Friday, November 27, 2009

Winter Mode







Well, I'll be the first to admit that I really don't care for snow. Living in northern New York all my life has given me ample time to adjust and get used to it, though. I will also tell you however, that snow scenes are one of my favorite things to paint.



Maybe it's just the stark contrast of the white snow and the cool, blue-gray shadows. ( Blue is by far my favorite color ) Or, the mystery of what lies beneath as the snow forms it's blanket over the land.



I really do enjoy going snowshoeing and breathing the crisp air and recording the sights of the snow-laden trees, with both my memory and sometimes my camera. It's very inspiring to "get out in it" !



Here are some recent works just completed in the past few days. I used Alkyd fast-drying oils.



"WINTER WOODS" 12" x 16" - I love birch trees for their stark contrast of black & white. To me, they have the most character of any tree. There are thousands of them in the woods behind my house, so I never lack for reference material.



"FROSTY MORNING" 11" x 14" - As most of you are aware, I love to paint old barns and dominant, powerful skies. When I can combine both of those elements into one painting,........ well,... I'm a happy guy!



"WINTER CARDINALS" 12" x16" - This is a commission which will be a Christmas gift for the client's daughter. The specific request was for a male and female cardinal on a birch tree in a winter theme. So, with that as my guide, this is what I came up with.



Oddly, enough, we have no snow here right now. Very unusual for this late in the year. We usually are blanketed by now. I'm sure our little reprieve won't last much longer!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Love these winter scene's Wilson, especially when you include birch trees!

Amy said...

I'm glad you are getting a break on the snow so far this year. However, you still did some awesome paintings without having to see any fresh snow. I guess you have many memories of it..and you photos of course. All three of those paintings are georgous! It makes you feel like you are there.
tc, Amy

Wilson said...

Thanks, Dawn & Amy. I'm glad you liked them.

Unocchio Vecchiaccio said...

Thanks for sharing Willy. I always enjoy your great paintings and commentary

Unknown said...

Wow! Beautiful! No snow has fallen here yet, but I'm sure we'll see some before the end of the year. :-)

Wilson said...

We just finally got a little overnight, though it has all melted away by now. Shades of worse to come!!! lol