Early Spring Evening

Early Spring Evening

Acrylic on Canvas Board

12" x 16"

This is the first studio evening painting I've attempted.  I enjoyed the challenge of muting the colors down, while still capturing the sense of atmosphere on a moonlight night reflecting off the silo, house , and late spring snow.

The inspiration for this painting is a farm I pass by daily on my way to work.  The elements of this painting are all there, just not in the location that I've included them.  I've included a couple of water color sketches below which were the beginnings of working out ideas for this painting.

The watercolor sketch on the left was impression one of a scene toward dusk.  The sketch on the right was a second iteration, which moved the trees behind the house to add emphasis to the house.  I was also experimenting with corn in various stages of decay in the foreground.  

Just quickly looking at these sketches, I can easily see 4 to six different paintings, including a night scene with the snow - which is what I decided to paint.  Below is the first block in, where I was trying to accomplish two things.  One, not to waste paint from another painting I'd just finished (The Yankee in me) and to cover the canvas to make it more workable.  Two I wanted to rough in the composition.

I didn't attempt to block in the tones of evening in the sky, in part, because my one attempt at painting at night (so far) proved to be too dark when examined in the light of day.  I find it's easier to go darker than to lighten up a painting.  I did intentionally block in the dull colors as the base for the hay/ field in the finished painting.

I added the building outline in making one significant change  I moved the house in toward the center and changed the direction of the house to lead the eye into the picture.  I first sketched it in in charcoal as I did in the watercolor sketches - but it instantly struck me as wrong and I changed it to the final composition.  I didn't bother to sketch in any more details as I had the sketches and the impressions from observation to go from and I enjoy continuing to compose as I paint. #pushingpaintaround

One painter whose evening painting (nocturnes) I admire is Frank Tenny Johnson.  His western nocturne's take my breath away.