SOLD TM8532 First Signs 34×40 oil on panel

When I think of spring, I envision the time when winter’s last melt turns everything upside down. Watery illusions spread across fields, parking lots, yards, and pull ponds well beyond their summer banks. The debris of fall mixes with new growth as pale, papery leaves float between blooms of duckweed and green scum. Color and life are returning. These are the signs I remember, the signs I will anticipate as the daylight lengthens. Details below. Enjoy.

TM8532 First Signs – detail from upper right with reflected sky, sheen on water, floating vegetation

TM8532 First Signs – detail from middle left with floating leaves and reflections, effect of layered spattering alternating with glazes

Technical painting notes: I’ve been playing with alternating layers of fine paint spatter and glaze, looking for ways to create soft transitions of light on the water, and to suggest a certain depth of color. I use very soft nylon brushes fro the glazes, and old, beat-up nylon watercolor brushes for spattering. I add a bit of alkyd medium to the mixed spatter color, plus a touch of mineral spirits. I tap the brush against a paint stick. Less paint on the brush gives a finer spatter.

TM8532 First Signs – detail from middle left with drifting leaves