chincoteague sky

pastel, chincoteague sky

Skies, in particular their clouds, are a mixture of warm and cool. Edges are amorphous since they are simply air and water. The tricky part is that you are still in charge of making a composition.

newbury meadows by Martin Johnson Heade

Here is a most beautiful painting  by Martin Johnson Heade (Newbury Meadows). I show you this beauty to demonstrate how Heade used the light and dark in his composition to guide your eye through the painting. This is when you remember that what you see is just that. You get to make decisions. The design notans I discussed during the summer is a perfect way to guide your creation of a composition. See post.


Yesterday, after my arrival in Chincoteague,  I painted this small pastel (6x7) from my balcony. Since we continue to have storms today I am once again painting from my balcony. This time it will be 20x24. Tumultuous skies are incredible inspiration!