#ThrowbackThursday

"Warm Winter Sun"

6x8 Pastel

"Purple Haze" 6x8 Pastel

Here's a recent pastel painted from another winter woods exploration to the Goldthwaite Trail in Danville, NH.

I painted this small pastel using only my Terry Ludwig "Most Requested Violets" set. My new favorite set. Ok, so I had to brighten up the snow a bit and add a touch of color to the trees so I used 440 and 210 from my Plein Air Landscape set.

I wanted to stay quick with my strokes and try to create a solid feel of impressionism with this piece. I started with a very dark underpainting and began laying the colors on very lightly. I wanted to create a nice texture to the snow while preserving an icy feeling to the landscape.

My favorite part....the trees! I love the touch of blue violet on the bark! This was so much fun, can't wait to use them again!

"Purple Haze"

Clyde Goldthwaite Trail, Danville, NH

6x8 Pastel on Wallis Paper

"Frozen in Time" 12x12 Pastel

Here is my first painting of 2014. This has been a nice accomplishment so fresh into the new year. Painting time is rather scarce these days so to complete this feels great. The bonus is that I really, really like it. There so much I love about it and I RARELY speak that way about my own work.

First, I love the depth of the piece. I love the perspective of the river and the feeling of a deep forest. Second, I love the values. I usually go very, very dark in my snow scenes and one of my focuses this year is to paint in a tighter value scale and definitely accomplished that here. I tried to stay light and I really like the results, especially in the water. I was able to keep the water a dark value and still make it feel cold and icy. Third, my color palette...I usually go VERY purple in my snow scenes, however this time I tried to be more natural with my color scheme. I still used purple, just not as much. The fourth and final thing I love is the TREE! I just love it, I feel it has so much personality, it has nice form, not too dark...just right.

There is one thing I incorporated into this painting that I have never done before in my snow scenes...It's not hidden but challenging to find...

Can you see it?

"Frozen in Time"

12x12 Pastel 

Goldthwaite Trail, Danville, NH

BIG NEWS!!

I told you previously I had some big news to share in 2014, but recently something has transpired unexpectedly that I can't wait to share with you! I will share my original news with you at a later date, so you'll have to check back to find out.

For those of you who know me, I'm sure you're sick of hearing about this over the past few days, but I recently submitted two paintings to the Newburyport Art Association's Winter Members Juried Show Part 1. On Wednesday, I found out not only were both my paintings accepted, but "Winter's End" is the  recipient of the BEST OF SHOW award!!!

Again, for those who know me, know how hard I worked on this painting and the story behind how it came together. For those who are not, read my previous post here.

I am utterly stunned and overwhelmed at this honor...among so many amazing artists...I keep expecting to wake up...thankfully I haven't yet.

The show runs from January 10 through February 1 and the artist reception is this evening at 7pm. 

The award ceremony begins at 7:30, I hope you can make it!

"Winter's End"

18x24 Pastel

Fremont, NH

"Olds Cool 2"

6x8 Pastel

Thanks for reading, see you soon!

-Jeff

Robin Thornhill Studio Workshop - Saturday February 8th!

Here's a great one day workshop Robin is offering on Saturday, February 8th. If your medium is pastel, oil and/or acrylic and you would like to focus on the importance of lighting, this is the workshop for you! Check out http://robinthornhill.com for more information!