Winter Paintings Done and Those Still To Do.

"January Thaw" Oil on copper     8 x 6"

Bitter cold has kept me in the studio each day until the present warm spell blew into New England. The horses are wondering what the story is , and their shedding hair is flying! Oh, the vagaries of Mother Nature!!  I have been wanting to do a painting of out brook for ages. It was time. I just did a small 8 x 6" oil on copper and it is available on my website, [see above] all framed and ready to hang!! "January Thaw" is one view of our brook that I love..... and I plan on doing other seasons too.Each season offers a new light,with different colors. Right now our brook is a sheet of ice.....all gray and silver. I think I might give it another try on my easel!!

Our old Cob mare sleeps in the winter sun.

We are more than half through winter....I know the horses are glad for that fact!!

Devon , our Morgan ginger boy, watches the ice covered pond.

Spruce Head,Maine New Painting In February



The start of the Mill Cove painting.

I  often get questions on how I work....and I must admit working in oil on a copper panel is very different than working in casein on board. For one thing the oil on copper goes on slippery and slick. Casein on a toned board or paper goes down gritty and matte. The difference between the two is one of the major reasons I enjoy them both.

With the oil I start with a full color block-in which leaves me with a sort of abstract image. Once I have established the composition I go in to the "embellishment" ....deciding what I want to detail and what I can leave out.I don't want too much detail.I personally prefer less detail, more nuance, and that is the song I want to sing. The oil I just finished is pictured here, in this blog post, in the beginning stage and then as the finished work. I think you can get an idea of how I went with it.

I do use the same color palette with oil as I do with my casein work. My watercolor work is a whole different palette and is approached from a complete different direction. But that is another story!

I am having fun with my oil on copper while doing these past small Maine landscapes. I plan on doing 2 more, but the next 2 will be more inland scenes,not costal. But they are all what I love about Maine! We love living here.

"Mill Cove-Spruce Head,Maine"      Oil on copper      6x6"   ©2012 kathipeters.com