Four small morning studies and a Thomas Cole quote

7:00am

7:45am

8:20am

9:10am

Here are four of yesterday's small morning studies. It's interesting how the more studies I do the freer I become. The painting develops into its own. It's truer to the feel and less need for description.
I will take these back home and percolate.
I end with a quote from a letter written by Thomas Cole to Asher B Durand.
He explained that her rarely succeeded in painting scenes "immediately on returning from them" because he had to "wait for time to draw a veil over the common details."

paint paintings

"I don't illustrate travel guide books Madame, I paint paintings." George Inness

I am finally back in my studio after over a month of travel. One of my stops was Washington State.  The fields in Washington always enchant me. I painted just studies for 10 days then moved into the studio at Dakota. This painting is an experimentation using watercolor and gesso with pastel in several layers, most importantly the last layer. I did not like it one bit when I was there...but now as I unpack the box full of paintings that i shipped back I am giving it new though. It's interesting how a little distance can change your mind.

The George Inness quote is one of my long time faves. Doesn't he just say it all?

I will post more studies and paintings as the weeks go forward.