Fall Colors Are Here

You guessed it, fall colors are here, gentle reader! Are you as excited as I am about this time of year? I hope so. And, if you’re not, perhaps you will feel more excited after reading this post? Maybe? Stay tuned to read more. But first, I welcome new readers here today. And, if you are interested in learning more about this post and blog, check out this link here.

What are Fall Colors

Just exactly what are fall colors anyway? Well, as I think of it, they tend to be rich in color and range from golden yellows, burnt oranges, burgundy reds and more. Just to help me make sure I was not totally off base here, I’ll share a short article on the science of fall colors from the US Forestry service. If you don’t feel like reading the article, here’s my favorite quote from it “…None of the other environmental influences – such as temperature, rainfall, food supply – are as unvarying as the steadily increasing length of night during autumn. As days grow shorter, and nights grow longer and cooler, biochemical processes in the leaf begin to paint the landscape with Nature’s autumn palette.“

Today I met a painting pal at the Musuem Park at the NC Museum of Art for the third Wednesday in a row. She and I wander off in separate directions with our painting supplies in tow. Then reconnect after 2-3 hours. I never quite know where I will end up painting at times like this. But I do know I have to wander until I have this almost overwhelming feeling of “oh wow I need to paint that.”

Green Trees Everywhere

At first, all I could see were evergreens and oak trees at the Park. But as I walked towards the back of the museum, I stopped, looked to my left and nearly gasped at the beautiful, colorful trees and their reflections in the water. Ahhh! This was the spot for me. Here’s a photo of my set up.

I couldn’t wait to get started! But notice the clouds in the sky? Uh huh. That is not how things looked for the next three hours. One minute, the sun came out, off to my left. The next minute the sky was completely blue. And, then a few minutes later, the clouds completely covered the sky.

I mention all this to say that I chose to kind of ignore all that activity initially. Otherwise, I would be spinning wheels all morning.

The Block-in

After using my viewfinder to select a composition, I did a quick pencil sketch in my sketchbook. Then, I mixed a few of the colors on my palette with my palette knife. And, then it’s off to the races! Here’s a photo of the quick block in I did. I had started to paint the light-ish blue-ish sky in the upper left corner.

At one point, after I took this photo, I looked up and the sky was completely blue. But that changed to grey-ish, purple-ish sky and clouds.

Fall Colors are Here – 3 hours later

Here’s where I ended up three hours later. I had so much fun painting this one. I’m not sure how many more cool and balmy days I will have this fall. But my intent is to paint as many of these quick color sketches as I can. Then, during the dark, cold wintry days ahead, I can paint larger variations of each in the comfort of my cozy studio.

This painting is 8×10 inches and painted on linen mounted on panel. If you want it for your very own, you can purchase it for $197.00 by clicking on the Paypal button below.

Are You Seeing Fall Colors

What about you gentle reader? Are you seeing fall colors where you live? Are they especially vibrant this year? Or maybe you’re in drought country and things are a bit subdued? Either way, I would love it if you shared the fall colors you are seeing in the comments here today. Thank you, as always, for reading!