March

March, in paint:

Muddy Tuesday, 9 x 12" plein air oil on linen/hardboard, March 10

I enjoyed the first real thaw of spring, and went out painting without snowpants and winter boots.

March Thaw, 9 x 12" plein air oil on linen/hardboard, March 11

I spent too much time wandering around in the woods before setting up to paint this one, but it was spring-like, and lovely. I had to paint more quickly as a result. The sun was so warm that the patches of snow changed shapes from when I began the painting to when I'd finished - just over an hour later.

Brown Fields and Old Snow, 9 x 12" plein air oil on linen/hardboard, March 12

The sun looked warm, but the wind was out of the east and felt very cold. Only a little snow remained in the roadside ditches and low spots in the brown fields.

March Picnic, 9 x 12" plein air oil on linen/hardboard, March 14

Another quick one! It was a great day for an early spring picnic. I took the opportunity to sketch my companions in paint, before the littlest had to go for a nap, and the others got too cold.

Lined Faces, 9 x 12" plein air oil on linen/hardboard, March 21

I've already written about this one. There was a good reason it felt so cold that day - snow was coming! We got about eight inches, and another little stretch of winter to make spring even more welcome when it would come to stay.

Maple on the Marsh Trail

Maple on the Marsh Trail, 10" x 8" plein air oil on stretched linen.

Warm and breezy day in La Crosse, Wisconsin. The Myrick Park marsh trails were busy with people enjoying the day, and the water was filled with coots, ducks and noisy geese. This is a view of the footbridge from just past a large grey maple tree.

April Snow

Today was another yucky, slushy, gloomy, wet, snowy, can't-seem-to-get-anything-done sort of day. Yes, it is April 20, but it looks more like January just now.
However, the sky was amazing tonight. :)
I took the opportunity to try out a new paintbrush and did this little 6"x6" oil painting.A beautful sky can make even mud and slush look good. And I always love the line of white snow against a dark sky.
This painting's got a lot of brush-strokes, which I think works especially well for the forground. It's messy out there!