Thursday, February 20, 2014

bright day

9x12 Oil on gesso board  Painted en plein air at Lemon Bay Golf Club, Florida January 29,2014
As I write this post the day that I am looking at through my studio window is anything but bright. Although it is mid-day, the sky is deep grey, snow is dulled, the trees stand out in dark detail. We are about to get yet another snowstorm.
Ah, I comfort myself with this painting that I finished on the golf course in Florida. It was meant to be just a sketch. A one day effort but I ended up finishing it to a greater degree. This was my first day spent outdoors with my painting kit in Florida. The colors looked garish to me, the sun was so bright, the sky so deep blue, the grass so gaudy yellow-green. I put these down as I saw them, adding the deeper blueish shadows as the afternoon went on. When I brought this home, I was tempted to wash over the painting, neutralize it, get rid of the gaudy glaring brightness. Too much green and yellow!
My Florida friend protested that I should not alter it, the landscape is really that brilliant. That is what people love about winter in Florida. I am sending this painting to her.