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| First Season's Snow 14x18 inches - pastel on Somerset Black Velvet paper with Golden pumice ground © 2011, S.Johnson |
This piece was done from a photo taken 11 days ago and actually started on the same day. It's not even that I struggled with it, because I didn't; I actually had it almost half finished after the first session, and had fully expected to finish it the next day...but, that just didn't happen.
December is always a weird month for me, and my least favorite. While most people are enjoying the build-up to the holidays and such, I have an overwhelming desire to head off to a remote backcountry cabin, armed with nothing but art supplies, food and books, and emerge again on Jan 2. Then, life finally returns to normal and the days are getting longer.
But, the upside of Dec is that it usually provides the first decent snow of the season, both in town and up in the mountains, which begins snowshoeing season.
For me, a day out snowshoeing is the antidote to the noisy, frenetic and spend-spend-spend mentality of the Dec holiday season, which bothers my sensibilities on various levels. The absolute stillness of the land covered in snow calms the mind and allows one to truly live in the moment.
The landscape takes on a Zen-like quality of simplicity...
Things ordinary become extraordinary...
Water, transformed, for a moment in time...
Sometimes, the snow offers a most curious transformation...
And views otherwise never seen are seen...
Nice painting and great photos too!
ReplyDeleteNice colors and design. Love the photos too.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely lovely, Sonya. Both your photographs and painting are breathtaking. Thanks so much for sharing them with us. :)
ReplyDeleteWow Sonya! The painting is lovely, but those photos take my breath away! I totally hear you about December - I think I'd disappear my self if I didn't have little kids. I find myself getting really grouchy instead ;-(
ReplyDeleteSorry I'm so behind in commenting on your blog......I have been reading it though. Enjoy the snow - we are still waiting for some here in the Northeast - we had snow for halloween, but not Christmas, go figure!
Very nice, the color, sense of space and light -- it all came together very well!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful. A winter wonderland.
ReplyDeleteI'm totally with you. In my occasional blogging of late I'd noticed you hadn't been posting much of late and was wondering what you've been up to.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, beautiful pastel and photos. I particularly felt a connection to isolated pines casting the long shadow.
Your photos are as amazing as your paintings Sonya! Exquisite!
ReplyDeleteHelen and Sheri - thank you both so much; I'm glad you stopped by.
ReplyDeleteDarla - thank you, dear, for your sweet comments. It was my pleasure to share the photos of the beautiful area I live in with you!
Hi Debbie - thanks much for stopping by [and I hear you re the blog comments...I'm much the same way at times]. I'm glad the photos were a hit, because I admit that I was pleased by how well they turned out. It's the reason I always carry my camera with me. Glad to find another "holiday hermit", too ;).
Thanks Dan - I didn't go into the analysis of things I tinkered with to make the painting work better, but overall, I'm pleased with the result. And, I was reminded of how much I dig painting snow!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, LeAnn!
Liz, I'm glad you can relate to much of this. You know, one of the best Xmas I've had in recent years was when I was at the Letson. After the guests finally cleared out that morning, I spent the afternoon hiking in the Mules, by myself. It was glorious.
Thanks so much Sarah! We are so lucky to live in this beautiful area, aren't we?