Donar’s Sketchbook

Brich and Pines Briars Golf Course, 2nd hole Green

The last of the fall colors.  The rain and cold made it hard to add additional detail.  Now the ground is starting to freeze and with it my water colors can’t settle on the paper before turning into ice crystals.  There will be days above freezing and I will get out when that happens.  I will also try to paint in my car though that limits  your locations.  Color pencils are an alternative and we’ll see how far I can go when it gets real cold.  Snow is great subject matter for landscapes as the shadows, light and shapes are constantly changing.  Trees can take on a new shape and the lines are reinforced with fresh snow.  For now, I will post the remainder of my fall pics and then the long 5 month winter scape where I will focus on the long term.  Fall is a short window of color and light that I needed to get out every day to try to get the full spectrum.  Spring is shorter and though my favorite season doesn’t have the dramatic finale of Fall, if anything, by the time my beloved Trillium pop up, the weather is summer like.  Buds are a promising sign but it seems over night everything pops up.  Summer, like Winter, is a marathon where the trees don’t change much, but the light lasts much longer and the lake and river offers endless opportunities.  Winter, the lake freezes over at one point, so I can get out there, but like the ice fishing, you have to dress up like a burrito and hide in a shanty from the blowing wind and snow.  Ontario’s seasons give you plenty of change and I welcome this year to really focus on the cycle.