69. Winter in the Studio: Little Big Skies, the first installment

Storm at Sea, 6x6

I feel like I just slipped into this series - unintentionally beginning something that I am not sure where it will take me.  This is the beginning of the my Little Big Skies paintings.  I had painted another painting of this scene on this panel and didn't like it.  So I sanded it down (like I do all paintings that I don't like, unless I wipe it down before it dries), and was going to put it in the pile of canvases when I thought:  why not try it again?  So I did, and I really liked it.  Actually I love it.  There was a freedom and painterliness that I had been reaching for. 

Then I  thought, I am liking this small size a little better now, maybe I should try it again.....

Storm at Sea 6x6

This is the second in the series (although it was really a series in my mind yet)  I liked this one well enough to paint a larger one from it (more on that later).  

I felt like I was getting somewhere now, so I painted another big sky painting - or a "cloudscape" as my sister Rachael like to call them!

Layers of Light 6x6

While I do like this one (I didn't sand it down after all!), it is not as lose as the first that I fell in love with in the very beginning...

 So another one:

Big Clouds 6x6  (Little Big Sky #4)

Now I am thinking of this as a series.  I can't wait to start the next one!

So I asked my husband to cut some panels for me - he cut 20 panels and I have clear coated them 3 times, and sanded them all down.  A bit of work, but they are my new favorite support!  What to do in Maine in the winter?  PAINT! 

68. Painting in Winter: In the Studio

We have been living in Maine 7 months!  And so here we are, in the midst of our first winter in Maine.  While it is cold, it is not unbearable - even though this has been one of the coldedst winters in 50 years.  Surprisingly, at least to me, I have found that I really like the winter season!  I like the 30 degree days better than the 5 degree days, but I love the season - the stillness,  the clearness of the skies, the stars that dazzle and the moon that glows on the snow. 

I have been painting steadily in my studio, which is probably another reason that I am loving these winter days so much.  I have been dividing my time between still lifes and landscapes.  The landscapes are developed from sketches , plein aire paintings and photos.

Here is a series of peonies that I have been working on.

It is interesting what you learn from working in a series - painting basically the same thing over and over.    I can look at the finished painting and decide what I liked about it - what worked, what I want to lean in on in the next painting.  These two paintings are very similar set-ups, but  painted at a slightly different vantage point and on slightly different size canvases.  the first is 8x10 and the second 9x12. 

I realize that I can also vary the materials - the surface that is is painted on, or the size.  Or sometimes the cropping of the subject.  This one is 6x6, painted on primed panel.  So it was very slick to paint on.  I cropped the subject - so it has as slightly abstract feel.

The next three have the same vase - but different backgrounds and different size canvases. The first is 8x10, then 9x12 and the next 12x12.

The next two are a different vase - a pewter mug. I had never painted pewter before - so that was fun.  The second one I limited myself to 20 minutes.  I was participating in a challenge to complete a 20 minute painting every day.  

My last one may in fact be my favorite one - I was trying to keep it all much more tonal  - so that the backdrop and  the horizontal plane were similar in color and value. I love the quality of light in this one - warm and glowy.