Mud Flats, Annisquam River

Mud Flats, Annisquam River, 5x7", oil on panel.

Well it was a crisp morning today, and the colors were very clean, so that was a nice challenge. These colors looked incredibly garish when I was painting this, mainly because everything looks brighter and more vivid in the direct sunlight, so I was really worried about the piece being a disaster, but I trusted the colors that I mixed in the shade, and it looks pretty nice indoors, under artificial light, which is where it would be seen most often anyway.

One thing I find is that I very rarely use more than one or two brushes when I'm out doing these little pieces. I guess one, there just doesn't seem to be time to switch brushes constantly, and two, if you find the right size brush, you should be able to make it do all of the rough little shapes you need it to do anyway.

Does anyone else find this to be true?

Oh, and I'm reading John F. Carlson's Guide to Landscape Painting, which very good reading so far. It was mentioned in a video by Richard Schmid, and it is really an excellent primer on landscape painting.

Low Tide at Goose Cove

Low Tide at Goose Cove, 5x7", oil on panel.

A foggy morning greeted me today, and I was looking forward to the challenge of painting the diffused edges and soft grey colors of the fog-covered landscape. This is one of my favorite places on the cape, where Goose Cove empties into Annisquam River. Low tide causes water to rush out of the cove and creates the turbulence you see in the foreground.

My fingers are still thawing, though.