30 in 30 - Day 21 - Swedish Sun study

6x8

Oil on Gessoboard

Snapped a picture of this view in Fjallvik Sweden this summer.  It was a late evening around 8-9PM and of course the sun was still up creating this strong almost blinding light on the water.  It reminded me of the paintings of Russion artist Bato... and I wanted to see if I could figure out how to paint it to get that effect of strong sun light.  I ended up painting the water almost white...but somehow that didn't capture the effect of the sun as well.  I felt like the strongest light needed to be on the boats and the dock...without the light on the water competing.  Painting is a lot of interpretation and problem solving.  Below is the actual photo.

I might try another version of it.    How would you paint it? 

30 in 30 - Day 2

Pond Pals

8x10

oil on linen on panel

Set out to paint this a lot more abstract when I started this morning...?  But somehow I got right into painting it more realistically...it's difficult to sway what comes naturally...

I enjoyed some of the brush strokes and finding a way to describe the warmth of that afternoon sun.  Next time I need to have a better plan...Anyone else struggling with abstract?  Any good tips?...

I might need to paint it once this way to get it out of my system and then tackle it again:-)

It was a nice surprise that I had the chance to paint on Labor Day - thanks to hubby and kids being busy and getting up early!  Wishing everyone a Happy Labor Day - now it's time to relax with family and friends.