Hoosick River, Johnsonville Bridge.

25  F  Mostly cloudy, calm.

This is today's effort, back home, sorry the photo is blurry.

Here is my scene, it's the Hoosick River with the Johnsonville bridge. Just recently the bridge was closed so there's no traffic on it.

Here is the bridge, (I took this at the end of my session when the light was stronger.

I had forgotten my easel, luckily I had some long sticks in the truck so I jerry-rigged a quich tri-pod.

It was a bit weird, and it was very low, so I had to sit on my back-pack/stool,
 I couldn't drive back for it!

Here it is almost 1/2 way through the session,  it was cloudy, I had thought the sun would come out, and it did, changes I could have anticipated.....

I really didn't like having that stick right there!

I work the scene in layers, so that the  general background gets worked first, like the snow  and far hills, I put the trees and things like the metal bridge on top, today the light changed just after I started putting the trees in, but i tyhink that was OK.

Getting close.

It was another pleasant day when the sun came out, but my feet got cold and after about 1 1/2 hours or so I packed it in.

The water had an icey-blue tone that had more color or a different color that usual.

There is the view looking up-river.

Here are my tracks from the road to my spot.

Here is another view of the bridge, here in up-state, we have tons of bridges like this and they are beautiful, but there falling apart......

Owlkill Creek, White Creek, NY

20 F  Sunny with a few clouds, calm.

Here is where I ended up today.  This is the 5th painting at this site.

In the summer it would be way too overgrown to get down in there, but with the snow it actually made it easier, I walked in maybe 50 yards off the road.

Here is my first block in of dark.

It took me longer than usual to "suit-up" today, and I didn't get started until 1:30 I was expecting a high in the teens, but it was 20 when I left the house, when I set up I was in the sun and there was no wind, a totally pleasant day!... or hour, as after that It started to cool down and I started getting cold. There's the train!

I started with a warmer yellow grey, and it seems to work!

This is looking north, or up-stream, the bridge is Owlkill  Road,

 This is close to the end of my session which ended around 3:00.

 Here is my scene. I had wanted water, but wanted a far hill/field with snow on it. I got it.

Here is the painting at the end of the session, 1 1/2 hous today. I did work on the trees tonight but only to fill in the missing parts.

Yup!

My pallet, I move my paint from the bigger pallet, so I can put in in the panel carrier.  I can move everything in one carry.

Here is my pack, I put my mineral spirits and medium in salsa jars, and they go into a box I made to fit the pack out of a wax-soaked cardboard.

Snow !!!!! Cambridge Creek, out back.

27  F  cloudy  a few flakes in the air...

I painted out back today, when I started the driveway hadn't bee plowed, so i figured it was a good day to paint here.

This is where I ended up, note that the little white dots are snowflakes.

Here is my scene, I'm across the creek on our "back lot" our bridge in the center.

My first few blocks of color, if you can call it that!

At 27 degrees, it felt downright balmy!, I'm also in the most wind-protected spots. I only needed my finger-less cotton gloves.

This is about 1/2 way through a 1 3/4 hour session.  I felt compromised by the starkness of the bridge, and the shape of the creek.  I was able to work facing east in the afternoon because it was so cloudy. I loved the surrounding woodland with the tree branches, brambles and snow!

This is my wife, Alane, skiing over the bridge, with Ollie!

Here is the view the other way, I just realized today that you can see the far hills ( there above the putrid-yellow garage)  Now if I could just paint that out....

Here is my painting spot from the bridge. The place is seriously overgrown, and much easier to get to in the winter. I've thought about hacking down some of the vegetation...

My scene at session 's end, I don't think it changed at all.

Maybe I'll touch-up a few things,  it's always interesting to compare the photo with the painting, but it's not the end of it, the painting needs to work independently of the photo, not the other way around.

Delavan Rd. White Creek, NY

20  F  a bit windy, sunny.

Here is where I ended up today, Perry's Orchard is in the mid-ground,  I came over here to try and get a view of the orchard, but the light wasn't right so I picked this.

I'll have to work on it a bit....

Here is my scene when I started, It had been calm when I left the house, but it is often calm in the village and windy in the hills.

Here is my first block in, you can see I'm not really making sense, I didn't get the darks figured out before I started on the sky.....

I'm actually liking the tone I'm using, it's a bit dark, especially when the light is so bright!

The sun was piercing in this view, but all in all the scene didn't change too much.

It got colder by the time I got back. The cold makes me a different painter, I see things differently and I move differently, The paint gets thick and I'm using a medium to get it to move, its turpentine,  damar varnish and stand oil. My brushstrokes look different, and the paint has varied

Skellie Rd.

This was the temp. when I left the house about 11;00 or so. There were clouds and some sun, and the wind gusted a bity now and then.

Here is my scene just after noon today, It's on Skellie Rd, Greenwich (I think),  right on the Battenkill River, and a place not 100 yards away where I've painted a few times.

Here is where I began with my pallet.

I'm still using this really "cool" tone, maybe I'll warm up the next batch.

Sorry this was the first pic. It was cold, when the wind blew especially, had to hang onto the easel, when it was calm and the sun was out it was actually nice!

The clouds were doing some nice things, so I tried to use them in the composition. They moved really fast so....

I've been dying to paint snow, and that's why I picked this scene,  there was at least a bit  When the sun hit the barn roof, wow! luckily it stayed the same most of the session, which was sun on the barn, then off the barn and back, it was a reasonable back and forth.

Here is where I ended the session, I lasted about 1 1/2 hours, not bad,  I'm in "get it done" mode, so not much foolin' around.

I'll probably fuss with it a bit, but will have to look at it some more.....

My pallet at the end of session.

Right across the road.

Looking south on Skellie Rd.