Pushing the Clouds Away with my Mind

Today the rain continued as yesterday. Rain, a lead gray sky, and 50 degrees fahrenheit. Not a good chance for  a plein air day. Tim was occupied today with his mother's medical emergency of a few days ago. It's time. I have to keep the juices flowing. Several freshly stretched and primed canvases were laying on my workbench. I grabbed one and brought my paints up from my old studio in the basement...I just can't paint there anymore...I need the light.
I had taken several picture images with my Iphone a handy little device to own. The images were landscapes that had prompted my interest both compositionally and as color combinations that I have been working on. I have always liked landscape much in the same way Edward Hopper did. My graduate watercolor show was so much like a series of Hopper's watercolors. I recall the light contrasts of high noon shadows in deep blues and violets. I guess, I have always been a colorist like the Fauves, Impressionists, and the  Der Blaue Reiter group.
This particular landscape had very little color but their was a variety of multi-colored grays and that deep scarlet door panel with its reflections on the wet pavement. Today was overcast like the day I took the photograph. I had to eliminate most of the details.
By the time I laid a coat of wet pewter gray and white, I had slipped into that marvelous space between thought and the creative process. The hand and eye takes over and an hour and half dissolve.

 Whatever I do to make it happen is outside of my control as long as I just mix colors and apply the paint as my hand and eye direct.
I think this old building or shed reminds me of an old house trailer sometiemout of my past. There is a melancholy about the building like a throw away. It's not used anymore except to hold junk that also is not going to be used, more than likely, by the owner who just can't discard either.

This one came from the next day as I was late in posting these. Tomorrow Tim and I are scheduled to paint outdoors, sunny with a high of the 80's. Tonite we are scheduled to give a talk about plein air painting to a local art group at the Cafe du Cirque a small resturant in town. Who'da thought? Just started to paint together 'plein air' a year ago and now we're famous!