Yes, the weatherman lied yet again. A “partly cloudy” forecast ended up some sun, with lots of fog. Oh well. In the end, I’m happy with today because comparing a painting done on a gray day with one on a sunny day is a good lesson.
I’m sure you’ve heard artists say, “I paint the light”. The color and quality of light effects everything we see. My favorite light is late afternoon, least favorite gray days–but each is a learning experience.
Here’s today Ice Plant painting done on a gray day, compare with the one below it down in late afternoon.
Ice Plant (Gray Day) – Oil on Linen – 8×10″
Here’s a side-by-side comparison.
 Ice Plant (Late Afternoon) Oil on Linen – 8×10 |
This reminds me of a book on this subject, Kevin Macpherson’s “Reflections on a Pond“. Kevin pained the same scene outside his dining room window hundreds of times. The variety of the images is incredibly striking. Well worth picking it up from his site.
Ed, thank you for the encouraging words on my blog. It gave me chance to find your work. Wow! Wonderful plein air paintings! I will put you in my faves to see more.
I am a big fan of Kevin’s, too. He also has a second technique book recently published. I love the idea of series paintings like this. Just think of the Haystacks exhibitions where they were all gathered together!
You list a bunch of really great painters in your links and I’ve enjoyed my visit here. Great work!
Thanks, Mary. Checked out your blog too. Nice work.