoon, there will be an artist walk with the opportunity to meet artists in many of the shops. My painting group will be at
Chocolaterie Stam. Yum! Good friends, art & European chocolate.
You may have been following the current blizzard on the Weather Channel, but there is nothing like living through it... the sound of the wind howling, the furnace running more frequently to keep the house warm. I'm wearing wool socks with warm shoes and have cuddle duds on under my jeans. Our house is pretty tight with the new windows and siding we installed in 2008. But it's still chilly. Could it be because almost all I can see when I look out the windows is white? I'm staying in today and hopefully there will be a Christmas letter done before the day ends. What would you do with a snow day?
