Icy Pond at the Inn




Icy Pond Canvas Underpainted Black

In the afternoon of our New Hampshire painting weekend, it warmed up to almost forty.   The front of the inn where we were staying was very picturesque.   I set up in front of the inn looking down the hill at a ranch style fence which surrounded a frozen duck pond.    A pretty white birch on the far side of the pond reached up to the pink winter sky and of course, the mountains in the distance. 




Icy Pond at the Inn - Stage Two

I began once again with a black gesso underpainting.   The snow paint had to be thick to cover the black and  I used an unprecedented amount of thick paint - for me anyway.   This was the best view of mountains so far so I mixed three separate values of dull blue for the mountain colors.  The pretty red grasses behind and in front of the pond were thick and even pumped up the color with more thick paint.    I was satisfied that this may have been the best of the three paintings from the weekend.   So is was a darn shame that as I packed up, a gust of wind grabbed the easel; it flew over into the mud.   Dirt and grit was smeared into the thick impasto paint on the left.  


Icy Pond at the Inn - Stage Three

Grrrrrr.   The loose juicy grasses were spoiled.  I wish I had taken a photo before I scraped off the dirt and sand and packed up.    I fretted for a bit, but I used a photo reference to repair it in the studio.   It isn't exactly how I wanted it, but close.   The freshness of a painting done in a cold plein air setting is undoubtedly superior to a studio work.   I think the lack of perfection and overwork is a lot nicer!
 
 
 

 

Icy Pond at the Inn Final