Saratoga Apple, #301!

69  F  sun and clouds!

Saratoga Apple, I was driven to get some blossoms, but they were very lack luster.

#301 Saratoga Apple

11 x 14

price on request.

I thought a lot about the foreground tree, and weather I wanted the trunk or just the left branches, I put it in then made sure it wasn't too close to parallel with the edge.

I for got a stage or two. I put the sky in first, then the mountain, then the mass of green.

More paint.

I'll often default on ordering far to near, even if it doesn't satisfy my "most different" rule.

This scene really lends itself to an impressionistic painting, all there is: a flourish of foliage!

This is where I ended up.

Here is my scene, Kate Edwards is painting strait behind the foreground, it's always nice to have another painter around, a painting party!


This is under clouds, but over the 2 hours I was here the clouds changed the light on the landscape, alot!

Sight-size view, the sun really makes a bug difference.

I choose the spot to get the huge mountain view, in back of the apple trees, it was close to the road, lots of traffic goes by....

We love the apples, and they have a supply from last season, some other veggies, good coffee.....................

McCart Rd. a cow and some big news!

55  F  sunny (A.M.)

Today I had some time in the morning, I'm not a morning person, but it was beautiful!  We had a lot of activities this weekend, and Friday was not the best weather......

#300, McCart Rd.

11 x 14

Available e-mail for price.

 I woke up and knew I wanted to go back to this scene and my cow was there!


My big News: Salem Art Works, in Salem NY, has included me in their Salem2Salem artists exchange to Salem, Germany. It takes place in August for a 3 weeks. I'll paint everyday, living and working with American and German artist at a castle. I've got my plane ticket!

The subject, other than the cow, was the light off of the stream, but I started with it because it was the "most different"




My second piece of news: I'm now galley artist @ Spa fine arts on Broadway in Saratoga Springs, NY. They took 12 paintings last week and I'll publish links when my work gets up on their web site!

I put in these darks because I felt like I needed then, but it actually broke my "most different" rule, because after the light off the water, the green was the next most different thing.


Notice the cow! she was really there.

Yes more green!, this time I decided to try and hit the brightest of the bright greens, there was a lot of this, it wasn't everywhere, or all the green,  so I mixed it as closely as I could and slathered it on with my knife!

Next was the darker green, Here is the thing about mixing colors where a slight change actually has meaning. The bright green is a lot of cadmium lemon, some zinc white, and some of my black(ultramarine and burnt sienna) . The darker green will have some cadmium light, and maybe a it of pthalo, just a whisper! and I'll use the left over mix of the bright green, don't quote me on this, I work in a frenzy so I'm not actually thinking....

There are bits of olive green in the water, and bits of brown and bits of light/sand color, ant these are important because they accent all that green.

Lastly are the light shimmers off some of the blades of grass, I used the same light blue I used int the water, it seemed right.

My scene.

Cow.

Awesome scenes every where you look!

Along the White Creek, Salem, NY.

70  F  mostly cloudy

Today I met up with my painting buddy, Cindy, so I suggested we go to this spot about 1/2 way between our houses. I'm back fully into nature with no man made features, and it's great!, but I'm missing bridges.....

#299 The White Creek 

9 x 12

available

It would stay pretty overcast with gusts of wind and an occasional break in the cloud cover, but never rained, and the colors were rich.

Lights.

I had a better time with the green today, but it was more limited than yesterday, with the water and sky there was less than 1/3rd green. 

I had to scrape off the sand bar because I needed the hue just right. The value between it and the water was very close, and color/ temperature was crucial, so it took a few tries.

Getting close...

There was a lot of delicacy within each area, but if those areas aren't the right general value, your lost.

 Some how the details fell into place, the water changed just a bit, (for the better) and I was able to gather the darks and the lights.

This is where I ended up, just over 2 hours paint time,

Here is my scene.

Here is Cindy painting away!

Looking up Rt. 153, Northwest.

Looking the other way up White Creek, this was a great scene too, but I liked the one I did because the light created a sharper contrast.

Delavan Rd. more cows and green gone wacky!

80  F, mostly sunny with some clouds.

Here is where I ended up today , the money shot, 2 hours, paint time, but I still can't figure how I got the color so wrong!

# 298 Delavan Rd.

14 x 16

I found a beautiful scene, this is my old neighborhood, (my barn id in view to the right). I'm also in the shade of this tree, so it's a double plus good place!

Like on Monday, I thought I'd start with a "base" of the green that was a bit dark and warm, I put it down with a knife and scrapped it back, knowing I'd be going over it with some other greens....

I proceeded in this manner until most of the canvas was covered....

I'm putting this close up of the fields to stress the fact that the green is not one color but a number of greens that intermingle. I though my first down color would recede, but it wasn't actually that color either.

 By this time I was ready to attack the big green, but I didn't realize it was too late.

I think I've got a decent grasp on the values......

I wish I had put a color similar to Monday's down first!

I'm getting close, the cows laid down in the shade, easy to render, but their hard to find!

Here is where it ended. By the time I got it here it was too late to change that color, I know, I'm going on about this, and when I got it home it didn't look bad, just different than my normal color sensibility....

Here is my scene, the cows are scattered, but they moved. The light didn't change much.....

Sight-size shot, so I'm obsessing! the color isn't that bad....

Here is my pallet at the start, I mixed a bunch of a light sky-colors, and made what might be considered an un-bleached titanium, so I wonder if I should just buy some of that...

Saratoga Apple

85  F  Sunny summer-like!

Today it was down right hot in the apple orchard

#297 Saratoga Apple

12 x 16

Spring is defined by blossoms, and there's nothing like an apple orchard when it's full of blossoms, today it was not full, but it's getting there, and next time, which needs to be soon, will be full!

I started putting in the grass with dark green, hoping it would be a good base for the bright on top, but I think I put too much, and too thick.

I chose this view because it had the dark pine trees, as well as the large old Flowering apple in the center of my composition.

Moving right along, I had run out of sun block.....

In putting on the bright green/yellow, the under green kept coming up, it was fine in some places, but not

The light didn't change much, as it doesn't mid day, it's much easier to work.

I took a lot of pictures today!

Blossoms!

This is where I ended up, it was a bout 2 hours of actual  painting time.

My scene. I also liked the far hills in the background.

My pallet.

OK.