TM8701 Stream Currents 40×36 oil on panel

I never know where a painting will take me. Stream Currents began its life last December, when the first films of solid ice were covering the part of the pond where a stream enters. I worked on it for a few months, but never felt there was enough interesting paint to match the subtle subject. I turned it to the wall and began other paintings. Last week, I found it again, and thought the winter explorations might be an interesting base for trying a stream I had  visited on an overcast, gray day. I rolled a messy bluish gray paint over some parts of the painting, and did some wiping and scraping. Finally something interesting began to happen. I let it dry and resumed work on it the following day, again using my rubber roller to move the paint around. Continued scraping and spattering livened the effect. Adding the floating leaves amidst the new grasses helped set the planes and time of year, when old and new growth are mingling. Details below. Enjoy.

TM8701 Stream Currents – detail from right side with floating leaves, grasses – note use of scraping away glaze to suggest grass blades

TM8701 Stream Currents – detail from upper left quadrant with reflections and grasses

TM8701 Stream Currents – detail from lower left quadrant showing current and floating leaves, also use of scraping into wet underlayer of painting followed by use of transparent glazes and spatter