Will Spring Ever Come?

Another morning with below freezing temperatures. We have never experienced a winter like this, where we have only one or two days of reprieve from cold, grey and dreary weather. I would never have made it through this winter season without the art. I literally zip through my chores in the AM so that I can spend the afternoon in the basement, painting and listening to my CDs. I am now in the process of moving to watercolors, which I can enjoy upstairs, out on my porches, or outdoors. I'll return to oil painting in the heat of summer. I have finished my last oil of the season, 'Sunset', a companion painting to 'Sunrise'. I merged the two photos into one, looking forward to working with the contrast between the dark clouds and the orange sunset. The orange, however, drove me mad, and made me very uncomfortable, so I had to tone the orange down to pink.

Photo # 1

Photo # 2

'Sunset at Camp Colegate'

It has been my experience in the past that I paint my trees too densely, and don't leave enough sky holes. Perhaps I overdid the airiness of the trees, but it is what it is. I really struggled with this particular painting, whereas the companion 'Sunrise' more or less painted itself.  Every painting, however, is an experience and a lesson to be learned. I might paint this sunset again some day, after I gain more experience. I wish I could move to The Villages and take lessons down there.

The sun is really shining this AM, which will probably change, yes, we will have rain this afternoon. How much can one take? I have lost a hen this winter, one of my Golden Comets, but the rest of the flock seem okay and are back to nearly full production. When I am outside, I hear the signs of spring, meadow larks, towhees, song sparrows, red winged blackbirds, and pileated woodpeackers, so I know that spring is just around the corner, most likely arriving when I'm down South.