Saturday, June 14, 2014

December Forests











Give me a foggy day in early winter when there is still a little autumn color hanging on and I`ll have subjects to paint for the whole, impossibly green summer. Sure it`s comfortable outside, finally, but it`s much less interesting visually. Yet this is when the plein air painters are out doing their work. Me too occasionally, it`s fun to paint with friends.
Fog has been my favorite weather since I was a kid, I revel in it. Where I live, it mostly appears in winter and it`s quite cold. John, on the other hand, grew up in the Willamette Valley and remembers long stretches of it when he would be trapped indoors in deep despair.  Along with the rain, winters in Western Oregon are really tough on kids.
The original and talented Eric Merrel has written a post on color that is definitely worth reading. He`s a plein air painter yet he includes his vision in his location work. What baffles me about much of that genre is the fidelity to perception over personal expression.
Pinterest wrote me the other day and said I was one of their top pinners! I thought "uh oh.., busted"!
 I swear I only look when my feet hurt!


work for sale in my studio

2 comments:

Libby Fife said...

Those glowing trees always catch my eye! Very nice:)

We have something similar to the fog here towards early winter. By November and December everything has been sucked dry for months-it's hard to see any kind of exciting color or color contrast. But, when it rains, you are in business! The colors come back alive and I think it's the wetness but moreover, that gray backdrop(like fog) that does it.

I read Eric's post. Seeing color is so individual. I often feel on the outs in this area. I took his post to mean that you should try to trust what you are seeing even if it goes against convention. It's an idea that I like.

And alright, Mister! I saw ALL of your pins. No wonder Pinterest contacted you:)

Melody Cleary said...

LOVE these! The foggy bsckground adds such depth.