We had no White Christmas, and no White New Year in North Norfolk. But this time of year would not be complete without a snow scene, so I have dug into my archives and found this pastel of Snow Flurries at Little Snoring. I was out walking in one of that string of snowy winters we had a few years ago. The skeletal forms of the telegraph poles were almost ghostly, and the regimented darks of the conifers made a foil for the snow fall. And then the child appeared, stumping through the snow in an oversized orange coat, a bright splash of colour amid all the white. In fact, there is little actual white in the subject. I used a medley of palest blue-violets, pinks and ochres, which, set against the contrasting darks of the conifers, and the deep tone of the chocolate-toned pastel paper, create a white more luminous than pure white itself. White pastel, when used on its own in large swathes, can take on a flat, chalky appearance. It would have been impossible to work out of doors, as, like rain, snow is ruinous to a painting. When a snowflake falls on the paper, it is impossible to brush off, however crisp and crystalline it appears to be. It simply sticks there, and for an enchanted moment there it is, in all its perfect mathematical symmetry. And then another and another and another fall, all perfect and different. And then they melt into the surface of the painting and totally muck up what had promised to be a decent piece of work. Fortunately, a combination of observation and rapid field sketches gave me the information I needed to complete this subject in the studio. From my window I had a wonderful view of the snow falling in swirls and flurries, and it was just a question of adding the orange-clad figure in the right place to pull the composition together and hold the eye. Painting relies heavily on observation, so if you are a budding landscape artist but find that it's too wet, too windy, or too snowy to paint out of doors, just walk and observe. Look for the interplay of shapes, tones, colours, and how they combine to create pictorial journeys and focal points and the atmosphere of place. Like any skill, observation needs practise - little and often is the key to success. If nothing else, a bit of post Christmas fresh air will do you good, so wrap up warm, get out there, and have a Happy New Year! For information on group and one-to-one sessions on observation in the Landscape, please use the Contact page.
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Judith Key
Judith Key is a Norfolk based artist, working in watercolour and pastel. She has exhibited with the Society of Graphic Fine Artists and New English Art Club at the Mall Galleries, London. Her paintings are in collections worldwide. Categories
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May 2018
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