A Zen Piece

The cold weather dredged up memories of a warmer time and the tranquility of a koi pond.

After a good aerobic workout in the snow, I was calm enough to visit this quiet place in my mind. Yes, such a place does exist....stop laughing.

I worked transparently for much of the picture, reserving opaque paints for the fish, lily-pads and surface of the water. There were objects reflected on the water, but I edited them out, going for simplicity and quiet.

These dark, transparent paintings are difficult to photograph and the new camera mocks me or I'd have posted sooner. It's still not even close, but all I can do for now.

Cold Weather Work

Cold weather encouraged me to paint in the studio.

I did walk and snowshoe though, and discovered ski tracks on an abandoned railroad bed. Apart from the visual pun, icicles, rock and snow made a delicious combination that compelled me to paint the scene. I snapped a bunch of reference photos and rushed home to block in the painting.

Plein air work definitely helped with the memory part of the job, since my new camera knows way more than I do.

The camera and I will understand each other one day.