Apres Plein Air...

"Winter Sunbathers" oil on panel 10x12 inches (original version)

"Winter Sunbathers" - (reworked)

Note highlights on snow touched areas such as window ledges , manure spreader and more clearly defined tree crowns

"Huddled in the Afterglow" - oil on panel 10x12 inches (original version)

Note the addition of light to the foreground branches and the tips and trunk of the middleground white pine to add additional lighting effects.

"Huddled in the Afterglow" -( Reworked version)

" Down the Lane" - oil on panel 10x12 inches (original version)

"Down the Lane" - (reworked version)

Note that the diffuse light in the original is replaced by a heavy and direct lighting from the left which elevates contrast and colour.

As with apres-ski... when one requires a bit of down, or away time and relaxation after the rigours of the slopes... to allow the body to warm and the muscles to relax. In outdoor painting, it is always good to allow a period of time to reflect upon the sketches/paintings which one has brought in from outdoor sources... to weigh the need for possible changes.

It seems senseless to lose all of the freshness created from firsthand observation... but it can also be argued that often one has time constraints imposed by rapidly changing light conditions and the effect of cold upon the paint application which limits the potential for a better painting. Being away from the actual subject offers the opportunity to include personal flourishes in colour and brushwork which closer relate to creating than merely trying to copy what is in front of you.

When I first posted my last sketches untouched as they were fully completed en plein air... I received many comments that remarked about their fresh and spontaneous quality. A few urged that I not change them at all... fearing that something might be lost from their first appearance.

It is at this point that the artist must decide for him or herself to add or hold. Ownership is the purest part of creating. Advice should always be listened to and carefully weighed and considered. However... final chlices hoices surrounding the making of art should not be given over to others... no matter how close they may be to you.

I have posted the three previous works in pairs. The top in each case is the original form... the one below the reworked version. I felt that each piece needed a bit of additional attention... and the very last one... a major shift to regain a sense of light and colour that simply wasn't there on that particular day. I am pleased with all three. I hope that I haven't disappointed any one with my changes... but I truly am satisfied with the results because I followed my own intuition. They're signed!

Good Painting to ALL !