When I set up to paint this time, I had three pieces of paper with me. I figured, if the boat was going to move around, I would be prepared. As it turned out, because the wind held us in one spot for a while, I was able to paint two pieces with the same view. The third one I will post another time.
The top photo is my second painting. In it, I zeroed in on what interested me most about this scene. It was the was the light that caught on the thin bits of moss on the tree and on the thin leaves of the underbrush. With all of the dramatic darks everywhere, it was the light that grabbed me. In the first piece, I paid homage to the pretty algae and lichen growth on the rocks, the shapes of the trees and the rocks, and the weird green water (near the Stikine River). I felt okay about this painting but I knew that I had backed away from what interested me most. In the second try, it was all about the light.
Since I don't know when I will be in Alaska again to paint, I want to make sure to paint what I see. Paint how I feel. Paint that peculiar light of 58 degrees north.
