More Winter Painting in Gouache & Watercolor

Winter Sunset - 5.5" x 9.25" - watercolor & gouache on location

Sunshine & Shadows - 5.75"x9" - watercolor & gouache on location

Vermont is a beautiful place to live.  I have lived here since 1979, and most of the plein air studies I do are painted close to home in and around the Cambridge/Jeffersonville area.  Sometimes, I don't have to go far at all, because the best views are right in your own backyard!  This was the case in the 2 little watercolor and gouache studies shown above that I just painted. 

My property sits down below the road, which means that at sunset my house is in shadow, but the sun skims over the hill and dramatically blasts into the trees.  I love this light!  In the top painting, the sun is coming from the right, but in the bottom painting, the sun is more flat light, which is always challenging. 

Although I paint in oils, I have been doing these little plein air studies in watercolor and gouache for years.  I started back in the 70s, after buying a book on Turner's Early Sketchbooks.  Turner made zillions of studies for larger paintings using this sort of technique, and I find painting like this  enormously satisfying.  There is an immediacy to working this way, which is extremely helpful when painting under fast-changing conditions.  Also, their portability can't be beat.  

I haven't offered too many of them for sale, although I have occasionally  sold some in galleries.  Most of them I keep as notes for larger paintings.  Since I have been rethinking brick and mortar galleries, I have decided to sell some small studies myself and let galleries handle larger paintings.  These little paintings can then be offered  unframed and at a discount.

So, if you get a chance, visit my Etsy Store, or Daily Paintworks to see more.  Thanks for visiting!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/PaintedSketchesPlus?ref=si_shop