Tahoe Trees & Rocks

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Well, painting in the window was a mixed success. Just like painting outside, you have to deal with changing light and sometimes blinding glare on the painting. The changing light is actually really cool - it makes me work quicker and keeps things fresh. The glare is something else - I have managed after much ado to arrange my studio lights so that they don't reflect on the oily paint surface too much, with diffusers, full spectrum bulbs and clamp lights. It's not too bad if the painting is small, but on larger pieces it's a real issue.

Working in the window today was almost impossible - the sun was reflecting against the snow and right into my painting, so I couldn't accurately read the colours. I found that taking it off the easel and working on it in my hand was easier - I think this might be the way forward for these little pieces.

The view is a small section of the hillside opposite us. There are loads of tempting looking granite boulders over there, which have on close inspection proven to be crumbly and unclimbable - bah! I tried to keep this painting quite loose, and look at the more abstract design of the landscape. The snow throws the rocks and trees into sharp relief, creating perpendicular movement with the added excitement of diagonals in the steep hillside. I'm going to try a bigger version of this piece - I think it's worth experimenting with and developing further.