Visiting Northern England: Landscape Painting #2

It was a news worthy day for weather in North Yorkshire; everyone was talking about the snow that was predicted. As I bundled up for a walk to the village, Pateley Bridge, I could see the storm coming. The clouds were heavy and the air was thick and cold. Coming from Colorado where winter snow storms are common, I was excited to get outside and walk to the village store, Elliot's Deli, and bring my camera to shoot some nice wintry scenes along the way.

The path to Pateley Bridge from Glasshouses is scenic regardless of the weather or time of year. The River Nidd makes it picturesque as it winds along with you as you walk.

This is one of the many scenes along the way that impressed me with its beauty. The small bridge crossing over the river and reflected in the glassy cold water was breathtaking.

The tall, leafless trees added drama to my view and allowed me to see beyond the foreground and into the snowy white distance.

Winter Reflections On The River Nidd
10x8", Oil on canvas
Rita Salazar Dickerson

As you can see from my stages, I painted from  light to dark, starting with the white sky. Painting the dark branches into the wet paint of the sky softened them. To complete the painting I used a palette knife to apply thick paint to the snow in the foreground, the tall golden grasses, as well as for the snow on the tree branches.

Painting Sheep VI: Completed

Sheep Painting Study VI
10x8", Oil on canvas
Rita Salazar Dickerson

When I repaint this study into a full size painting I plan on cropping off the top (most of the background green above their heads) so that the sheep are pulled into the composition a bit closer.

 It will look more like this:

Right now I'm feeling like all the green in the background is unnecessary.

More to come!

Painting Sheep V: Completed

Sheep Painting Study V
8x10", oil on canvas
Rita Salazar Dickerson

Painting Sheep IV: Completed

It was fun to put on some good music and start playing with the palette knife today, applying paint and then pushing it around. First, I worked on the background keeping it loose and out of focus.
I've noticed that each little painting is taking less time than the last which is encouraging.

Sheep Painting Study IV
10x8", oil on canvas

After I spent time adding texture to the grass I decided to take out my paintbrush and work in brush strokes as well as the palette knife with the little lamb.  I am still entertained by the fact that there were so many different types of sheep in North Yorkshire. This ewe had such an sweet face. 

Painting Sheep IV: Stages 1, 2 and 3

Here I go with the fourth painting in my Painting Sheep series. These 10x8" studies are in preparation for larger paintings to follow. For a moment, I was afraid that I might tire of this theme but once I looked over my reference photos of these interesting sheep from Northern England I am ready to do another.

After I had lightly painted in the shapes of this ewe and her lamb I decided to move the lamb over just a bit which allows more space on the left of the composition.

Then I started blocking in the shapes and colors.

Now I am ready to come back in tomorrow with the palette knife and complete it.

Painting Sheep III: Stages Four and Five

At this fourth stage of the painting I once again blocked in the shapes of colors with a brush before I started my palette work.

As I look at this fifth stage of the painting on my computer screen I already see changes that need to be made. The little lamb was such a challenge with my palette knife, mainly because of its size - a little over an inch in width.

Painting Sheep II: First Three Stages

These are the beginning stages of the second painting in my sheep series. This little 10 x 8" will be a study for a larger one to follow.

At this first stage I mixed Transparent Earth Red with a paint medium and lightly painted in the shape of the sheep and the hillside. Beforehand, I had prepared the panel by rubbing on (with a soft cloth) a thin wash of Transparent Earth Red and Ultramarine Deep thinned with mineral spirits.

For the sheep's black markings, I mixed equal parts of Ultramarine Deep and Transparent Earth Red and then painted his white markings with Titanium white tinted with Transparent Earth Red.

Next, I painted in the sheep's coat of wool with different shades of Titanium White mixed with Transparent Earth Red and touches of the black (wet into wet paint) so that the colors mixed in together on the panel.

I'm looking forward to today's painting session where I will start adding the colors of the foreground hill as well as the background hillsides.