I have been thinking about the images that we see in fleeting moments. Light that plays off a surface or tricks the eye into thinking we see something in a new way. Light coloring life with freedom and reminding us of the insubstantiality of life. I snapped this photo with my handy little camera at a stoplight in the downtown as I was watching a beautiful light pass off a building. There was a sheet of ice crystals passing in front of a brick building.The sheet was lit up by the setting sun and obscured the heavy brick building. The image was quick. I thought it would be something to work out in a painting.
I haven't been very successful using my camera to capture images to paint later. The tiny image or the precise blocks of objects always discouraged me from pursuing the camera as a source.
In this case though, it is winter in New Hampshire and it gets dark by the time I leave work. I didn't have time to make a sketch but did so when I got back to the studio.
The drawing is in the left corner of this messy table. I have my palette as well as my oil bars out. I set up a composition in the drawing. Then I drew it on a mdf panel and painted an acrylic composition in off colors. I am working on this on with a few glances at the camera for a sense of the scene. I usually try to play with what is on the canvas to see what comes to mind as I develop the painting. I have this starting point and worked on it today so it doesn't look like this now.