First comes twilight, then dusk

Light at the end of the day is only constant in that is fleeting and ever changing.  When I initially approached this painting I was focused on the subtleties found minutes after the sun disappears below the horizon.  I wanted to capture that period of time where your eye adjusts to the shadows and a new sense of depth is found.


When I am camping, its amazing how much the eye can perceive without the headlamp or light of the campfire.   However, as fascinated as I might be with this lack of light, I realized that this painting wouldn't been seen in the dark.  During the evolution of this painting, I added more highlights to achieve visual interest.  I almost stopped painting with the second image, but I was unsatisfied with the lines in the water.  This painting caused me to study color found after the sun sets.  For the past few weeks, I've been noticing sunset differently, I discovered dark greens and flickers of peach in the Milwaukee sky...as well as the first star of the evening.

This is another paintings inspired from the Boundary Waters Canoe area in Minnesota.  Its about that time of year, when we start making plans for our canoeing adventures for 2012!

DUSK, Oil on canvas, 16 x 40 in

Cairn #3

Oil on canvas,  12 x 24 in

Its been 6 months since I've encountered one of these cairns in the desert...its now January, and I'm already longing for my next big hike in the warmer months ahead.

After looking at the painting for awhile, I realized that the oval shaped rock in the foreground reminds me of an egg.  This is my first completed painting of 2012...so perhaps the egg symbolizes the surprises and good things I'm eagerly anticipating in the year ahead!

I love applying the creamy highlights of paint like frosting to the canvas.  I tried to capture the light and shadows of an early morning outside Moab, UT.  Its very cold in desert at this time of day, but the growing sunlight cuts through the frost and long shadows.

Its feels good to return to my palette after the holidays and time in Italy.  I wish you all the best in 2012!  Buon Anno!