Painting 64, wow! I can't believe it.

Good day to you, I worked today so I'm a bit tired, what's unusual about that, seems like I'm always tired. I worked on this one in class today, I like it, but compared to some of the others, it seems a bit ho hum, maybe not, maybe I'm getting jaded. This is Lake Superior, I'm unsure if it's in the U.P. or if it's in Minnesota, we took so many pictures over 3 or 4 trips that I just can't remember, I'm thinking that it was on the way to the Keweenaw Peninsula, but I'm not sure.

This painting is done on D'Arches 260 lb. Mural paper (obviously much smaller than a full sheet, it really works out nicely for this project, it makes about 24 pieces about 6-1/2" square, I've been working on the clayboard a lot lately and I decided that I should work on regular paper so I don't forget how to do it, I'm hoping that I don't forget how to paint larger than 6-1/2" square, before I started this project I was working my way up to a full sheet (I have 4 started and someday I will finish them), but I think it will wait a day or two, I must be getting older, I surely don't have the stamina that I used to, there was a time that I could stay up painting all night and still work the next day, but I'm sure those days are over, I can barely stay up to blog this lately, I think I'm still recovering from the time change (at least I hope that's what it is, I'm sure I don't want to be sick).

I started with the sky, then the water line, I let them blur together, after that was dry, I put in the tree line and the tree reflection, I painted the sand in and spattered some, keeping in mind that this is all a first layer, there are several, I don't just paint it one time and done, I'm not that good, wish I were but I'm not. I decided that the water line wasn't dark enough so I enhanced that, then the trees again, I also thought that the right side of the picture needed something, I almost put in a tanker (being it is on Lake Superior), but decided to throw in some brush and a small tree to break up the blankness of it, in one of the photo's the Queen Ann's Lace was there, I just added to that ( I do tend to work from more than one photo). I just kept going, putting in rocks, and spattering and darkening here and there until it got to a point that I wasn't sure what more I could do to make it better, I also decided to add a few birds, then I quit. I like this little painting, it's very calming, and I hope you do too.