Pink sky at night, Shepherds delight....that's how the old saying goes. Well this was a lovely pink sky and the next morning was indeed a sunny, bright one. Fell to bits later in the day as the wind set in and the rain came down but there was no promise…
Pink sky at night, Shepherds delight....that's how the old saying goes. Well this was a lovely pink sky and the next morning was indeed a sunny, bright one. Fell to bits later in the day as the wind set in and the rain came down but there was no promise of how long the shepherds were going to be delighted for.
I'm constantly delighted by the sky and how it reflects in the river. Dawn, dusk, and in between, cloudy or clear, summer or winter, there is always something to interest in the quality of light and the rapidity in which it changes. I especially love the morning silver that streaks across the river as it rounds the bend, contrasting with the darker, steely grays on a stormy day or the clearer blues on a clear spring morning. Then again, what compares to the pink blush that warms the hilltops and touches the clouds morning and evening? Maybe only the sun shining through as the morning mist begins to rise, creating a golden halo that hints at a clear sky coming soon.
Today's postcard catches the pink sky tinting the clouds mauve and reflecting in the calm river.
This one is a very quick sketchy mini - you have to be quick to catch the light before it changes!
There's always a boat or two on the river no matter where you view it from, and as I look across the river to the other side, there will be a house or three peeking through the trees that line the riverbank.
I'm working with a pretty limited palette for all these postcard paintings. Partly because I'm using a set of Turner acrylic gouache which doesn't include some of my favourite earth colours, and also to keep the paintings simple and harmonised. I almost always have yellow ochre, burnt sienna, and burnt umber on my palette for landscapes, and this set only has the burnt sienna, so I thought it would be a bit of a challenge color mixing wise, but I've been pleasantly surprised how enjoyable I've found it. Mostly, I'm using only three colors: magenta, cobalt blue, a warm deep yellow, plus white and black... I never use black so that's been interesting! Then I'll add some burnt sienna and maybe a little cad red, depending on the scene.
Do you have a set of favourite colours you mostly use or does it vary widely depending on what your subject is?
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