Tuesday, February 23, 2010


Winter Brook 10" x 12" O/P



We got a fresh snow fall last night although it was laced with rain. For a few days before the fall I was beginning to fell that the winter snow painting was all but finished. Perhaps not so.


The palette for this painting was ultramarine blue, cerulean blue, alizarin, cad red light, cad yellow med. yellow ochre and titanium white. The other colour on my palette was a med gray.


The med.gray appears in a number of places, in mixtures and in some cases as a stand alone colour. I feel that it is a good neutralizer.


My medium was Odourless Mineral Spirits, used sparingly. No liquin was used in this painting.


We shall see if this snow lasts and if there are more winter paintings


'til next..

24 comments:

Keith Tilley said...

Wow, I love the colours in this one Frank. they really work well together giving a sense of flickering light and movement.

The snow just keeps coming here too this year.

René PleinAir said...

Just wondering, ... what where the sizes of the brushes you used and what kind of brushes where they?! lol.

Lovely Frank as usual very alive!

Unknown said...

Hi Frank,
what a nice surprise this oil!
The color are beautiful , the gray worked extremely well , and there is great depht and immediacy, a prime example of what plain air painting can be. You are a beacon to all of us.

Linda Popple said...

Very nice painting! The colors are beautiful and good composition. I feel like I am right there.

Thanks for sharing the colors you use. I find that very interesting.

Looking forward to seeing more of you work.

Liliana Lucki said...

Very nice,great to see.

Bravo.

jsicignano2.blogspot.com said...

Frank you are truly an amazing talent. I love your colors and brush strokes. I have an award waiting for you on my blog.

Frank A. said...

Keith..Thanks for your thoughts on this piece

"The snow just keeps coming here too this year."

Sounds as though you guys will be going straight into summer as well this year...haha !

Stay well.

Frank A. said...

Well, Rene..You had to ask.JEEEZ ! Your wondering could be embarrassing, you know. (haha)

Okay, the secret..The layout was done with a 'watercolour rigger', from there , I proceeded with the massing of dark colours using an old watercolour brush.(cut shorter in order to make it stiffer) The snow was layed in with a no. four oil brush ( the cheap generic kind)They are the only kind that I use.I do not want to ruin a good brush with all the scumbling I do.
I finished with my rigger and H2O brush.(Keith's worst brushes are better than these.)
There, my secret is out..! ..Oh, the sacrifices I make ...! hahaha !

Take care, Rene.

Frank A. said...

Linda, nice to hear from you.
Thank you very much for the compliment.
Glad that you found the palette interesting. ..Hope that it gives you lots of good ideas. :~)

Stay well.

Frank A. said...

Mariano, I see you it seems, everywhere I surf ! haha !
Thanks also for your thoughts on this painting.

"You are a beacon to all of us."

Such an overwhelming compliment, I thank you. It leaves me 'red faced'
:)

Take care, Mariano.

Frank A. said...

Liliana..Thank you. It is my pleasure.

Frank A. said...

Joan, thank you very much for the kind compliment. The colours may not be out of the ordinary, but I hope that they may give you some ideas of your own.
Thank you for the award also. :~)
By the way, if all your snow has melted, It would be no trouble on my part to vitually send down a couple of clouds full. I'm sure you miss it ! hehe (just kidding)

Do take care.

Mary Beth Brath said...

I so enjoy following your blog. Your work is so wonderful and inspiring.

Famous Artists said...

While people may have different views still good things should always be appreciated. Yours is a nice blog. Liked it!!!

singamaraja said...

Singamaraja visiting your blog

Frank A. said...

Mary Beth Brath..Thank you for following my blog, and for the generous compliments.
They are both appreciated.

Keep well !

Frank A. said...

Famous Artists..
Thank you for your thought!

"While people may have different views still good things should always be appreciated."

I agree, this sounds healthy to me..:~)

I am happy that you like my blog.

Take care.

Frank A. said...

singamaraja..Welcome and thank you for your visit !
I hope that it was worth your while. :~)

take care..

rob ijbema said...

you rather then me franks
i'm glad we got rid of our snow,
mind you,you dod the best job with it!

Frank A. said...

Rob.. I think that we have seen the last of the snow. Now comes the "dirty" season. ( The crap that is left and seen after the snow melts) Spring will wash it away ! :~)
You did great things this past winter with the snow that you had to deal with. "Thumbs up"..
...Hope that spring is kind to you and your painting..
Take care, Rob.

Anonymous said...

Frank, i came to your blog via Joan's...and glad i did. Nice work. i love the way you depict snow , and the scenes are so full of color...just the right blend of warms and cools. i look forward to following your work.

Frank A. said...

Julie Hill.. Julie, thank you for the kind remarks. I am happy that you found me through Joan's blog.
I must say that I enjoyed your blog and the watercolors."Free and Relaxing" !

" i look forward to following your work."

NIce to know you are here.
Hey, drop in and say 'hi' from time to time. :~)

Take care..

Unknown said...

Great composition , great colours

Unknown said...

Great composition , great colours