The Sun Came Out!

"The Farmhouse, Sunny Day", 6x8 oil on linen panel

   As hoped for today was a beautiful, mild sunny day and I scratched the itch I had to add to my series of small "Farmhouse" paintings.  This was a real quickie but knowing the subject so well allows me to execute the paintings in short order. 

      I think I might add different views of the farmhouse as I don't want to get too repetitive in the same season.  I like the view from all directions so I will see what a different perspective brings.  At least this is helping me learn to enjoy painting winter landscapes.  I had mentioned in an earlier post that without snow to paint in winter I have found it difficult to work up much enthusiasm to paint what I see.  It boiled down to the fact that I don't feel I do leafless trees very well.  I am beginning to develop ways to tackle them. Squinting to see the tree as a mass with subtle variations in color from the densely branched centers to the finely branched tops I put those colors down in broad strokes.  Then I work the sky back into them just as I do sky holes when the trees are in leaf but there are more and the openings are more elongated.  I am having fun with them!