Yellow

Pure, bright yellow

 is not a colour I use very often 

but it has been on my mind recently.

As I watched and studied 

many sunsets over the winter

I was surprised to discover

how often yellows dominanted

 against the grey wintry light.

Although not a winter sky

sketches from a trip to the Gaspe 

formed the basis for this study in yellow.

I used various yellows to tint the base layer.

(set with water and allowed to air dry)

I then layered mauves, blues, and turquoise

over that base.

Using a light touch I was surprised

 at the level of transparency

that could be achieved.

Pastel is an opaque medium

 and used with a heavy hand

obliterates what's beneath.....

(which is a good thing sometimes)

but not here!

Yellow Light  - Leslie Snider

Snow Day

Snow Day 2019

Patiently waiting for spring

but winter has one last gasp!

Exploring Abstraction

     All pictures are to some degree

 abstractions.

I mean the picture elements

 can be reduced

 to simple shapes, line colour etc.

As seen from my previous post

 I begin very abstractly 

with bold but basic shapes and colour blocks.

I then slowly refine the composition,

bringing the scene into focus,

by adding layers 

of colour and detail. 

But what if I left it out of focus?

In some ways 

that is what the Impressionists 

were trying to accomplish, 

taking into account atmospheric effects

 and losing the edges.

Blue Green Marsh - Leslie Snider

As an inveterate detailer

 I find this very difficult 

but know it is worth pursuing.

How often have you heard,

"Leave something for the viewer's imagination."

This pastel is loosely based on one of my photos

that I have spent many hours studying

and thinking about.

What do you think?

Presquile Marsh

Golden Sky

I'm surprised to find

morning and evening skies this time of year 

can be widely varied with

 a variety of golds,yellows and oranges.

Revisiting a photo from  2016,

I'm pushing the colour 

with more intensity

reminiscent of those observations. 

Bonnechere 2019 - Leslie Snider

Using uart 400 sanded paper

I begin with a black tonal underpainting.

The second step is to begin boldly applying colour.

Finally over many revisions

 I slowly bring the picture into focus,

building up layers

and softening edges.

Bonnechere Dawn -  Leslie Snider

Limited Colour palette

 

Craving Colour

Sharbot Lake PP - Leslie Snider

As cold and snow grips North America,

forget working outdoors!

Instead I'm trolling

 my photo archives 

for warm and sunny ideas.

The above scene,  from last summer,

is a sunlit point on Black Lake

 in Sharbot Lake Provincial Park.  

The calm serenity MIGHT be a bit idealised!

😎
😎

 😎

Monet's Field - Leslie Snider

This pastel began as a study

 of early morning mist 

rising from my summer field.... 

but soon I found myself fascinated 

by the colour and rhythms

of the clover in the field.

 

Summer Skies 02

In this example

 I'm experimenting

 with a brilliant orange

 underpainting.

 

Sharbot Sunrise Step 01

 

 I've used UArt sanded paper.

The surface allows

 you to use a wet under painting.

 

Sharbot Sunrise Step 02

Because pastel

 is an opaque medium

 most of the under painting

 will disappear.

It will show through 

here and there 

giving  warmth 

to the overall 

composition.

.

Sharbot Sunrise Final

A variety of pastels

the usual suspects....

Unison, Richeson Sennelier, Rembrandt.!

 

October Colour

A few outdoor sketches

celebrating fall colour.

Again working with pastel pencils

and a limited palette.....

trying to simplify the equipment!

 

August Skies

One Month

Two Scenes

Two views

Two Skies 

August Lake - Leslie Snider

Late Summer Day - Leslie Snider

The first, a calm and lush summer day with just a hint of autumn.

The second, a late summer storm is on the way.

Both pastels on 440 Uart paper 

using Sennelier, Richeson, Unison, Rembrandt pastels.

Any questions...I'm here.

Sunrise Variation

This latest sunrise pastel

went through some small

 but important tweaks.

Marsh Dawn - Leslie Snider 

I was interested in capturing

 the colour range from warm to cool

  as the sun rose behind a strong line of trees.

The slowly rising sun created

 subtle effects on the marsh and water.

But having finished this piece

 and hanging it in the studio,

 I continued to study it daily.

(This is a good practice as over time 

you see your art with fresh eyes.)

Marsh Dawn -  Edit - Leslie Snider 

Although I liked the effects of light

  I found the line of trees

 too uniform in size, shape and colour.

More variation was needed

 to incorporate the trees

 into the composition.

Otherwise the trees become the focal point.

I also heightened the warm colours

to emphasize the light. 

