oil/canvas11x14
The first version of this segment of woods at Samuel Lewis State Park is closer in mood and atmosphere to the actual time and setting. When I paint en plein aire, I usually try to create the actual "plein aire", the lighting, the weather conditions, etc. We were completly "fogged in" that morning. There were no shadows or lights, just gray skies and trees receding in the mist. I liked the first version a bit, but I wanted to show more sky and to "punch up" the foreground a little. So I brushed over some of the branches, creating more negative space around, and therefore, more focus on the foreground trees. As the morning wore on, the fog diminished a bit and the sky lightened up. I reflected this slight change by adding some more white to my sky color.
