Dec 28 - Starting the Saddle River View in Acrylics

After yesterday's dog walk along the edge of the Saddle River (in Bergen County, New Jersey), I came back with a need to paint the "feel" of what I experienced. So here's the start of a 12 x 9 acrylic (I will take larger canvases in the future!) and the complementary colors of blue and orange are already in place. "Orange?" you ask. Yes, burnt umber is a dark orange, and that's why the autumn and winter woods are so delightful in color when combined with any water that reflects the sky. The grayed oranges of the leaves and forest floor is a complement to the blues.

The day was gorgeous and sunny, and the light was coming through the leafless woods creating traceries of shadow, so I went off the path into the browns and grays to take this source material of the river in the afternoon light (below). I chose the vertical format for the painting, because as with pastoral views being so calming, I wanted the longer plane of the canvas' vertical to offset and balance that tranquility with some strength and power. (Besides, these verticals have more opportunities for placement on the walls of collectors' homes.)

Here's the source material:
Tomorrow the painting continues! But first, this afternoon I get on a plane with my sister and Sparky, and we fly for over six hours back to California, where instead of the high 30s, it is in the high 60s. I do enjoy this cold weather, though, having been raised on the East Coast. Yet my garden is calling to me, and coming back as a first class passenger for this long flight will be a nice cap to a wonderful vacation.

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