Evolution of a Work - 'Drifted Stream in Valley'

I explored a neighbor's farm in the coldest part of winter.  I'd really been missing painting on location, and it was too cold to take along my  full supplies, so I just took a very small notebook and pencil in the pocket of my winter coat.  Because the snow was up to my knees, I also had to figure out how to get around.  So I hauled out my cross country skis, threw them in the back of my pickup (four wheel drive to get around in the snow), and I was free to roam!  

Finished - 'Drifted Stream in Valley'

I followed the course of the stream, and liked the contrast of the dark water against the frozen and drifted-over sections.  I noticed something new about shadows in snow, where the most shaded bank on the left was a cool blue, while the shadows on the right were a warmer blue, reflecting the color of the sky.  I also really liked the zig zaggy path of the stream, really drawing towards the distance.

Original graphite sketch in pocket sized sketchbook

It was so cold, that I couldn't even take my hand out of the gloves, so I sketched in pencil still wearing them, recording the bare essence of the composition.  Meanwhile, I was learning and absorbing more in the process of sketching, filing away in my memory.

Oil sketch completed in studio to 'capture' the colors

 When I got back to the studio and warmed up, I made an oil sketch on canvas paper to record the colors that I had remembered.  I really like how the transparent blue on the left stream bank gives the feel of drifted snow and coldness.  With the colors and my memories of being there, the 'mood' or feel of the place that drew me to it began to take shape in the painting.

In progress on canvas

I then began the final painting on a larger, 18" X 24" stretched canvas.  The photo above shows the under painting, where the composition is laid in, and I played up the warm/cool color contrasts.  By the time I began this work, the season had changed, but my preliminary studies and the memory of having been there in the elements and what I'd observed were all I needed to complete the work