Behind the Scenes with Susan Abell

On a morning when fog seemed to engulf the entire landscape, surprisingly I found inspiration for a recent work.  Time of Reflection developed from observing the moody quality the mist created over neighborhood ponds. These two small ponds offer ample painting inspiration throughout the year with each seasonal change. While walking past on a winter morning recently, I was struck by the veil-like appearance the fog brought to the trees bordering the ponds. A bit of sunlight suddenly broke through the heavy cloud cover in the distance creating a bit of golden color to the lingering autumn leaves. If you notice the focal point in the distance where clouds appear to touch the treetops, you may see this effect.

The familiar setting could be considered rather gloomy at the onset, but it still seemed rather intriguing.  Using a muted, earthy palette to emphasize a foggy morning,  I endeavored to capture the subdued but peaceful setting. Painting the scene while appealing, proved to be somewhat challenging. Beginning with an underpainting of a grayed shade of blue to focus on the ambiance, I applied many thick, impasto oil paint layers with palette knives-my favorite painting tool. The heavy cloud cover received special emphasis with this technique as did the reflections in the pond. Lastly, shade of brown, yellow, and green were used to paint in the various hardwood trees and tall loblolly pines that border the pond. As a final step, a glaze of thinner pale bluish-purple was used to reflect the fog hovering in the distance. 

The overall aim was to offer my interpretation of a foggy morning in a serene setting.  Inspiration is not always dictated by the most ideal weather conditions. It was interesting to capture a scene from my daily life in a different way.