Today I did number 14 in my Pond Study Series. You can see the dulling of colors, which is a departure from my usual palette. The lone willow tree just right of the center is holding onto its foliage, as is the adjacent pine. The other side of the pond grows more and more bare. Strangely, the sky seems perpetually grayer than usual. I purposefully limited my palette in composing this painting. I used only ultramarine blue, cadmium yellow, burnt umber, and titanium white. I think this limitation forced me to stay within a certain range of tone throughout the piece. I want to continue with this practice in having painting related goals for future pond studies. I continue to learn not only about observation of a subject matter but also about paint manipulation. I am allowed risks and experiments through the repetition. I would suggest this kind of project for any artist. This should be done periodically through any artists career as an opportunity for growth and discovery. For future pond study pieces I will limit palette, mark making, and time of execution. It is a strange feeling, that I am somehow becoming connected to this scene. I am seeing my own personal transformations through the land’s seasonal phases.
contemporary landscapes