Friday, January 9, 2009

Today's Effort


Between organizing and packing for our Albany trip and doing some other duties, I had an hour and a half left to paint this afternoon. So, I did the one you see here. I was thinking of a "morning" time of day, so I used Cadmium Yellow Light and Cerulean Blue which are good in describing that type of atmosphere. Cerulean Blue is a "greenish" blue, as opposed to say, Ultramarine, which leans toward Violet. ( it contains some Red, thus it's much warmer ) Actually, Lemon Yellow would have been a better choice because it's "cooler" than the Cad. Yellow Light, but I didn't have any of that on hand in the studio.

We had some fresh snow from yesterday, so Glenda and I went snowshoeing when she got home from work at 4:00. Just enough time to get in a good, brisk workout before dark. The icy breeze and fresh air were pretty invigorating.

Supposedly, ( if you can trust the forecast ) it looks like it won't be too treacherous for travel tomorrow. They're predicting more snow for late Saturday night and Sunday morning though, so coming home could a little more interesting.

11 comments:

Mikes1024 said...

Hi Wilson, this painting is beautiful. I love how the light reflects on the water...the blues are awesome.

Wilson said...

Thanks, Mike. I sometimes get into a rut of the same old colors, ( my staples are Ultramarine Blue and Burnt Sienna ) so I was trying to go for a different mood with the Cerulean. And as I said earlier, I wanted to convey a "morning" feel.
I think I achieved that. I'm happy with it.
By the way, the "sparkles" on the water were done with a palette knife. It works great for that effect.

Anonymous said...

I love the calming effect the colours portray in this work Wilson. Its beautiful...and you did it in an hour and a half?!! lol

Dawn

Wilson said...

Well, I've been painting for 20 years, so most of my stuff doesn't take too long any more. I pretty much see it in my mind before my brush ever touches the canvas.
Plus, I've done many 1/2 hour painting shows for our local cable TV station, so I'm used to having to work quickly.

Wilson

Anonymous said...

I can't wait to be able to paint that fast :) I still have a hard time getting the image in my head to transform onto canvas. I guess that comes with time and practice too. *sigh* Patience is a virtue isn't it? LOL

Dawn

Wilson said...

Well, I think I'm about twice your age, so I've had a lot more time to practice. lol ( I'll be 50 next month ) Since this is my "profession", I paint nearly every day, either in my studio on commission/sales work, designing new class projects or instructing a class. If I'm not actually painting, I'm taking photos or looking for new subject matter. My brain is geared to art 90% of the time in one way or another. I can't turn it off. It's permanently tuned to that station. lol That may sound like a curse to some people, but not for me, I love what I do. It's who I am.
Don't worry, Dawn. Your inspiration and perspiration will pay off as the time goes by and paintings will start to "flow" through you.

Nic said...

Hey Willie,
Yes sir, I'm working my tail off getting ready for Silver Falls...and don't worry...I'll give Norma a big 'ol hug and smooch on your behalf!

By the way; Cerulean? Who's the show-off now?! HA HA! Only teasing, of course, this one is awesome. Especially the tree on the right side. (You've got to show me how you did that!!)

Also, I don't think I ever told you how much I enjoyed your "Let's Paint an Old Barn" DVD. I've watched it several times and it's given me a lot of new ideas. Thanks for sharing your know-how!!

~Nic

Anonymous said...

Haha! Your only 20 years older than me, LOL. Not quite twice my age yet! I'd say my brain is about 50% geared towards art...only b/c that's all I can afford to give it LOL. Darn day job! It does help keeping inspired when you meet other friendly artists online though! ;) Makes me enjoy painting even more since I have people I can relate to! Hmmm maybe one day I can devote 90% of my brain to art...that would be the best day job! You never know. Ok I'm off to paint some more! Have a good night.

Dawn

Wilson said...

Hey Nic,
I'm glad you enjoyed the "barn Dvd. I use that particular technique for a lot of different subjects. And that "tree on the right" was Fan Brush all the way.
I might have to come visit in Tennessee for the next week, okay? It's supposed to be REALLY cold here for the next few days. The "high" will be 0 tomorrow and the "low" is forecast to be 15 to 20 BELOW. And it's supposed to be that way for several days. I'm going snowshoeing tomorrow regardless.

Wilson said...

Well Dawn, you must be right around my daughter's age, 29. That was a good age, I wish I could have stayed there! lol
I know all about the "day job". It took several years of "burning the candle at both ends" before I was able to strictly branch off into an art "career". That was my goal though, and I worked at it tenaciously to achieve it. The old adage, "Life's too short"...... became all too real for me. I decided that I had to do what I ENJOYED. It was a big move, but I've been extremely fortunate that it has turned out very well for me.

Anonymous said...

Let's hope that one day I'll be in the same boat your in now. :) Life is definately too short.

Dawn