Winter plein air

This is a little 8" X 10" sketch I did about a month ago while there was still snow on the ground. The air temperature was about 45 degrees and I did not feel the cold at all. I painted about one hour and simplified the huge number of trees. As you can see there was a cross country skiier that had gone through before me. I located this spot the previous day while walking my two dogs through here. In the meantime, I did a portrait painting for the Elk Grove Art League in an hour and a half. The painting went well (sorry, I did not take a picture) and I had plenty of time to talk about painting to the twenty five or so members.

Bridge at Fire's Creek, NC

When you find a really nice spot to paint, often you can turn your easel 180 degrees and turn around and find another subject. This is just up the creek to the west of the waterfall at Fire's Creek that I painted two years ago. While I did that one en plein air, this one is a studio painting I did this winter while it was too cold to go out. I am old enough to say that it's too cold for me!!!! Anyhow the motivation for this one was to convey the textures of branch upon branch wave upon wave in a nice clean painterly style. I have three of my works now on exhibit at the Regional show in Dixon, Illinois at the Next Picture Show Gallery. In the meantime I am doing several art classes each week -- teaching them, that is. I will be headed out for North Carolina soon for more painting although I will be taking a wood turning class or possibly a wood carving class, whichever has space ----- (didn't know I did that, huh?).