 

Invasive Species

A couple of years ago 

I sketched and photographed

 an interesting scene

 in Presquile Provincial Park....

bright, colourful and lively.

I discovered the following year 

that the plant was Phragmites

or European common reed,

an invasive species in the process

 of being eradicated!!

Alas, not all European imports

 are as desirable as 

French cheese and Italian Prosciutto!

Presquile Scene - Leslie Snider - pastel

 

Dry Spell

It definitely has become 

one of those long,hot,summers.....

another heat warning......

grasses parched 

and the ground rock hard....

 the lake is irresistible......

Even here the white, hot, heat

 of the midday sun penetrates

and drains colour

 from water and foliage. 

The River's Edge  - pastel - Leslie Snider

The series of early morning skies 

from my recent posts 

reminded me why I love to travel.

At home I'm surrounded by trees

so I get the briefest glimpses

 of interesting cloud formations.

But go to the Canadian west 

and glorious panoramas open up!

Here's just one......

Open Skies - pastel - Leslie Snider

 

Summer Greens

Summer Greens  - Leslie Snider

A pastel sketch enjoying the pure,bright greens of early summer!

Colour Palette for Summer Greens

Shoreline Studies 2018

Two new pastel studies, 

revisiting the shoreline.

On a warm and sunny, spring day

it's immensely satisfying

 to stand ankle deep in water and

study the rocks and wave action.

Shoreline Study - 2018 - Leslie Snider

Shoreline Study - 2018 - Leslie Snider

Shoreline Study - 2018 - Leslie Snider

Shoreline Study - 2018 - Leslie Snider

Both examples on simple, toned drawing papers, 

the first "Toned Tan" and the second "Toned Gray"

(Strathmore brand)

 Richeson (brand) pastels.

When you become

 a landscape (plein air) painter 

the weather becomes

 an essential component

 in your work.....

and this year's late spring

 is playing havoc

with my outdoor plans.

This study based on a field photo....

early morning and fog had descended, 

so I quickly grabbed the camera and off I went.

The subject matter is not glamorous

but the light effects were interesting.

Here the moisture laden air 

adds blue notes to the foliage

 and softens edges.

Foggy Field - pastel -  Leslie Snider

Revisiting the Gaspe

Sparkling Sunset - 2018  - Leslie Snider

In 2016

 I posted a pastel 

from a trip to the Gaspe.

The colours and shapes 

have haunted me ever since. 

Gaspe Sunset - 2016 - Leslie Snider

Above is a variation 

on the theme of rocks,

 water and light.

The joy of playing with

colour and light

 is very tempting

Gaspe - Leslie Snider Photography

.....

but perhaps the photo says it all! 

Look up...way up....skies

A new year and some new ideas.

Most landscapes feature the sky 

so it's important to have an understanding

 of how light conditions,

weather and time of day 

affect the colour and textures.

I've spent the last couple of weeks 

trolling my photos 

 choosing a variety 

to study.

Sunsets are the glamorous cousin

 in this little family of ideas.

This is Rossport Prov. Park 

the photo taken on

 a trip to northern Ontario.

It was an unseasonably warm autumn 

and the sunsets had a soft warmth. 

Rossport Prov. Park - Leslie Snider

The second closer to home

 ...a glorious summer day,

bold puffy clouds dominate the sky,

contrasting with the rich colour of sky and field.

Kingston Summer Sky - Leslie Snider

Finally, 

here and now,

early morning in winter, 

fog is in the air

creating a strange light 

and drifting, illusive clouds.

 

Winter Sky - Leslie Snider

 

Trunks and Leaves

Although tree trunks 

figure prominently

 in this pastel

 the subject was actually

 "leaves".

Here at the beginning of autumn,

the foliage is dense and lively.

But hints of the impending 

seasonal changes 

are peaking out here and there. 

Movement throughout 

is carried by the vivid greens. 

Forest Interior - Leslie Snider

Contrasting Views

Can't stay away from autumn scenes,

the opportunity to work

 with warmer colour schemes

is too tempting!

Contrasting views:

The first looking along a farmer's field,

early morning mist in the distance,

 the last of autumn colour clinging to the trees. 

Autumn 2017 - Leslie Snider

This second is deeper into the wooded trail

(known as the K&P Trail for Kingstonians).

The leaves carpeting the ground,

 highlighted by shafts of light

coming through the density of trees. 

Fallen Leaves - Leslie Snider

Both sketches in pastel.

Across the Fields

Two new pastel sketches -
This first, a celebration of fading autumn colour.

Across the Autumn Fields

This second sketch from earlier in the month- 
Another view across the fields.
Here I'm tuning into the more subtle variations of marsh grasses.

Across the Autumn Fields