Fall Sunrise

6" x 8"
Early Morning Marsh #45

I drove right out to the marsh this morning after dropping the kids off at the bus stop.  I really wanted to capture that morning light.  It's tricky considering how fast the sun rises - everything is constantly changing.  I tried to keep the marsh dark like it was when I first got there and took the photo below.  But, I think my painting is more of a combo of light - there aren't any shadows to keep me honest, so it turned out to be more of an abstract painting.  Oh, and  I LOVE how black those faraway bushes are against the sun.  The marsh is a smorgasbord of fall color right now - I didn't make this up (well, I kind of made it up a little).

Sunrise in the marsh.  No color anywhere.

A blurry shot of the Marsh when the sun is up.
Color is everywhere (but you can't tell in this awful photo)

First of all check out how blue those distant hills are. I mean, really.  You can kind of see the fall color situation in this photograph, but trust me on this, it's full-blown autumn out there.  Once I started on this little painting, the light was totally different so I put in the greens in the foreground and  exaggerated the orange in the distance.  I'm happy with the composition and overall, feel like I learned a lot today.  I think I'm going to tackle the Headlands tomorrow, maybe try  2 small paintings again; one looking toward the rising sun and one of the ocean crashing into the rocks.  Time to create a little "friction", as Mr. Paquet would say.

6" x 8"
Sun up at the Marsh #46