A New Painting - Alberta Blue with Poplar Leaves

I have a new painting on my easel. This canvas is not quite square - it's 20" x 24". Here you can see the "Alberta Blue" background color which I have created from several different hues of blues and greens. I usually do not use paint straight from a tube, but tend to blend and mix until the color I want emerges. Through years of experimentation, I generally don't end up with "mud" like I did when I first began to paint.

Here you can see the first layer of leaves and

branches placed on the background sky. In my backyard, I have a small "forest" of poplar trees

which turn a beautiful brilliant yellow and gold in the fall. Against the intense blue of these Alberta skies we have, they create a spectacular color experience. I am hoping to replicate some of that here... These are not all the leaves which will be in this painting - but I thought you would like to see this one in its early stages.

Winter Wonderland

Lately we have had a great deal of fog which produces this beautiful frost on all the trees and bushes. When the sun comes out, and the fog clears, the beauty against the amazing blue Alberta skies is just stunning. Shadows take on a beautiful blue tone, and the snow literally sparkles with little diamonds of refracted light. I think I know where the term "winter wonderland" came from - someone who lived with this kind of weather must have coined the term.

Here it is - February already - and I am trying to catch my breath and find a routine in the studio again! Suddenly there are so many opportunities for things which are not art-related that I have begun to (out of necessity) say the most difficult word ever - "no". At least it USED to be the most difficult word... I now try to filter events and opportunities through the lens of whether it fits my goals. So that brings me to the place where I MUST take the time to actually define what I am going to set out to accomplish this year. Then I will find that tiny word "no" much more quickly!

So - I'll let you know how I do in getting those goals down and in taking control of my time in a much more intentional way.