Following the Light

I’ve spent many hours hiking through the woods looking for just the right paintable picture. They have many backroads in the Northwoods that are used for recreational use. I was walking down one of the many ancient fire roads in midsummer following a creek that wandered through the woods. I came upon this section of road that was dappled with light which toom my breath away. I followed the road that ran between the trees with a slight curve at the end. My mind started swirling about how I would paint this breathtaking scene.

My process is very simple. I concentrate on the light and dark patterns of the painting first, Then I proceeded to paint from background to foreground initiating large shapes first followed by smaller shapes. I took the liberty to add a few more light areas on the road and added a few more trees in the distance to get that feeling of depth.

I have been experimenting with Indigo ArtPaper and have been very happy with the results. The rough texture complements the rural landscapes. QoR paints are the watercolor paints of course. Their color depth and purity are a few reasons they are my favorite. The watercolors colors I used were ultramarine blue, cobalt blue, sap green, raw sienna, and burnt sienna. I use this limited palette of color as I do with my students many times so they learn how to cross-mix colors, and actually, it’s a little bit more fun.