Early Winter

I thought you might like to see some of my drawings, so this is the first in a series of several I have to share with you. Some are simply sketches of things around me that I love. Some are done as discipline and practice for the benefit of honing skill and ability. Some are studies for paintings like this one. All are drawn from life (not from photos).

This is a study I did several years ago for a painting that has long since been sold. It was early winter, and the old red Winchester dairy barn was framed nicely against the bare trees and clear sky, dried grasses and lingering wild flowers. The silo, then in a state of deterioration, no longer stands.

A study like this is done so that I may gauge the composition and block in the image in the studio, and then return to the location with my panel laid-out and all ready to start painting. This is especially nice during the chilly seasons.