winter pines as night descends watercolor

Winter is one of the most beautiful seasons in existence. Not for flashy obvious reasons like autumn’s bold colors, but for very subtle quiet reasons which must be sought. One of my favorite aspect of winter is that dramatic twilight sky…the one that changes second by second. When you find yourself under a winter twilight sky, don’t move, watch the colors melt and grow dark until night takes over. Try to do this in silence with no distractions like the cellphone, television, or radio. It truly is a sacred moment.

This tiny watercolor (3.5 x 5″) looks like a pine under the Northern Lights. I’ve never seen the Northern Lights in person. What a blessing that would be if I could one day! Wow!
The paper I used (Arches cold press block) has a lot of texture. I was surprised at how much I liked it. With these two paintings, I experimented with a wet on wet sky. It really made the transition between colors smooth.

The texture of the paper is really visible in this painting. I held the painting vertical so that gravity could pull the dark blue sky and make it “fall” down. It almost looks like sheets of rain. While the sky was wet, I painted some distant pines which made them out of focus…perfect for distant pines.

Let’s embrace the beauty of winter even if the moment is fleeting. I hope you find yourself under a dramatic twilight winter sky soon.

May God bless and protect you in 2021,
Christine