September at the Lake - part 03

A change in the weather

 plus

a change in the season

creates the possibilty

 for glorious colour.

 

September at the Lake - part 02

A Week at the Lake 

 began with rain and fog ...

not good for outdoor sketching 

but great for photos.
A great blue heron 

entertained me

 by hunting just outside my window

 and when the sun came out 

reflections in the water

 provided interesting compositions.

September at the Lake

Three sketches 

from our most recent trip 

to the lake.

Experimenting with pastel pencils

as they are more portable 

and not as fragile as soft pastels.

En Plein Air Sketch - Leslie Snider

En Plein Air Sketch - Leslie Snider

 

En Plein Air Sketch - Leslie Snider

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

 

Seasonal Changes

Across the Fields -  Summer  - Leslie Snider

Across the Fields -  Autumn  - Leslie Snider