Small Pond Winter

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I started this painting around a week ago and just got to finish it during the weekend. Busy week last week. The pond is at the end of our street and I loved the long shadows across the snow and the gorgeous reds in the trees and bushes. Usually during the winter once the ice is frozen all the neighborhood kids and parents clear off the snow and spend their afternoons skating. Each time they tried this year it would snow on their efforts and so I think they gave up in frustration. On the bright side, they did get in lots of sledding.

I remember one year the conditions being exceptionally good for a long stretch of time. One of those nights a moon was shining big and bright and full. Enough light shown across the pond that the kids could keep skating. The wind was hushed and the air clean and crisp. We built a small fire and had hot cocoa on hand to keep warm.

With the two warm days and pouring rain that we just had, the snow is now gone off the pond. The winter is still very young, though and we could have another cold snap that will allow the kids to skate again. That's life in New England.

Haiti

Just like most of the world, I am feeling somewhat helpless at what is happening in Haiti. So with today's post I am simply offering prayers and a link.

To help the cause in Haiti click here

Morning Snow and Pines

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Two days ago I readied for the day and upon entering my kitchen was greeted with this view through the window of this wonderful morning light filtering through the trees. Set down the tea, grab the pastels and get to work...The challenge was all the dark vertical lines of the trees and the horizontals of the snow and light. Also, how quickly I knew the light was going to change. I chose the view which kept some of the lighter valued trees in the forefront so the painting would stay light and airy. I also chose to use a vertical format to suggest the height of the trees.

Watercolor underpainting demo

Here are some images from a demo I gave for the Pastel Painters Society of Cape Cod. A method I use quite extensively is to underpaint with watercolor and then apply pastel over that underpainting. The watercolor keeps the painting light and airy underneath, but still reads through beautifully even after applying my layers of pastel. I was referring to a small painting done on location and some photo reference. I love working from my small plein air pieces as they help to keep the colors and inspiration true. (The final painting is available for purchase and details can be viewed at my main website.) (Thank-you to Elaine Cunniff for the jpg images of the demo day)

It's about time

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My son will be proud of me. Months ago he helped me start the set up of this blog. And here it finally goes. It is with some fear that I am jumping into this venture, but I have expectations that it will end up being fun. And here is my first painting on my blog. This is a pastel painting I did just a few short months ago on a gloriously warm late fall day. The road leads to my house and is covered with lots of snow now. It feels more like New Hampshire around here this year than the SouthEast. My children will now have the same memories that I had of high climbing snow banks and lots of sledding when they grow up.