Impressions of Winter - a trio in a new series

[SonyaJ]

Hi all,

It's been months since I've posted here; mostly just lurking, enjoying everyone's work and occasionally commenting when I have time.

I've been working almost exclusively in oils for the past few months, but decided to throw in a few pastels for a new series I started recently. The first two paintings in the series were oil, but these last three have been pastel. It's really amazing how easy pastel seems after working in oils for a while!

Anyway, these are based on a series of photos taken during our drive back from southern AZ over the holidays, on New Year's eve. The photos themselves weren't that great - most were shot through the car windows after I'd turned over driving duties for the day - but I find they can make perfect references for paintings. I went into more specifics re technique and thoughts on each on my blog, which folks can read if they are so inclined. I won't repeat that content here.

Due to the huge winter storm that had swept through the Four Corners region the day before, we altered our return drive from Bisbee to go through Albuquerque and back up Hwy 550 to Durango, rather than through Gallup. These are based on a section of Hwy 550 northwest of Albuquerque and south of Cuba, NM.

C&C welcome, although I honestly have no plans to rework any of these, save maybe the piece on Wallis to fix some minor things that bug me. I've self-critiqued them, and as usual, there are thing in each that could be changed/fixed/adjusted that I notice later, and reminders of things to avoid in future paintings. The last piece is sold, pending the buyer's agreement with the price , so I'm not touching it, even to fix my typical wonky center stripes on the road .

I want to give a plug for the MV Thunderstorm Gray set - it is the star performer in all these, both in the skies and land. Unisons, some Sennelier and Richeson handmades are also used.

Thanks for looking .

Fading Light
9x12 - Wallis (w/underpainting)



Hillside Shadows II
12x16 - Strathmore 500-series paper (mid-value blue, no blending)



Roadside Decor
12x16 - Strathmore 500-series paper (mid-value brown, + blending)

In his pastel demo (which I unfortunately missed), Johannes mentioned using a packing peanut to blend his pastels. I have those around, and decided to try it. I'm here to say that it worked like a CHARM! Best tip I've heard in a while regarding using pastels. Thanks, Johannes !

[westcoast_Mike]

Love "Fading Light" It is oh so typical of the region you traveled though and brings back a lot of memories.

[Dcam]

Sonya: Your colors are an absolute symphony. Wow! This is a super winter series. The colors use chose in relationship are so harmonious.
Can I give you a little nit....and it is a wee one. On the 3rd painting, in my humble opinion....I don't think you need the white lines in the road (just me).
By the way...since you are doing oils; have you heard of the Gamblin "fastmatte" oils? ( they are alkyd and soy based and dry to a nice matte tooth in 18 to 24 hours). Great underpainting for pastels. I'm going out to get some at Jerrys and I'll let you know the results.
Love your paintings, Derek

[bnoonan]

Sonya, Don't touch a thing and let me glory in each and every piece. Love the light, your choice of colors and how painterly they are.

FABULOUS!!! it's no wonder the 3rd painting has sold already!

Congratulations! Barb

[John Palmer Fine Art]

These are all great Sonya, congrats. on the sale, well deserved! John

[Caddisman]

These have a really nice feel to them, Sonya, expressive in the drawing, and color choices.

Thanks for showing.

Bill

[allydoodle]

Oh my, one is better than the next! You've really captured the light, and your colors, just WOW! Beautiful work, and warm congratulations on your pending sale - very, very well deserved! Just beautiful!

[PETE K]

Sonya, as others had said they are simply beautiful. very well done series. the third one just blowes me away. what fantastic light in ths one and the others.

[robertsloan2]

Sonya, all three of these are wonderful. No wonder the third painting already sold - it's gorgeous. I like the lines in the road, you kept them subtle and they're an important feature. I love how you handled the snow on the rocks. I never even knew it snowed in those areas, never was out there in winter and always see the sun-drenched desert paintings instead.

These are phenomenal. Thanks for mentioning you used the packing peanut blender. I'm going to have to try that sometime, I saved some a while back just for the purpose.

[Dcam]

oops Sorry Sonya: I should have read that you sold the last one. Please ignore my ravings.
Derek

[MCook04]

Sonya:

I really like the first painting as well. The third one captures my imagination and I find it very interesting compositionally. Very nice work

Mike

[Talley]

These are all so wonderful - so evocative of the place, time of day, and season. But Fading Light really captures my heart. Just lovely.

[SonyaJ]

Wow - so many comments! Thanks, guys - I really appreciate it ! The 3rd painting is officially sold. What makes the sale sweet is that the gal who bought it used to live in northern NM and is well-familiar with this specific area.

And, best of all, I can finally afford/justify buying some more pastels, probably the plein air set of Ludwigs and some bigger sheets of either Wallis or UArt.

WC-Mike - hearing that the painting brings back memories of the region is indeed a compliment - thank you!

Derek - thanks for your thoughtful comments and suggestion (I saw no ravings! ). Y'know, I've painted highways a lot recently. And, I always wonder about those darned stripes. I always add them, because it seems "unfinished" otherwise. But, I admit they always cause me grief, esp. the dashed lines...which is why I tried to keep 'em subtle in the painting.

I am definitely interested in hearing how you like the new(?) Gamblin alkyd-based oils; all of my new oils are Gamblin, and I love the consistency of them (vs. the W&N Artisan W-M oils, which I can't wait to use up). If you post about them anywhere, can you please PM me so I don't miss it ?

Barb - thanks! I'm trying to move towards a less fussy/detailed and more painterly style, so I really appreciate your comments.

John - thank you very much!

Bill - thank you for your comments

Chris - thanks much for your kind comments .

Pete - thank you so much!

Robert - thank you for your thoughtful comments - always appreciated. This area (elevation is higher than Denver's) definitely gets more snow than one would think, but because of its latitude, the snow usually melts away very fast. The road were perfectly clear when I was taking the photos, but north of Cuba, NM (el: ~6900'), there was a LOT more snow, and poor road conditions that left both driver and passenger anxious for well over an hour .

And, really, I should thank YOU for the tip about the packing peanut blending tool, as I'm sure it was in your comprehensive post-demo notes that I saw it mentioned .

MikeC - thank you for your comments. I did make some changes from the original photo(s) to make for more interesting/pleasing compositions. Photos taken from inside a moving vehicle usually leave a lot to be desired .

Talley - thank you for your thoughtful comments .

[fiannah]

Wow these are all fabulous!

[mollerman]

These all look GREAT!