TM8507 Woodland Rain 30×40 oil on panel

Every visit to the pond begins with a short walk through the woods, and this painting offers a glimpse of the woods that surround the pond. Like much New England acreage, this was once farmland, but the trees are reclaiming their piece of geography. I love the patterns and smells in the woods; the damp, rich loam and composting leaves are preparing the way for next spring’s joyous growth. My recent visit on an overcast day with rain threatening gave me the idea for a subdued, quiet palette of colors, but it was a happy accident that literally made the rain part of the painting.

Technical painting notes: I began Woodland Rain in my usual way, rolling on a thin layer of paint and “interrupting” it with scraping, wiping, spayed solvents, and more rolling. This time the studio temperature was cooler, and with the paint remaining “open” longer  I was able to keep playing with the rolling and re-rolling. The resulting smears and soft edges were interesting in themselves, so I decided to let the surface dry and see how it might work up. Two days later, I started with the sky, developing negative area shapes with a soft brush that allowed for muted edges. Already the panel felt like rain – or more specifically the rain drops on my glasses. I decided to proceed with a light touch, hoping to keep the rain while adding forms (trees). Details below. Enjoy.

TM8507 Woodland Rain – detail showing blur effect created by repeatedly rolling the first layer paint and solvents, then glazing color on top

TM8507 Woodland Rain – detail from upper left quadrant showing use of spatter and repeating patterns to define tree boughs and branches

TM8507 Woodland Rain – detail from right of center showing various treatments of tree limbs and trunks (scraped out, wiped out, layered in)