Last month on one of the few warm days we’ve had this spring, I took a hike with Mike up Barn Bluff in Redwing, MN. Overlooking the Mississippi River Valley, the top of the bluff allows one to see more distinctly the islands streaking the wide river and the contours of the many hills surrounding the river plain.
At this point the grass was just starting to emerge, and the only things with much color were the evergreens. In the bright spring sunlight most of the color of the landscape was washed out. I did a sketch of the lines and forms before me, think a bit of Depression-era painters who tended to simplify shapes and lines.
A couple weeks ago I painted the same scene, making edits here and there, and having some fun using color to define the different shapes. I’ve left the painting kind of sketchy, partly because when I returned to it today, anything I added felt wrong and I ended up scrubbing it out. The painting was telling me it was fine the way it was and didn’t want me to mess with it.
Amy Okaya Studio Blog 