April Wilderness

April Wilderness, 9 x 12" oil on linen/hardboard. April 2, 2015

My sister introduced me to this place, a steep and textured landscape on top of a Wisconsin bluff, crisscrossed with trails. I'm sure it's beautiful in summer, but I wanted to paint it now, while it's still in the subdued colors of early spring, before the new greens have overcome the old browns.
 When I began painting, the sun shone, and there were more pronounced shadows that showed off the contours of the land. But the clouds moved in and the scene was much darker and the light flatter by the time I called it quits.
 It was also very windy. Before I began to paint, my panel had already taken flight once, and my easel did a half somersault. I lowered my easel and sat to paint instead, which helped. But the wind made it much harder to stay warm. The weather, it seems, hasn't settled yet on whether it should still be winter or if spring is truly here.