There are times when the sun is setting and the sky is just so and the angling rays catch the golden autumn leaves and you’re pretty sure you found a spot in heaven to hang out. How beautiful is that? A golden moment of glory that lights up every tree just before the sun disappears for another night. Even if it didn’t rise again the next day, you feel tremendously blessed because you got to see the glorious scene before you.
One evening before all the leaves disappeared and winter settled in, there was just such an evening. I happened to look outside and catch what was going on, and my husband and I ran outside with our phones to try and capture what was before us. It was like a thousand inspirations unfolded before us.
I had one large 36×48 canvas so I gave it a coat of Naples Yellow and some Yellow Ocre and worked out a composition and even made a few video clips of me working on the painting showing the painting in progress.
This is the finished painting, and I’m happy with the outcome. There is a bit of 1960s illustration vibes to it with the handling of the trees, and the idea of lighting windows in the houses actually came from my imagination, because it has to get a bit darker for that lighting effect to be possible, but that’s never stopped me before, and wouldn’t with this painting.
