#43

8" x10"
Sunrise #43

I got outside early this morning; early enough that I saw my BF, who was finishing up her 20 mile daily morning run, while I was parked in my warm car, with hot tea in hand.  I wanted to see if I could capture that early morning light.  I think over all, you do get a sense of early morning or evening.  The light changes so fast that time of day - you gotta work fast. When I made my sketch, it was dark - everything was in silhouette, but then the sun rose and the colors started coming out.  I blocked in the creek reflection and the bright green algae early in the game, before it disappeared.  I think you must have to use a photograph to really capture that moment when the sun rises,  just because the colors change so fast when your outside - there's no way not to add them as you paint the scene.  I'll investigate and get back you on that.
In the meantime, I'm going out again tomorrow morning after I drop the kids off at the bus - I can't wait to try it again.

8" x 10"
#44
Copy Cat of Jim McVickers Painting. I could have sworn my sky was more yellow than this. 

This afternoon I went to my studio and copied one of Jim McVickers' paintings. I love the way he treats those backlit trees, and his darks are SO dark.  His trees don't come any where close to looking like my dark "tree-blobs".  You know right away that those trees are fir trees, even though they are so loosely painted.  And that sky has that early morning cast to it, too.  However, when I see the paintings posted side by side, I realize how off I am on my palette, but no matter.  I think it was a good exercise to practice some trees and morning light.  I'll try to remember how I did that tomorrow morning.

McVickers Painting.  I love the backlit trees & color palette.

I'm going to spoil you now and show you one of my favorite paintings.  This is how an amazing painter does light.  Or at least how he does a sunset -this painting below is by Tim Horn, of course.  I am in love with this painting. Just look at how he deals with the sun as it hits the horizon.  I want to paint this - I love to watch the sun just before it rises or sets, and to be able to paint it so beautifully would be totally awesome.