Minnehaha Creek Nocturne

As February winds to a close I thought I would add another painting and talk about painting in general. I waited six years before attempting this painting. I did not think I was ready to try painting in the dark. I am glad I waited! I was comfortable with my equipment and surroundings and felt pretty much at ease. I am not afraid of cold weather {it was zero} and have a great light that I use for ice fishing as well as painting.I have great winter clothes and can tolerate it well. The light I use is a strap on headlamp for campers and hikers. The one I have has 3 led lights with a flip down red lens cover that preserves your night vision. I highly recommend  these for painters as they are light weight and leave your hands free. I used a fairly limited pallete on this painting,aliziron red, Paynes grey, yellow ohcre ,Indotherene blue,pthalo green,english red,and cerealian blue.oh and a manganese purple.

    I did not tone the canvas but started right in with the sky and then the background and foreward from there. I also laid in my darks thicker than in a daylight painting.Kinda reversed painting darks light  and lights heavy. i spent 2 hours in the field and 1 hour at home finishing it up. I am very happy with the results although it is not a F.T.Johnson or a Remington it has a nice feel to it. I cant wait to do another! I believe that if you want to try something try it.If it doesnt go well find out why and try again. This is how I taught myself how to paint,one brush stroke at a time.If you have a good feel for nature and sense of how things look than it will help in painting from life. I think that age helps in landscape painting to a certain degree. If you are familiar  with your subject it is easier to paint. Since the beginning of February I have painted 12 of Minnehaha Creek From Minneapolis to Edina and that prepared me for the nocturne. I will share a few of these in my next entry. Until then Happy painting! Bob

Bridge Paintings

Greetings! We have had yet another taste of winter here,several new inches of snow. This winter reminds me of the old fashioned ones from years ago! Have been getting out to paint on the nicer days and have been concentrating on the bridges that span Minnehaha Creek which is at the end of the block I live on. I cant really explain why I started painting them but find them interesting and good subject matter. Plus they are so close and easy to get to with out a long walk... I am finding that if one dresses for the weather it is really a lot of fun to paint snow. It is a interesting subject to paint as the light plays subtle effects on the snow.
   It requires a lot of white paint although I never ever use it out of the tube always mixing it with warms and cools.  I have gone through 4 large tubes of white and am waiting for my new batch to arrive. I am trying out Lefranc white as I understand it is very white and is also easy to manage in cold weather. I have also started to include some cobalts in my pallete, Violet and Turquoise which add soft but very pleasing color to snow.

  When painting a bridge I want it to be the focal point but not overpower the painting. I  like to lead you to the bridge with a lot of foreground and keep the bridge in the background.  The object of this is to give you the impression of being out on a walk and seeing the bridge in the background and deciding whether or not to cross or turn around. When painting in the winter it is possible to get at the water level if you know the current flow beneath the ice. It is Not advisable to wander out on any creek without knowing this beforehand!! A long walk back to your car with a wet leg is not on the list of fun things you want to experience!

Just some random Thoughts and a New Work

I have been laid up for almost a month due to foot surgery,Have not been out painting since the second week of Jan. I had no idea how much I would miss it. Sure I have been painting in the studio but it is not the same as being out grabbing the essence of the scene and slapping paint on canvas.I love the smell of turp in the morning!    
Above is the last plein aire that I did before my hiatus. 24x30  finished the snow back in the studio.I am very happy with this painting, I think it came out well and it looks nice in a frame. This was done on a warmer day late morning to early afternoon. I would like to know how to take better photos or have them look better on the net but this will have to do.