Falling into the Shadow

"Falling into the Shadow"

9" x 12"  Oil on Oil Primed Linen Board

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/sheilamarie-littlehorn/falling-into-the-shadow/464166

I set out to paint some red rocks and cliffs. Looked easy enough. But noooo... could not get down even close to what I had in my mind. Twice I scraped that board. Too stubborn to leave I turned to my right and zeroed in on a small intimate spot.
The shadow was slowly edging over the small scene.  See the area up in the top right of the photo. When I squinted down I could see the abstract dark/light so clearly.  I quickly scrubbed it in. The  dark brush, left the canvas white where there was snow and the one tree with rusty orange leaves that have hung on through the winter.

Once I got that in I started in with the large shapes of local color.  Deep purple greys, brownish greys, rusty greys, you get the idea, lots of greys.  I also threw in the flattened ochre grasses on top of the dark ground in the foreground.

I had a few visitors. Granted they had 4 legs and were busily eating but they were kind enough to keep their opinions to themselves.

This is where I was at when I shut it down for the day.

Once I got it home I darkened the darks a bit. I lightened the snow as it looked dirty and
balanced the tree out a bit to improve the design.  See final pic at beginning of post.