“Inverno” - Winter Landscape Painting

“Inverno” - original watercolor landscape painting

I sometimes overthink and agonize over possible subjects and compositions. This painting is one of those compositions that required lots of thinking, consideration and even some fear.

The main idea was to catch bright warm morning light on on a winter morning. Placement of the main barn was one source of agonizing since its location has it facing out the left edge. It is one of those sort of unwritten rules to not have a main subject seeming to facing out of the picture plane, lest it draw the eye away from the scene as well. The effect is muted with two trees - one of which crosses over the ‘face’ of the barn building, the other has a lot of visual weight and vertical direction that catches the eye if it is indeed traveling out of the picture plane.

As mentioned, it is a painting that I avoided taking on for quite some time. The two studies below are from almost two years ago. Both have about the same objects in about the same locations. Each really explores a different kind of light. The top study is a gentler light, the bottom one is more dramatic.

Color Studies

Two color studies of the subject and idea. Both were completed nearly two years before the painting. The studies explored the same composition but in different light conditions.

After creating these, along with a few others not shown here, I was determined to paint the one with dramatic light - which is where the fear crept in.

Dramatic light requires intense color in certain areas. The problem is managing and balancing the high chroma color - not an easy task! So, the idea and painting were put off.

Winter has been very cold and not very sunny this year. A break in the cold and the arrival of some warm sunshine had me thinking of winter scenes that might seem relatively warm. During a search sketchbooks, these two studies reappeared and reminded me of this composition and idea. With inspiration from the warm sunshine and prospects for warming temperatures and melting snow, it seemed a good time to take on a long delayed painting.

This painting can be seen in my Studio-Gallery and is available for purchase online.