First Snow

Some of my oil paintings start out as a base acrylic underpainting. This is done on the blank white canvas. It’s then covered with masking tape (cutting ever so carefully with a crafting knife) and the oil paints are applied over it. Eventually the tape is removed and the acrylic underpainting is covered with a thin clear glazing medium, and touched up with oils to add detail and highlights. Below is an underpainting I did with shaded wood (brown) and white gesso, with a bit of black too.

The next day I finished the painting. Below is a little background on why I chose this particular scene.

I was out running in the snow a couple days ago. During the run I had five deer pass in front of me. It was dark, quiet, and overall a very nice moment. The deer all walked by me in not much of a hurry. They checked me over and didn’t find me all too threatening. One of the deer was small; I assume this will be that deer’s first winter. I wonder the struggles that they endure as they press on throughout the winter. Will that little one make it to spring? I’m not sure. But they are equipped for the rigors of a northern New York winter. I sure hope the little deer tastes the fresh green grass of spring. For now, there are months of snow, wind, and darkness to overcome.

This painting, “First Snow”, is just a reflection of that moment. There is a lot of wonder and awe out in the world.

Snowman

I like to repurpose things when I can. Things like old picture frames. Not just any old frames, but ones that are made of real wood or have some character or unique traits. I found this small wood frame in a thrift store. It had a nice matte inside. The matte was a cream color with a sliver of blue trim around it. I thought the blue trim would go great with a winter scene. I was painting snowmen due to the season and figured it would make a nice gift for someone. I added a short string of lights in the “hands” of my snowman as if he/she were getting ready to put it on a tree. This of course is comical in itself. So I added the tiny tree that wouldn’t be able to support the lights anyway. Although not realistic of a scene, it is whimsical and fitting of the winter season. I really like the outcome. My wife will be giving this away to one of her friends who really likes snowmen.

Night Solitude

It was the first day of snow today; at least the first to accumulate on the ground. That provided some inspiration for my painting. I had a random solid black canvas panel that had went unused for a long time. I was aiming for a painting that was going to be a night scene with deep blues fading into nothing. So the black solid background would work. First, I masked off the light post. There was no underpainting; just cutting away the tape from the bare black panel and removing the excess tape. I prepped the canvas with clear glaze. I then painted in layers of blue starting with darker hues and making the value lighter as I worked closer to the light. I blended it all with a scenery brush. I used a fan brush to “spring” some snow into the air. I used cerulean blue and white for the snowflakes further away from the light. The snow closer to the light was straight white. The ground was then painted using various layers of blue, brushed on with the scenery brush using smooth horizontal strokes. I kept the snow closer to actual white under the light. I wanted the painting to really have a sense of a dark winter night, so I used the crisp whites sparingly. These colors worked well for my vision. I then removed the masking tape to reveal the matte black light post. I did not add any clear glaze to the pole. I wanted it to have less gloss than what oil paint usually shows. I did add some grayish tones to the one side of the pole to give a bit of definition. But I mainly left the pole alone. At that point I thought about leaving the painting and calling it done. I was going for a minimalist scene as it was. But I decided to add the wreath and ribbon to the pole. I’m glad I did, as I’m happy with the results. It gave a bit of extra color to a scene rich in blues. This is an 11x14 panel. I put it on a mini-display easel and it looks great. I’ll frame it if I find a nice frame that compliments the painting.

Sunset Loon

The painting below was an experiment with a darker foreground to silhouette elements like the trees against a brighter sky. I wanted a mist to shroud the boarder between shoreline and the water of this little pond. I used vibrant colors for the sunset and kept the ground and water much darker. I really enjoyed painting this one and it turned out pretty close to what I envisioned. It’s a 12x16 wrapped canvas.

Pumpkin Turkey

Well, this post has nothing to do with painting. I wanted to make my Halloween pumpkin last further into the Thanksgiving season. So I didn’t carve it. I found a neat metal decoration kit. I like the fun results.

Chickadee Close Up

The painting below is a 12x12 stretched canvas. It is a close up view of a Chickadee sitting on a branch. The branches and berries are coated in a light snow. I wanted a micro scene instead of the landscapes I normally do. The background is blurred to be non distinctive other than a cloudy backdrop. I masked the perimeter to frame the painting.