Ok, ok, I am admitting... Like everyone else I am addicted to the new HBO series "Game of Thrones". And after watching the snow-covered mysterious northern countries of the Starks for weeks, anxiously waiting for each new episode to appear on the TV screen every Sunday, I thought I'd pay my homage by doing some small paintings of snow scenes on Sundays.
Falling Snow (Thoughts of You Fall Quietly upon Me...),
Watercolor on Arches 140# Rough Paper , 7"h x 8"w, 2012 #30
Sold!
This Sunday's episode gives me a profound sense of loss and loneliness, which prompted me to try to capture the same feeling in this little imagined scene. I imagined it outside someone's window in the northern woods, and the thoughts of the host slowly drifting away to a distant place to be with someone she cares deeply about with the snow veiling the worlds surrounding her little by little... Life in the northern woods, where the life changes following the pattern of the seasons. A distant past, another life...
It was fun painting this one. I experimented with diluting the paint mixture little by little when painting each of the foreground trees from top down to create the effect of snow being blown by wind and drifting near the ground. Paper towels came in handy in wiping away the last bit of thin mixtures near the bottom of the picture to make them completely disappear. I played with calligraphic strokes on the dried weeds near the ground, and on the bare branches of the little tree in the foreground. A limited palette of Cobalt Blue, French Ultramarine, Brown Madder Alizarin, Burnt Sienna and a little bit of Raw Sienna was all that's used. Sober mood calls for muted colors...
I'm also progressing cautiously with my fog painting, "Spring Meadow, Tamalpais". I painted wet on dry using very fluid mixture of Cobalt Blue, Indian Yellow, Burnt Sienna and a little bit Sap Green, paying attention to vary the proportion of colors in the mixture when painting the tree shapes to make it more interesting. Near the ground, I thinned the mixture again in the attempt to capture the effect of ground mist often found in foggy mountain meadows. Again, paper towel came in handy here and there for lifting and wiping out... I am trying to be cautious about how many layers of trees to put in -- a small picture surface can quickly become too busy if I get carried away planting trees ;-). But one or two more layers may still be needed...
Spring Meadow, Tamalpais,
Watercolor on Winsor Newton 140# Cold Press Paper , 5"h x 9"w, WIP 3
breathtakingly ethereal. i love falling snow! spring meadow is a close second. amazing work.
ReplyDeleteArena, you romantic, you!! Your landscapes are rivaling your florals, and those are to die for. With Falling Snow, you truly are expressing a sense of quiet loss. BRAVO!
ReplyDeleteNow, can you give me some advice about the darn bridge I'm attempting??? :)
Hi Kathryn, I've left my two cents on the comment section of your blog. It's embarrassing for me to give any advice to people who are painting architectural landscapes given I've rarely had any success in my meager attempts at them. However, I do know some people who does bridges brilliantly, and I've left the reference links in my comments. I'm also trying to paint the Golden Gate Bridge this year since it's the bridge's 75th birthday this year. Let keep each other company... ;-)
DeleteThese are beautiful! So loose yet they say so much. Great interview by the way, over at Carrie's blog. I'm really impressed at your commitment and dedication to learning your craft. So cool.
ReplyDeleteThanks Kara... I was inspired by you, Carrie and Crystal -- you all have great dedications and commitments for your crafts and your dreams of becoming full-time artists. If not for you guys, I would never have started this journey...
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