Thursday, January 08, 2009

Marsh at twilight

Marsh at Twilight
9 x 12 oils

On my drive to and from work, I watch the skies and the water and the landscape, creating paintings in my head but knowing that they may only stay in my head as I won't have time to do everything that I want.

With some snow on the ground when I drive home in the evening, it gives a glow to the fields against the darkened trees that border them and tonight I saw the dying edge of the sun sinking behind the trees. The bright gold was like a slit in the sky, sitting on the treetops against the darkness and I so wanted to capture it.

A small stream winding through the marsh remained open, its movement preventing freezing and reflecting a glimmer of the sunset. I stopped the car and looked at the scene, trying to memorize it, then came home and took out my paints. Here is the result.

5 comments:

Anita said...

Deliciously peaceful, Jeanette. Lovely glow in the sky.
I am always seeing things and thinking I must paint that but by the time I get home the image has gone - is that old age setting in?

Lindsay said...

This one is stunning! You have the mood of the sunset in cold snow.That band of color at the top is beautiful!

Robyn Sinclair said...

Wonderful memory you have for the landscape. I agree with Lindsay, it's stunning, Jeanette.

Jeanette Jobson said...

Anita, I find it very difficult to draw or paint from memory, as I keep wanting something to refer to for shape or colour. I need to go out again at this time of day and paint on site to get the colours correct.

Our memories of the exact value or shape always tricks us I think. We have the rose coloured glasses version - or at least I do! :)

Thanks Lindsay. This was a very quick painting - literally 30 minutes. I'd like to go back in real time to paint this again and see how close I was to values and colours.

Thank you Robyn. As I said, I don't know how accurate my memory is, but if I've conveyed some of the feel of the place, that's good.

I keep looking out the window all evening, turning off all the lights and assessing the colour of the snow and trees in the dark to see if I was close on them in the painting. T.O.O. thinks I'm losing it...

vivien said...

well caught!