Blog

There is nothing quite like being outside and enjoying the feel of the weather...sometimes I am buffeted by the winds, other times there is only a slight breeze gently touching me, or the sun is beating down. Since one of my favorite things to paint are clouds, weather becomes an important part of what form the clouds will take.

Most important is the sunlight or lack of and how that effects the cloud colors in and around the cloud. We think of the light part is white but this white is  filled with a variety of colors. The darker parts or  heavy dark clouds are various shades of gray and create more of the mood.

 While painting clouds I really enjoy their ability to change so quickly and at other times they hang in the sky as if trying to decide where to go next.  

When I start a cloud painting from life, I never know how it will end up. Sometimes I capture the first scene I see and other times I pick clouds here and there as they rush by and focus on making the best composition possible.

Every cloud pattern is different and can change dramatically in an instant which is why I find them so exciting to paint.  It is always an adventure.

Often I enjoy reworking old paintings. Especially if I haven't painted in awhile it helps me jump start back into painting.I painted this cloud painting “Moving On” many years ago. Recently I decided it definitely needed some improvement.

I made the top right corner cloud larger; changed the shapes of several of the middle clouds; lightened the fog; added more color to the ocean; and changed the bottom left cloud.

I was pretty happy with this improved one but felt it still needed a little tweaking. Thomas Kitts at Ask an Artist made a few suggestions and these subtle changes make all the difference.