Tags

, , , , , , ,

I opened my eyes today to dawn on Lake George. At 6:22 a.m., the lake is calm, even glassy in places, and there’s a pastel glow in the sky and on the water.

I’m at Wiawaka in Lake George, New York, with eight other artists in residence, and Monday was our first full day. Most of us were up early, hunting our painting inspiration for the day.

I chose the first view that met me, the lake, and started with a quick pencil drawing on a 300 lb Arches block (cold press), followed by preliminary washes.

I developed the water a bit, dropping in the dark values and leaving space for the reflection of the buildings.

Once everything was dry, I added the buildings and boats with gouache…painting2a

And then started building value around the shapes on the distant shore.

I’m hoping tomorrow’s dawn replicates today so I can work on the water and refine details.painting3

At 1:00, I took a workshop in Chinese brush strokes — the image at the top is the result.

Looking forward to more painting tomorrow.

Mary

P.S. My temporary studio…

painting studio