A Brilliant Morning at Willow Pond Farm

Morning at Willow Pond Farm, 11x14 oil on gessoboard

      As I mentioned in my last post I knew I wouldn't be able to upload anything until today.  Yesterday was spent in Board meetings for the Art League of Alexandria and it was a really productive day.  This is an exciting time at the Art League and we have some special events scheduled for this summer that are going to be a lot of fun.  More about that shortly.

      To the left is the painting you can see on the easel in my post from June 25th.  I also give you a good view of the scene from my vantage point behind the easel on that same post.  The light was amazing!  It was still early enough to see all the jewel colors with vivid blues, yellows and greens predominating.  When you see the painting on my easel two posts back it was getting close to quitting time on this piece.  The light as we approached noon really started bleaching out the colors and I decided to leave the tweaking for the studio.  As you have already read, we then broke for the extraordinary lavender infused lunch.  All I did at home was adjust the sky holes in the tree a little, put in a few more streaks of brilliant yellow and slightly brighten the blue in the sky. It is finished. Unfortunately I am out of 11x14 frames or I would enter this in the Art League show on Monday.  Hmmm, maybe I can take a frame off another painting.  I hate doing that when the backs are already papered so I'll see.

      These brilliant colors and light surrounded me in every direction.  There were lots of artists painting so I would be able to include them in whatever scene I was looking at.  What drew me to this site was that tree.  There were willows all around the pond but this was something different.  Maybe it is some sort of willow I haven't seen before.  I wish I had asked.  What I loved was its form.  It looks like it is perpetually in motion and bending from the wind.  The day had a comfortable breeze but nothing to create that movement you see in the tree.  I also loved the silvery color especially combined with the lavender behind it.  There is just so much there to paint!
I have been bad about updating my website again but go and visit anyway:)  http://www.jeanschwartzpaintings.com/  As soon as I get my act together I will upload 7 new plein air paintings.
My next post will be about painting #3 from the workshop weekend.