Trying to Paint the Color of Ice
It is hard to keep my momentum going on this painting because I’ve had so many other commitments to deal with. I work best when I can block out a period of time of one or two weeks, and paint every day. This is a busy time of year and I paint whenever there is a free day, sometimes more than a week will pass without time at the easel. Nevertheless I’m making progress. The figures are still only “roughed in” to determine color and value. As I observe the frozen lake outside my studio I realize that the ice is much darker than snow, it is partly transparent and influenced by the dark color of the lake bottom. So, I begin to add darker colored dots to the ice and as I continue some will be even darker. I am also going to darken the sky to make the mountains really stand out.
More tomorrow,
Gail Niebrugge, Painting Winter Alaska