Two weeks in the Bay Area, 9 x 12, oil on panel

What a nice change to experience crisp light and shadow after being enveloped by damp gray! I'm doing two paintings a day while I stay here. The change pushes my palette in a new direction. Or is it that sweet smell of the smoke on the streets of Haight/Ashbury where I'm staying?

Two seasons, same place, 9 x 12, oil on panel

These two small studies were painted from the exact location two months apart. I revisited this place to see what the lake looked like in winter. I just estimated the composition because I didn't have the autumn painting with me, but it is surprisingly close. The coldness of winter affects how I feel when painting, just as a warm sunny day does. The austere day we had here on Sunday is reflected in the bottom piece. It is an interesting contrast, not just color, but emotion.