Fall Color in Colorado

Friday found me back in Fraser painting with my friend, Marie. The color and light was simply breathtaking. I arrived around 9:30 a.m. and it was after 10 before I got everything set up and got started. My first painting was a struggle. I am not sure yet how I feel about it but my initial reaction was - just quit while your ahead and work on it later at home. So that is what I did. This painting is 11"x14". I have not touched it yet, and it is not looking quite as unfinished as I had thought. I will have to sit on this one.

I turned my easel around and painted the scene directly opposite the first. I tend to shy away from silouette but I did like the dark evergreens against all the aspens with the light shining across the willows. I did both of these paintings in four hours. I am not sure how long each took individually, but the second one just seemed to flow. If anyone has any suggestions for names of any of these paintings, please let me know. I am not creative in that arena. The Silouetted Sentinels is 10"x16" and will be up on my website this week (http://www.victoriaekelund.com/). I think it is a complete painting done alla prima.

We went back to Marie's home for lunch and a break. I had Fritz with me, who is my 5 year old schnoodle. He was antsy to get going, so I was going to head home from there. On my way back down the road, Marie was already set up for an afternoon painting, in the same location I had painted my earlier two, and it was just too tempting. I pulled over and we talked and decided to limit ourselves to an hour and fifteen minutes so that I could get going by 5:15 or so. I did this little 8x10. I think of the three, this is my least favorite, but my family disagrees. That is what is so wonderful about life. We all have our druthers. I do think I can make something better from this start. Stay tuned!