Wednesday, December 21, 2005

Winter Solstice Sunset
9x12, oil/linen panel
Today is the winter solstice, the first day of winter! I thought it would be fun to try and capture the last fleeting moments of light before the longest night of the year sets in. This whole painting was done in 20 minutes from 4:30 to 4:50pm. The clouds were gentle drifting, forming and re-forming and the light quickly slipping away. As I looked down at my canvas to fill in the last part of the sky in the lower right hand corner the light disappeared. When I looked up at the sky again it was as if someone had dropped a dark curtain over the sky. I finished up putting in the trees as the darkness deepened. Early this morning I did a sketch in charcoal just after sunrise. Charcoal was the perfect medium to convey the sense of strong sunlight and deep dark shadows. Click on the link to my sketching blog Pen, Pencil & Paper to view the sketch. Celebrate, the days start to get longer as of tomorrow!

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