DREAMS OF LAKES & MOUNTAINS

Early this summer I fell in love with waterfalls. 

 In late summer I fell in love with lakes...especially ones surrounded by mountains...

...with big pines and islands sprinkled across them.

Lake Wentworth is a gem.  It is in the "Lakes Region" of New Hampshire where the distant White Mountains are dusky blue in the distance. 

This week is our vacation week which means;  My husband Marcus and I don't have to be anywhere at any specific time for six whole days ! We grabbed this big open window to wander and paint wherever the impulse took us.

On this perfect late summer day a fellow painter spotted us near a bridge between Rye Marsh and Lake Wentworth.  Frank paints watercolors and spends his summers at his house near by.  When he spied us working away he pulled over to check out our paintings and chat for a bit. 

I sketched a bunch of different views today. I loved the bright open water on the lake in front of us and the intimate scene on the marsh behind us.

Marcus set up and dove into his huge painting of the lake and wind whipped waves.  Marcus is on a "huge" painting trend this summer. They keep getting bigger and bigger.  Pretty soon they won't fit into the car...we will need to get a trailer for them!

 We had a great view facing west across the water. I knew the light would change drastically as we moved toward sunset. To be ready for anything I set up two easels  and palletes waiting to go at a moments notice.

The bit of land we were parked on between the lake and the marsh was very narrow. I had to pay attention. If I stepped back from my easel too far I'd fall into the marsh! 

I looked in the direction of the sun and started a small study of the lake, islands and mountains back lit by brilliant sunlight. 

The smallest brush I am using today is a 10 bright. I'd use the edge and corner of the brush for small spots.

I keyed in my painting and only put the colors I was using on this limited palette. 

The sun dropped down in the west and the light started to reach the "luscious" level.  I finished the "sun on the water glow" and put the wet panel in the car. 

I moved to a new canvas and started painting the marsh behind me that was now face lit by the setting sun.

The wind was calming down, and the surface of the water became still. The colors of the trees and grass were warm and golden in the setting sun. 

 I didn't have a lot of time left to paint this scene.

There was barely a cloud in the sky as the sun set over the distant mountains.  

Small breezes skipped randomly across the water.

Up close to me near the shore line it was very still and the water was a deep inky midnight blue.

I had the colors on my panel and most of the scene painted as the sun disappeared behind the mountains.

People drove past us on their way home from work.  A few lights came on in cottages across the lake. We cleaned up our paints, put the new paintings in the car and headed back through the woods toward home. 

PAINT EAT SLEEP